Hockey Fever

by Glenn Parker

  Later that night he felt restless and went for a walk. The evening was cool with a stiff breeze blowing. The fall air bristled with the promise of winter and the threat of snow. The onslaught of winter was only a matter of time.

  He walked up the main street looking in the store windows, waved at some of the hockey players in the pool hall. As he was crossing the street to enter the café, a car came around the corner and stopped. Don turned and saw that it was Jake Cuthbert and Benny Jukes.

  “Hey Don,” Jake yelled. He signaled for him to come over. Don hesitated then crossed the street.

  Jake was at the wheel and grinned as Don approached. “Want to go for a spin?” he asked. “We’re going over to Anderson Lake to pick up Benny’s sister.”

  Don shook his head. “I think I’ll just have a coffee and go home to bed.”

  “Aw come on,” Benny coaxed. “It’ll only take half-an-hour. Besides, my sister wants to meet you.”

  Don had to smile. “Flattery will get you everywhere,” he said, getting into the back seat.

  “You haven’t seen Benny’s sister,” Jake intoned. They laughed good-naturedly.

  When they were on the outskirts of town, Jake said, “now that you’ve been here for a while, what do you think of our little town? And I promise you, everything you say will be held against you.”

  “I like it a lot,” Don said. At least he had before a few days ago, he thought.

  “It’s not a bad place as places go, I guess.” There was a pause before he added, “I think the team’s going to do all right this year.”

  “Yeah,” Benny added. “Saturday was the first time we’ve almost won an opener in four years.”

  Jake cast him a sidelong glance, making a wry face. “Never mind gloomy Gus here. He’s just a natural pessimist.”

  “I am not,” Benny declared. “Matter of fact, I think we should have won the game. If Ackerman had done some passing instead of trying to play the hero, things might have been different.”

  So they had noticed, Don thought. He had begun thinking that it was his imagination.

  “And if I hadn’t had my eyes closed when that guy took his penalty shot,” Jake said. “We have to apologize for Garry though. He hasn’t been himself for quite a while now, ever since Jennifer Simons broke off their engagement.”

  Don sat bolt upright. “What did you say?”

  “Now you’ve done it,” Benny said.

  “You mean you didn’t know?” Jake asked. Benny slapped him across the head and rolled his eyes.

  Don shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

  “They were engaged for over a year, but I guess old Jennifer got tired of his drinking bouts and I can’t say I blame her.”

  “Things are beginning to make a little sense around here,” Don said. “I can understand now why Garry doesn’t like me…taking out his girl and all.”

  “Making him look bad on the ice,” Jake chimed in. “Yes sir, old Garry’s got lots of reasons to be jealous.”

  “Now you know why Lew puts up with him,” Benny said. “I mean, after all, he was going to be his father-in-law.”

  Don sat digesting what he had just learned, turning it over in his mind. Perhaps now, he thought, things could be straightened out between them for good.

  “Why didn’t somebody tell me I was taking out his girl?” Don asked.

  “His ex-girl,” Jake corrected. “We thought you knew, at least at first. Then it kind of dawned on us that maybe you didn’t. We’re surprised that Jennifer didn’t tell you.”

  Don wondered why she hadn’t. They had even talked about Garry, yet she hadn’t said a word about their engagement. Was she covering up for something? Was she ashamed? Surely she would have known that he would find out sooner or later.

  “I think there’s one more thing you should know about,” Jake said.

  “Oh no, I don’t think I could stand any more surprises,” Don said. “But shoot.”

  “Well, Garry won a scholarship to university a few years ago. I think he wanted to go into medicine. Anyway, Lew talked him into going out to Regina’s training camp instead. He thought Garry had a great future as a hockey player.”

  “So did a lot of other people,” Benny added.

  “Anyway, Garry gave up the scholarship and went to the camp instead. And after a month he was sent home. I think he blames Lew for that. He’s pretty resentful about the whole thing.”

