The Hockey Life

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
Still in Patrick’s P.O.V.
Lena and I woke up unbearably early in the morning. We had to be up to catch our flight since I had practice in Chicago. We both were up before anyone else in the house was even close to being awake, so I left a note to let them know we had left in case they forgot.
Our flight luckily gave us an opportunity to catch up on sleep. Usually neither of us slept very much on plane rides, but we were both tired enough to catch some z’s. It was unfortunate when we had to wake up to get off the plane, but we both grabbed some Starbucks and drank it on our way to the United Center. By the time we got there, we were alert enough to function.
We had a game that night, so I made sure to focus and work hard during practice. However, once I was in the locker room with my teammates, I realized I had a lot to talk about.
“We’re still on for tomorrow, right guys?” I yelled to get everyone’s attention.
“Yeah, definitely. How about another run-through, though, just to refresh our memories?” Bollig suggested. Lena’s birthday was the next day, on November 24, and I wanted to surprise her. She said she didn’t need any big celebration for her birthday, but I felt like it was necessary. I had a game on my birthday, which was on the 19th, so we didn’t do much. I went to practice, celebrated with Lena, my parents, and my sisters (who had traveled to Chicago) during the afternoon, and then I had a home game. I didn’t mind that I didn’t get a big celebration. After twenty-five years of them, I didn’t really feel like it was necessary for me. However, I figured at least one of us needed to do it big for our birthdays.
“Okay. When we get here, Brad’s going to be at the entrance to distract her. He’s going to take her to his office to give her a calendar for December, and when he does he’s going to go into way too much detail about it and create small talk so it buys us time. While that happens, we’re going to make sure the balloons and confetti and everything is set up, plus we’ll be getting dressed and ready for practice of course. We’ll put on the letter jerseys and get in our places and Coach is going to text Brad when we’re ready. Brad will signal us when we need to turn and everything will go off then,” I explained.
“Sounds good. So do you guys know what you’re doing after practice?” Shawzy asked.
“Party at my place. Mostly her friends are invited, but you guys should come too, if you can. I know she’d like for you to be there. Plus, I’m pretty sure her friends would be excited to meet you all. They’re huge Hawks fans,” I told them. Most of them said they’d be there, so that team conversation ended and everyone broke off into side conversations as we changed into normal clothes.
“How did everything go yesterday?” Tazer asked as he slipped a shirt on over his head.
“It went really well. My family loves Lena, and she seems to like everyone she met yesterday. Plus I had a good talk with my dad.” I explained our conversation to Johnny and when I finished, I waited nervously for his feedback.
“I agree with your dad, I think it’s a good idea,” he finally said.
“Really?” I let out a breath.
“Yeah. I’m around both of you almost every day and I can tell there’s something there. If you’re ready, go for it,” he continued.
“Thank god. I was afraid everyone would think I was crazy,” I admitted.
“I do think you’re crazy, just not for this,” Jonathan retorted. I just rolled my eyes. “So, is this going to happen soon?”
“I don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen. I have some work to do first, but I just wanted another opinion before I got started on that,” I explained. I didn’t want to tell the whole team yet, but I talked to a couple more guys in the locker room and everyone seemed to have the same response. I decided I had a lot that I needed to get done, but I couldn’t worry about it that day. I still had a game to get through, plus Lena’s birthday the day after.
Lena’s P.O.V.
I promised Tess that she would get to meet Kris Versteeg, so once Patrick and I got home from practice and our lunch date that we spontaneously decided to have, I told her she’d meet him after the game. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, she was in a crazy-good mood. We went to the gym to pass the time and once it got close to game time, we threw on some Hawks clothing and headed to the United Center.
The game went pretty well - the Hawks won. Tess and I went to the locker room afterwards and she got to meet Steeger. He told us both that he’d be at my birthday party at Kaner’s place and that he’d rap for me, so we left the United Center feeling excited for my party. We both went to bed basically as soon as we got home, and I don’t think I had ever fallen asleep so quickly before in my life.
