Rick tried everything to forget about the past two weeks, which would most likely become the most devastating part of his life. But everything he did led him to unwanted nostalgia. The thirty-six-year-old man sat in the living room, the cold unadulterated silence influencing his desolation with its slow progression. Saturday night became an antagonistic reminder of what he used to have. He would have spent time with his two sons by taking them to tonight's hockey game. But seeing as how his ex-wife took them away from him, he no longer depended on a personal connection to keep him at ease with the rest of his life.
Rick waited for the doorbell to ring. And when it did, he stood up from the sofa and opened the front door. He led Sergei, his Russian co-worker and one of his closest friends, inside the house.
Rick asked, "Where's Nikolai?"
Nikolai was Sergei's nineteen-year-old son. Sergei replied, "He'll be here in a couple of minutes. He's using a separate car. I've got some other friends to pick up a little later, so Nikolai might have to ride in your passenger side. Sorry I didn't tell you this sooner."
Rick didn't feel so bad about it. "It's no problem."
As a matter of fact, a little ounce of satisfaction arose from this abrupt announcement. Rick had already met Nikolai twice before. At that time, he felt so intrigued by how even the sight of Sergei's own son made him forget about his separation from his ex-wife.
"So who are these friends of yours?"
Sergei took off his jacket and set it on the sofa. "Oh, they're my brother's buddies. Don't worry. I'll be dropping them off in Costa Mesa and join you at the arena in time for the game to start."
"That's good."
"Let me use your bathroom really quick."
"It's a free country."
The doorbell rang. Rick knew who it was. He opened the front door and a little smile formed on his face.
"Hello, Nikolai."
Sergei's son would have had a steady career as a young model. He had medium-length brown hair that reached the top of his shoulders. He wore a black shirt, a dark green jacket, and a pair of black pants. He was only two inches shorter than both Rick and Sergei. His handsome exterior almost made Rick slightly speechless.
The older man nodded. "Welcome to my abode. Are you ready for tonight's game?"
Nikolai smiled and, with a mild accent, said, "As long as the Red Wings are not feeling it today, then I'll be ready for tonight's win."
"I sure like your optimism."
Rick led him inside. He watched as Nikolai took off his jacket and examined the living room. Rick could only stay silent about his fascination with such a handsome young man. He never expected this sort of feeling to arise when staring at his face, which conveyed a magnetic veneer that protected his youthful looks from harm.
Rick stepped a little closer while trying not to give mixed signals. Nikolai was the type of man who preferred to date other men. Rick had to be careful not to offer a misunderstanding between friends. Even if he didn't want to, something in his mind gave unlikely commands, such as imaging Nikolai as something more than a faithful companion. Rick fought off his mental urges by replacing it with doubt.
"Do you like what you see?"
Nikolai replied, "It's clean and spacious. I wish I had a home like this, but I'd have to ask for a raise."
Rick chuckled. "I'm one of the lucky ones. At least I got to keep the house."
"I keep hearing about your divorce from my father. I hope you still have a chance to see your two kids again."
Rick sighed. "You'll have to step back into reality for that one. My ex-wife is about to move to the other side of the country. It turns out her new boyfriend found a new job in Miami."
Nikolai appeared a little stunned. "And you can't fight back?"
Rick slowly nodded. "It's sad, I know. But there's nothing left for me to do. I don't think I'll ever see my two boys again."
Nikolai shook his head. "I hate hearing sad stories like this."
Rick picked up three tickets from the coffee table. "I'm sure tonight's game will cheer us up."
He handed one of them to Nikolai and another to Sergei, who had just appeared from the hallway.
Sergei remarked, "You look a little down right now, Nikolai."
His son replied, "It's nothing. You don't have to worry about it."
Forty minutes later, the three of them were on their way to Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks. Rick brought his black cap and foam finger along with him. Once he and his two visitors stepped out of the house, the street lights initiated their nightly illumination while the sky lost its brighter shades to the temporary relocation of the sun. Sergei used his own sedan for his brief trip to Costa Mesa. Nikolai sat in the passenger side of Rick's car. The two of them departed from the city of La Mirada and joined the hundreds of commuters on the freeway.
Rick turned on the radio to listen to one of his favorite rock songs at mid volume. "Alive," written and performed by Pearl Jam, seemed to be the perfect fit for a casual drive. With not a single indication of a traffic jam forming on the freeway, Rick felt fortunate that nothing could possibly ruin the evening.
Nikolai still had a few choice words to say before they would reach Honda Center. "It's really disgusting to me."
Rick kept his eyes on the freeway. "You're not talking about the home team, are you?"
"Someone in your situation shouldn't be treated like complete crap. From what my father told me, you didn't do anything wrong."
"It doesn't matter. It was the court's decision. I still can't fight back at this point."
"If only petitions existed in divorce court. You would get to keep your dignity intact."
"That would be a good idea, even if only in theory."
"I know who you are, Rick. You're not a terrible person at all. You have a great career, you have a great home, and you have everything that every man in this world yearns for. It's such a shame that the love of your life betrayed you in the worst way imaginable. I would never do such a thing to a man who has it all."
Rick raised an eyebrow. "Do you really mean that or are you just trying to make me feel a little safer around women?"
"I wouldn't be so dishonest to a person like you. In fact, I would never mistreat a man like you."
"Don't forget who you're talking to. I'm perfectly able to find another woman after all of this."
"You don't have to stay the same."
Rick gave Nikolai a sidelong glance. "Your suggestion is making me feel a little uneasy."
"Don't worry. It's just a little joke."
Rick forced himself to give a little smile. "I'm glad it is."
In actuality, words didn't match the actual outcome. His mind may have played tricks, but for a brief moment, he truly wished for his curiosity to break through the protective shell that concealed his newborn zeal.
The hockey fans had reached the arena several minutes later. Rick parked his car, but he didn't exit the vehicle just yet.
"I'll be watching."
Nikolai chuckled. "Of course, you will. Everyone's going to be watching the game."
"I don't mean that."
