All Things In Good Time

June 30, 2015

Katherine pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped the throw blanket around them. As she tucked the blanket around her feet and in between them and the Adirondack chair, she stared out onto the Minnesotan lake that she couldn’t quite pronounce, thinking about the past three years and how she got to be in the place that she was today.

If you had asked Katherine where she would be in her career at this time in her life, she would have said that she was going to be at least a general manager by now. Today, the day before unrestricted free agency opened up, here she was, sitting in a chair, wrapped in a blanket, on a dock, on a lake, in the middle of Minnesota and unemployed. Any, if not all of those scenarios would have been the furthest thing from what Katherine was expecting. But sometimes, expectations aren’t always what reality turns out to be.

As dusk started to settle on the lake, Katherine took a sip of her wine and pulled the blanket up around her shoulders, She smiled when she heard a faint whistling coming from the path that lead from the dock to the cabin. She shook her head and thought, “what is it about hockey players and lakes?” The whistled tune started to sound a little familiar and as she tried to figure out just what it was, Paul came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

“How did it go?” Katherine asked as she wrapped her arms around Paul’s embrace.

They had been together almost two years now and even with the familiarity that comes with time, Paul still knew how to drive Katherine crazy and by not answering her, he knew she would be like a kid at Christmas waiting to open her presents. Paul just kept whistling the same tune that he did while he was walking back from the cabin. Katherine knew that Paul had been on the phone the days leading up to UFA and more so today than the most. They both were torn about staying with Pittsburgh and were hoping for a great deal with a new team. Katherine's had sealed her fate after having to tell Rob Bortuzzo that he was being traded to St. Louis, a trade that she fought against tooth and nail, she swore she would never go through that again. Katherine knew that with the fight she put up during the trade deadline, her time with the new management would be short and so the day after the Pens lost the series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Rangers she personally handed in her letter of resignation to Mario Lemieux.

Paul whistled more of the same tune into Katherine’s ear, but she still couldn’t place the song.

“I’m not playing Name That Tune with you, what did Ben say?”

Paul leaned in a little closer and started humming the tune.

Katherine finally recognized the tune.

“No, really?!?” She started humming the tune along with Paul.

“Do you know the way to San Jose….” Paul whispered in Katherine’s ear.

Katherine turned to Paul. “Really?” “The Sharks?” Katherine couldn’t stop smiling.

“Really, the Sharks.” Paul smiled back at Katherine. “And they want you too.”

“What?” Katherine shook her head in amazement. “But I wasn’t even part of the deal.”

“They asked for you.” Paul brushed his hand across Katherine’s cheek. "Apparently they are looking for someone who has an eye for talent."

“We’re going to San Jose, together?” Katherine grabbed Paul’s hand to reassure that he wasn’t just joking.

“I told them that if they take one Martin, they have to take the other.” Paul smiled and moved around to be in front of Katherine.

“Well, I’m not really a Martin, but I guess I am due to association.”

Paul reached down and pulled Katherine up from the chair.

“Do you want to be a Martin? Paul looked into Katherine’s eyes for an answer. They had talked about getting married in the past, even joked about eloping during the All Star Break this year, but they never talked seriously about it.

Paul took Katherine’s left hand into his and slowly knelt down on one knee.

“Paul, what the hell are you doing?” Katherine knew exactly what he was about to do.

“Is that anyway to talk to the man who is going to ask you to marry him?”

“Katherine Sarah Donnell, you are the most complicated, honest, loving and beautiful woman I have ever known and I can’t think of anyone else I would want to spend the rest of my life with.” Paul’s blue eye pierced right though Katherine.

“Do me the honor of becoming my wife,” and from nowhere, Paul produced a ring and waited for Katherine to answer.

“Let me see that ring first.” Katherine smirked as Paul placed the ring in the palm of her hand.

Katherine didn’t need to inspect the ring; she knew it would be perfect. She just smiled and tried to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

“Katie, is that a yes?” Paul could see that Katherine was struggling to keep the tears from coming.

“Yes, yes it is a yes.”

Paul took the ring out of Katherine’s palm and stood up. He gently placed the ring on her left hand, pulled her in as close as he could and sealed the proposal with a loving kiss.

Katherine couldn’t believe that this was happening. Did she actually get the fairy tale life that she never expected? The man, the job, the life, that she never thought she needed or wanted.

Katherine broke from the kiss and stared Paul deep into his eyes.

“What?” Paul asked and he pulled Katherine’s head to his chest.

“It’s about damn time, Martin.” Katherine wrapped her arms around Paul’s waist and splayed her hands on his back.

“Seriously Donnell, you get all the things you want." Paul gently placed a kiss on Katherine's forehead.

"All things in good time," Katherine whispered back to Paul. "All things in good time."

Notes

Yes, I am a sap and yes, I wanted a happy ending for everyone.

So, today is actually UFA and Paul Martin did actually make a deal with San Jose. Congratulations Paul and you will be missed in Pittsburgh.

Thank you to everyone who followed this journey and for supporting these stories. I've had a wonderful adventure with Katherine, James and Paul and I wish I had more time in my real life to write, but work, family and life itself is all I can handle. This isn't good bye, just a "I'll see you in a little while."