Call me a pussy, but tears prick in my eyes. These are my brothers, and they have shown their loyalty, time and time again. I would’ve never fucking made it in Washington without them. I could never work with another team the way I do with them. They’re my family.
Me: Love you guys too. Give all the babies kisses from Uncle G.
I slide my phone back in my pocket and stand, dropping my lips against Ma’s head. “I’m headed to bed, Ma, do you need anything before I go?”
She shakes her head. “Get some sleep, Graham. I love you.”
“Love you more, Ma.”
I leave her knitting in the living room, my chest heavy with emotion, and make my way into my childhood bedroom. The walls are still decorated with posters of my favorite hockey players from when I was a kid. There are trophies lining the wall, old jerseys, MVP awards.
I think about how hockey was once my life, until I realized that life is nothing without the people that you love. Home is where your heart is, and my part of my heart is back in Chicago with my girls. The other part is here, with Ma in the town I grew up in.