𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐎𝐇'𝐒 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐁 ── AHKMENRAH

𝐈𝐈. 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

"Alright good, Nicky. Breakaway!" Dad cheered excitedly, as we watched rather nervously on the hockey match that was contested in front of us. I bit my nails nervously as Nick began to make a lead, he was pushing hard trying to get in front of the other skaters. "Go! Nick!" I cheered, happy for my brother as he managed to try to pass it off, until he faces planted Daley style, on the hard, freezing cold, ice. Luckily he had gear on because of boy, that would have hurt.

Then all the other skaters fell down like dominoes, Nick was sliding on the ice. The crowd behind us wavers in disappointment and the umpire whistle blows. "Stay here, Fey," Dad commands as he sails over the one-meter wall and lands on the ice.

"Nicky, you okay?" I hear dad ask, as he slips but manages to catch himself. He gets down on his knees and they have a small conversation I could not hear, but Nick smiles so they must of been encouraging.

Then Dad smiles and says dramatically, "Were good here. We're good. Alright, as you were skaters." Dad starts to walk over, only to stop. "Game on!" Dad declares to the impatient players and onlookers. I put my face in my hands.

Then somehow the hockey puck sails right onto Dad's face, knocking him down, face planting onto the ice. The crowd of New Yorkers make an 'oooooh' sound and I try to stop my cheeks from blushing.

"I'm good!" Dad manages to say. I shake my head. This time I jump over I knew I would fall and I did. I slip onto my knees. I help myself up and confess, "It runs in the family." I hear a couple of laughs, then manage to help Dad off the ice.

After the game, we start to walk home, taking a short cut through the park.
"I'm telling you, man, you tore it up out there. The NHL is a serious possibility." My dad says.

"You were awesome, that goal you got was so skilful, the way you managed to trick the goalie was incredible," I add, giving my brother an honest smile. I didn't understand how he could skate on that ice, if I could I'd break my neck.

"Yeah thanks, Fey, Dad, but I don't really want to be a hockey player anymore."

"Alright, then what do you want to be?" Dad asks.

"A bond trader," Nicky says. "A bond trader?" Dad and I say union, man I was really having trouble not laughing. The sight of Don spinning around on his office chair, eating doughnuts and cracking an evil laugh, sent shivers down my spine.

"Yeah," Nick begins. "It's what Don does. He took Freya and me too his office last week." I roll my eyes thinking back to last week, Don went a little too overboard trying to impress us, he brought us doughnuts to try and win our affection. It didn't work on me, I wasn't stupid. Nicky just managed to fall for it. Stupid doughnuts. But honestly what is this thing with Freya and I?

I gave a smile to Dad, "Uh that's cool. So you want to dress up in a monkey suit and tie every day..." Dad made this weird robot-like move we're his arms were square and he moved up and down. "Like an atomic robot."

Nick and I both burst into a fit of laughter. "Trust me you can't play Hockey in a cubicle kinda awkward."

I clapped dramatically my words dripping in sarcasm, "True, true old wise one." Dad gave me a 'really look,' my smile had just grown wider.

"Well, he's got a pretty big office," Nick argues, he must have tried out for that debating team again. "Nick that's not the point. Come on you love Hockey."

"You're the one who is gifted athletic ability." I say, "Not all of us are that lucky, take your thirteen-year-old sister for example. I got Dad's genes." Dad gave me a look and smacked my arm playfully.

Nick laughs, he was quiet for a moment. "I still like it..." He draws out. "But bond trading is my fallback."

"You're fallback?!" Dad and I turn for a moment and look at one another.

"Nicky I think you're a little too young to have one of those," I say.

"Fey, don't parent your brother. I am the parent here." I sigh and nod, I think I should be. I look after him more than anyone.

"Let's just stop for a momen,." Dad said. "Nick, Fey. Where did you guys even hear that word?!"

Nick sighs. "Mum was talking to Don about all your different schemes." The walls of her and Don's apartment aren't that noise proof.

"She called them schemes?" Dad asks, shock written all over his face. I think it was just mum's choice of vocabulary.

"Yeah Dad, she did. Mum said it was time you found a fallback." I say softly. Then Nick asks the question I had been debating to ask.

"A-Are you really moving again?"

"Ah, I don't know. I mean there are some pretty cool places in Queens." Personally, I often tried to be happy for Dad, but each time with him moving all over the place and getting a new job every few months, it was really starting to get hard on me. I could only take so much of the fall for Nicky.

"Yeah." Nick says sadly. "I guess so." I whisper, I don't even know if Dad could hear me.

"Hey guys, look at me you two. I want to tell you guys something. I know that things have been kind of up and down for me and that's been hard on both of you... but I really feel that my moment is coming and when it does and everything is going to come together."

I frown a little. "But Dad what if you're wrong and things don't work out. You can only be lucky for so long. But in the end what if your just an ordinary guy who should get a job."

"Alright." Dad licks his lips, shifting his gaze between me and Nick. "You know what, we'll figure it out."

Nick reaches out for my hand and I take it in my own and give it a gentle squeeze and I don't let go. He was all I had.

"Let's get you two back to Mum's." I give Dad a half smile. "Sure thing." But no one could hear the sadness in my voice. Not even Nicky.

EDITED: 24th of December 2019