A broken water pipe in Ottawa caused me to have a dirty weekend in Orono, Maine.
The Martlets were supposed to be playing a game at Ottawa U on the first weekend of October, when the word came down that the arena had to be closed after a burst pipe flooded the ice. Coach Mike could have scheduled extra practices, but after hassles with the sports administration, he decided we needed a break and set us free.
I never got weekends off, so I called Jimmy and he was keen. So I started trying to figure out how to get to UMaine. It was a trip that took six-and-a-half hours if you had a car, but twice that on the bus.
Since I last saw Jimmy in Montreal, we had talked on the phone but there had never been a chance to see each other. The whole long distance thing was working out better than I expected. It wasn’t like I was a big partier to begin with, but now if I felt like staying home on a Saturday night, nobody got on my case. And I had a bulletproof excuse for the clueless guys that did ask me out, one that worked perfectly and didn’t leave things all awkward.
I hated talking about the whole deal though. Anyone who could do math realized we had only known each other three weeks. Deirdre was particularly shocked.
“Tank, are you shitting me? You got a serious boyfriend from hockey camp in New Brunswick? I’ve only lived my whole fucking life in Moncton and had one relationship.” Yeah, but Deirdre was at a disadvantage because she dated women, so the prospect pool was a lot smaller.
“It’s not really serious,” I protested.
“What’s his name? If he plays hockey, I probably know him.”
Yeah, she was going to know him. “Um, it’s Jimmy Frechette.”
Deirdre was shocked into silence. Her blue eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. Then she started laughing. “Of course. I shoulda expected nothing less from Kelly Tanaka, the girl who gets hit on while drowning. Now she’s dating New Brunswick’s answer to Sidney-fucking-Crosby.”
Once she finished laughing, she squinted at me. “But jeez, how old is he? Wait, I know this because he played hockey against my brother. He’s only eighteen. Jesus, Tank, you’re a cradle robber.”
This was another thing I hated talking about. He was only a year behind me in school, but he was two years younger. But his age was part of his personality. Jimmy had done a lot of exciting things I hadn’t, even if he seemed to be kind of socially backward. He probably found me the same mix. Mature was never a word I’d been tagged with.
Deirdre was frowning now. “I personally don’t know him, but I’ve heard stuff about him. Isn’t he a little—” She stopped abruptly.
“A little what?” I asked.
“Nothing. He’s your boyfriend, right?”
“Spill, Dee. It’ll kill you to keep an opinion to yourself.”
“So unfair,” she declared. But she plowed on. “Well, people get jealous, right? They say he got so far because all he does is hockey. Eat, sleep, hockey.”
I waited for the bad part. “Lots of people do that. And they don’t get as far as he has.”
“Too true. And you can talk hockey ’til the cows come home. So he’s probably not boring to you.”
Oh, that was the bad part. “We don’t just talk hockey.”
“Ah, sex rears its ugly little head. Well, ugly to me, but not to you,” she snickered. “He’s built like a fucking truck, so if that’s what you’re into, great.”
I laughed. That was what I was into, in a perverted way.
“Jeez, Tank, you know something weird? I’m probably the only person in the world who has met all your boyfriends.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Dee knew J.P. the best, since we had hung out a few times last winter. But she had met Phil this summer, and apparently Jimmy too.
“And you know what they all have in common?”
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” I replied.
“They’re all as hot as fuck.” She laughed. “Even I can tell that.”
The travel arrangements almost derailed my trip. I wasn’t going to sit on a bus for thirteen hours, even for Jimmy. But I found a ride to Portland on McGill Rideshares. I could take a bus from there and end up in Orono around 11:00pm Friday. The Rideshare guy also agreed to take me home if I got back to Portland by noon Sunday, all for the low price of gas, snacks, and my pleasant company.
I was really looking forward to seeing Jimmy. When we talked on the phone or Skyped, it seemed more like we were friends and not boyfriend/girlfriend. Jimmy was a big worrier, and he bounced a lot of stuff off me. He worried about not being good enough for his UMaine team and for the NHL. He worried about whether he was going to grow more and get stronger. He worried about meeting the expectations of his parents, the Blackhawks, his agent, his teammates.
