Redemption of a Puck Slut: Part II

April 12, 2015

Dear Diary,

Last night, the Penguins played their last regular season game and finished the season at not only top of the Metro division, but at the top of the Eastern Conference!! They have worked so hard this season and totally deserve this.

Because it was the last game of the season, I actually went to the game instead of sitting at home watching it alone on tv (kind of lame, I know). I brought the twins because the wags wanted to see them and they were really quiet during the game (luckily the box is mostly soundproof from the rest of the arena). It was so nice to see Caeleigh skate again; she’s gotten so good now that she’s head ice girl.

After the game I was chatting with Mrs. Kuni about their daughter when she stopped me and pointed towards the ice.

“What the heck is he doing?” She said to herself and I turned around to see Geno on the ice, alone. He looked like he was trying to get someone to come on the ice with him, but I could see who he was talking to. A minute later, Caeleigh was pushed onto the ice, and from all the way up here I could tell she was blushing.

“Oh my God, Geno!” Mrs. Flower said as she sat down next to me, and then she said something in French (I don’t know what) but I smiled anyway. The wags were all aflutter as Geno and Caels were shown on the big screen over the ice. The rest of the team (obviously in on it too) were back on the bench watching, and most of the people leaving the arena had stopped and were now watching, waiting to see what would happen.

Geno pulled Caeleigh out to center ice, she still had her skates on, and tried to stop her from leaving. And as I expected, Geno got down on one knee and pulled out what was probably a gigantic diamond ring (I couldn’t see it from here) and Caeleigh gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in shock/embarrassment. (So happy Sid proposed to me in private, not in front of nearly 20,000 people.)

The rest of the team was cheering, and Sid was shown on the big screen for a second. He looked proud, almost, like he’d had something to do with this (I made a mental note to ask him later…)

The entire arena held its breath, like this was game seven or something, as we waited for her to reply. As the seconds ticked by and still no response from Caeleigh. I was starting to think she was going to say no, and Mrs. Flower screamed ‘Just say yes!’

Slowly, Caels lowered her shaking hands from her face, wiped a stray tear from her cheek, and nodded yes. I swear, Geno’s smile was so adorable/cute/happy it could make you pregnant.

Caeleigh looked…slightly less enthusiastic. She looked more terrified than happy. I guess I would be scared too, if an entire arena started cheering at my engagement (which was also televised and commentated on by Pierre McGuire, oh fun).

After I got over the initial shock I ran down to ice level to see Caeleigh. After pushing though a bunch of reporters and other unimportant people, I found her and immediately gave her a hug.

“Look at my ring!” She held her hand out and showed off her giant diamond ring. “It’s even bigger than yours.”

“Yup, it is,” I nodded, observing the totally Geno-style ring she had on her hand. It was big, almost too big, but she loved it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sid come out of the locker room. He was smiling, and put his arm around me as he congratulated Caeleigh and Geno.

Suddenly, a reporter shoved a microphone in my face, something I wasn’t used to, and asked me what I thought of their engagement.

Sid tightened his grip on my shoulder, and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to calm me down, or if it was an involuntary action because he was mad. There is nothing that makes Sid angrier than reporters talking to his family.

“Mrs. Crosby, are you happy for your friend’s engagement? Did you see this coming?” The reporter asked, and caught me off guard. I still wasn’t used to people calling me ‘Mrs. Crosby’ and I certainly was not accustomed to having a camera and microphone in my face.

“I am obviously very happy for her and Geno, they are both close friends of ours, and um, I was very surprised that Geno proposed tonight, but I can’t say I didn’t see it coming,” I smiled over at Caeleigh who was still shining, and Geno who looked like he had just won the Stanley cup and the Olympic gold for Russia.

Sid pulled me closer and cleared his throat; I couldn’t see him, but he must have given the reporter a stern look because they turned around suddenly. Sid guided me away from the group and I left to find the rest of the wags, who were still shocked at Geno’s proposal, and he left to finish getting changed.

We all went out after to celebrate, and Caeleigh insisted I stay by her side the whole night. I stayed for a while, but I was pretty tired.

“Emme, come on! Why don’t you want to dance with us?” She said, trying to pull me out on to the dance floor.

“I would, but I’m tired. I should probably head home soon anyway…” I could already tell she was mad, and knew that nothing I said would make it better.

“Bu I just got engaged! And the Pens are in the playoffs, top of the Eastern Conference… do you not care?” She swayed a bit as she tried to grab on to my wrist again.

“Of course I care, I think it’s amazing! But I have to go home, I have children, remember?” I retorted, a bit more acerbically then I should have, but I was tired.

“Yes, everyone knows about your twins, and that you’re pregnant, but that doesn’t mean you have to be so lame!” She rolled her eyes, and stumbled, falling onto a chair.

“Maybe you should go home too? You look a little tipsy,” I tried to help her up, genuinely worried about her, but she thought I was being condescending and fought back.

“I don’t need your help, whore!” She pushed me, not very hard, but enough to make me take a step back.

I half expected Sid to jump in out of nowhere and ‘rescue’ now that he’s so protective of me (since I’m pregnant) (with his baby) but he was nowhere in sight. However, Geno came stumbling over, obviously drunk, and mumbled something in Russian.

“Speak English!” Caeleigh yelled at him as he helped her up.

“Whatttt, I thought you like my Russian,” he replied with a goofy grin that only made her madder.

I turned to pick up my purse, hoping to slip away unnoticed, but she grabbed my arm again.

“Don’t leave!” She slurred, and Geno echoed her, though I could understand him less than her.

“I have to get home-”

“To my son?” Geno interrupted me, and I froze. How could he say that? He practically shouted it in a very public place, and people were already watching us.

