Chapter 375: Joey XXI—Spit Straight and Hit Straight

“…there how’s that?”

Joe laughed, wanting to reach over and cuff Cecile playfully over the head. The girl wiped at her chin with the back of her bare hand, sparkling like a kid. It really made him miss those rare moments as a youth when he played hockey, just for fun, without his Dad or coaches or anyone putting pressure on him. She slipped her glove back on, blinking innocently.

“Eh, it could be better,” Joe replied with a nod. “The trick is getting it clean, we’re looking for no spatter, no dribble, just a straight out bullet to the ground. Understand?”

Cecile slightly squinted and she sucked in her lips, “Riiiight. I think I understand.” She sniffled and inhaled and then cleared her throat, leaned over the boards and spat onto the ground, this time a clean shot. “Ew! Ew! I think that one had to be good! Ew!” She laughed but this time didn’t need to wipe at her mouth.

Joe nodded his approval keeping as solemn as he could. “Yes, very good. Much better, there wasn’t even a dangler that needed to be broken, impressive.”

Those raven black eyebrows slid up her face. “A dangler? Do I want to know?” Ah there was the reappearance of proper little nanny, that convent girl sensibility fighting through, more than likely a little voice now, outraged and locked in some closet door in her brain, screaming to be let out. Funny enough, but Joe liked this Cecile a little better than the one he was used to. He wondered if she let this personality out with Mitchell and the twins when he and Debbie weren’t around. That would go a long way in explaining the children’s massive attachment to her.

Joe grinned. “You know, when the spit comes out on a drool line, it kinda dangles before you break it.” And her eyes widened as if she’d been suddenly squeezed in a death grip, her mouth slightly opened.

A sound between and giggle and a shriek escaped Cecile’s lips and she closed her eyes tightly shut and wrinkled her nose. “Oh ew EW! And what’s worse I even know what you mean, ew! Boys are gross!”

Joe patted her on the back. “You’re one of the boys now, girl, you can spit and you can score, next shift out you’re gonna be hitting, now who ya gonna hit. I’ll let you pick him or her.”

Cecile blushed and shook her head. “Oh I couldn’t pick someone to deliberately hit, it doesn’t feel right!” Ah the convent girl released again, he would have to put a stop to this for today, and they still had two more periods to go. They trailed Team White by only three goals, Aebischer’s performance being almost as inexplicably inept as Patrick. Still three goals was nothing in a game like this, he knew they could and would overcome it but not if Cecile, so far his best line mate of the day went schoolgirl on him.

The best part about this period, in Joe’s opinion was that the wives were in goal now. Tammy for them and, he thought with an evil smile, Team White had Brandi Blake in net. At least Tammy had a very competitive nature and Patty seemed to have given her tips so she seemed in great condition to put up a fight but Brandy should be easy killings…

The crowd gasped and the red light went on and the crowd cheered. Sakic frowned and he could see Josefina Ruiz celebrating on the ice, snatching Mike Keane and hugging him to celebrate her goal while his wife, Tammy, who had allowed the goal, crossed her arms in anger. Sakic grimaced and he looked at Cecile. “Oh come on kiddo, she’s the one who tried to knock you outta the game to start off today, you’re telling me you don’t want a chance to repay….”

The convent girl ran screaming from Cecile’s gaze and she grinned. “Oh yes, I forgot about that, yes, yes I really, really want to get her back! Tell me what to do Captain! I’m listening!”

“Coach!” Sakic barked. “Put us out on Forsberg’s next shift, okay?” He didn’t even wait for the coach’s reply and he put his arm over Cecile’s shoulders and leaned into her just a little. “Okay, here’s what you gotta remember….”

“So how do you think the girls are playing,” a friendly, showman style man’s voice asked Jana Roy.

Joe could see them near the penalty box, Jana, Patty and a media personality, they had been circulating through the audience for this period and during whistle breaks they’d do something to get the crowd motivated. Right now, they stood on the stairs, microphones in hand.