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“Wake up! Wake up, it’s your birthday! Come on, sleepyhead, wake up!” The sound of Tess yelling was the first thing I heard in the morning. My eyes were still tired when they opened, despite the fact that I had gone to bed at a decent time. When I looked at my phone, I noticed that it was 5:32 in the morning. Of course. Tess always woke me up as soon as it was officially my birthday, and I had made the mistake of telling her that I was born at 5:32 A.M.
“Why do you do this, Tess…” I grumbled as I turned over so my back was to her.
“Because I like to be the first person to tell you happy birthday when it’s actually your birthday. So Happy Birthday, Lean!”
“Thanks Tess. Goodnight.”
“Good morning, loser,” she said before she left my room and went into hers so she could go back to sleep. I fell back asleep easily, but I almost hoped she wouldn’t, since she had just earned some bad karma.
When I woke up for the second time that morning, I felt a lot more well rested. I went through my typical morning routine and made myself look presentable enough for work. There was a knock on the door as I finished a bowl of cereal. I knew it was Patrick so I rinsed my bowl, grabbed my purse, and opened the door.
“Happy Birthday,” he said. He wrapped his arms around me before I could even react.
“Thanks,” I answered. We headed out to his car and my phone started to blow up with messages from my parents, Brian, and some of the girls on my hockey team.
“I wish I was as popular as you,” Patrick commented.
“Says a famous hockey player,” I said.
“And yet I still don’t get as many texts as you. It’s just not fair!” he whined.
“Trust me, I’m only getting this attention because it’s my birthday. Normally my phone is just as dead as yours.”
When we got to the United Center, I was caught off guard. Brad greeted us at the door, which never happened.
“Happy birthday, Lena!” he told me.
“Thanks, Brad.”
“I don’t know if this is exactly good or not, but your first present of the day is coming from me. I need you in my office for a bit before you get to work, I have a December schedule for you and I’d like to go over some things that we have coming up here at the United Center,” he told me.
“I guess I’ll see you later, I’ve got to get to the locker room,” Patrick told me. He headed that way and I went with Brad to his office. He gave me the schedule and we talked for a few minutes, but it was strange how long he was taking. Usually he tried his best to keep things short so I could get to work, but not today. I guessed it was probably just because he knew it was a special day for me. However, a couple minutes later he received a text that seemed to remind him that we both had jobs to do.
“Well, I guess we better get to work now. We’re both going the same way, so I’ll walk with you.” He escorted me towards the ice and I noticed that he was on his phone again before we got there. I wondered why he was so obsessed with it today. But then we turned the corner and we were in the player’s bench area and I understood why things seemed so strange. The whole team was lined up on the ice and when Brad and I arrived they turned around to reveal their unusual jerseys, each of which had a letter on it. They spelled out: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LENA!!!!!! There were enough explanation points so that everyone on the team was able to wear a special jersey, and as they revealed the message they all yelled happy birthday. At the same time, balloons and confetti fell from above them and once they were done yelling, the goal horn sounded and Chelsea Dagger played. I should have suspected that something like this was going on, but I didn’t, and it was one of the biggest surprises I had ever received. I was so overwhelmed with joy that I couldn’t even contain it. It was so nice of them to do this.
“Oh my god, you guys are amazing!” I shouted! I went out on the ice and made sure to hug every single player, saving the best for last. “You set this up, didn’t you?” I asked Patrick.
“Well, kind of. The team wanted to do something special for you and we all pitched in on the idea,” he told me.
“Well, you guys did a great job,” I assured him. “Thank you.”
It was funny because even Coach Q was in on the surprise, and he seemed to be just as enthusiastic as the players. But, once we had all been standing around for a couple minutes, he went back to serious mode very suddenly and wanted everything cleaned up so practice could start. I wasn’t surprised at all by that. To be honest, I was more surprised that he actually let this whole thing slide during meaningful practice time.