After a second I responded, “Geno you’re drunk, shut up.” I tried to laugh it off, but I could tell I look terrified. My heart was pounding, and my eyes were wide as I scanned the faces of the crowd watching us. I turned and left as fast as I could, trying to fight my way through the mass of drunk fangirls, trying to find Sid.

I eventually gave up and left. I stood on the sidewalk under a streetlamp, alone. I had driven there with Sid, and anyone I knew well enough to ask for a ride home was too drunk, so I started looking for a taxi. It had been months since I’d done that (since I lived in Chicago, probably). After a few failed attempts, I decided to go for a walk. It was a cool spring evening and I needed to clear my head. I sent Sid another text explaining where I was going, and tried calling him one last time before heading out into the Pittsburgh night.

So many thoughts came to mind as I wandered through the unfamiliar streets and avenues, trying to make sense of what Geno had said, or why he said it, rather. I still can’t figure out why he would say that in public. Does he not care if people know that my son is actually his?

I sat down on a park bench and tried to figure out where I was. It was almost midnight, so I must have been walking for over half an hour. I’d passed at least fifty taxis on my walk, but now there weren’t any in sight. I leaned back and closed my eyes, realizing my night had just gone from bad to worse. I texted Sid, told him the name of the street corner I was sitting on, and hoped that maybe he would reappear from wherever he was hiding and come save me.

My phone buzzed, and I thought it was Sid, but it wasn’t. It was Brandon. (My other knight in shining armor)

~I just heard Caeleigh and Geno got engaged

*Yeah, and now he’s being a complete idiot. He said, out loud, in a crowded club filled with Pens fans, that my son was his

~what?! Why?!?

*He’s drunk, but I know everyone around us heard him. And then I couldn’t find Sid, so I left

~So you’re at home?

*No, I’m on a park bench in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea where I am, actually

~Emme, you can’t wander off in the middle of the night. There are dangerous people in the city, and you probably look like you would be easy to mug, or worse

*Or worse? Brandon don’t scare me!!

~I’m serious! Where is your husband?

*I don’t know…

~If I wasn’t in Philly I would come find you. Why don’t you call a taxi?

*Would they just pick me up on the side of the road? I didn’t know you could do that

~Yes, and please let me know when you get home safe

Brandon was so smart sometimes, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that first. Probably because I was really upset.

But I got home safely, and texted Brandon so he wouldn’t think I’d been kidnapped, and went to bed.

Sincerely,

Emme

P.S.: Sid came home the next morning (this morning) and didn’t say where he’d been. I just assumed he spent the night at Geno’s or Flower or someone (maybe he was too drunk to drive? That’s not like Sid though…)

____________________________________________________________________________


May 29, 2015

Dear Diary,

I haven’t written much during the playoffs because it’s been….stressful.

The playoffs are always stressful, but this year it’s a little more. There is some obvious tension between Sid and Geno. Sid says it’s nothing, and they don’t play on the same line very much, but on the bench they argue about plays, or who should have passed the puck instead of shooting, or whatever.

But it’s not just on the ice. Geno’s been bringing Teddy home for longer periods of time. Usually, it was just one night a week. Now it’s two, sometimes three nights. I get it, that he wants to see him while he’s home, but sometimes he doesn’t tell us that he isn’t bringing him home when we expect him.

Yesterday, things really blew up. Geno was over returning Teddy (a day later than we thought he would) and he was baby-talking in Russian. And then he added, in English, “You need to learn Russian, you’ll be there all summer.”

Umm, what?

“You want to take him to Russia?” Sid asked, almost condescendingly.

“Yes, he comes with us this summer. He needs a Russian passport too,” Geno replied, as if we’d already talked about it. I looked at Sid, not sure if maybe they had talked, but I didn’t know anything about it.

But Sid was looking at Geno sternly, and shook his head. “No, Ted’s coming with us to Canada, where he’ll spend the summer with his family.”

“But I’m his family too!” Geno shouted, waking up Teddy.

“Not legally; on his birth certificate, I’m his father,” Sid stepped a little closer to Geno, and I carefully took Teddy so he wouldn’t get in the middle of whatever this was.


“We need to fix that, put my name on it. You’re not his father,” Geno smiled a little when he said that, and Sid completely lost it. He shoved Geno back, causing him to fall, and I left with Ted. He doesn’t need to see any of this, even if he’s only a baby and won’t remember it. I brought him up to the nursery and he started crying, so I sat with him in the rocking chair for a while. I heard Geno and Sid fighting, and the front door slamming. Slowly, Sid came up the stairs and into the nursery. His lip was bleeding, and from the looks of his knuckles, Geno’s probably was too.

“Sidney, what the hell is going on,” I whispered, careful not to wake Teddy up again.

“I don’t know,” he sat down across from me, sounding exhausted. “But the last thing he said before storming out of here was that he was going to call his lawyer.”

My heart froze. Lawyers?

“Obviously they can’t take Ted away from you, because you’re his mother, but they could grant Geno partial custody, or something,” Sid explained, and it sounded like he’d been thinking about this. “I’m going to try to have someone talk to him, maybe coach or Mario, to try to talk him out of this, or something.”

I was still in shock, and just stared down at my little boy. I knew this might happen, that everything was going to well and would end soon. But it’s all my fault. I put Sid through this, and he doesn’t deserve it. Geno, Sid, Brandon… victims of my selfishness. No matter how hard I try to redeem myself, it always comes back to me. I will always be a puck slut, and I have two very real and very loud reminders of that.

-Emme

Notes

I've been trying to write this chapter for the last few days, but I finally finished it!

Thank for all of your suggestions, I think I have figured out where I want the story to go.

And thank you for reading!! I love my subscribers!!!