Hockey Story

I arrived at the rink early on that cold December day. I pulled my bag out of the back of my moms white truck and heaved it over my shoulder. I slowly made my way to the entrance of Ben Boeke, slipping on the sheets of ice that easily could be its own rink if it lost all the gravel. As I entered, the smell of sweat and chemicals hit my nose and I felt …

…buzzer rang. We were state champions. Everyone celebrated and cheered. This is what we had worked for all season. Once when we were back in the locker room, I sat down by my bag. The same worries I had about my family came flooding back to me. The smile that was plastered on my face faded slowly until I felt empty and was willing to give up the state championship just for a happy family.