Sunday, 25 June 2017

Sidney (a fictional short story) - by Anne Shier

Today, I woke up late, twelvish I think.  I don’t remember much about how I got home, or when or how I got to bed.  All I know is that the bed clothes are soaked with my sweat.  Is it hot out?  I don’t know or care.

When I finally get up the energy to move, I look at my right hand.  It’s twitching.  Why?  What did I do last night?  I might be having a big memory lapse – something like that.  What I remember right now is that I wasn’t alone.   I was in a bar drinking with a very attractive young man.  Anything else?  I don’t know.

We are about the same age, I think.  He told me he’s twenty-nine and I told him I’m almost thirty.  He is tall and muscular with a medium frame and he has neck-length black hair and a trim mustache and beard.  He’s also an athlete since he told me he plays hockey. For which team?  I don’t remember.  I do remember his name though - it’s Sidney.  That’s a nice name, somewhat unusual for a guy.  I’ve never met a ‘Sidney’ before.  He is really cute, which is good.  I hope he thinks I’m cute too.  However, that depends on the guy and what his tastes in women are.  I’m the blonde-hair-and-blue-eyed variety, and I’m kind of short with a mature figure.  Lots of guys have liked me in the past.

Did I flirt with him?  Probably.  Did I kiss him while we were on the dance floor?  Maybe.  I just don’t know.  If he was a nice guy and thought I was nice too, he might call me and ask me out sometime.  Did I give him my phone number though?  Did he ask me for it?  I don’t know that either.

I think our conversation might have gone something like this: 

“Hi, what’s your name?" he asks.
“Carlie.”, I answer, smiling.
“Carlie what?," he asks.
“Jensen.  What’s your name?” I ask him.
“Sidney…Sid for short.  So, what do you do?”
“I’m a high school computer studies teacher.  What about you?”
“I’m an NHL hockey player.  I play for the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.”
“Oh wow, a pro hockey player!  That must be very exciting for you.”
“Well, it is during the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Then, we get a lot of attention from our fans and the media.  And, I get to talk to reporters on camera once in a while.  Besides, we play on the world stage during the playoffs.  Who wouldn’t want to do that during their hockey career?”
“Yeah, I’ve been on TV a couple of times as I recall, and I’ve performed in front of many audiences:  singing karaoke songs, dancing, and doing gymnastics.  But, you know, I really like hockey.  I’ve liked it since I was a kid.  However, I haven’t watched any NHL hockey on TV for quite a while.”
“Well, it is definitely worth watching, I’m sure, especially if you’re a fan of one of the teams playing.  So, which team or teams are you a fan of?” he asks.
“Usually, the Toronto Maple Leafs, but I also support two other Canadian-based teams:  the Ottawa Senators and the Edmonton Oilers. These three teams were the only ones who made the playoffs at all this year.” I reply.
“Well, we are beating the Ottawa Senators in Round 2 and will go on to play the Anaheim Ducks in Round 3.  Unless we screw up, that is, it looks like we’ll beat the Senators.” he replies.
“I know that Pittsburgh is a good team and could beat probably ninety-five percent of the other NHL teams.  I hope that you succeed in the Cup final, if you make it that far.” I reply.
“Thanks, and I hope you enjoy your teaching career.” he replies.
“I do.  In fact, I used to be a Physical & Health Education teacher and loved it.  That was not a ‘job’ for me.  It was something I looked forward to each and every day.  Sometimes I think I should have trained to be a gymnastics coach instead of a PHE teacher.  I would’ve loved to coach gymnastics.  I’ll bet that’s the way you feel about pro hockey.”
“Yes, I do.  So, would you like to go out with me sometime?  I think you’re very easy to talk to and we could share stories about our individual careers and see how much we have in common.” he says, aiming his killer smile at me.
“I would love to go out with you, Sidney.  I think we might have something in common too and I would like to explore that some more.” I reply.  “Actually, Sid, there’s one thing I have to ask you about first though.  Do you have any particular obligations that could impact our dating each other?  A wife, child, girlfriend, someone like that? I hate to make an issue of this, but I’ve been stung a few times by guys who weren’t honest with me about their relationships before we went out.”
“If what you want is honesty, you’ve got it.  I had a girlfriend, but I have no wife or child in my life.  So, if you still want to go out with me, I want to go out with you too.  In fact, I’m looking forward to getting to know you.” he says.

In my opinion, Sidney is absolutely perfect – “a male thing of beauty”.  He's wearing a black, satin, long-sleeved shirt, black dress pants and black leather shoes.  Everything he is wearing complements his dark hair and attractive facial features.

For my part, I'm wearing a pair of nice-fitting blue jeans, a light-blue sleeveless silk blouse, a pair of silver hoop earrings, and black high-heeled shoes.  I look about as good as I’ve ever looked when I’m out for the evening.  I feel very confident in this outfit while talking to Sidney.

That evening, I remember vaguely that I was watching a Stanley Cup playoff game on one of the bar’s TVs.  Between which two teams?  I don’t remember the teams’ names; just that it was Game 6 of that series.  And, a loss to one of those teams would mean elimination from the playoffs in Round 2.  Do I really care about this particular series?  No.

