My dad regretted not having a son. He denies it of course but I could tell by how he pushed athletics on me at a young age. He even bought me a jock strap for my fourth birthday which confused us both. I grew up in Rabbit Ridge KY so began my fabled sports career with tennis and softball. I was decent in tennis until my boobs sprouted like melons, causing boys to giggle each time I rushed the net. I also tended to grunt on my serves quite loudly. It was annoying but, at least, the Asian businessmen watching seemed appreciative.
At seven we moved to Big Beaver, Saskatchewan. He proudly exclaimed one day I might be "Miss Big Beaver," a title I'm not sure any woman truly seeks. In Canada I learned their two major sports, curling and hockey. Curling with all its sweeping seemed too domesticated for me since all I knew about a broom was one was used to rape Linda Blair in a women's prison exploitation movie. (Did anyone have a worst childhood than her?)
Girl's hockey was in its infancy where it remains today but I loved the physicality of it. While other girls had posters of trendy young pop singers on their walls I opted for the Great Gretzky and Rocket Richard. Plus I had one of Tonya Harding that fueled countless masturbation fantasies. As I neared our rink, the home of the Regina Vaginas, the weather worsened. Both snow and wind were gaining intensity. I leaned forward, squinting thru my icy windshield looking like Mr. Magoo. But weather couldn't deter me. The Vaginas need my inspirational pre-game pep talk. We had lost three-in-a-row and I was prepared to give each teammate the tongue lashing they needed.
I was far from our best player. My skating was adequate but I hadn't scored a goal in three seasons. My true talent is beating people up. In hockey parlance I'm a "goon." No charm, no pretty girl, just a goon who spent more time caged in a penalty box than Bonnie Parker. The weather would make tonight's crowd as sparse as belly laughs during the "Joker" movie but I don't need a crowd. Tonight we play our American rivals, the Boston Beavers, both teams belonging to the fledgling NHLA (No Hetero Ladies Allowed).
The cold weather had me in fierce mode and someone would pay. At home I have a necklace made from teeth I dislodged during skirmishes but found that some dates found that rather squeamish. Especially if I wore it while serving Fava beans and a nice Chianti. Wusses! Late in the game, one of the sweaty Beavers streaked toward out goal with the score tied. She was everything I'm not; gorgeous, lithe, an effortless skater. In other words I hated her so I crashed her into the boards and pilfered the puck, then breathlessly skated toward their trembling goalie.
Picking my spot, hearing adulation from the tiny crowd, I put all my strength behind my shot as the chorus of Warren Zevon's `Hit Somebody' echoed through my brain. The puck struck the back of the net simultaneously with the clock hitting :00. We had won. My drought was over but my real happiness sprang from looking back and spotting my Peggy Fleming-like opponent still lying twitching on the ice where I left her. There was joy in Mudville to mix sports expressions.
Instead of going immediately to the locker room to celebrate with teammates, I opted to stand at the arena door watching the blizzard and basking in adulation. I found it much more satisfying than listening to them gossip about last night's 'Gray's Anatomy. While admiring I could hear a nearby radio report on the US Presidential race which was shaping up between Trump and Bernie Sanders. Or as I call it 'Grumpy Old Men Go to Washington.' Is there no younger person with new, creative ideas left in my former homeland? Maybe Clint Howard is available. My insightful political musings were interrupted by a commotion outside. I extinguished my putrid Red Apple cigarette which was as tasteless as a slice of Little Caesar's Pizza then surveyed outside.
An elderly couple was slowly treading over the ice when their walkers suddenly flew in perfect arcs through the bitter air and they fell like hit by a sniper. The stereophonic sound of their hips shattering was music to my ears but since I'm now a Canadian citizen I called 9-1-1 and dashed outside to help. Damn Canadians! By the time the ambulance arrived, our locker room was empty so I merrily strolled in. It smelled like pussy and Lysol (one out of two ain't bad). It was a tough game and my aching bones took me to the Jacuzzi. Stripping and climbing in after doing my best Eddie Murphy routine from SNL, I let Calgon take me away until I heard the door creak open, followed by the sound of heels clicking across the mildewed tile flooring.