This is what he meant. He is a fast skater, not a fast runner. I watch in awe of his ability. He’s standing close to the wall when a player from the other team slams into him, knocking him into the wall. Hudson falls to the ground, and I jump to my feet, gasping. He has to be hurt, but instead he hops right back up.
“Ellie, sit down, dear. He’s fine,” Wendy coos.
“But did you see that?” I point to what happened as I sit back down.
“It’s called being slammed into the boards. It’s a move all players do. The point is to regain possession of the puck,” Whitney explains.
I can’t even speak. What if he got hurt? How would I handle that? Wait, we’re not together. He lied to me, and I should still be angry.
As if she is reading my mind, Wendy pats my hand, bringing my attention to her. “Deny it all you want, but you’re wrong. Your heart belongs to Hudsy, and his belongs to you.”
She’s right. I love Hudson. I love the real Hudson. I love the guy I almost pepper sprayed, the guy I whipped in the face with my ponytail, and the guy who held me at night, never asking for anymore. I swipe the tears away as Whitney hands me a napkin.
“Oh, sweetie.” His mother embraces me. I stop the tears from flowing as the sounds of the arena surrounds us. “It will be okay. If it’s meant to be, then it will happen,” she whispers in my ear.
I freeze and sit back. I stare at her wide eyed. “What did you say?”
She smiles and repeats, “If it’s meant to be, then it will happen.”
“Ellie, are you okay?” Whitney asks. “You’re white as a ghost.”
I nod. “My aunt used to say that all the time. She always thought that everything happened for a reason.”
“That’s true. Even though what my son did was completely wrong, it happened, and there is a reason for it. Even if we can’t see it now,” Wendy says.
The sound of the horn startles me. The first period is over. I watch as everyone skates off the ice. Hudson waits to be the last one off the ice, and I stare at his number fourteen as he goes into the tunnel. Through intermission and the second period, Wendy, Whitney, and I talk. They ask me all about my life, and I ask about theirs. I don’t think I’ve talked that much at one time, ever. We even laughed a few times.
By the time, the third period starts, there is still no score. I can’t believe how intense this game is. None of us say a word as we watch Hudson and the players’ battle for the puck. I cringe every time someone hits Hudson or he hits someone. I don’t want him to get hurt.
There is less than a minute on the clock, and I’m not sure what is going to happen.
“What happens if no one scores?”
“They keep going until someone does,” Whitney declares.
Just then there’s a loud boom, and the crowd is screaming. I look up at the screen and see that Vikings have scored. We’re jumping up and down, even though it wasn’t Hudson that scored. There is just a few second left, and when the final buzzer sounds, the Vikings have won. I watch the celebration on the ice and see their smiling faces on the large screen. I’m so happy for him.
“Ellie,” Wendy touches my arm, “we’re going to head down to him. You’re more than welcome to come with us. Now, I won’t lie to you or my son. I will let him know that you were here, and what an amazing person you are. I know my son did wrong, but I hope that you can forgive him soon. He loves you, and I know you love him.” She hugs me tightly and heads for the door.
“Do you want to come down?” Whitney asks.
I shake my head. He needs his family right now, not me to complicate everything.
“I didn’t figure you would, but I want to give you this.” She hands me a piece of paper.
“What’s this?”
“Hudson is off the next two days. He has practice in the morning, but nothing else planned. That is his home address and the code to get into his building. I figure that you should have it. You know, in case you need to talk to him.” She winks at me before she turns and leaves me.
I take a deep breath before sitting back into my chair. I stare out at the ice rink. This is Hudson’s life. The question is do I want to be part of it? I stare at the piece of paper in my hand. Hudson’s address. This is something that I’m not sure what to do with.
I stand up and head home.
~
When I get home, I take a hot shower and try to relax. I throw on an oversize shirt and head into the living room. I don’t feel like reading or doing anything for that matter. I just sit and listen to the silence. On the coffee table sits the movies that Hudson and I were watching. A smile pulls at my lips thinking we were only on the fourth movie.
“It’s a gift and a guarantee that there will be more dates to come. Open it.”