21. Chapter 20
Chapter 20
As I parked at the shelter, it was easy to spot Eric aggressively shooting pucks into a trash can with a stick that I gave him from last week’s game.
There was some heavy emotion with each shot.
I locked up my SUV and went straight over to Eric. After a few minutes of letting him blast his shot into the garbage can, I cleared my throat.
Eric stopped his shot long enough for me to say, “Looks like someone is having a bad day.”
He didn’t acknowledge me and just went to the garbage can and scooped out his “pucks.” While there were a couple regular pucks, probably signed ones that we gave to him, most of them were fist-size balls. Including some paper balls and baseballs.
Yup, I recognized that behavior. I did the same stuff when I was that age.
I leaned up against the wall and crossed my arms. I focused on the kid’s shot and waited. I was tempted to give him a few pointers, but if he was like me, he wouldn’t listen. It was about slapping out the anger.
After a few shots, Eric said, “I don’t want to leave the shelter.”
There was no indication of why they would leave the shelter. I could safely rule out that the shelter was pushing them out. Families could stay at the shelter for up to six months to a year. Given the pain in his voice, that led me to believe that it was probably either his mom wanted to move in with a new boyfriend or was going to go back to her husband.
“Why not?”
It was such an invasive question. I hated it, but I couldn’t think of anything smarter. I needed to get Eric to talk to me.
“Dad’s a dickhead.”
I covered my mouth with my fist to hide my grin. I loved the fact that even at age six, this kid could talk like a professional hockey player and directed it at the right people. But I knew most parents and the shelter staff didn’t like swearing.
After a quick moment to recover, I knelt down so I could be more at his eye level.
"Want to know a secret?"
Eric nodded, and he mimed locking up his lips. This was a young kid. I didn't really think that he would keep my secret.
"I lived at a shelter for a short time when I was about your age. My mom got the courage to get away, and then suddenly, we moved back in with my dad. I couldn't stop it even though I knew it was a bad idea. I won't say my dad changed a whole lot, and I'm not going to tell you that your dad is a changed man, either. But getting out, even for a short time, was the best thing for me. I found hockey, and a few years later, I was able to get out for good. You can, too."
"Really?"
I nodded. "But remember, this is our secret."
Before we could say anything more, that's when Ms. Lucy came out. "There you are, Eric. Your mom has been looking for you."
That’s when I realized that Natalie arrived and was right behind me.
I wanted to walk him in, but he was already dashing towards the scary house mistress. So, instead, I picked up his collection of pucks that he forgot about.
I made a note to connect with Eric’s mom and find out how soon they were moving out and if there was a way to keep Eric in hockey.