девятка! Devyatka! (I Want It!)

On July 1, 2013, I left Russia and came to America. I was with Tyler and Jamie who helped me out and I learned a little English from them, while they learned some Russian from me. We were quickly becoming best friends and I completely forgot about Brad and his crew. I didn’t ever tell Tyler or Jamie about Brad either, it wasn’t important.

Honestly, I thought I’d seen the last of that asshole.

On the plane ride, Tyler and Jamie made me feel like I was not an outsider. They were really nice to me and I was glad I bumped into them in Sochi. During the flight, I was introduced to Tyler’s two dogs: Marshall and Cash. I couldn’t help myself. I loved “dogs” or what I knew them as “собачка.” I loved animals really, but dogs were the coolest.

My first English word was “dog.” Tyler Seguin taught it to me. And from there on, I learned more words and I was shocked – as were Tyler and Jamie – that I picked up the English so quickly. It was really like I was born to be bilingual and come to the States.

The plane finally touched down in Dallas and I walked out with the two men, who led me down to the baggage claim area. We grabbed our stuff off the belt, which was shockingly the first three bags out. I happily grabbed my bag, where Klyushka was.

“You really like your stick don’t you, Val?” Tyler asked, chuckling.

“Yes.” (They had taught me simple sentences and words and I understood him.) “This is Klyushka.”

“Klyushka? Oh right…so that’s who you were calling... You named your hockey stick?”

“He can name it if he wants too Seggy.” Jamie slapped Tyler’s shoulder playfully.

“Klyushka means “hockey stick” in Russian!” I told him, smiling.

Jamie signaled to the others with a hand gesture, as he said, “That’s cool. C’mon, let’s get back home and get some sleep. Tomorrow the two of us are gonna take you to see Coach Ruff.”

“Cool.” I honestly didn’t understand him much and so I just decided on this one word response to him.

I guess that was “normal.”

We walked out of the airport and headed to where Jamie’s car was parked in the garage. We all got in and then drove off. Jamie was comfortable and knew where he was going. I, on the other hand, was just enjoying the sights and the new surroundings.

Dallas wasn’t ugly, but it wasn’t that pretty either. Still, it was new and nothing like I’d seen before. I watched as we passed through the downtown and went by the “American Airlines Center” – where the Stars played. It was a huge arena and it looked powerful. But we continued on and then before I knew it, because I was so distracted and caught up in the sights, we had pulled into the parking lot of Jamie Benn’s house.

Jamie had a neat place and it was something that Tyler knew well. Suddenly I began to understand what was going on. It wasn’t Jamie’s place…rather; it was Jamie and Tyler’s place.

Something was going on between the two men and it wasn’t a friendship. I didn’t need to know English to know that they were madly in love and head-over-heels for each other. But I wasn’t one to complain. I didn’t mind it. If two people loved one another a lot, it was fine with me. (Even if it was a male and another male or the same sex.)

We got out and as I grabbed Klyushka and my bag, I saw Tyler skip over to Jamie and give him a big hug and then a massive kiss on the lips. It shocked me at first, but I got over it and myself. I was fine with it and with them. But Jamie caught me staring and pushed Tyler away with a scold. It was that kind of thing, like “not in front of the kids.”

Tyler looked down at his feet briefly, but he was fine in a second and understood Jamie.

We all entered the house, greeted by two big dogs: a black and brown Labrador. The black dog kept fighting with the brown one and it made me laugh.

“MARSHALL!! CASH!!” Tyler screamed like a little kid and ran toward his dogs, who jumped on him and sent him falling backward onto the ground, where they licked the hell out of him. “Did you miss me Cashy and Marshy?”

“Why must you call him “Marshy” still?” the older man sighed rather heavily.

“Though I may not love Brad anymore, Marchy is still a friend I’d like to have and he is the one who got Marshall for me!”

Jamie rolled his eyes. “That’s true.”

“Don’t worry Jamie, you’re still my number one man!”

“Thanks Seggy, love you too!”

I came forward and patted Marshall – the older brown dog – on the head. But I liked the black one, Cash, more. Cash was lively and young and more adorable to me. I watched as Cash barked and played around with his owner on the floor. Tyler played around with him and it was the kind of thing that made even the most passionate Tyler hater love him and love the scene.

