Get 2, for me and B.Thank you.That’d be fun.
I’ll get you an extra ticket, in case she changes her mind.And I want to take you all out for a meal after if that’s not too late for Bella.
Thank you.It’s not a school night so that should be fine.
Great.
Stay safe.
Always :)
“Always.”She rolled her eyes.The man was optimism personified.
But maybe that’s what faith did.Fueled trust that God was with her, would continue to be with her in all the highs and lows.And such trust bred hope, and allowed people to see possibilities, instead of all the ways something might fail.
And seeing she had lived too long the other way, maybe it was time to relax in the hope that God really did have her future secured.
And that she could trust Him, every day.In everything.
Even with Kyle.
CHAPTER26
“And I want to say a big welcome back to Tinks, it’s good to see you’ve been cleared to play again.”
Kyle nodded to the coach and acknowledged his teammates’ applause.
“We missed you, man,” Sam called.
“Would’ve made the second round if you’d been with us.”
He shrugged.“Can’t help bad luck.”
Although looking back on all that had happened this year, none of it had felt unlucky.
He’d re-met Gen.Learned he had a daughter.Gotten serious with God.Seen Gen and Bella get saved.All of that was awesome.
Now all he needed was to find a house that maybe Bella would like to come stay in occasionally, and life would be golden.Well, it’d be more golden to get that heavenly seal of approval to persuade Gen that they should be more than just parents of a child, but that was God’s timing, and Kyle was trying to be patient.
Coach Aitken continued, and Kyle refocused, doing his best to get back into the world of hockey.To remember plays, retrain his brain.So much time off had proved a bit of a struggle during training camp, when the amount of weight he’d lost became apparent.
His trainers had been concerned, and Doc Cheloff had warned the only way he’d be cleared to play was if he entered a phase of weight gain and muscle building.
Pro players always lost a fair bit of muscle as the season ground on, and he was already starting under his usual playing weight.He’d be more liable to get picked on, to be a target for unscrupulous players who didn’t mind delivering huge hits and thumping him into the boards.With less body mass, there was less protection for bones and those vital inner organs he knew so much more about these days, so he needed to do what he could to up his weight.And eating as many ice creams as he had with Bella this summer didn’t really count.
“Tinks, I want a word with you before we head out.”
“Sure.”
Coach Aitken rubbed his bald head, waiting until the room was cleared, then studied him.“You’re doing okay?”
“Would you believe me if I said I’ve never felt better?”
“You certainly seem to have something a bit different going on.”
Shine.
Oh!Okay.
