Always Brave, Sometimes Kind by Katie Bickell

Author:Katie Bickell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Touchwood Editions
Published: 2020-08-04T18:13:39+00:00

Hockey Mom

2011

The Millennium Place locker room is like every other locker room Lacey has ever waited in. A bench wraps whitewashed walls and a narrow doorway leads to showers in the back. The digital scoreboard reads 3–2 for the home team, the time of day in smaller numbers. There’s a warm stink despite the arena’s chill. Lacey sits near the exit. It’s her turn to bring snacks and today she’s made a special treat.

The boys don’t usually play Monday morning games, what with school and all, but the Kings take on the Edmonton Drillers every Family Day and the game always fills the stands. A talent scout from the University of Victoria is even visiting, which, sure, is a big deal for all the boys, but for Lacey’s youngest it’s a very big deal. Two years ago the twins were scouted during their Family Day game, and it’s a no-brainer Denny will be picked next to join his brothers. Dave wanted to be here, but he has to take work whenever he can get it ever since the Stelmach government made such a mess of the oil royalty review. “You don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” is what Dave has to say about that. Dave is so smart.

Yasmin Rhanji nurses baby Suni by Lacey’s side. The association mothers work in pairs and the women are around the same age, but Yasmin probably thinks Lacey is older. Most of the moms could pass as Lacey’s daughters, what with their skinny jeans and straightened hair and designer scarves. They could pass for the groupies that litter the twins’ Facebook pages, the girls that keep her sons too busy to visit their mom now and then.

Well, motherhood sure is different from when Lacey was growing up. Used to be that moms took care of everyone, but now women spend more time looking at their phones than they do their kids. Some even have housekeepers. It doesn’t seem right; no one at home when oilmen make decent money anyhow. That’s what she told Dave the last time he was home from camp, anyway.

She was putting lotion on her elbows as he came out of the bathroom with a towel round his waist and dirty laundry in hand.

“Well, nothing seems right ’til you’re the one doing it,” he answered.

“It’s so selfish, though. These women only care about making their lives look so much better than everyone else’s. Do you know Kelly Anderson went away for business for a whole week? And she gets a facial every single month!” Lacey fluffed her bangs with her palms, feeling whether or not the hairspray had kept its lift. “I haven’t even changed my hairdo since having the twins. I mean, what kind of mother has time for things like that?”

“Well, at least Kelly’s making money. And there’s nothing wrong with her wanting to look nice for Anderson.”

Lacey laughed. “Pft! What does Kelly Anderson need more money for? Her husband’s a doctor, for goodness sake, one of those special brain ones at the U of A.

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