Game Ten. The Daughters of Louhi need only win this game to take home the … what?
Jacinthe: “Do we have a trophy lined up?”
Agnes: “I’m sure I put you in charge of that.”
“I’m sure you didn’t.”
They cast around and come up with an attractive coffee travel mug from Kaitlyn’s knapsack. Kaitlyn, whose website is beginning to develop a small global following, is by the Louhi net taking pictures.
“Say cheese.”
Three Louhis smile around their mouthguards.
Josey, Hanne and Agnes gather at centre ice for the opening face-off. They’re about to go when Agnes points to the centre ice dot and says, “What’s that?”
Josey: “What’s what?”
Hanne: “There’s a coin in the ice.”
Tuula jumps off the bench and pushes her way in.
“Who put a coin in my ice?!”
Josey: “It’s probably Finnish. Is it a euro?”
Tuula: “You know it’s a loonie!”
Josey: “I know you are.”
Tuula’s really seriously angry. She pushes them away and they all hang back as she digs it out with her heel, then throws it as far as she can down the lake.
“People have broken their legs by skating on coins!”
She fills the gouge with ice shavings and water melted between her hands, then smooths it with the puck.
“You’ve ruined my good mood!”
She skates back to the Louhi bench and fumes.
Hanne: “She broke her leg once.”
Josey: “I kind of got that.”
They play. Hanne wins the draw and puts it back to the Louhi defence. Lindsay goes on the forecheck and demonstrates her claim to the name Harrier by swirling and darting in front of the net and preventing the defenseman Lena from starting out. Josey skates to the corner, then toward the net, raps the ice and shouts, “Pass me the puck!” in Finnish. Lena backhands it to her without looking and Josey tucks it in the open net. The Louhi bench heap Finnish swear words on the Moms, but when they notice that Emily, Irene and Kirsten are yelling as loudly and fluently as the rest of the team they desist for fear of looking hypocritical.
Lena regains her honour by scoring her first goal on a long pass from the offensive-minded Karin Ek.
Period two is end to end, but both goalies have the hot hand and keep the puck in play. Agnes skates in small loops near centre ice, allowing the rushes to pass her on either side. The players swoop around her toward the Louhi goal, then dash back toward the Isobel end. The last two out are Courtney for the Isobels and Emily for Louhi. As they pass Agnes Emily staggers and drops to her knees and stomach, yelping and holding her thigh. Agnes whistles down the play, slashes at her own leg with her hand and points to Courtney. Courtney is the picture of outraged innocence.
“I didn’t do it!”
“In the box.”
“I didn’t do it!”
Emily limps to the bench. On the ensuing power play Louhi scores. Jodi digs the puck out of her net, then skates over to Josey. The two confer about what Jodi saw. Agnes whistles twice, and goes to drop the puck. Josey cruises in and takes the face-off. The puck goes to Marita who gains the zone and passes to Nell who takes it to the net, shoots, then circles behind the net. Josey and Sanna go after the rebound, collide, and Josey spins around, falling to her knees, shaking off her glove and cradling her wrist. Whistle.
Sanna gives Agnes a sidelong look on the way to the box. The Isobels go on to score.
Emily skates out to take the face-off. She wins it and dashes off with the play. Agnes notes her smooth stride. Both teams change and Josey joins the play, stickhandles deftly and makes a pretty pass to Katja, who scores. Agnes has seen enough. During the next shift Emily spears Courtney in the ribs and heaves her into a snowbank. Whistle. Agnes goes to the timekeeper. “Courtney Milne, two minutes for diving.”
Courtney: “What?” The two captains converge on Agnes.
Agnes: “Well, you’ve done it. I’ve lost my mind. I can no longer distinguish right from wrong. There’s no telling what I’ll call next.”
They cut out the diving.
Third period. Louhi need a goal. The face-off is in the Isobel end. Emily and Irene circle and bump shoulders.
Emily: “I need something on Jacinthe.”
“I don’t get her. Was she gay last year?”
“That’s it! Thanks!”
Emily and Josey hunker down on opposite sides of the button, sticks poised. Agnes releases the puck.
Emily: “Did she tell you about Jake?”
Josey’s skate goes out from under her and she ends up on one knee as the puck leaps from Emily to Irene to the back of the net.
Josey scores the game-winner in the shoot-out, but doesn’t do much celebrating.
Jacinthe and Josey are studying at a large table in the library. Opposite Jacinthe is a girl with a runny nose. Every few minutes Jacinthe’s concentration is broken by a short quiet sniff. The fourth or fifth time it happens she digs into her coat pockets and passes a package of Kleenex across. The girl glances up from behind a taped-up pair of glasses and gives her a grateful smile. Her eyes are red and swollen.
Josey gives Jacinthe a tap on the arm. They gather their affects and head back to residence.
“I didn’t want to catch that.”
“She was crying, actually.”
“Oh.”
They get in, throw off their coats and sit looking at their open books.
“Jacinthe, who’s Jake?”
“Jake. He’s just a friend. We went to high school together.”
“But he goes here.”
“Yes!” Then, “Josey, it’s you I love.”
She sits there motionlessly.
“You love me?”
“Yes!”
“You never said so.”
“I’m saying it now!”
Josey sags with relief.
“I wasn’t sure.”
“I love you, I love you, I love you!”
“Oh, Jass,” she says, “Jass, it’s a whole new world. We can get married. We’ll elope, you and me. We’ll take the train to Toronto. There’s a gay church there. We’ll be married.”
It’s Jacinthe’s turn to not move. Married? What? She snaps out of it and blurts, “Josey, I’m twenty years old. I’m a university sophomore. I have like nine dollars in the bank. I’m not going to marry the first girl I fall for.”
As soon as it’s out of her mouth she wants it back. Josey sits there in open-mouthed shock, as if her brain has hung up on the last process. She blinks, swallows, and asks, “Whose room are we in?”
“It’s my room, Jose.”
“Then. I have to go.”
She gets up and leaves, guiding herself like someone in complete darkness.
Jacinthe goes to Josey’s room to ask forgiveness. She knocks quietly. She pushes the door open and finds the room crowded with floormates. Their faces tighten at the sight of her. In the corner Josey is bent over her desk in a posture of suffering, one hand shielding her eyes from the door. Beth sits beyond at the window, bending down to her with a look of deep sadness.
Courtney steps from the bed to the door, Jacinthe retreating before her fierce look.
Courtney: “How come everyone saw this coming but you?”
Jacinthe: “I--.”
“You. You certainly pushed all her buttons.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was just coming off a bad breakup, you know.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know. You didn’t think about all the other people in that bed with you.”
“What?” She doesn’t have a clue what Courtney’s talking about.
“Didn’t you ever wonder why you didn’t run into her last year? It’s because she was at UNBSJ. She transferred because she couldn’t stay there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her best friend took her true love from her, and the two of them went rock climbing, and her true love fell and died and guess who you look like?”
Jacinthe retreats.
“Please tell her I’m sorry.”
“You are sorry. Mark your calendar. Harper room draw is next Monday.”
