"Come on Adam, just get it passed me one more time and then we can go in." Phillip called from the end of the driveway where he stood in front of a practice net.
"Phillip it's 9 O'clock, get Adam in the house." Mrs. Banks stuck her head out of the front door and yelled to her husband.
"Just a little while longer Regina. Okay, come on son."
Adam stood at the opposite end of the driveway, his eyes were barley open and he'd had his roller blades on so long he'd lost feeling in his toes. All of the little boys muscles ached, having not receiving a rest the entire day and still being sore from the try outs that morning to begin with. He pushed off and skated toward his father, with a flip of his wrist he sent the puck into the net and then fell to his knees in exhaustion.
Nicholas had been sitting on the grass beside the drive and as Phillip turned to go in the house, he sprinted over and lifted his little brother off the ground.
"Nick?" Adam opened his eyes as the older boy carried him up the spiral stair case to his room.
"Yeah." His brother looked down at him
"Was dad like this with you?" Adam asked as Nicholas put him down on his bed.
Nick sighed and sat on the edge of Adam's bed. He ran his hand through his dark hair and then rubbed his eyes.
"Dad pushes because he wants you to be the greatest you can be. He does it cuz he loves you. He wants you to be all that you can be."
"So they why doesn't he just sign me up for the Army?" Adam muttered.
"Well kiddo, there's that obstacle of you only being ten years old. You better get some sleep. Do you want to get you out some clothes?"
"Nah, I'll get 'em. Thanks for bringing me in Nick."
"No problem, that's what brothers are for and if it makes a difference Adam, I'm proud of you." Nick smiled and walked out of his brother's bedroom.
Adam laid on his bed staring at his ceiling for a long time that night, the poster of Wayne Gretzky that hung above his head holding his attention. He wondered if 'The Great One's' father had pushed him so had when he was little Wayne, not the best hockey player to ever live. And if so was the deciding factor in what separate Gretzky from the rest, was that what made him great. Having a nagging father behind you would light a fire under anyone.
But still, Adam didn't want to be the best, he just wanted to play hockey. There was nothing like being out on the ice, even at three when he first learned to skate, he had to be carried off it, he wouldn't leave. The first time Nicholas let him hold his old hockey stick, he knew that was his destiny.
The next morning the sun warmed his fresh, young cheeks, through his bedroom window and he opened his eyes. He shot out of bed and dressed faster then 'The Flash' late for work. The smell of waffles were coming from the kitchen and as he raced down the stairs, he stumbled, tripped down four of the and bumped his elbow hard. When Adam looked at his elbow as he finished his journey to the breakfast table he noticed a bruise already starting to form.
"That doesn't look to good MR. Banks." The housekeeper Sophie, told him as she poured the syrup over his waffles.
"What doesn't?" The boy played dumb.
"That black and blue, can you move your elbow?" Sophie took his small arm in her hands.
"Yeah." Adam unbent his arm, but the housekeeper could see the pain in face.
"Maybe you shouldn't go to practice to day."
"Oh, no, no, no, no. I've got to go Sophie." The boy looked up at her with fear wide eyes. "I promise I'll take it easy, but this is my first practice I can't miss it. I'll be really careful. Please?"
The women threw her hands up in the air.
"Fine, fine. But if your parents find out, I didn't know about that bruise you got it?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good now eat up, Teddy's taking you to practice today."
Teddy was sort of a Jack of all trade master of none, in the Banks house hold. He was the maintenance man, gardener and occasional driver for the family. Instead of hiring a long list of staff for the house, Phillip and Regina had found people that were willing to handle more then one job, Sophie was also the cook and was the nanny when the boys were younger.
"Teddy? Why, where's my father?"
"He had to go into the office, but he told me to tell you 'good luck'. He was paged early this morning, it must have been important, you understand."
Adam nodded and pushed a piece of waffle around on his plate, suddenly he wasn't hungry.
IN THE LOCKER ROOM
"Hey, you're Banks right?" Adam heard a voice call from behind him.
He turned and was face to face with a smile light haired boy.
"Yes."
"Jonathon Larson, nice to meet you." The boy extended his hand.
"Adam Banks." Adam told him shaking his hand.
"I wasn't sure, I saw you at tryouts yesterday but you had your helmet on, so I wasn't sure. You were awesome yesterday."
"Thanks." Adam beamed.
"Steven, come over here." Larson waved to another boy. "This is that kid from tryouts, Adam Banks."
"Cool, hi, Steven McGill."
"Hi."
The boys stood in the corner and talked for a while before coach Reilly came in. He went on ranting and raving about his mottos 'It's not worth playing is you can't win' and 'It's not worth winning if you can't win big.' The boys thought it was sort of funny and McGill even starting mocking the coach from behind. Bad idea, when the rest of the team started laughing, Reilly knew something was going on.
"Okay, which one of you Three Stooges is causing trouble?" When none of the boys volunteered an answer, all three were ordered to go skate laps until he was finished talking to the rest of the team.
'Not a great way to start things out.' Adam thought but then he realized, he'd only been there twenty minutes and he'd already made two friends and he was doing something he loved, maybe it wasn't that bad.