I worried about school and assignments, but I had some bigger issues looming. My problems were a lot harder to put into words, so I didn’t talk about them. I was worried about what career I would have once I was done with school and what it would be like when I couldn’t play competitive hockey anymore. But sharing problems didn’t exactly make for an exciting relationship, and neither of us seemed to be good at getting romantic on the phone.
As I got closer and closer to Jimmy, I was increasingly excited. Would we still have all the chemistry we had in the summer? As the bus turned onto the campus, I peered out into the dark night. I could see rows of trees, wide lawns and brick buildings. The UMaine campus was compact and looked like a movie set all constructed at once. McGill was all historic stone buildings crammed into downtown Montreal.
The bus slowed, and I saw Jimmy. He was standing by this bear statue, exactly where he said he’d be. He was standing very upright, his hands jammed into the pockets of a team jacket, and wearing a toque.
“Jimmy!” I got off the bus and propelled myself at him.
“Whoa, Kelly.” I had almost knocked him off balance. My arms were wrapped around his neck, and his arms went automatically around me. I luxuriated in the familiar feeling of his strong body against mine. I lifted my face up to his. His lips were soft and warm, and I kissed him hard. When we stopped, our breath was visible in the cold night. Just kissing him left me almost breathless with desire. I kept holding his hands but took a step back and looked at him carefully. He looked like a million other guys in his jeans, thick sweatshirt, and team jacket; but he also looked so special to me. He smiled shyly with his wide brown eyes focused only on me.
As much as I wanted to, we couldn’t keep on making out in the middle of campus. Jimmy took my duffel bag and wrapped an arm around me. We walked down the wide path. I put an arm around his waist and squeezed. He felt different.
“Jimmy, are you bigger?”
“Yeah, I worked out with this special trainer in August and he put me on a new program. I’m trying to bulk up with weight work and protein shakes, and I’ve gained almost five pounds.” He sounded really proud. “We won our game tonight, first game of the regular season.”
Jimmy stopped and pointed. “The arena’s back there. You’ll get to come to my game tomorrow. I’m really glad you came, Kelly.”
“Me too.” I leaned my head into his chest, and he held me tighter. “Mmm, nice and warm. It’s cold here.”
“Are you warm enough?” Jimmy peered down at me. “Do you want my sweatshirt?”
I shook my head. I was so happy to be with him that I hardly felt the cold. The night sky was clear, and fallen leaves crunched underfoot. I knew there were other students around, but it felt like the world was only the two of us.
“So, Kelly, there’s a bit of a get together tonight. Nothing big because we have another game, but if you want to go—the guys want to meet you. Or if you’re hungry, we could go out someplace to eat.”
Well, I could party anywhere or eat anyplace. But there was only one place I could have sex with Jimmy. I smiled at him, and he grinned.
“Okaaay. I guess we’re on the same page here.”
It didn’t take long to get to his place. He lived in a dorm on campus, in a single room. Pretty nondescript but tidy, and it had a nice double bed. Once we got inside the room, Jimmy pushed me against the door and kissed me again. This time his lips were hard against mine, and his hands ran up and down my sides. He skimmed the sides of my breasts and hips, like he was trying to warm me up. I reached up to angle his head so we could kiss better.
As our bodies pressed together, I felt something vibrating and heard a little noise. I kept kissing him but finally stopped.
“Is that your stomach?” I asked.
He flushed and nodded. “I usually eat after the game, but I waited for you. Y’know, in case you wanted to eat. And you didn’t, so.”
I giggled. “I think you better get something to eat.” I knew what that was like. You burned a ton of calories in a game and needed to refuel.
“Ah, this is so embarrassing. All I wanted was to be alone with you, and now…” He shook his head.
“No, it’s perfect. I’ve been in a car or a bus all day, so I’d love to take a shower. And get ready for us.” I gave him a quick kiss, and he rushed off.
I showered, put on some fresh clothes, and then I sat down to relax and wait. I was full of anticipation. Our chemistry was as strong as ever.