Page 54 of The Trade Deadline
Mormor would if only to have me visit more, but we don’t celebrate
you do Christmas together?
Christmas is her favorite and mine too.
I always go for Christmas if I can, otherwise we FaceTime so I can say hi to my niece and nephew
She lives with Anders, so I avoid visiting except for big holidays
Ryan knew Lars’s grandmother was with Anders’s family, but he hadn’t quite processed what that would mean for Lars and the holidays. In his head, he envisioned Lars making a yearly pilgrimage to Sweden every summer to visit his family. His non-Anders family, anyway. He knew that’s what a lot of NHL players did, particularly those without a wife and kids of their own. Ryan spent at least two weeks on the ranch between clinics and training, though he hoped a good contract would allow him to make a semi-permanent home in Baltimore this summer.
so you visit your brother?
every summer.
Hereallywished this conversation was in person so he could gauge how far to press for details. Aside from first hand experience and a whole lot of rumors, Ryan didn’t really know shit about Lars’s family or relationship with his brother. Was it weird to pry? Did it make him sound predatory like the media when they asked him about Anders for sound bites? Or as a teammate and a friend, was he allowed?
Deciding that Lars was a big boy and could tell him to fuck off (or avoid his questions if he wanted to, especially via text), he decided to ask the obvious.
and you both survive this how…?
i stay in the guest house.
and am under constant supervision.
also anders cheats and has his kids around all the time, so i can’t say anything too mean in front of them
and yet you’ll punch their father in front of them during games
Ryan deleted this last message before he sent it. Lars and his brother’s relationship was hardly his concern, and he’d pushed his luck enough already.
so what are you going to do with your two whole days off and no family responsibilities?
i have no idea
if you were here i’d make you go with me to rangoons but inconveniently you have “family responsibilities”
bummer, right?
the worst. and very inconsiderate of you.
what if i promise to go with you to rangoons when i’m back in town on friday?
but we have practice saturday morning.
not as much fun when we have to get up early the next day
sorry i’ve got an early bed time anyway
am I keeping you up?
He was, technically, but Ryan wasn’t going to tell him. Not when he was enjoying it. Lars wanted to talk to him. Lars missed him. Lars wanted to hang out with him in a few days. Stupid for Ryan to want these things, but it was a temptation he wasn’t strong enough to ignore at the moment.
nah just winding down
if you’re really bored, you could watch tomas’ reality show
give you two something to talk about on the next flight
