Stupid Love Songs

14. - fireworks everywhere

Things don't always go as we imagine or plan. It's probably one of the worst feelings you can experience. And it doesn't really matter if it's a relationship, life or hockey. In my case, surprisingly, it's the third.

I never imagined that I would be sitting in a stadium in Canada, watching a few young guys standing on the ice in misery and holding back tears in my eyes.

Until today, everything went like clockwork. The boys were winning one match after another, the quarterfinals went through without a problem, but then came the semi-finals. They caught Latvia, a clear win, after all. Well, clear maybe, but for the Latvians. To everyone's surprise, they put seven goals in the net and they're going for the gold.

We will still be playing for a medal, the boys may only wear the bronze one on their chest, but it's still a medal. It's more about some of that honour and pride and disappointment. When they knock Canada out of medal contention the night before, they're going to give them eight goals and your goalie doesn't let in one. Now they've been beaten by one of the worst teams in the tournament.

"Do you think they'll cry?" I ask Sonia, who is sitting next to me, also trying to fight back her tears. Normally I probably wouldn't cry, why should I, they're still playing about medal, so what's there to be sad about, but today I feel differently. I'm sadder for Max. He gave it his all and it didn't work out, even though today wasn't his day, but I don't feel like discussing it.

"They will." The man in front of us speaks up. I guess I never thought I'd be friends with the coach of the Czech national team. "A lot. Some now, some in the locker room, some quietly in the shower, and some in your arms, girls."

"And why are they so sad, they are playing for bronze?" Sonia asks him.

"This is about principle, honour. You're representing your country, there's a million eyes on you, everybody's watching you, there's pressure on you and I could go on like this for a long time. Especially your guys, there's so much pressure on them and when they try, they still don't please everybody." He smiles at us. "Anyway, girls, I'll see you the day after tomorrow. Celebrate tonight."

We'll say goodbye to him, too, and he'll leave. Tonight will be interesting because even though they lost, there will be celebration tonight. Our hockey players have big egos and they think too much, so they have been planning for three days how they will celebrate the New Year together with the advancement to the grand finale. Yes, today is the thirty-first of December, tomorrow is the first of January, and the hockey sticks have planned the party of the century. It will be interesting because I don't know how they will celebrate if they lose.

So maybe they'll cry before the party and then they'll just be drinking. Maybe they'll drink the pain away.

"Do you think they'll make it?" My right-hand man of this mastery asks me.

"What about the loss or the party?"

"Both."

"They won't survive either." I mean, they'll probably survive if we're talking about the physical side of it. Hockey players are strange creatures, they lose and get drunk out of their minds an hour later. The mental part won't be so good.

-

I sit down on the bed and look at the bathroom door behind which Maxim is hiding. In less than an hour, we're supposed to be in a common room occupied by Czech hockey players and alcohol. I don't even know how they got away with it. They sent the production team out to drink, somehow arranged the room with the owner, and somehow smuggled the alcohol in. Luckily for them, they played at 1 p.m., got off the ice at 4 p.m. and the reunion is at 6 p.m., so they and I have plenty of time to drink and have fun.