Practice went well and Patrick and I grabbed lunch at Panera Bread afterwards. Once we were done with lunch, I went home and decided to relax a little bit before I changed my clothes for the party. When Tess and I were both ready, Jonathan arrived at our apartment and we got into his car so he could drive us to Patrick’s apartment. We were the first ones there, other than Brian, who apparently couldn’t miss his little sister’s birthday bash.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him. “It’s a school night, shouldn’t you be at home, grading papers?”
“I didn’t have anything to grade tonight. I won’t be here the whole time, but I figured I should at least come for a while. Plus, it didn’t hurt to help Patrick with the decorating,” he explained. I looked around and noticed a banner and balloons and streamers.
“Well you guys did a pretty good job!” I said.
People began to filter in and once the girls from my hockey team arrived, I laughed at their reactions to all the Hawks players that were there. They all were so excited to meet them, and they were even happier that they got to party all night with them.
After a while, we decided it was time for cake and presents, and I felt like a ten year old at a birthday party again. Luckily, no one sang happy birthday to me, though. I hated how awkward it was to just sit there while everyone sang that song. Instead, Kris Versteeg kept his promise and he rapped. Since it was my birthday, he recited Cam Hunter’s rap from the song One In A Million from my favorite band, Down With Webster. He only changed the original lyrics by swapping I to you, I’m to you’re, etc:
Shake it up and then spray that,
Celebrate when we play that,
This real deal, can't fake that,
You’re the needle up in this haystack,
When I drop it hold up your open hand,
For the drop in the ocean that broke the dam,
You’re overflowing on every jam,
And we made it rock from one grain of sand,
Now, go, go,
Time to show them all who we really are,
Go, go, it's not dizziness, but you're seeing stars,
So, so, what's a star to a comet that's burning across the sky,
And tonight you’re so supersonic
Once his great performance was over, we all got a piece of Better Than Sex cake, which was one of my favorite desserts. It consisted of chocolate cake with holes in it. Caramel was drizzled into those holes and whipped cream was smeared on top along with bits of Heath. For some reason, I was obsessed with it, but I didn’t get to eat it very often, so I savored my piece.
Present opening was next. I mostly got gift cards for places I liked like Forever 21, Victoria’s Secret, Target, Starbucks, etc. Tess got me a new purse that she knew I had been wanting for a while. Brian got me a new bottle of my favorite perfume that I always wore, even though he would complain when I would spray it around him. Patrick of course outdid everyone with his gift, which was a beautiful Michael Kors watch, another thing I had been wanting for quite a while.
I thanked everyone and we went back to talking and playing Wii games, which included a few karaoke games and Just Dance as well. Those were both fun to play and fun to watch when others were playing. Overall, it was a really fun party, and by the time everyone left, I was able to say that I had an amazing birthday.
“So, did you have fun?” Patrick asked when we were the only two people left in his apartment.
“Yeah, of course I did. Thank you so much for everything, Patrick. This was a great party. And this watch…” I played with the new piece of jewelry on my wrist, “It’s a lot more than you needed to get me, as usual,” I told him.
“And I don’t care if you think it’s too much, as usual,” he laughed. “I wanted to get you something you’d love, and I heard you say yourself that you would love a watch like this.”
“You’re so stubborn,” I said.
“And so are you,” he replied. “If it helps, I have another present for you. It’s not the kind that you can open, though.”
“Oh really?” I smiled. I knew where he was going with this.
“Yeah. Close your eyes.” I obeyed and I felt his hands grab my waist and pull me towards him. He kissed me and I forgot all about the fact that his gift was too expensive and he always did way too much for me. I didn’t care about the fact that there were balloons that needed to be popped or streamers that needed to be taken down. I just focused on the perfect end to my twenty-third birthday.

Notes