ASHER

IT'S GAME DAY.

I'm on the bus with my teammates to Toledo when my mom calls.

"Hey Mom, what's up?" I greet her, pressing the phone to my ears.

"I didn't think you would pick up." She knows that I have a game today and must've gotten the time mixed up. "How are you doing? Ready for your game?"

"I'm good. If you're hearing noises those are my obnoxious teammates!" I claim loudly because I want them to hear. Which just makes them say "hi Mrs Humphrey" because they're familiar with my Mom and they know it's her on the phone. "We're on our way to Toledo. We're ready to either win or get our asses handed to us."

Mom tells me to put her on speaker because she heard them and so I do. "Hi boys. No funny business out there today right? We're all watching you just remember that we need this win. Make Coach proud and if not then he can have all your heads."Her voice rings through the phone with sweet encouragement. Yup sweet. We need this pep talk. Or anything at all.

Going into Toledo, we're not going to have much fans on our side that's truly rooting for us.

"Yes ma'am." Tyler salutes as if she can see him.

If my teammates play like they did at practice recently, we're not winning anything today. I'm not nervous about it. Should I be? Everyone seems relaxed and stressing about something I have no control over will not change the result. I can't move my team's legs for them. They're set to carry their own weight on the ice. At the same time, they look up to me. All I gotta do is get out there and play the best game I've ever played. Every game should be the best one ever played. It's the attitude that Coach drills into our brains and I'm not letting go of it now.

I click off the speaker and press the phone to my ears again. "How are you Mom?"

Most Saturdays I see my parents but it doesn't kill me to ask how she's doing. Mom's a loan officer which means she's always working and I'm sure she's tired. Dad gets exhausted too because being an aircraft mechanic isn't any form of being easy. But they look forward to seeing my son when I have him.

"I'm good. I'm good." She answers cheerfully. I don't think Mom's ever in a bad mood. "Your dad's good too. Well, he better be. He should be home any minute now."

Everybody knows everybody where we live. Dad's originally from Swartz Creek where he met my mother but they moved to Northville when Mom got pregnant with me. She sorted out the mortgage payment like a breeze given her job description.

And anything else that has to do with money.

"I wanted to talk to you about something though. Are we still going to Marquette for Thanksgiving?" Hope hangs onto her voice. "Shirley called me this morning to check in and I told her that I'll get back to her once I spoke to you. Your Dad will make his decision if you do. The choice is yours."

"U.P?"

Man, I kinda miss that place.

Aunt Shirley resides near Lake Superior. The memories I made there as a kid still sticks to my brain. She's a chef at one of the best restaurants so she'd know all the foods that do amazing things to your taste buds. There's always something to do there. Dad would leave Mom chatting while Victor— Aunt Shirley's late husband would take me and my Dad out hiking. We've gone cliff jumping and swimming while Mom would prefer the farmer's market and parades. Marquette was the first place I went to and saw outhouse racing. When we visited in winter, Victor and Aunt Shirley would take us dog sledding. Yeah. That's a thing. As the youngest hanging with all the adults at the time, there was nothing boring about it.

Fun fact. Victor was the one who convinced my parents that hockey would be a good thing for me. He was the head coach for Northern Michigan University up until he passed away.

"Yeah. Tommy has never been there so I thought you'd want to decide if you go there this year or not.  Shirley was going on and on about the Northern Lights and I think Tommy is old enough to take part in seeking it out. Shirley thinks there's a chance we will."

I haven't seen Aunt Shirley since her husband died three years ago. Basically after Tommy was born. I've seen the Northern Lights twice growing up and both those times Victor was there. It's going to be weird without him. I get why she'd invite us for Thanksgiving, don't get me wrong, she's among residents of about twenty thousand and she's well known but she's lonely in that house of hers. It's been three years and I haven't heard of someone special in her life.

I'm not opposed to it. "I think he'd like that too. I haven't seen Aunt Shirley in a while so I don't see why not."

I can hear the excitement in my mother's voice. "I'll let her know."

We talk about what type of food Aunt Shirley might prepare on Thanksgiving. Then Mom tells me about things I shouldn't forget to pack for the trip like my charger because I did that before and medicines in case it's needed.

"Tell me about your classes, how are those going on? Are you able to stay on top of your classes and not neglect them?"

"Yeah. I'm not promising you that I'm getting all A's though." I'm not a dumb jock but I'm also not going to pretend that I'm the smartest person in my classes.

My plate is as full as anyone can imagine. With hockey games, practices, having a social life, taking care of my son, making sure I'm learning when I show up to my professors classes and not dozing off. It's hard. Crazy how I manage. And that is how and why I can't go out to party all the time like I don't have responsibilities and shit to do like ninety percent of Taft. Well, some of them aren't in the same situation as me. They aren't young parents. I give credit to anyone who has to set up dates for their kid with their ex and make it work when it's their turn to spend time with their kid.

I'm aware that many people don't have children when they're my age. Some of Taft's students are on scholarship and I know they work their asses off. Some of them work after their classes just so they could pay their tuition.

"Are you getting C's and D's?" Her mind provides the worst case scenario.

Economics is a broad major that I've never failed yet. I'm gonna lie and say I study like my life depends on it. For some reason, I don't have to join study groups so I'm calling that a win.

"C's get you degrees."

"Asher."

"I'm kidding Mom," I tell her before she has an aneurysm. "I have two B's. I'm holding A's everywhere else."

I'm focused on graduating. Mom always preached that getting a degree and graduating is the wisest decision I could ever make no matter what I decide to do with my life. She's right. Hockey remains the forefront but I also can't leave education behind. Besides, Coach makes it known staying on the right track is going this route.

Let's take that back. Coach didn't say that exactly. If you know anything about hockey then you know not everyone's case is the same. Some players don't wanna finish college so they skip the whole major and classes and shit. Hockey is nothing like the NBA or NFL where guys on the football team like West Bradford can declare draft and sign contracts to teams. His coach didn't think it was a good idea and that's just an example.

NHL draft players, including some of my teammates, do not sign them but they own the rights to the players. My case? That's exactly my case. I'm playing on a D1 hockey team. I've been drafted by the Detroit Red Wings but I haven't signed contracts because I'm happy to see college through.

I'm completing years of NCAA which means I'll become a free agent to choose whichever NHL team I want. That'll also mean the NHL team that's 'dying to sign me' in the words of Coach—The Wings lose all rights to me if I don't decide to take up the offer.

The Wings won about eleven Stanley Cups and they're solidified so going with them isn't a bad idea. Plus side—It's close to home.

But like I said, my focus is on graduating for now.

Mom talks for a few more minutes and hangs up when I tell her that the bus is pulling up to my destination.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
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