Page 55 of Want You

He laughed at that. In an American city, that would be possible. In hockey-obsessed Toronto, it was unlikely.

“Give me a location you’d prefer and I’ll see you there in an hour.”

“Waterfront, the third bench, the blue one,” Nathan said, looking out the window where he could see the bench from. People were out and about despite the cold, but they rarely sat.

“See you there,” Kurtis confirmed and hung up.

An hour later, Nathan was sitting on the cold, hard bench, leg jiggling with nerves. He’d nearly cancelled a few times between the call and arriving. He asked himself if this was something he really wanted to be involved in. But of course, he already was. He’d heard too many things. Remained quiet. Saying something now was better than pretending he didn’t know anything.

He jumped when a man sat next to him and sat back, immediately relaxing into the bench.

“So, on the record, anonymous but with the promise of an exclusive in the near future?” he asked.

Nathan cleared his throat. “Yes.”

Kurtis took something out of his pocket and set it between them. Nathan looked down to see an old-fashioned tape recorder.

“Let’s start by confirming your profession,” Kurtis encouraged.

“I’m a professional hockey player.”

“And how long have you been a professional?” he asked.

Nathan nearly said the year number only to realize that could give him away. “I’ve been in the league for over a decade.”

“And how did you feel about the news coming out of the hockey world this morning?”

“Angry.”

“Who was it directed at? The players or the apparent victim?”

God, he hated that description, “apparent victim”. It cast too much doubt for the general public. Likely seemed like a better fit.

“The players, the system, the general culture.”

“But you’re part of it. Have you heard of stuff like this happening before?”

“You hear about a lot. Lots of terminology that is…” He thought about the vocabulary that was common among players when talking about women. “Disgusting, dehumanizing, vile, misogynistic shit.”

“Do you believe the victim in this case, without the facts of evidence being presented?”

“Yes. Players think they’re gods. Fans treat us like gods. It’s hard to remember we aren’t sometimes, and I think there are far too many guys who let it go to their heads in a way that is harmful to others.”

“Do you think the apparent victim wanted to sleep with a player?”

Nathan thought about nights at the bars. There were women that absolutely wanted to bag a player. Some who just wanted a night. Some who wanted it all.

“I wasn’t there, so I can’t say that. I doubt she wanted what ended up happening. But I know these guys sober. Add alcohol into the mix, and I don’t doubt that what she’s saying is true.”

“How prevalent are stories like this in dressing rooms?”

“There’s always chatter. You’ll have seven conversations happening at once, so it’s not always obvious what people are talking about. It’s honestly more common in junior. Young guys experiencing stardom early in their careers.”

“So have people just been brushing it off as boys being boys?”

Nathan scoffed. “I hate that fucking phrase. It’s a pass that allows grown men to get away with anything. But in a sense, people turn a blind eye to it. There are a lot of things not talked about off the ice if a player is performing on it. Even the drug culture is like that.”

“Drug culture?”