Love For A Game

Chapter 14

School quietly lets out for the Christmas holidays. We have two weeks off, and I am ecstatic. Nicole and I have plans to spend quite a bit of time together, and we are both looking forward to it.

Nicole continues to practice with the Raiders, and she is getting better and better. The twenty-eighth is drawing near, and the anticipation is high. The Crusaders are a very tough team, and they have to know by now that Nicole will be playing her first game with the new team. They will be gunning for her, and we all know it.

Nic isn't worried, though. "I want them to be tough," she said to me at our last practice. "I'll play right along with their style, too."

The Saturday before Christmas, while I am watching a game with Nicole and her dad, she invites me to spend Christmas Eve with her. She tells me that her mother will be making a huge turkey dinner, complete with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and homemade rolls. Of course, I don't hesitate to accept her invitation.

***

I wake on Christmas Eve morning at ten. I look out the window and find that most of the snow has melted, and a thick layer of slush covers the ground. I dress in a pair of jeans and a black shirt, along with a blue sweater.

I eat breakfast with my parents and my brother Thomas. "So when are you leaving to be with Nicole?" Mom asks me.

"Shortly," I say. "I'm going to Red's to buy her gift."

"What are you buying her?" Tom says.

"Some new equipment. She could use it."

That is very true. I have seen the equipment that she currently uses. It is old and falling apart. Some new equipment could do her some good.

I leave my house at quarter to eleven. I walk to Red's Sport Shop, owned by Larry "Red" Horner, a portly man who knows the sport of hockey more than anyone else I know. He shows up at every Raiders game, and he helps us out with equipment all the time. I like Red, and he likes me. He's also a good friend of my father's as well.

I walk in the front door of the shop. Red is at the front desk, and he spots me immediately. He smiles and walks over to me.

"Jordan, what a pleasant surprise!" He exclaims. "How's Ryerson's big sensation doing today?"

"I'm good, Red," I say, shaking his outstretched hand.

"Good, good. What do you need today? Shoulder pads? Gloves? Some new skates, perhaps?"

"Actually, Red, I'm not here for myself. I'm buying equipment for a new teammate of mine."

"I heard you had a new team member. Lavoie, right?"

"Yeah. Her first game is on Tuesday, and she could use some new equipment."

"Well, you sure as hell came to the right place. What does she need?"

I look at my list. "Um, she needs shoulder pads, knee pads, and some new gloves."

"That's pretty easy," Red replies. "Let's get started then."

We head to the area of the store where hockey pads are. We start with shoulder pads. Red points out a few for me, and I eventually decide on a pair by the Cooper brand. Most of my equipment is made by Cooper, except for my helmet, which is a Jofa. Wayne Gretzky wears a Jofa, and he is the best in the world. Who could argue with that?