It was my twin brother's and my 11th birthday. One of Andrew's gifts from Dad was tickets to a hockey game; I got to come along.
Aunt Kate, who I was named after, had given me a long dress—not a formal gown, just a dress that was long—that she had made for me. Mom had given me a slip that I found I could wear under the dress, even though the dress had a high slit in the back. I also had a pair of over-the-knee stockings that looked like tights but ended just above the hem of the slip.
Even though it was a bit chilly, I put on a warm jacket and wore it along with the dress, slip and stockings to the game. We arrived early, so Dad was able to find a parking space close to the Ice Gym. We went in, bought popcorn and drinks, and took our seats in the upper deck. We all booed when the referees came in, then when the visiting team entered. Then we cheered when the home team came onto the ice.
The game seemed kind of silly. All they did was try to whack this silly black thing that you couldn't see very well. When they got tired of that, they tried to hit each other. There were a couple of fights before the horn blew, but Dad told us that it was just the end of the first period, and they'd have to play two more.
"Goody," said Andrew. "Time for more fights." What a geek.
We got some hot dogs while the teams were off the ice, then I had to go potty. Dad and Andrew waited outside the door to the girls' room while I went, and soon we were back in our seats. The second period had just begun. That's when things got weird.
The seats below us were empty. One of the players hit the puck really hard, and it bounced off another guy's stick and flew up almost to where we were sitting, in one of the empty seats below us. Andrew jumped over the seats to try to get the puck as a souvenir or something. Now, I was not going to let him get it. It was just as much my birthday as it was his. So I jumped and crawled over the seats, feet first, to get to the puck. I didn't really care if Andrew or Dad saw my underwear, and I didn't think anyone else would be looking at me. I guessed where the puck must have landed, and put my foot down where I thought it would be. I was right! I put my foot on it, then bent over and grabbed it before Andrew or anyone else could get it. I kept it tightly in my hands the rest of the evening till we got home.
We watched highlights of the game on the 11 o'clock news. They showed a couple of the fights, then a view of a man who looked an awful lot like Dad who was watching a girl and a boy climb over the seats trying to find a puck. The boy looked like Andrew, and the girl was wearing a long dress. All Andrew noticed, though, was her white panties. What a geek.
©1999 Story Page