Page 6 of Sin Bins and Second Chances
I can’t help but roll my eyes. So much for my plan to rest. Not that baking is exhausting. I’ve always loved to bake and experiment with baking. Sourdough requires patience, though, something I’ve learned that I lack. It’s one reason I wanted to focus on it. I used to stress about it more, but I’ve learned it’s also forgiving. Now with lesstime to prepare, I need to structure out the rest of my day today and tomorrow.
He didn’t even tell me what time. I’ll text him later to confirm. I wish he would’ve asked me earlier. Andrew tends to do that, throw things together last minute. Not that the end result ever looks like it.
This isn’t the first time he’s invited the team over. He’s one of the alternate captains, and takes his role very seriously. Andrew is all for team bonding. It makes sense since they’re about to be away from each other for the next few weeks.
It’s been a change up every year, from what I can tell. Players coming and going. I’ve only noticed since Andrew joined, and it’s something he talks about at times. It makes me wonder who will be joining this season and who left the team from last season. I don’t follow the team too closely, but a lot of the guys have become like family with the amount some of them spend out on the ranch at times.
While I pay attention to the game of hockey, I’ve never cared for the politics behind it. The Lonestar Bobcats is running under new ownership andhave been making lots of moves over the last few years.
I don’t mind bringing things to the team dinner, it gets me out of the house. With a new season starting, I imagine most of the team will show up. I have a few of my favorites, and I hope those guys don’t get traded. They feel like family too.
Being a Miles means when family asks something of you and you’re able, you do it. Any of us would drop what we’re doing to help the other. That’s how we were raised.
It’s part of why I am still here in Sage Creek. Family is important and I don’t know what I would do without mine. They were the rock I leaned on, even when I didn’t realize. I’d happily be a source of strength for any of them. It was ingrained in us. I believe family suppers instilled in us the importance of family, beyond just the time spent together.
Attendance on Sundays was mandatory, unless you were sick—then you would end up with a plate brought to you. My cousins, Andrew and Delilah, were the only two to miss some. Delilah, more than her older brother. Andrew for hockey games that took place on Sunday or whenthey were out of town for games and traveling. Delilah missed more in a row, typically when it was tornado season. How she could find a thrill in chasing storms I would never understand.
Sometimes there were extra people at family supper. Friends and neighbors would visit. Occasionally, extra ranch hands would come over. That was when it turned into a huge backyard dinner around the campfire.
I genuinely enjoy it—every bit. Being surrounded by my favorite people, enjoying good food, and making memories. I love it because there is always someone around. When I stayed busy or surrounded by family, I could pretend I wasn’t as lonely as I felt.
The fact that I have nobody to share my life with. I fear what comes next. If I didn’t leave for college, after everything that happened, nothing and no one would get me to leave this place. It was my home.
Chapter Three
ETHAN
The room feels like a time capsule, taking me back to my teenage years. Faded hockey posters hang haphazardly, spread out along the walls. The same solid wooden furniture fill the room from my adolescence. The mirror over the dresser holds pictures of the past tucked in along the frame. A collection of books, manuals, game pucks, and awards fill a nearby bookshelf.
Before two days ago, I hadn’t stepped foot in this room since my second year in college. There wasn’t a reason to come back. I would have for my uncle who raised me, but he always came to seeme. He traveled to watch me play in college and then after. At least, when he wasn’t working.
Uncle John has always been one of the hardest workers I know. His small home sits on a little less than an acre, right on the outskirts of town. It was close enough to get to things in town, but far enough out to not be on top of your neighbors. He prefers being closer to the ranches that surround our town and community. He’s a farrier, and that keeps him busy.
Helping him out with the horses growing up taught me more than I could ever repay. I learned what it meant to truly work hard for the things I want in life. Things didn’t always come easy, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t make it happen.
When I showed an interest in playing professional hockey, he was skeptical. It wasn’t surprising. Back then, hockey lacked a strong presence in Texas. I’d spent the first twelve years farther north, where it was more common. Down here, they were more about football.
After I told him it was what I was meant to do and would find a way to prove it, that was the end of the conversation. Maybe it was in my eyes or theway I described the game to him. He simply nodded and put me to work.
He didn’t know anything about hockey at the time, but that didn’t stop him from connecting me with some people down here who did. He didn’t know I’d played some for fun, but nothing serious. I’d been more focused on goofing off than devoting time to school or hobbies.
Uncle John put me to work that summer. I started working with him and then seasonally, with some ranchers in the area. It’s what paid for my gear and helped me get going. I learned to focus after that.
I pull on an old hoodie and head down the hall to the kitchen. It’s still warm out, but my uncle always keeps the house cool. Something I always appreciated during those hot Texas summers.
It’s quiet in the house, and I don’t have to look around to know my uncle is out either working or finding something to do. That man could never sit still a day in his life.
When the trade happened, I had mixed feelings. Most of it was nerves. I know I need to prove to myself and the Bobcats that I deserve this chance. It’s the same team Andrew andI would come and watch whenever we didn’t have our own game or practice. This was a good thing. The prospect of being able to give back to my uncle, if I could convince him, made me ecstatic.
The the anxiety creeps in. Coming back to Sage Creek means facing the past I’ve nearly successfully moved on from. It’s easy to avoid the past when I wasn’t here—but fuck—now that I’m back, I don’t know.
In truth, I never imagined I’d be back here. After I dropped out of college to play professionally, I still wasn’t in the best place mentally. Sure, my life continued to revolve around hockey, but it didn’t always.
Shaking my head, I pour myself a cup of coffee and attempt to focus on the now. Getting to play for the Lonestar Bobcats is a dream come true, and I haven’t even played my first game. The first few practices and gym sessions with my new teammates have been surreal. It honestly felt like I’d been playing with them for years.
Today, they’ve asked us to show up in suits. Andrew and I are going to ride together over to Bennett’s and change at his place so our suits don’t get wrinkled on the drive.
Sage Creek is nearly an hour from the stadium and main office. I should probably get a place closer. An apartment in town, at least for when we have stuff happening on back-to-back days. The only downside is missing out on getting to see my uncle more. I also love being back in Sage Creek.