After a while, I realize that it’s all just a dream.  Not the drinking part because I’m sure I was drinking in a bar with an attractive man, but the part about meeting Sidney and planning to go out on a date with him.  Why though?  Don’t I deserve to go out with an NHL hockey player who’s world famous?  Maybe.  Still, I’d love to go out with him.  I must have been drinking a lot or I’d remember more about our conversation.

When I was a kid, I just loved “Hockey Night in Canada” every Saturday night, either on TV or the radio.  The Internet wasn’t popular then – there was no such thing.  The term “streaming” was unheard of.  It probably meant fishing in a stream somewhere.  Those were the times when I watched a lot of NHL hockey on TV.  But then, for several years, I hardly watched any.  I always loved sports though.  That was probably because of hockey.  I still love the game though even if I don’t watch it very often.

In the last few years, my love for hockey – the TV variety, that is – has revived, however.  But, I grew to also love watching live hockey in a local arena.  My son played as a defenceman for eight years and my grandson has played as a forward for the last few years.  It’s been a lot of fun watching them both playing even if I sometimes had to get up very early to watch their games.  I didn’t mind because it was a labour of love.  It’s what you do when you’re a parent or grandparent.

When I watch the Stanley Cup playoffs now, I want to get to know some of the top players, especially of my favourite teams.  This year, I developed a curious fascination for Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  He is reputedly the best player in the world.  His player statistics back this up.  Only his teammate, Evgeni Malkin, comes even close in the points department. 

My fascination with Sidney is more like a fantasy I’d indulge in when I let my overactive imagination run wild.  I imagine, specifically, that, as a young adult woman, I could date this very talented, very attractive young pro hockey player.  In my fantasy, I am in my mid-twenties to mid-thirties; otherwise, the fantasy doesn’t work.  And, he is just as attracted to me as I am to him – that is a given.  Such flights of fancy are mostly of the off-the-wall type, but it’s nevertheless fun to embark on them once in a while.

What kind of date would Sidney and I go on?  He has lots of friends, both male and female, so we’d go to a party at his friend, Marc-Andre’s place.  Marc-Andre Fleury is the Pittsburgh Penguins’ backup goalie.  But, in these playoffs, he is the primary for now because Matt Murray, the Penguins’ No, 1 goalie, is on the disabled list due to an injury.  I've since discovered that Sidney and Marc-Andre are good friends as well as teammates.  It’s a mutual admiration society with those two.  Marc-Andre has proven he's very capable during these playoffs and, as the Penguins captain, Sidney appreciates that very much.

He and Sidney are the main reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins are still in the running for the Stanley Cup in Round 2 against the Ottawa Senators.  Tonight is the night we find out whether the Penguins are alive or dead in Game 6 against the Senators.  Later on, I found out that the Penguins are dead for now.  Only the outcome of Game 7 will determine who is dead forever in this series.  Ottawa refuses to capitulate easily.

While we are talking at Marc-Andre’s place, some more of his hockey buddies come in, probably to find out who I am.  Buddies like Jake Guentzel and Evgeni “Geno” Malkin and some of the others like Conor Sheary and Phil Kessel.  I’m glad to meet all of them.  They’re really nice to me.  I hope they like me.  After all, I’m a people person – someone who’s hard to resist.  They seem to like me, anyway.  I wish I could remember all of their names, but I have a memory like a sieve these days.

My main memory of our date is about Sidney:  his dark-haired good looks, sexy kissable mouth, trim dark mustache and beard.  And, wow!  Does he smell good!  Slightly musky and spicy, his smell reminds me of fresh-baked cinnamon apple pie, right out of the oven.  Good enough to eat.

I don’t know whether I’m just dreaming of our date or if it’s real.  After all, Sidney has a lot to do to prepare, both mentally and physically, for Game 7 against Ottawa, coming up shortly.  All I do know is that I really want him to kiss me, softly yet passionately, while we’re slow-dancing on the dance floor.  And, that searing kiss will have to last me a lifetime because I’m not at all sure what will follow.

Yes, I’ve been told that I’m attractive to the opposite sex with my short, dark-blonde hair, clear blue-green eyes and full figure.  (I have my mother to thank for that!)  I am all woman – white, Canadian-born, like he is, twenty-nine years old, with a clear, clean complexion, and, best of all, I look sexy in my makeup.  If Sidney likes what he sees, and I think he does, he could very well ask me out again.  And, I will jump at the chance to get to know him and his body!  Does that make me obsessed?  I hope not; I’m not a groupie.  I hate terms like that and I don’t want to be anything like that.  I am just me.  Take me or leave me just as I am.


I am honest and forthright.  My main problem is that I sometimes drink too much, get drunk, and suffer the occasional alcoholic blackout.  But, for the right guy in my life, I’ll gladly give up booze for good and attend AA meetings for the rest of my life.  Just try getting away from me, Sidney.  You won’t get far if I have anything to say about it.  You are one cute and sexy guy; you seem to be nice; and, your hockey talent is legendary.  How can I go wrong choosing you for myself?  Now that is a dream worth having.

copyright 2017 - Anne Shier

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