That neighbor of ours

12 Hockey

12

Octavian woke up next morning feeling unsatisfied for the first time in 20 years. He spent a lot of time brushing his teeth (don't know why, he just did, and before breakfast).

Then after his gum hurt with so much brushing, went to the hockey field.

It was a school of hockey, with various fields and types of it. The west one was full of little boys about 4 years old whose parents cheered whenever someone scored. The north field had a senior competition within local high schools. They were the loudest of all. The east was transformed into an ice skating rink, and some couples and friends shared the space, some of them balancing themselves onto 4-legged walkers. Even though all 3 rinks were full of joy, Octavian didn't smile once. He headed heavily towards the south zone.

Janes was not actually waiting for him there, as he would never expect seeing Octavian somewhere other than the pub. When his friend approached the locker, silent as a cat, and wearing a cap, and with toothpaste on his sweatshirt, all Janes could do was stare at him as a child would stare at a ghost.

"What are you doing here, saint of god?"

"To play." - he tossed the bag he had brought onto a bench. Janes tilted the head a little, watching Octavian pull the sweatshirt off and replacing it by an old pair of shoulder pads from the 90's. Janes checked his watch: it was half past eight in the morning.

Was Octavian Gardner going mad?

"After all these years, pal... are you officially coming back to hockey?"

"Surprised?"

"Lil' bit, yes."

Octavian grinned ironically. "The world is full of surprises..."

🚪🏒🚪

There were only two men playing that day. Of course, for being a Sunday morning the rink was supposed to be crowded, or at least with 6 people which is the number for a team. Janes was almost sure Octavian would end up breaking a bone. They knew each other since high school. In junior year he broke the nose, in senior year he broke the arm. Fortunately Octavian hadn't broken the head yet, that would require Janes to murder him for being so stupid.

Octavian' problem had always been his ambitions and perfectness towards everything. It didn't matter how experienced or not he was with the matter, he wouldn't waste time passing the puck to another while he could shoot it across the rink and score himself. He liked to be a hundred percent and get extras, and no one could blame him for that... Octavian had a difficult history behind each of his acts that nobody - even Janes - ever had the courage to ask. Not at the moments of his so-called accomplishments nor after, in the hospital. Yet his determination and creativeness used to affect everyone who'd ventured to like him: and so everybody did, and always helped to mend his pieces together in the end.

"Octavian, watch your skate."

"I am. Watching." He said out of breath already. His legs used to be powerful as a gorila's, now Janes doubted that the muscles were kept the same with no training. Eyes following him on each curve, it was dreadful to see Octavian so unsteady even though he skated so well.

"You know we are teenagers no more, pal. Watch your skate, I mean it."

"I am watching! Now shut the f* up, if you please!" - Octavian's feet hit the ground angrily. He gained speed towards the other side of the rink, then when there was no more space to go, put one feet back and angled the body to do the stopping.

Janes shouted. Octavian felt something uncommon; and then heard the little noise of the skate disjointing under his foot. He saw metal pieces sliding in front of him and hitting the wall. He drove the stick he was holding forward to the direction of the wall to stop himself, and his whole body contracted.

Crack!

"Octavian!"

He didn't listen to what Janes shouted, his ears seemed to be blocked. The only thing making sense was the burning sensation coming from his arm, which one, he wasn't quite sure. Below there was the brown jagged end of a broken stick cutting through his skin, spitting blood convulsively, making a glowing stripe down his forearm, the blood went outside the jersey but the much inside was warm, very warm, and painful.

"Aaarrgh!" - he rose unsteady to his feet, feeling also the dead end of one of his skates, and soon a hand appeared in his vision, firmly touching the sides of his waist. He looked up and got numb to see a face glaring back that was more white than any other color. The ice ground below was already spotted with blood.

"Are you crazy, Gardner?!"

"Now I remember..."

"Remember what?!"

"How old I am, Janes? How much have I been missing?"

"I don't know, man, get up and I'll take you to the hospital. If you left whole today I would know something was wrong, now that you're fucked up like this I can assure ya, you're entirely fine."