  “Sounds to me like Garry got a pretty rough deal all around,” Don said.

  “It’s still no excuse for the way he’s been acting,” Jake said, dipping his lights for an oncoming car. “I mean, I can understand him being resentful but he’s gone a bit far. After all, it happened two years ago.”

  “I wonder why he didn’t go to university on his own,” Don said. “Or at least wait until the next year.”

  “I think he did plan to go the next year, but he racked up his car. Then, after things began going sour between him and Jennifer, I guess he just didn’t care anymore.”

  A few miles later, Jake stopped the car, swung it around and headed back the way they had come.

  “I thought you had to pick up your sister?” Don said. “Won’t she be a bit disappointed?”

  Jake shot a glance at Benny and winked. “Ah, just remembered, she doesn’t work on Wednesday nights. Guess you’ll have to wait for another night to meet her.”

  Don laughed, beginning to understand the whole scheme. The sister thing was just a lure to get him to come along.

  “You ought to be locked up for…for fraud or misrepresenta-tion or something,” Don laughed.

  “All in a good cause,” Benny said. “Anything for the team you know.”

  When they dropped him off at the hotel, Benny said, ”We’ll see you tomorrow night. And don’t forget, I’m the little guy standing on the blue line waiting for a pass.”

  Don laughed. “I won’t forget.”

  He felt as though an anvil had been lifted off his back as he sprinted up the stairs to his room.

  CHAPTER TEN

  On Friday, the day of Jennifer’s party, the snow began to fall. In the morning there was only a sprinkling on the ground. By noon there were several inches. The white stuff had transformed the town into a make-believe world.

  The snow did not bother Don. He was in better spirits than he had been for several days as he trudged through the ankle-deep drifts after work. He was thinking of the party that night, suddenly regretting that he had turned down the invitation. He hadn’t seen Jennifer for a week. Several times he had been on the verge of phoning her but each time he had resisted, still feeling angry at the possibility of her being part of the deal that had brought him to Fairmore.

  He longed to know for certain, however, and he also wanted to find out why she hadn’t told him that she had been engaged to Garry Ackerman.

  He looked out his window at nine o’clock. The snow was still falling — he could see the flakes clearly against the streetlight. He turned back to his room.

  The hockey practice the night before had not gone well. He hadn’t performed up to his usual standards and Ackerman was missing. He had counted on confronting Ackerman and explaining that he and Jennifer were only friends, that their relationship hadn’t developed beyond holding hands. Maybe it would have served only to anger Ackerman, but at least the guy would know that he wasn’t really trying to steal his one-time girlfriend if he was still carrying a torch for her. Jennifer hadn’t even acknowledged that they were a couple let alone whether she still cared for him.

  Don had looked sloppy on several plays that should have been good opportunities to showcase his superiority, but he hadn’t made the extra effort. The look on Lew’s face told Don that his coach was disappointed in him. It had made him angry, whether at himself, his ineptness or at Lew he wasn’t sure.

  Lew’s pat on the shoulder and his casual, “we all have a bad night” had struck Don as condescending and he had felt a fury that he was barely able to conceal. All he h
ad wanted to do was shower and dress quickly and get out of there.

  “We leave here at five-thirty,” Lew had said. “Everybody be on time.”

  “I’m taking my own car,” Don said. “I’ve got a few things I have to do so I might be a little late.” It was a lie, but he didn’t feel at that moment like travelling with anyone.

  Lew stared at him for a long moment and Don thought he was going to insist that he travel with the team on the bus. Then he shrugged his shoulders. “Suit yourself, but don’t be late. We hit the ice at eight sharp.”

  In his room, Don sat on his bed feeling restless. What did one do in a town like Fairmore on a Friday night? Go to a movie? Or a party? He sighed. A party to be sure. He picked up his jacket and left his room.

  * * *

  The reunion party was held at the school. Don drove past it and saw the lights shining from one part of the building and several cars parked outside. Then he turned around and drove back, parked in the parking lot and waited.

