“What’s going on, kid?” Maverick asked. “Why aren’t you out there?”
“Just don’t feel like it,” Mike Jr. said.
I slowly began to turn.
Maverick crouched down in front of Mike Jr.
“You know, kid, I don’t mess around,” Maverick said. “Is this because of what’s going on?”
My heart jumped into my throat.
Mav… what are you doing?
Mike Jr. nodded. “I’m really sad today.”
Now my heart started to break.
Maverick reached out and touched Mike Jr.’s right shoulder.
I couldn’t help myself as I took some pictures of the interaction.
“I’m really sorry, kid,” Maverick said. “You probably have a lot of people trying to cheer you up, huh? Trying to say nice things. Trying to say good things. Right?”
Mike Jr. nodded.
“And sometimes that doesn’t help, does it?”
“No,” Mike Jr. said.
“Well, be real with me then. I’ll be real with you. Deal?”
“Okay.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking, kid.”
Mike Jr. looked down. “I’m afraid my mom is going to die.”
“That’s a tough thing to think and feel,” Maverick said. “But I think it’s okay to think that. To feel that. It sucks though. Can I tell you something really lame?”
“Yeah,” Mike Jr. said.
“You’re at hockey practice, kid. And I bet if your mother was here, she’d be annoyed that you weren’t out there playing. Whether anyone is alive or not… I think in some way, kid, you have to find little moments to enjoy. Doesn’t mean you don’t feel sadness anymore. It just means you take a second to yourself. Want to come play goalie?”
“Really?” Mike Jr. asked.
“Yeah,” Maverick said. “I need a break. You can deal with these guys. How does that sound?”
Mike Jr. smiled. His face lit up.
Maverick stood up and pointed to Jr.’s feet. “You’ve got your skates on I see.”
“Yeah,” Mike Jr. said.
“You need some pads, a helmet, and a stick,” Maverick said. “You can use mine. Let’s go have some fun for a minute.”
I moved out of the tunnel and shuffled my feet across the ice to get to the bench.
I acted as though I hadn’t heard or seen a thing between Maverick and Mike Jr. when they were talking.