“They’re playing like girls,” Jana said in a logical voice with a nod.

“That bad huh?” Patty asked with a sly voice and sure enough the expected boos and hisses greeted that decidedly non-politically correct comment. Patty held up his hands at the boos as if telling everyone that he couldn’t help what he said.

“Bad?” Jana squeaked. “The girls have like a lot of goals…”

“Seven to be precise,” the man prompted.

“Seven!” Jana exclaimed, “That’s really good and so far they’ve allowed less goals than you Daddy!”

“OOOOO!” The crowd gasped and then laughed.

Joe could see Patty redden, even from where he sat.

“What can I say, she’s like her mother,” Patty replied and he hugged Jana.

And Mitchell wasn’t exactly a silent party either, Joe found out to his amusement. Kerry Fraser whistled Mike Modano for hooking Chris Drury, and showing his jovial spirit for the game, he turned the penalty over to Mitchell’s judgment. Putting one hand on his hip, Mitchell made a show of how important he took this decision. “Ummm,” he said and he switched the microphone in hand, adorable in his striped ref outfit. “I say, I say don’t put Mr. Mikey in the penalty box cause he got me a toy and I like him.” The audience laughed. “Instead…” Mitchell scratched his head. “Instead I say, I say. Give Dwoo-wee a penalty shot!”

The audience applauded loudly and Joe shook his head, grinning at his son. Even Drury broke his usually somber demeanor and his eyes glistened with amusement and he laughed. “Ain’t that something, I like your boy Captain!”

“Ooh don’t hurt Brandi!” Rory said, “Chris go easy on her, at least give her a chance!”

“Yeah right,” Chris laughed. “This is gonna be sweet.”

“Did we hear that right a penalty shot?” The media man with the microphone exclaimed.

“It’s a tragedy,” Patty said somberly. “A tragedy.”

“What do you think of it?” The man asked Jana.

“A penalty shot for hooking!” Jana exclaimed. “Fun!”

“Sooo if you were the commissioner of hockey,” he said looking straight at Jana, “Would you recommend penalty shots on minor penalties?”

“Sure why not!” Jana replied.

Joe leaned over to Tanguay. “Hey I wouldn’t complain too much.”

Alex grinned. “But what if it’s against us?”

“But what if it’s against your Daddy?” the man asked Jana and Joe noted with delight that Patty nodded pretty eagerly, probably insulted that his daughter would betray him in such a way.

“My Daddy is the best goalie in the world, he’s not a scaredy cat he’d feast on them alive like tiger!”

Cue cheesy audience, “Awwwws” and the required father daughter hug and kiss.

“Here we goooo…” The PA announcer said dramatically, “Chris Drury is set to take a penalty shot, and he’s at center ice annnnnd…..”

Drury skated the puck from center ice, stormed down to the net and as he bent over in a sort of squat, preparing to take the shot Joe could hear Brandi shriek and the poor woman actually hopped out of the way leaving an empty net. For one moment, it seemed as if Drury were taken off guard and a little confused, but not one to pass up a freebie, he slid the puck into the empty gaping hole. To his credit, he didn’t gloat or make a big show of celebration. He even skated by Brandy and tapped her on the pads.

Brandy swatted at him and Drury laughed as he skated back to the bench. “Well there it is,” he said. “I’ll never see one that easy again.”

“Okay remember what I told you,” Joe muttered to Cecile as they hopped onto the ice for their shift. He had another eye on Peter and Josefina and Keaner, all of them had white bread smiles and glistening, wicked eyes. Well if Cecile was worth her salt for today, she wouldn’t be the intimidated in the slightest by now. “Don’t go for it until you’re certain you have her lined up, and don’t be overly aggressive.”

“Aye, aye, Captain I hears ya aye?” Cecile barked in a surprisingly guttural Pirate imitation that Joe could swear also somewhat mocked a Vancouver accent.

