Moral Devotions

7| Macy

I hate hockey for three reasons. 1.) It's very, very cold. 2.) I have absolutely no idea what's happening. 3.) Every time someone gets hit, I wince. And every time someone hits the glass right in front of me, I jump.

Axel fell asleep during the last... Er, period? I think that is what it's called.

The seat beside me has been empty for the last twenty minutes. I think the drunk man finally left... Or got sick. "You look confused." I look over to find the seat no longer empty. Instead, a beautiful brunette sits beside me. She's wearing a navy blue jersey-similar to mine-and black ripped skinny jeans with white sneakers.

"Is it that obvious?" I ask.

"Only a little. I had a heads up." She says and my brows furrow. A petite manicured hand is pushed out in front of me. "Meredith Jefferson. My husband is number seventeen." She nods toward the ice.

"Oh."

"When Gael heard that Declan invited a girl to his game, he messaged me immediately. I was supposed to find out if you're crazy or not but, I don't think you are."

I scrunch up my nose. "And why's that?"

"Let's see. You're wearing jeans with no skin showing instead of a tiny skirt. You're wearing a coat over a jersey instead of a bralette as a shirt. I don't know any Puck Bunnies who wear gloves, but hey no shame here." She takes her other hand out of her pocket and holds up a pair of gloves. I chuckle as she does. "Are you even wearing makeup?"

"Just mascara," I admit and she smiles.

"And the last detail. The baby." She looks down at Axel with a sweet smile. "What's his name?"

"Axel." I run my palm down his back.

"That's cute. I have two of my own. How old?"

"Just turned four," I tell her with a half-sad smile. "It was hard."

"Hey, I get it. My oldest is six now." She leans onto her elbow that's resting on the armrest between us. "So, do you know anything about hockey?"

"I know it's violent." I laugh through my words.

Meredith laughs along with me before clapping her hands once. "Let's start with the basics. Six players out on the ice at a time, from each team, and that's including the goalie. There are different lines, so players have shifts."

"Shifts?"

"Yeah, so Gael-that's my husband-and Declan are on the first line together. So they'll have a shift out on the ice. It usually lasts about thirty to forty seconds. When their shift is up, they go to the bench and the players on the next line come out to play. Are you getting it?"

"Sort of. So basically, they take turns playing?"

"Exactly. You'll get this down in no time." Meredith goes on to talk about Offside, and no matter how many times she explains it, I'm still completely and utterly lost.

By the end of the third period-yes, I was right. It is in fact called a period-I only have somewhat of an understanding of how this game works.

"You'll just have to come to more games until you understand it. It's easier to catch onto when you can watch it. I'm sure Dec can also explain it a lot better than me. He is kind of a hockey prodigy."

"Really?" I hoist Axel up in my arms, and he wakes up and starts to cry. "Shh, baby, it's okay. Go back to sleep." I turn my head to see him rubbing his eyes and I kiss his cheek before he lays his head back on my shoulder and closes his eyes.

"Yeah. His dad was a professional player for Edmonton and Chicago before finishing his career up in New Jersey. Declan was set to be a hockey player before he could even breathe." Meredith's words make me wonder if he was forced into his career, or if he really wanted to play for himself.