  Several minutes later another car pulled up and several people got out. They looked in Don’s direction as they headed for the school. Don rolled down his window.

  “Pardon me,” he yelled.

  A girl stopped and looked back. “Did you call me?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell Jennifer to come out for a minute. I’d like to speak to her.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier if you just came in?” she said.

  “It’s a private thing. I wouldn’t want to crash the party.” Besides, he thought, since he had turned down her invitation, maybe she had invited somebody else, like another guy. Don didn’t want to be part of an awkward scene.

  She laughed. “I’ll give her the message.”

  A few minutes later, Jennifer came to the door and looked out. Don blew his horn and she came over to him. “Don! What are you doing sitting out here by yourself? Come on in.”

  “Jump in,” he said. “I want to talk to you.”

  She opened the car door and slid in beside him. “Why don’t you come in? The party’s just getting started.”

  “I can’t,” he said. “I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

  “What about? I don’t understand all the secrecy.”

  Don gripped the steering wheel. “I found out last night that you were engaged to Garry Ackerman. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She paused, looking away. “I didn’t think it was important. Besides, it’s all over now, in the past. I want to forget it.”

  “But you knew I was having a lot of trouble with Garry. Didn’t it occur to you that you might be the reason?”

  She looked at him with surprise. “What makes you think it was because of me? Did he say that?”

  “Of course not,” Don said, trying to control his anger. “But it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? What other reason would he have to act the way he has?”

  “But…but I haven’t gone out with Garry for…for over a year.”

  “He still probably considers you his girl. Then I came along and took you out a few times. Presto! Instant hate.”

  Jennifer shook her head. “I can’t believe that. It’s too —" She paused and looked at him. “I’m sorry Don, I really am. I guess I wasn’t thinking. Besides, you and I, well, we’ve only seen each other a few times and…it’s all been pretty innocent.”

  “But Gary doesn’t know that. He probably thinks we’re an item.” Don heaved a sigh of relief. “At least now that I know why he dislikes me so much, maybe I can do something about it. Who knows?”

  “Is this why you were so strange on the phone the other night?” she asked. “Why you refused to come to my party.”

  Don shook his head. “No, it isn’t.”

  “Why then?”

  “I can’t tell you right now.”

  “Is it about Dad?”

  “I said I can’t tell you. I’m sorry. It’s just something I’m going to have to come to terms with I guess, something I have to work out on my own.”

  She sat still saying nothing for a moment. “I sure wish you would come to the party,” she finally said. “You need to relax and have some fun. And I would like to introduce you to some of my friends.”

  Don wanted to go to the party, forget his problems and enjoy himself for a change, but something kept him from accepting her invitation. He wasn’t sure if he was just being bull headed or did he still have suspicions?

  “I’ve got to get back to the party,” she finally said. “They’ll be wondering what’s happened to me.” She opened the door and got out. “Let me know when you’ve solved your little problem.”

  Don watched her disappear into the school. He had succeeded in making her angry again, he thought. That hadn’t been his intention. Why was everything suddenly going wrong for him? When he had first arrived, he had looked forward to his stay in Fairmore and for a time things had worked out for him. But now it seemed like everything was going sour. Was there something in him, something in his personality that put people off?

  He drove slowly back to the hotel watching the snow fall. It was piling up and if it didn’t stop soon, it would begin to cause problems. Somehow the snow comforted him, made him feel less depressed about his situation. Let it fall, he thought, it affected his life very little.

  When he finally roused himself and entered the hotel, he noticed that the door to his room was ajar and the light was on. He was certain he had closed it when he had left.

  He poked his head in the door. His mother was sitting on the bed looking out the window.

  “Mom! What a surprise. What are you doing here?”

  Mrs. Jordan rose and embraced her son. “It’s nice to see you, dear,” she said. “This is some reception you’ve given me with all this snow. There’s hardly any in Saskatoon.”

