Boy, last week the stars sure aligned properly for our assorted obligations, and this was fortuitous because there were some grumblings of discontent going on over here. Last weekend A had her championship game and it was a busy day of driving and hockey. A wanted to stick around and watch the next few games and hang with her buddies, so N, R, and myself headed back home.
Of course, this meant coordinating a pickup of A, which means jumping through a few hoops. I asked a couple of people and they all seemed to have full cars before asking SS, whose daughter S used to be A’s best friend. SS also lives near us, closer than most of the other hockey families. He was fine with it, and A was excited to be reunited with her buddy. I made the big mistake of not getting SS’ cell phone number, so I couldn’t ascertain when A would be getting home. This complicated our lives a bit, but what else is new with teenagers?
Anyway, our lives were complicated even more by spring hockey, which happened that evening, and then there was a dance party at the town hall. As it turns out, some of us in this household don’t do so well with too much scheduling, especially when it involves lots of hockey, so tempers flared. I had to come up with a solution that involved taking N to his hockey, arranging to pick up A, and also picking up some supper because there was no way anyone was going to cook with so little time.
This was not easy with so much anger and discontent swirling in this household, and every solution that was proposed was met with belligerent opposition. Life would have been much simpler if A had just come home with us, but what are you going to do? Finally a solution was begrudgingly accepted: I would take N to hockey, then pick up A afterward. Somewhere in between I would need to pick up Boloco burritos for supper, and I still didn’t know when A was coming home.
This is when the stars began to align. I took N to the rink and had about 30 minutes before hitting the ice. It was a skating skills session, and I like to skate with the group because I can help and I also get to practice skating. During that 30 minutes, I jetted over to the big city to get burritos. Parking is always a chore in the Hanover, but as luck would have it, I scored a parking space that was not only right in front, but it was positioned in a way so that when I pulled out, I was pointed in the direction of the rink. This may seem trivial, but every minute counted. I went into Boloco, which was moderaly busy, and ordered the food, and literally within minutes, the food was ready. I couldn’t believe it.
I jumped into the car and arrived at the rink with about 10 minutes to spare, so I could help and skate. After the session, N and I got back into the car and weren’t sure what to do. SS’ house is on the way home, so it made sense for us to pick up A, but we still weren’t sure where she was. I called home for a status report, but there was no word. I decided to just head home and stop by and maybe wait. Either that, or go home and wait there for word, which was no a great solution, especially with such a grouchy atmosphere.
We were about 75% of the way to SS’ house when my phone rang and it was him. They were heading home and he said to meet him at the country store right by his house, which would make it easier for all of us. Talk about timing, we pulled into the store parking lot at the exactly the same time, in fact I could see his headlights ahead of us and couldn’t fathom that it was him.
A was happy to spend time with her friend, and I was stoked that we met up without a hitch. We went home and the atmosphere at home had cooled down enough to make for a pleasant supper. It was a complicated dance that we choreographed, but it did work out, and I’m grateful for that.
Hockey sure does complicate your life, but it’s a complication that we seem to repeatedly endure. Go figure.
Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Michelle Ramos for the pic.
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