Page 5 of Hitting the Goal Line
I look at his hand, and then look up at my mommy.
“You’re supposed to shake it, baby.”
I knew that.
Giving her a nod that I understand, I place my hand in Blake’s hand and shake it. “Hi.”
“I’m Blake, what’s your name?”
“I’m Sophia. Thank you for trying to tie my skates. My mommy didn’t know how either.”
“Hey,” my mom yells out, giving me a smile like she can’t believe I called her out.
I just give her a shrug.
“Are you okay with me tying her shoes?” Blake’s mommy asks my mommy.
“Oh yes, please. Sorry, my husband is the hockey player and usually does the skate tying and of course he’s not here the one time that he is needed,” my mommy tells her, sounding a bit crazy.
“No need to apologize. I’m happy to help.”
While Blake’s mommy ties my skates, and talks to my mommy, I look over at the boy next to me but find him already looking at me.
“What?” I ask him, wondering if I boogers sticking out my nose.
“Your dad is a hockey player?” he asks, smiling.
I lift my shoulders and drop them. “I guess. I’ve only seen him play a few times, but he does skate a lot.”
“That’s cool. I want to be a hockey player one day,” he says, almost jumping up and down on the bench.
“Why?”
“Because it’s the best sport ever. My brother plays football, but I hate football. I want to play hockey.”
“Then you better learn how to tie your skates because your mommy can’t be tying them all the time. Especially when you’re bigger,” I say, raising my eyebrow at him, just like mommy does to daddy when she talks sometimes.
“You better learn too,” Blake yells out.
“Why? I’m not going to be playing hockey.”
“Because you’re going to be my friend and my friend needs to learn how to tie her skates. I won’t be able to do it forever.”
“You can’t even do the now!” I say through giggle, but that giggle stops when I hear my mom and Blake’s mom laugh.
The both of us look at our moms wondering why they are laughing.
“I think that you two are going to be really good friends,” his mom says and my mom nods in agreement.
Blake and I just look at each other and shrug.
“I’m going to go skate,” Blake announces, getting up from the bench and holds out a hand for me to take. “Are you coming?”
He wants me to go on the ice with him.
I look over at mommy and she gives me a smile. “Go ahead, mi amor. I will wait for you here.”
“Okay,” I say, but I don’t know if it was to answer Blake or my mom.
