7
STEVIE
The Chicago Raptors have a home stand, which means I have some time off work this week. And even better, the Chicago Devils have the night off, so I finally get to spend some time with my brother.
Though, I’ve yet to see him today. He had a shoot-around this morning, then a press conference this afternoon, but we’re going to the movies tonight. A little twin bonding moment, if you will. I’ve stayed curled up on the couch in his amazing apartment, waiting for him to get back from the arena.
I’m not kidding. This apartment building is insane. It was built about four years ago, and Ryan moved in a year after that when Chicago picked him up. He’s not on the penthouse floor, but he’s a couple of levels below it, and the view is epic from his almost 180-degree porch. We can see most of Chicago from here, including Lake Michigan.
But the view isn’t all that pretty today, simply because it’s been pouring rain all afternoon. I’d typically be at the shelter on my days off, but the dogs aren’t getting their afternoon walks because of the weather, so they didn’t really need my help.
Instead, I’ve stayed curled up on the couch, wearing my comfiest and ugliest sweatpants.
The three quick road trips were a good way to get my feet wet for this season because our next trip is much longer. And it starts in Nashville next week. Most everyone loves a stop in Nashville, I’m sure. However, all it does is make me feel anxious.
I grew up right outside the city, and I was thankful to get out and go to the University of North Carolina when I did. There’s just something about being in Nashville that makes me feel like I’m not good enough.
I’m not blonde enough. I’m not tall and skinny enough, but I’m not short and petite enough either.
At least that’s how I felt growing up, and going back there has been hanging over my head ever since I took a job with a hockey team. It’s a stop on the NHL schedule, whereas I could avoid a hometown visit when I worked with the NBA.
Ryan is lucky. He doesn’t have to go back there multiple times a year for his games. Though he would be welcomed back with a parade, I’m sure. He was a local high school celebrity, and I was his twin sister that girls were nice to in order to try to get close to the star basketball player.
Regardless, I still have a couple of friends from high school, and though we aren’t super close, we are close enough that I should probably tell them I’ll be in town next week.
“Hey, Vee!” Ryan calls out as he walks through the front door.
Popping off the couch, I look at him with wide, eager eyes. “Did you get me one?”
“No ‘hello’？ No ‘my dearest brother and favorite person in the entire world, how are you?’”
I scrunch my nose in disgust. “Gross, no.”
“Yes, I got you one.” He tosses the tinfoil-wrapped hot dog in my lap. “But you know I can afford to feed you a little better than a five-dollar street-meat hot dog for dinner, right?”
“Don’t judge me. The United Center’s street-meat is the best.” I eagerly unwrap my dog, finding it piled high with grilled onions and peppers, doused in mustard. Just the way I like it. “What time do you want to head out?”
“Head out where?”
My head snaps back to him in the kitchen. “To the movies. We’re still trying to get to the seven o’clock showing, right?”
“Oh, fuck, Vee. I completely forgot that we made plans tonight.” Guilt overtakes his face. “I have a date.”
“Oh.” Which is a pure surprise. Because well, my brother doesn’t really date.
“I can cancel.”
“You have a date?”
“Yeah, but I’m going to cancel.”
“No, don’t do that.”
My brother hasn’t dated since he’s been in Chicago. He’s too focused on basketball and his career to add women into the equation. In fact, he practically refuses to date, so even though he’s probably hoping I’ll help him get out of it, there’s no way I’m going to enable his singleness.
He’s the absolute best person I know, and he deserves to be happy, even though he thinks the only answer to that is basketball. Unfortunately, his first date in three years aligns with the only plans we’ve been able to make in weeks. Now that it’s basketball and hockey season, we won’t be seeing each other much.
“Can I make it up to you? We can go as soon as I’m back from this series of road games,” he eagerly offers.