He couldn’t stop smiling as he leaned over for the face off.

“What’s so funny?” Peter asked in a cocky, nasal voice.

“Your honey’s days are numbered, Pete.” Joe replied.

“Get outta here,” Forsberg replied dropping his eyes to the face off circle.

The referee dropped the puck and although every nerve in Joe’s instincts told him to snatch that puck, to fight for the face off he held back and let Peter take it. He skated forward; Peter nudged against him and flicked that puck of course, to his beloved Josefina. Smiling, Joe looked at Cecile, who like a programmed robot shot forward after Miss Ruiz. He had seen bloodlust in the eyes of Scott Parker, or Footer but never before like the kind you can see in a woman.

“I don’t think so!” Josefina crowed and she dodged Cecile easily and passed the puck to Keaner.

“Thanks babe,” Keaner barked.

“Drat!” Cecile cried. That alone left a grin in Joe’s soul, for who in this world said drat other than old ladies.

“That little school girl is peeking out again,” Joe teased.

Cecile’s look of bewilderment was delightful and they went after Peter’s line. Tammy made a few pretty good saves in quick succession and he didn’t know if that was her good talent or just dumb luck, but when it came to goalies, as long as the puck stayed out of the twine there wasn’t much use in questioning it.

As one of the rebounds bounced to the hash marks, Cecile pounced upon it. “I got it!” she cried with the delight of a child who has found an Easter egg.

“Yeah right,” Forsberg grinned and he unceremoniously shoved the girl off it. Now he didn’t hit her that hard, but as a girl goes, Joe assumed, the surprise and indignation of the gesture had her scream and fall back a little but not to the ice, she kept her feet. And really, Joe thought, that could be called on any other as a dive. But the facts stood, Peter was very big, and very Swedish and very male and Cecile was very slim, very pretty and decidedly female. Someone had to blow the whistle, and the referee did.

“Oh come on!” Peter cried, turning a little red and perhaps forgetting this was just a charity game. “I just tapped her!”

“Oh you little diver!” Jo exclaimed crossing her arms, “You’re just as bad as Peter.”

“HEY!” Peter barked with hurt pride.

“I’m sorry,” Cecile stammered, “I mean I just got… I just… I got scared, he’s so big and I wasn’t expecting…”

“What’ll it be Mitchell?”

Joe turned his attention to the area of the penalty box; it seemed Mitchell would get another shot at being a referee. “Ummm,” Mitchell said, “No one scares my nanny like that!” Laughter came from the audience. “Sooo Peter gets… ummm he get’s one and a half minutes for being a bully.”

“One and a half!” Peter cried skating to the bench with his arms out; evidently forgetting that Mitchell was a child. “That doesn’t even exist!”

“Sass me one more time,” Mitchell said in a perfect imitation of his mother, “And I’ll make it two!”

Peter laughed and hopped into the box, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all.

Once the power play commenced, only moments passed before Alex Tanguay scored on Brandi who again seemed to duck the shot and seemed irate that her teammates even expected her to make a save to begin with. “Awww can’t they go easy on her?” Rob asked sounding really concerned.

Joe patted Robbie on the shoulder. “Hey she’s okay.”

“No her feelings are gonna get hurt, my poor Brandi.”

He leaned into Cecile’s ear on their next shift, “Alright you have to hit her straight, understand?”

“I’m sure I do,” Cecile replied.

This time Joe won the face off and did his best to get the puck into Team White’s zone but he lost it to Modano who passed it straight to Forsberg. What Joe heard first was a mighty war cry that both froze the blood and tickled the senses. His eyes widened to see Cecile, doubled over as comically as Rob Blake, actually fling her body into Peter’s side. Now the girl’s center of gravity being low, the bulk of her hit a vulnerable chink in Peter’s posture and the man actually cried out and hit the ice. Now this delighted the crowd, especially since Cecile had kept her feet. The look of triumph on her face was priceless and Joe winked at her.