The Tales of a Professional Hockey Player

Chapter 33: Surprise

~Eleanor~

The last time I went out with Ben, I was wearing this wool navy-blue dress who itched so badly I was uncomfortable for the whole dinner. It was the week before my last year of university would start and we were going to a restaurant that had just opened in the center of Windsor. It was opening night and the place was packed. The only reason why we got a table was because the owner of the restaurant had reached out to Ben's agent because he wanted a "celebrity" at his opening and the best he could do was a Major Junior hockey player. To take his defense, being the team's captain gave Ben a certain notoriety. Local shops offered him money in exchange for him promote their business. Sometimes it was a simple picture, but it could be much worse. I remember him promoting a car dealership on the radio. It sounded so fake. "I am Benji Johnson from the Spitfires and I bought my car here. I have never loved a car so much in my life," he said. It wasn't even true. When Ben went to that specific dealership during our first year in Windsor, the same man who hired him for the add told Ben all of his cars were over our budget. Two years later, when Ben asked him if his payment for the add could be a new car, the dealer told him no for the same reason. All of his cars were worth more than he was willing to pay him. No matter how Ben argued that it would look stupid for him to drive an old beat-up car when he was supposed to pretend to have bought it at the dealership, the owner didn't budge. "I won't give you a ten-thousand-dollar car for a ten second radio add, boy!"

Anyway, all of this to say that we were offered a free meal by the owner of the restaurant. All Ben had to do was post a picture of him at the restaurant on Instagram and let the journalist interview him. Easy. I had borrowed my dress from Blair who swore it wasn't itchy at all. "It's Vera Wang!" she said as if it explained everything. But it was itchy. It was so itchy I kept pinching my thighs to keep me from removing it. When Ben offered to go get ice cream after dinner, I refused even though I really wanted ice cream. I ignored the disappointed look on his face and begged him to take me home. That was it. We were out for two hours. It was only eight pm and we were back in our apartment.

I consider this the last time I went out with Ben because, afterwards, we never concretely described an evening or an outing as "date night." Or date anything for that matter. That night, when we ate scallops and filet mignon for free almost three years ago was the last time I went out with him. It makes me sad when I think about it. We used to go out all the time in the beginning. Since that day, our dates have been a lot simpler, like fast food burgers or having coffee at Tim's. I don't consider the hockey galas as a date, simply because Ben interacted more with his teammates than me.

I agreed to go a date with Ben two weeks ago. I was too surprised by his question to say anything but yes. I don't remember how many times I wished Ben would make more efforts regarding our relationship and him offering to plan us a date is exactly that. I have no idea where he's taking me, just that I needed to wear a dress. So, I did. I went shopping for the prettiest dress I could find, and, it was with a heart filled with excitement that I bought a black long-sleeved silk dress that ends right above my knee. It came with a long silk scarf to wrap around your shoulders if it gets too cold and I immediately fell in love with it. I didn't care that it cost almost half of all of my other clothes combined. For a weird reason, I wanted to impress Ben. I have the feeling that tonight will be special, like it might change everything.

He's supposed to pick me up in five minutes, and, since I know he'll try to be on time, I go do a last check-up on Ophelia who is playing in her room with Matthew who accepted to babysit. I had asked Hannah first, but when I told her I was going out with Ben, she suddenly had something planned. I don't know what's going on with Hannah lately, but she has been distant over the last few weeks. I promised her we would have a girls' day next week and, even if it seemed to have helped, she was still reluctant to hear about Ben and I's recent developments. Not that they were major or anything, but we are finally getting along really well again, and I just wanted to share it with her.