We held a puppy playtime and at one point, actually, Marshall dug Klyushka out of my bag and ran off. I chased him, screaming, “НЕТ, KLYUSHKA!! MARSHALL!!” The dog led me on a goose chase, but I finally tackled the animal in the living room and snatched my hockey stick back from him. I scolded the dog in Russian. “No. No. Not yours!”

“No, bad dog!” I heard a deep voice exclaim from behind me. It was Tyler, who had seen the action and was holding Cash by the collar. He let Cash go and stormed up to Marshall, who sat down and dropped his head like a guilty animal. “That’s not yours. That’s not a stick you play with.”

Jamie was standing next to Cash and petting him. The black dog was enjoying himself and, like any sibling would, was entertained by his brother getting in trouble and getting scolded. Normally it was him, but not today. No, Cash was a good boy and Marshall was the bad boy.

I was rather enthralled by the spectacle. And I found myself petting Cash with one hand, as he wandered up to me. I looked down at him and he tilted his head up at me and it was like an instant friendship formed between the two of us. I scratched him behind the ears and his tongue lolled out at me.

“Cash,” I whispered. He nuzzled against my hand.


The next day,

I found myself on the couch in Tyler Seguin’s house. I woke up and for a second I was startled, but I remembered what happened. Luckily Marshall wasn’t here and he hadn’t touched Klyushka. I supposed that his owner’s scold was enough for him.

I pushed myself up and yawned. I spotted Cash lying at my feet. He looked so peaceful and nice. I reached out to pet him, when I heard noises coming in the direction of the kitchen area. I quickly gave him a pet to the head and then climbed out of the makeshift bed and padded into the kitchen.

There, I discovered that Tyler and Jamie were both in the kitchen. Jamie was cooking and Tyler was hanging on him. His face was on the shoulder of Jamie’s. I leaned against the frame of the door and watched them. They were so close to one another.

“Good morning, Val!” Tyler sang, as he finally got off of Jamie and turned to where I was standing.

“Uh…morning,” I replied.

“I hope Jamie and I didn’t keep you up all night?”

“Huh?”

Tyler pulled his phone out and typed a quick thing into it and then showed me what he was saying. I looked at the screen and nodded. I smiled and shook my head. I was old enough to know what Tyler was implying. And it also confirmed my suspicions. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were a thing. They were a couple, together, more than friends…however you wanted to put it. They were madly in love with one another and it was sort of sweet to me.

Tyler spun back to Jamie and pecked him on the cheek this time. Both of them blushed deeply.

Before long, we had finished up with a breakfast and then had grabbed all of our hockey stuff and made it back to the car. We piled into Jamie’s vehicle and headed to the American Airlines Center.

When we got to the rink, I was shown around by both men and then followed them into the locker room, where I rapidly got ready and then walked out to the rink, where the coach was. He was there with a few other people too. I guessed these were rookies or prospects of maybe vets. One of them looked like the twin of Jamie and he called to him, as we hit the ice.

He went over, while I stayed with Tyler. He told me to come with him to center ice and warm up. I did.

“Tyler, go easy on the boy, alright?” Jamie called out, as he skated over to the man who’d called for him.

“Shut up, Jamie!”

I tapped Klyushka’s blade on the ice twice. Tyler grabbed a puck from a pile and sent it across, toward me. I easily caught it and stepped up to the blue line.

“Show us what you got Val!”

I did. I pushed off, launching for the net. I zoomed forward and slapped a shot home, into the net. Goal!

Valeri Nichushkin: 1, Invisible Goalie: 0.

I smoothly rounded the net and came back to the blue line, where Tyler was stick handling with another puck. He launched off now and snapped his head, signaling for me to follow him. I flanked him, flying down the other wing side and he sent a pass to me. It was near-perfect and I caught it with ease and sent it into the net.

We rounded the net and now, Jamie and his friend and another guy came over. I would later learn that this was someone named “Goose” (Alex Goligoski). And the other guy who had called out to Jamie, was his brother, Jordie.

Notes

Bad dogs!! Don't mess with Val!! I feel like it would be Marshall who would steal it though. He's a showoff. :P
Val loves Cash!! :D
So much adorableness....OVERLOAD!! XDDDDDDD


Next up: семья (sem'ya) Means Family! :P