The Burden Of Love (Jonathan Toews)

Love. 20

Jonathan

With the playoffs starting in a few days my parents make it into town. I haven't seen them much since the lockout ended but it was great to have them around again. My mom and dad make it out to most of my big games, Winnipeg isn't exactly close to here but Chicago is about as north as most of the American teams go outside of the Wild and the east coast teams. So I get them a nice hotel and get them settled in. We decide to do a dinner to formally introduce them to Emmie and Kenneth. They've gotten a bunch of pictures and talked on the phone a few times but other than that there wasn't much they knew about each other. My parents know that these two mean the world to me and Emmie knows that I would have never gotten here without my parents. There's a mutual admiration between them all and they finally get to meet today.

"Why am I so nervous" Emmy asks as she sits in my car. Kenneth was passed out in the back seat because we just got done playing floor hockey up at my place to pass the time until our reservation.

"I don't know. They already love you" I assure her.

"What do you know about love" she counters.

"A lot, actually" I defend.

"Like what" she challenges.

"Well love is complicated, at least in my experience. It looks like one thing but it's usually something totally different. I used to think that love was 50/50, but it's not. It's 100/100 so both people have to be all in. No what if's or buts. It's you love them or you don't.

For me love isn't something, it's everything. It can change a man that was so stuck in his ways. Who thought he knew it all. Turns out I didn't know anything. Love gave me a purpose. A reason. It turned this world I felt trapped in into a dream" I explain.

The car falls silent and I could feel her eyes on me. I know if I looked into them I would surely break.

"Jonny that was beautiful" she finally says and I smile.

"Yeah well you have that effect on me" I shrug.

Suddenly I realize what I just said and I freeze. I turn to her as she just smiles at me.

"I love you too" she replies nearly making me crash the car. We pull up to a red light as I turn to her. She smiles like a angel making my heart skip a beat.

"What" I whisper making her giggle.

"You were talking about how love makes you feel and you said I have that effect on you. You make me feel like that too" she claims.

"Oh" I gasp as she rolls her eyes. "I didn't mean oh like I didn't mean it I mean it... I meant oh like I wanted to tell you a different way but of course you figured it out" I ramble.

"Jonny" she says softly as she places her hand on my arm. "The lights green."

I hear someone behind me lay on the horn and I come back to reality real quick. I pull off trying to calm myself but now I felt like I was meeting her parents for the first time.

The ride stays silent as I feel her eyes on me again. I really needed to focus on driving but I really wanted to know what just happened.

"So..." I trail off.

"So..." she repeats.

"I didn't want to tell you that way. It's just when I'm around you the words pour out of me and I... I can't control it" I explain.

"I thought it was sweet" she claims.

"You do" I ask.

"Well, yeah. I know those were your real feelings the way you said them with such ease. And what you said was absolutely beautiful. To know that you feel that way and you feel that way about me. It means a lot. And I didn't say that I loved you too just because you said it. I said it because I feel the same way about you. Love changed everything I ever knew too. I've been alone for most my life. I had my grandparents but they weren't in school with me or teaching with me. It's been me myself and I and that is all I knew. Then I fall in love with you and suddenly it's dinner for two and wonderful days traveling the country together and so many things I used to do but with you. It's a whole new world for me to explore and I love it. I don't want to learn about love from anyone else" she explains.

"I really do love you Emilia Jean" I tell her as I look over. She smiles real big as she reaches for my hand.

"I love you too, Jonathan Bryan" she promises.

We get to the restaurant and wake up Kenneth. Once he was able to stand by himself we grab his hands and walk him into the front doors. I find my parents standing there and I smile big. I've seen them a few times since they've been into town but it never gets old.

"Oh look at how adorable this young man is" my mom coos as she bends down. Kenneth goes up to her and looks her over for a second before pulling her into a hug. He gave some great hugs.

"Hi momma Andy" he says and I laugh. He can't say her real name but it's cuter this way.

"It's nice to finally meet you kiddo. And you must be the beautiful Emilia. Though the pictures hardly do you justice" my mom says as she stand up. Emilia pulls her into a hug too as I smile.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you too. I'm trying my best to be a good mom and I know I can learn so much from you. Jonny is a wonderful man and I... I love him dearly. I'm so glad we got put together and I am dying to pick your brain. Figure out what all you did right to raise such a caring and strong man" Emmy claims.

"I don't think I can take credit for that" my mom insists.

"I think you can. I didn't have parents so I didn't have my mom in my ear about grades or dad teaching me life skills. I had my grandparents but that's not the same. There was days I just wanted my mom, to know that everything was going to be okay. I didn't have that but Jon did and because of it he has made himself one of the most well liked people in the NHL and has brought him much success. That started with you guys" emmie says.

"You're a very thoughtful person" my dad noticed.

"It is both useful and a pain in my behind. But our thoughts are who we are, what we think initially and before influence. And I know Jon, he's a incredible person and it came from you two" Em tells her.

"Well that means a lot. Especially coming from someone like you who has touched the lives of so many" my mom smiles.

"Anytime" Emmy insists.