Page 7 of The Rebound Play
“It’s getting better.”
“I wish you’d have let us get you from the airport,” Mom scolds.
“I had to pick up my rental anyway. I saved you the trip,” I explain.
“Do you have time to stay a while? I know you’re busy,” Mom says.
“Your mom made her famous pumpkin pie,” Dad adds.
As if I need convincing.
“Is that my grandson?”
I turn to see Mimi standing in the doorway, her silver-gray hair tied up in a neat bun at the nape of her neck where her habitual string of pearls rest, her face crinkled into a wide grin.
“Your favorite grandson is home, Mimi,” I say as I place a kiss on her forehead, breathing in her familiar floral scent.
“I don’t see Ethan,” she replies with a wink, naming my brother.
“You always were the comedian of the family, Mimi,” I reply with a smile. “Is Emmy here, too?”
“Your sister is too busy running that bookstore,” Mimi pronounces. “She works too hard, and then she spends the rest of her time looking after me.”
I wrap my arm around her waist, and together we walk into the house. “It’s only because she loves you. How’s your arthritis?”
She waves my concern away. “Oh, you know how it is, sweetie. Any day I’m upright is a good day.”
“How about that pie, honey?” Mom asks when we reach the kitchen.
My mouth waters at the thought of one of Mom’s home-cooked pies. “Sounds good to me.” I look around the kitchen, at the old linoleum floor, the tired cabinets, and the old-fashioned oven. “The place hasn’t changed. You know I’m happy to buy you a new kitchen.”
“Spend your money on yourself, son,” Dad says, his chin held proud. “You’ve done more than enough.”
“Your father is right. You’ve done a lot for us,” Mom agrees.
I open my mouth to protest, but we’ve been down this road before. I’ve offered to replace their kitchen many times, but the answer is always a firm but polite “no.” It’s a miracle they allowed me to pay off their mortgage for them. It’s a small win, but I’m taking it.
“Now, we’ve not told your sister you’re in town yet because we thought it’d be nice for you to drop by the bookstore and surprise her,” Mom says as she slices up her pie.
“I’ll drop by tomorrow.”
“Oh, Emmy will be thrilled,” Mimi says.
We sit around my parents’ kitchen table, catching up on each other’s news over Mom’s delicious pumpkin pie until it’s time for me to go.
“Your old bedroom is waiting for you if you want it, honey,” Mom says as I ready myself to leave.
“I know, Mom, and I promise I'll come back and visit whenever I can. But Troy wants the team together to bond quickly, since we’re only playing five games total. We all play on different teams, so there will likely be some rivalries. It kinda goes with the ice hockey territory. I know this isn’t the big leagues, and all the money we make is going to charity, but you know me. I want to win our games. We’re more likely to do that if we know how the others tick—at least on the ice.”
“We’re so proud of you coming home to play to raise money for the Happy Horizons Ranch,” Mimi says. “It’s such a worthy cause, teaching disadvantaged kids farm skills and the like.”
Dad asks, “Will you be able to play with your wrist injury?”
“That’s the plan, Dad. I’ve got a month to fit in as much physical therapy here as I can before the first game. My PT back in Chicago seems to think it’s doable, and Coach gave me the go ahead to come here to play for the Ice Breakers, so if all goes well, I’ll be fine for the first match.”
“You’re the captain of the team. You need to be fit and ready to lead,” Dad says.
“Yeah.” I know there’s a lot riding on me being fit and able. I just hope I recover fast enough.