"Phillip it's 9 O'clock, get Adam in the house." Mrs. Banks stuck her head out of the front door and yelled to her husband.
"Just a little while longer Regina. Okay, come on son."
Adam stood at the opposite end of the driveway, his eyes were barley open and he'd had his roller blades on so long he'd lost feeling in his toes. All of the little boys muscles ached, having not receiving a rest the entire day and still being sore from the try outs that morning to begin with. He pushed off and skated toward his father, with a flip of his wrist he sent the puck into the net and then fell to his knees in exhaustion.
Nicholas had been sitting on the grass beside the drive and as Phillip turned to go in the house, he sprinted over and lifted his little brother off the ground.
"Nick?" Adam opened his eyes as the older boy carried him up the spiral stair case to his room.
"Yeah." His brother looked down at him
"Was dad like this with you?" Adam asked as Nicholas put him down on his bed.
Nick sighed and sat on the edge of Adam's bed. He ran his hand through his dark hair and then rubbed his eyes.
"Dad pushes because he wants you to be the greatest you can be. He does it cuz he loves you. He wants you to be all that you can be."
"So they why doesn't he just sign me up for the Army?" Adam muttered.
"Well kiddo, there's that obstacle of you only being ten years old. You better get some sleep. Do you want to get you out some clothes?"
"Nah, I'll get 'em. Thanks for bringing me in Nick."
"No problem, that's what brothers are for and if it makes a difference Adam, I'm proud of you." Nick smiled and walked out of his brother's bedroom.
Adam laid on his bed staring at his ceiling for a long time that night, the poster of Wayne Gretzky that hung above his head holding his attention. He wondered if 'The Great One's' father had pushed him so had when he was little Wayne, not the best hockey player to ever live. And if so was the deciding factor in what separate Gretzky from the rest, was that what made him great. Having a nagging father behind you would light a fire under anyone.
But still, Adam didn't want to be the best, he just wanted to play hockey. There was nothing like being out on the ice, even at three when he first learned to skate, he had to be carried off it, he wouldn't leave. The first time Nicholas let him hold his old hockey stick, he knew that was his destiny.
The next morning the sun warmed his fresh, young cheeks, through his bedroom window and he opened his eyes. He shot out of bed and dressed faster then 'The Flash' late for work. The smell of waffles were coming from the kitchen and as he raced down the stairs, he stumbled, tripped down four of the and bumped his elbow hard. When Adam looked at his elbow as he finished his journey to the breakfast table he noticed a bruise already starting to form.
"That doesn't look to good MR. Banks." The housekeeper Sophie, told him as she poured the syrup over his waffles.
"What doesn't?" The boy played dumb.
"That black and blue, can you move your elbow?" Sophie took his small arm in her hands.
"Yeah." Adam unbent his arm, but the housekeeper could see the pain in face.
"Maybe you shouldn't go to practice to day."
"Oh, no, no, no, no. I've got to go Sophie." The boy looked up at her with fear wide eyes. "I promise I'll take it easy, but this is my first practice I can't miss it. I'll be really careful. Please?"
The women threw her hands up in the air.
"Fine, fine. But if your parents find out, I didn't know about that bruise you got it?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good now eat up, Teddy's taking you to practice today."
Teddy was sort of a Jack of all trade master of none, in the Banks house hold. He was the maintenance man, gardener and occasional driver for the family. Instead of hiring a long list of staff for the house, Phillip and Regina had found people that were willing to handle more then one job, Sophie was also the cook and was the nanny when the boys were younger.
"Teddy? Why, where's my father?"
"He had to go into the office, but he told me to tell you 'good luck'. He was paged early this morning, it must have been important, you understand."
Adam nodded and pushed a piece of waffle around on his plate, suddenly he wasn't hungry.
IN THE LOCKER ROOM
"Hey, you're Banks right?" Adam heard a voice call from behind him.
He turned and was face to face with a smile light haired boy.
"Yes."
"Jonathon Larson, nice to meet you." The boy extended his hand.
"Adam Banks." Adam told him shaking his hand.
"I wasn't sure, I saw you at tryouts yesterday but you had your helmet on, so I wasn't sure. You were awesome yesterday."
"Thanks." Adam beamed.
"Steven, come over here." Larson waved to another boy. "This is that kid from tryouts, Adam Banks."
"Cool, hi, Steven McGill."
"Hi."
The boys stood in the corner and talked for a while before coach Reilly came in. He went on ranting and raving about his mottos 'It's not worth playing is you can't win' and 'It's not worth winning if you can't win big.' The boys thought it was sort of funny and McGill even starting mocking the coach from behind. Bad idea, when the rest of the team started laughing, Reilly knew something was going on.
"Okay, which one of you Three Stooges is causing trouble?" When none of the boys volunteered an answer, all three were ordered to go skate laps until he was finished talking to the rest of the team.
'Not a great way to start things out.' Adam thought but then he realized, he'd only been there twenty minutes and he'd already made two friends and he was doing something he loved, maybe it wasn't that bad.