Icing by Ashley Stanton

little studio.
    “I am open most weeknights. Pay as you go, just don’t leave me hanging.  Call if you can’t make it.  I trust you will.  If we’re not a good fit we will sense it and move on with no problems.  I don’t waste your time and money with this type of agreement.  All of the details were on the flyer and she trusted Chip.  Let’s hear what you’ve got and we’ll go from there.”
    Taryn needed some time to think after her meeting with Devon Malloy so she took long walk home skipping the bus.  It had been an interesting meeting and she trusted him.  She planned on beginning with two nights per week at a cost of 20 bucks an hour.  She would present the figure to her Dad and it would surely be deposited in their joint account the next day.
    ****
    Christmas was in a couple of days. Kyle and Truman both needed the break.  Finals were crazy and hockey season had gotten pretty intense.  Tru would head home to Needham for the entire six weeks.  He planned on working as many hours as he could get.  He had set a couple of odd jobs last time he was there.  He knew a lot of people back home and they hired him to do just about any strenuous job they could throw him.  He had a couple of rooms to paint and garages to clean.  He shoveled snow if needed.  They were mostly retired folks who saved up the chores for him.  He made 15 bucks an hour.
    Kyle would take a short break back in Buffalo and spend most of it in Amherst staying with buddies from the team.  He needed to spend time with his Mom back home.  She was pretty frail from the chemo and he had only been home for an overnight since Thanksgiving.  He, Juliet and her boyfriend were assigned kitchen duty.  It would be an adventure.
    “Hey Tru.  This will be a long time apart.  I’ve never been around one person, except for family, for such a long time.  I hope you can make it over at least once this winter session.  Off campus in that gross house.  It makes this place palatial.  We made it through a semester. “
    It was dark and having them sleeping in the same room before midnight was rare.  Coach and hockey were light for a few days and a refresher at home was necessary.
    “Yeah Kyle, I’ll come visit.  Don’t have too much fun without me.  I’m glad we’re together again next semester.  Good times.”
    “Night Tru.”
    “Night”
    Christmas in Buffalo was a genuine time for the Caldwell’s.  There were gifts, food, music, and visitors but there was a common sense of quiet unity among them.  They could care less that both the Sabres and the Bills were having miserable seasons.  They were all there so it was all good.
    Brian was a part of the family now.  He was an enormous help to the whole clan.  Mr. Caldwell went back to work with a flexible schedule and Brian stepped in to help out with the driving of Mrs. Caldwell to the hospital and Bree to Volleyball games.  He showed amazing fortitude, as did the entire Gorski family.  They had become a cohesive part of the extended family.
    Uncle Ray had come out of his self- imposed exile in the country to be there for his brother.  He was an interesting cat.  He was wrecked by the Korean War.  He never really spoke of it but we all knew that something went down over there that he would always carry around.  It was amusing to see him try and fit in with family.  He was accustomed to being alone for so long. 
    He loved the Buffalo Sabres and hockey was a dominant topic of conversation with Uncle Ray.  He was a fan of the French connection in the 70’s.  They were all forwards, Gil Perrault, Rene Robert and Rick Martin.  They played with no hat, according to Uncle Ray.  He believed helmets were for girls.  Then there were the Schoenfeld years.  His daughters liked that one, even listened to some albums he released.  He and Dad had caught a couple of recent games for old time sake.
    Mrs. Caldwell was frail and frighteningly thin but her green eyes still sparkled.