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“Yes. You've gotten a lot better. You’ve made three great plays, already, even though you're in your head and not paying attention. I need you to get out of your head. Trust your instinct and trust that you know what you’re doing. Ok?”
He stares at me. "Yeah. Ok, I can do that."
“You’ve got this.” I smile at him, and he grins back. He stops and then almost on impulse, hugs me. "Thanks, Luke. You’re the best."
Emotion sparks in my chest.
I ruffle his hair. “Alright, kid. Go out there and get it done."
The whistle interrupts the embrace and Chase whizzes back to the ice. The competition is still stiff, but this time, Chase seems far more prepared. He skates around with more confidence and clarity, letting himself take more risks. He weaves through the opponents, almost from one side to the other, unstopped and unpassed. He fakes left, the goalie jumps out, but the puck spikes into the net.
It’s a goal.
“Yes!” Mia cries out clapping her hands together. “You go, Chase!”
"Yeah," Mikey echoes, uncharacteristically loud. We both look down at him as he yells, "Go, Chase!"
The crowd behind shouts too, and Chase grins at us but then gets back to the game. The other team attempts to even up the score but it’s too late. Chase is an unstoppable force, and he seems to pump energy into his teammates as well. They all play their best. The other team tries to match, but the gap widens, regardless.
They win the game with one point ahead and it’s a moment of joy and chaos.
Chase immediately skates off the ice and we meet him at the bottom of the bleacher the steps. He jumps straight into my arms. I laugh hugging him and holding him up as he shouts. You would’ve thought we won the championship.
Mia’s shouting too, and I can see the excitement on her face. She’s the second person to hug Chase. James then pats him on the shoulder and says, "That was an amazing job, Chase," before he heads off to find his son.
Chase sits to tear off his skates. "Did you see that?"
"Yes, baby, you did amazing." A ding interrupts us and Mia glances down at her phone. “Oh, Billy just texted. He says he's outside.”
Chase's smile widens. “I’ll go get him.”
"Wait, Chase,” Mia calls, but he’s already running off in his giant skate socks.
She shoots me an apologetic look, but I shrug. Honestly, I don’t mind that Chase and Billy have a relationship. Ok, maybe I do, but it's mostly jealousy on my part. I just wish he knew I was his dad.
"It's fine," I tell her, and she nods. Mia then goes to talk to the other kids, with Mikey, congratulating them on their win. They're all too excited to pay attention, so she keeps it short and sweet, looking so happy she could cry.
Billy comes in, while she’s talking, and glances around.
“Sorry, I’m late. Got held up by traffic. His eyes look a little strange. “Where’s Chase?
"He went off to look for you," I volunteer, pissed that he missed the game. He knew it was important to the kid .
His eyes widen in horror. “What?"
"Yeah. He left a few minutes ago. I’m surprised you didn't see him coming in."
"A few minutes? Why the fuck would you let him leave?" Billy explodes and silence is instantly in the room. Everyone is quiet and the kids are watching us.
I take Billy's arm and pull him to the side. "What's wrong with you? Why would you shout like that?"
"I'm sorry,” he says. "But we have to go find Chase now."
"Billy!" Chase says, and he appears behind us. Before he can reach us Billy storms forward and grabs him by his arm.
“Where did you go? Why were you gone so long?”
"What are you talking about?" Chase's face is furrowed in confusion. “There was an old lady I had to help her get in her car."
