Hashtag Adulting

Chapter 5

Learning how to play Ice hockey after 30 was not something most people would do. Rebecca, however, had been born with ice in her veins. 

Unfortunately, the school system she had grown up in wasn't large enough to support a hockey team and the closest place that did was farther away than her parents wanted to drive her every day. Not that she blamed them whatsoever.

Phillip had remembered his childhood love of hockey when they had started dating and when an adult learn to play league had been started he jumped at the chance. Several months later and hundreds of dollars worth of hockey gear, Rebecca was still on the fence about learning. Falling on her butt in front of 20 men and one or two women was not at the top of her list of things to do. 

That was when she saw the advertisement for the women's learn to play league. Zero pressure, all fun, and the only people there were people like her, women who loved hockey and wanted to learn no matter how old they were. 

And so, she had signed up. Even though her anxiety burned a hole through her stomach at the thought of being around people, especially ones she didn't know, she did it anyway. And she had fallen in love with the sport all over again.

The entire group was the biggest group of supportive, amazing, bad-ass women she could have ever dreamed of meeting. She looked forward to it every week, even if the anxiety attacks still came on before she left her house every time. There wasn't a single time she had gone and not had a blast. She was learning to play, she was making a fool of herself of course, but so was everyone else. And there was so much laughter. 

Her first love would always be Phillip but the smell of the ice and the sound it made under freshly sharpened steel was quickly becoming her second love. It was exhilarating and addictive. 

And after the hellish Monday and Tuesday she had just had, it was exactly what she needed.

Pulling into the rink, Rebecca's stomach was filled with excitement and nerves. She got out of her car, pulled her gear bag and stick from the back and headed into the building.

 Upon entering, she approached the check in counter and the man and woman standing on either side of it, their heads bent over a binder, they appeared to be in mid argument.

"Hey Bree, Hey James" she called, interrupting them. This was the sight that greeted her almost every week. She would venture a guess that they were arguing over which locker room to give the ladies.

"Hey Rebecca," they both smiled up at her.

"Where are we at tonight," she asked Bree. 

"Well," she said with an exaggerated scowl at James, her blond hair flipped behind her shoulder. "That seems to be up for debate. James here, would like to put us in locker room 1. And I told him, there are way too many of to fit in locker room 1 without someone getting shoved out in the hallway to dress."

Rebecca looked to James for confirmation that this was indeed the story. James, looking sheepish, told her "actually, Keith made up the schedule and told me you had to use locker room 1 because city league will be here after you and they'll need the others."

Rebecca pondered this for a moment. Then she had a thought, "Hey James, how many subs do you need for tonight's games?" 

It was an unspoken rule that at least half of the players for either team wouldn't show up and they would have to call in substitutes, often both goalies and several players.

Bree and James looked at her with dawning comprehension. 

"I see where you're going," said James. "So far, we know at least 6 people are out, including O'Neil. I was actually going to call Phillip to see if he could cover."

"So, if that's the case, you can divide them up between locker rooms 1-4 and we can take 5. It's not the largest of them but it should fit all of us comfortably enough."

James looked like he wanted to argue so Rebecca added, "and I'll make sure Phillip brings his gear so you have a goalie. Deal?" she said, sticking out her hand.

"Deal" he accepted with a grin.

She sent a quick text to Phillip before heading off to the locker room. 

"Hey, I know you're driving right now, but bring your gear. It looks like they need you for a league tonight."

Being the first one in the locker room was a special part of the routine for Rebecca. She loved the isolated time to collect her thoughts before everyone started piling in, and it made it easier for her to deal with people if they were coming to her rather than walking into a room full of people already carrying on their own conversations. She had never really mastered the art of jumping into active conversations. Maybe it was her anxiety, she thought, or the fact that she had always been told she was shy. 

Her mother always told her she was shy, but she didn't actually remember being shy as a kid. She remembered being the first one to go up to new kids and asking them to be her friend. She wasn't exactly a hyper active child, but she made friends easy. Somewhere between high school and now, that skill had been lost as had the confidence that came with it. Now, she spent her time finding work around for her anxiety so she wasn't stuck home by herself with no one for company but her cat DC. 

She still didn't know how someone who was as much of a mental case as herself had managed to find such a wonderful and handsome man as Phillip. She thanked God every day for bringing him into her life. When the world felt like it was stuck or whirling out of control she always knew she had him to ground her and show her the excitement. Whatever she needed at that moment, he always knew. It was while she was in mid thought, still pulling her gear out of her bag, that the door opened. She didn't have to look up to see who it was. She felt someone drop heavily onto the bench next to her and sigh.

"Girl, this day was so exhausting. I had patient cancel at the last minute but that worked out because I had to book another patient during my lunch so I wouldn't have had any time to eat if they hadn't. 

"Hi Lauren, that sucks. I'm sorry. But hey, tomorrow is your Friday. So there's a plus a side for you."

Rebecca and Lauren had met the year before while they were both billeting for the local junior hockey club. Lauren and her family had just moved back to Wyoming and her nearest friends were a few hours away. They had bonded one night at the local paint and sip talking about their jobs, husbands and picking up after teenagers who weren't theirs. It wasn't an instant bff situation, it took them both time to get comfortable with each other and overcome their anxieties and general weariness, but over time the two had become as close as sisters. 

Lauren started pulling her own gear out of her back and dressing next to Rebecca. 

"I saw Phillip on my way in. He looked like he had a rough day."

"Yeah, his work has been pretty bad lately. I don't know how to help him and it's driving me nuts. I almost wish he would just send out his resume just for the hell of it. He said he was going to bring his computer and put in some applications but I don't know if he actually will. I think we're both afraid of change as much as we want and need it."

"I know what you mean," she started to say. Before being interrupted by Emily, their goalie, entering the locker room while regaling several of their teammates with her latest tinder woes.

"I mean, I'm not saying I don't appreciate the occasional dick pick but come on, at least make sure you have something you can see without a microscope before you send it out. It's just common sense."

Rebecca and Lauren passed a commiserating glance between them and continued dressing. They both knew they'd have to wait to continue their conversation on the ice. Once Emily entered the locker room it was impossible to maintain a conversation.