She blinks at the sudden change of subject.Toys?
Yeah.Sex toys.Of course, I have some already, but I’d like to get something brand new for Evie.Something cute and not intimidating for her first toy, a little clit stimulator.Maybe one of those remote-controlled vibrators so I can watch her getting all excited.And a butt plug for her tiny pink asshole.
Would you like that, Evie?
She looks at me, biting her plump bottom lip.I’ll do whatever you want.
Well, that’s fucking hot.Now I wish I had planned better.I should have gotten a hotel room for tonight.I still haven’t gotten fuck Evie for as long as I really want.There’s never enough time for us.
IMEETSID IN A COFFEE SHOP AT HIS HOTEL.LIKE A LOT OF HOCKEY MEN, HE’S OBSESSED WITH HIStravel points and insists on staying at every Marriott hotel in North America.Also, I’ll never understand why these guys stay near the arena when they could be near the dining and entertainment districts.But then, Sid is middle-aged, work-obsessed, and has three kids, so our interests don’t exactly align.
He rises and extends a hand.Viktor.Finally.Who should I be thanking for finally convincing you to meet me?Your dad?Arnie Norman?
It’s actually Evie, but since he doesn’t know her, I only shrug.Figured it was easier than dodging your calls for the next six months.
He shakes his head.Most college players are desperate to get me to take their calls, but you’re the opposite.
I’ve done nothing but disappoint Sid, who saw my NHL potential when I was a teenager.But instead of fulfilling that, I got injured in my eighteen-year-old draft year, spent only one season in D1 hockey, and finally told him I wasn’t interested in playing after graduation.Frankly, I’m surprised that he hasn’t lost my number.
He pauses when a waitress comes to take my order, then goes full force.Well, let’s get right down to it.You’re having a great season, stats-wise, your best since you started playing college.And Arnie Norman has nothing but praise for your leadership.
My coffee and quinoa bowl arrive, so Sid pauses once more.Anyway, all this excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed.The league is changing, and teams are on the lookout for cheaper, younger options to fill out their rosters, especially at the AHL level.So players who might normally be overlooked are getting a chance.
Players like me with zero expectations.Former hotshot prospects.
San Jose is interested in you.They’ve always liked you.If you were healthy at the draft, they would have taken you in a late round.
I nod.The best thing about Sid is that he can have a conversation all by himself.
You also might have a chance to get into the Edmonton organization.Since you’re from there and played junior in the province, they’ve kept an eye on you.But I’d have to sell you a bit, show that you’re really committed to hockey.
You didn’t tell my dad about that, did you?I ask.If there was any chance I’d end up playing near home, he and my mother would be all over that.
Sid shakes his head.I don’t like to get people’s hopes up unless there’s a real possibility.In both cases, there are a lot of hoops you’d have to jump through first.You’d have to attend the team’s prospect camp and get evaluated by their staff.You’d really have to show well, since you’re old for a prospect.And you’d have to start out at a lower level, probably below the AHL.
He waggles a fat finger in my face.But most of all, you’d have to really want this.You’ve been telling me that you’re done with hockey.But you’ve never told me why.I can’t believe that a guy that trains as hard and plays as well as you do doesn’t love the game.
Maybe sharing with Evie has broken down some kind of dam in me.I do love hockey, but it feels trivial in the wider scheme of things.
He tilts his head.How so, Viktor?
You know I’m Ukrainian,I begin.
He nods.I remember what happened in your first year of college hockey.
Well, I feel like I should be doing something bigger, contributing in a bigger way.I’m young, and I’m going to graduate with a civil engineering degree.I could help with the rebuilding effort there.I don’t mention my brother because that part is too personal.
Sid is quiet for a long time, which is highly unusual for him.He finally lets out a wheezy breath and smiles.When I don’t see you in person, I forget all the qualities that made me sign you in the first place: character and vision.I know that if you go to a camp, you’re going to impress them, on and off the ice.He sighs.Are you fluent in Ukrainian?
I understand, but my speaking is crap.If he’s going to pile up the objections, I’ve heard them already.I promised my mother that I would finish college, but after that my life is my own.
What I’m going to say next may sound self-serving, but hey, I’m an agent.He grins.Okay, in the news, the Ukrainian president made appeals for money.They need to fund the war efforts, right?
I nod.
Well, it’s been a while since I cracked an economics textbook, but I remember something called comparative advantage—that’s where people do what they’re best at.So, even if you would make a good soldier or junior engineer, you’re a better hockey player.And you can make some decent money at hockey.More than your average twenty-three-year-old, anyway.
Which I could donate the war effort,I conclude.