Unexpected Late Night

Joel.

3 years have passed and during those 3 years have been the craziest. The year the boys were drafted into the OHL was my last year in the NHL, one door closes another door opens I guess.

"Isn't it weird having your sons do the exact same thing as you when you were getting ready to play your first game?" Cassidy asks. I roll my eyes as I bite into my carrot.

"It's a big day for everyone"I wink over at Mabel and she rolls her eyes, continuing to listen to her music.

It was the boys first debut as a Toronto Maple Leaf, I knew they were nervous. I could feel their nervousness, I think they were also scared of the fact that their stepping into my footsteps and I know that scares them.

"Uh huh, go talk to your sons right now"Chloe rolls her eyes as she enters the kitchen area. Where we were all sitting and I mean all of us, our siblings were here. We were waiting for our parents to come, even Calvin was coming in to watch the boys.

"Why what's wrong?"

"Their freaking out and my ears are bleeding from their loud music" I hop off the counter and kiss her cheek. I jog up the steps and I could now here their blaring music. Jesus, was I this bad before my first game. I highly doubt they were asleep. I bang on their shared bedroom door, nothing. I bang again, louder. Nothing.

"Boys!" I yell with the loudest bang I could do. I'm sure you could hear it throughout the whole house, the music stops and the door opens revealing Simon.

"Well hello to you"I chuckle "let's talk"I say, Simon allows me to step in and I watch him walk back to his bed and flop on it. I look around their room, like among the many rooms in our house, their room wasn't painted. I grab one of their desk chairs, that was in front of their beds and place it in the middle. I was getting déjà vu from when I use to read them books and sat right in the middle of the room.

"Okay no more blasting music, you've got your mother rolling her eyes" Bennett sits up from laying down and leans on his headboard. Simon continued laying down.

"Okay fine, I'm gonna tell you what my dad told me the day of my first game" I look for their reaction.

"Well go on"Bennett encourages.

"He sat in my room in my desk chair and told me that even though this is a business, you've got to remember every game how fun and how much you love hockey"

"That kinda sucks" Simon scoffs. I laugh.

"I know so I'm gonna tell you what I wish he told me"I watch Simon sit up and mirrors Bennett. "The NHL is a business okay always remember that, it's a dirty business sometimes. But the most important thing is you have to remember why you love playing hockey in the first place okay?" They both nod "and I know your both drafted into the same team but that might not last Alright, remember that brothers too so no hard ice Alright?" They nod.

"Dad?" Bennett asks before I could stand up. I hum. "What if tonight doesn't go as successfully as yours"He says looking between me and Simon.

"You really think I'll be disappointed if you don't score tonight?" They both nod. I shake my head "I will never be disappointed in you two, in any of you. Who cares what the media says about you two going into my footsteps, that shouldn't matter, you go out there for the both of you, you go out there for you and I will always be proud in you"

"Thanks Dad" Simon smiles, I give him another smile and look over at Bennett. He nods. I slowly stand up and push the chair back into the desk. I see their jerseys folded nicely on their desk in the laundry basket. I grab the laundry basket and turn back around.

"I'll tell you one other thing"I lean the laundry basket on my hip, my right hand free "walking through that tunnel, stepping out onto the ice, hearing the crowd clap and cheer for the very first time is the most emotional thing you will ever experience in the NHL, so hold your tears"the boys chuckle and nod "do me one favour I wish I should've done"