  Don took off his coat and sat down on the bed. “Well, it had to come sometime I guess. It might as well be now.”

  ‘How are you finding it down here, Don? Do you like it? Have you made some friends?” She regarded him with shrewd eyes as she sat across from him.

  Don had never been able to keep a secret from his mother and he knew he couldn’t fool her now.

  “I liked it well enough at first,” he said. “But you still haven’t told me why you’re here. I mean, you never mentioned in your emails that you were coming.”

  “Can’t a mother visit her son without a reason?” She laughed. “You haven’t answered my question yet. How are you finding it here?”

  Don looked away, frowning as he did so. Then he turned to look at her. “How well do you know Jess Abernathy, Mom?”

  Mrs. Jordon looked thoughtful. “I’ve known Jess for years. Your father worked for him. He’s been a family friend ever since I can remember. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I suspect he was paid a lot of money by our coach to get me down here to play hockey. I overheard two men discussing it in the café the other night. It’s been bothering me ever since.”

  “So that’s it,” his mother said, giving him a searching look. “Don, Jess didn’t just offer you that job out of the blue. He offered it after I contacted him and asked him if he could help. I was worried about you after you gave up hockey. I knew you needed to get started on something so I talked to Jess. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to think that I was meddling.”

  Don stared at his mother. “So he couldn’t have made any deal with Lew. Allan was right all along. It was just two old men talking.” He shook his head. “I should have known. What a dope I’ve been.”

  “Jess would never do a thing like that, Don — I’m sure of it. He’s just not that kind of person. You see, he phoned me last night. He’s been worried about you lately. He knew something was bothering you, but he didn’t know what. So he phoned me to find out if I knew anything that might cause you to worry.”

  Don sat with his head in his hands. “Oh Mom, I don’t know what to say. It’s such a relief to know the truth. If you only knew the agony I’ve fel
t.”

  She smiled. “Well, you can rest easy now. I know Jess is going to be as relieved as you are. He was really concerned. You’re lucky to have a boss like that.”

  Don thought of Jennifer and how he had treated her on the phone and at the party. To think that he had actually suspected her of collusion with her father. What little faith he had in people. He should have known that Jennifer could never do a thing like that — she just wasn’t that kind of person. He was thankful at least that he hadn’t told her why he was angry with her. If she had found out, she probably would never have spoken to him again.

  “Mrs. Schafer has given me a room downstairs,” his mother said. She glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late and I’m very tired. The trip down was exhausting. Tomorrow you can show me around your little town — that is if we’re not snowbound. I have to be back in Saskatoon tomorrow night so I can only stay until noon. There’s a train leaving then.”

  Don looked at her as she rose to leave. “I’m glad you came down, Mom. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t.”

  “Goodnight dear. I’ll see you bright and early in the morning.”

  When she had gone, Don looked at his watch. It WAS late. He thought of going back to the party, talking to Jennifer and explaining everything to her. But he had done enough damage for one day. There was always tomorrow. He would see her at the game tomorrow night. She was bound to be there. He could make it up to her then.

  He slept soundly for the first time in a week.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The snow stopped falling sometime during the night. When Don looked out of his window in the morning, he was relieved. It hadn’t snowed enough to cause the game to be cancelled. The road crews would be on the job and have the snow cleared in no time.

  Bradford was only 38 miles away and would take less than an hour to drive. From what he had learned from Lew, Bradford would ice a good team built around three brothers, two of whom had played some pro hockey. The Ferrin brothers were known all over the south and had been for some years. Two of them, Bob and Tom, were hard-nosed veterans in their mid-thirties. The younger one, Hank, had played Junior A for two years before returning to Bradford and forming the brother trio. All were fast, rugged players. Without them, their team would be hard pressed to compete in the league. They were weak defensively, especially in the goal department and they lacked depth. Lew was confident that his team could beat them.