Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Home-ice Advantage

Nothing says 'accounting firm' quite like the low buzzing of intense overhead lights hovering above rows of cubicles accompanied by the faint smell of stale coffee in the air.

Normally these mundane observations bring comfort and stability to Moss' day. However, today they are the cause of the persistent pulsing in his head. Well—the ever-growing chain of unanswered texts from his mom could also be the reason for his migraine, come to think of it.

mom<3

I need confirmation on whether or not you will be joining your father and I in Colorado on Saturday.

mom<3

Please respond ASAP....

mom<3

We need to support your brothers this weekend. Especially with it being Eli's first regular season game.

mom<3

I told the boys that you will be there. Please give me a call when you are home from work.

Going from two weeks of radio-silence from that woman to suddenly receiving multiple texts in a short span of time is jarring.

Moss opts out of responding right away mainly due to him not having a plane ticket for the aforementioned trip that he's been hoping to avoid. He has only been working as an entry-level accountant for about a year and a half now. His salary is nowhere near as voluminous as his NHL-star brothers, therefore, he shouldn't be expected to drop everything in Detroit to go watch them play a sport that they've been playing their entire lives.

Logically, Moss knows that he's being overly-cynical about the whole ordeal.

His youngest brother, Eli, has been drafted eighth overall to the Colorado Boulders and will be playing in his first regular season game with their brother, Shane, this weekend. The excitement he feels for Eli is only tainted by his parents expecting him to pay for a flight and hotel room with his measly budget.

Nevertheless, Moss tempers down his frustration and selects his mother's phone number. He would much rather get the call over with rather than waiting until he is back home to talk to her like she instructed him to do.

"Mo—do you have your flight set up? When do you leave?" His mother skips the formalities and jumps straight into it.

"I haven't booked anything yet. All of the flights that I looked at are so expensive.... I'm not sure I'll be able to make it," he explains hesitantly.

"Moss Benjamin Kettler!"

Oh boy.

"Eli and Shane are playing their first regular season game together on the same NHL team and you're telling me that you won't be there for it?" She questions in a scolding tone.

"Well I-"

"You will book the earliest flight you can to be here to support your brothers. I'm not asking you to go to every home game, for heaven's sake. Send me your flight information when it's booked and I will see you on Saturday," she ends the phone call with finality in her voice.

Moss pauses for a moment before swiveling in his chair to face his monitor. His pointer hovers over the Google Chrome icon where several tabs are already opened. Adding another tab, he searches for Delta Airline flights.