Thawing An Ice Heart by Ruth Madison

Author:Ruth Madison [Ruth Madison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-11-14T00:00:00+00:00

Kevin

I’ve pushed the chair out of the way of the small rolltop desk in my room and I’m currently staring down at a blank piece of paper. I put down the pencil and cradle my head in my hands. I’ve been staring at it for at least ten minutes. I can’t believe Carly is making me give a speech at this ridiculous dinner. What the hell am I going to say to a bunch of stuffed shirts?

What do I know? The stupid open house was a total ghost town. Makes me seriously consider whether anyone even wants this. I don’t want to think about what I’m going to do with myself if I don’t have a hockey team to play with. I doubt any team would take me at this point. The world of pro hockey is small enough so you can imagine how small the world of professional sled hockey is.

Part of me honestly wants to just disappear into the woods and live off-grid away from people of all kinds. The thought of a double amputee prepper actually makes me laugh out loud. No, I’m a fighter and I’m not giving up now. If Ms. Fundraiser thinks a speech from me will do the trick then so be it.

I scribble down a couple of sentences and nearly puke. Ugh. These are awful. I scratch them out so hard I can’t read it at all anymore. This event is in just a couple of weeks now and I have nothing. Absolutely nothing.

How can I write a speech that doesn’t feel like begging or eliciting pity? I don’t want this to be like a terrible 90s telethon making disabled people seem as pathetic and needy as possible. A shudder runs down my arms just thinking about it. What can I say to these people?

My name is Kevin Murphy and I want to create a sled hockey team because hockey is fun. The end.

Argh. Damn Carly for getting me into this situation. I’m going to get up in front of everyone and make a total fool of myself and look like the dumb grunt I am.

I gaze out the window at the pine trees rustling in a light breeze. It really is idyllic here. Nature never ceases to make me think about eternity. These trees have been here since long before I was born and they’ll probably be here after I’m dead. How much does any of this really matter? What will continue on is the difference I make in the lives of other guys like me. I can’t let my fear of looking stupid get in the way of that.

Maybe what I need to do to get inspiration for this speech is go over to the rink and get my blood pumping. It’s a plan. I shove back from the desk and turn on my wheels to the door. It will be much easier to come up with a speech after a workout, no doubt about it.

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