Wow. Ok. This is weird. I just got off the phone with the program lead at the community centre and the Penguins have invited Lizzy and I to their game on Sunday. Apparently they have a special box where they do stuff for the kids in addition to watching the game. I was worried about being at the game with a three year old and keeping her busy as well as away from drunken fans. The box seems like a great idea and, if we can keep Iceberg within our sightline, it should be a lot of fun for Lizzy.

Ug, we need to be at the game for 4pm which means that I have to get off work early, pick up Lizzy and catch the 3:30pm bus. It's going to be very, very tight but I can probably make it happen. I've done more difficult schedules.

"Cat, your order's up."

Tessa calls to me from the kitchen. I shake myself out of organizing hell and go to the pass to get my order. At least working at the diner keeps me busy all day and the hours go by quickly. We do an all-day breakfast that the locals love in this neighbourhood. My shift starts at 6am but I'm done by 5pm so I have time with Lizzy before she goes to bed and we can usually have dinner together too. The days are very long and all on my feet. I'm thankful for a job and that it isn't the horrible shifts that most waitress jobs require. I do have to work some weekends but it doesn't matter to me. This is a family owned and run diner and most of the patrons are regulars which provide a steady clientele. My shifts are regular and never get cut back so I can count on being able to pay my rent each month.

The morning goes by quickly and my lunch break is on me before I realize it. As I come back from lunch and head through the kitchen to take over my tables, Tessa catches me. Tessa is the mom of the owner family and is determined to get me married. It's really cute actually. She is always putting men in my section and talking me up to them.

"You can thank me later Cat." Tessa tells me.

Oh God, what has she done? "What will I be able to thank you for later Tess?"

"I just sat five of the hottest young men I've ever seen in your section. Two are wearing a wedding ring but the others aren't. Three, Cat, you have your choice of three of them."

Tessa winks at me and continues into the kitchen. I mentally roll my eyes as I put on my apron. At least I should have some fun flirting. Regardless of Tessa's age and insistent need to see me married, she is an excellent judge of attractive men.

I see where Tessa has sat the guys when I enter the dining room. I walk up and give them my best smile; the one that is designed to get big tips.

"Hi guys, what can I get you all to drink while you look at the menu?" I say and glance around the table.

I'm stopped cold when I see a familiar face. Sidney Crosby is not only in the diner but he's sitting in my section and smiling widely back at me.

Before either of us can say anything, Tessa walks beside me and gives my shoulder a squeeze while saying "see boys. I told you that Cat would take good care of you" and then she walks away.

"Cat?" Sidney asks me.

"Yes, Sid" I reply back and smile broadly at him. I guess if fate has decided to put this beautiful man in front of me again then the least that I can do is flirt with him.

"I guess that's short for Catherine, huh?" he asks me.

"Sure is. Good to see you again." I glance at the whole table again and ask "what can I get you guys to drink?"

A guy across from Sid, asks him in a French accent "aren't you going to introduce us to your friend Sid?"

The French guy is smiling so wide that his teeth seem at risk of falling out of his mouth. He has warm brown eyes that are sparkling with humour.

I turn back to Sid and say "yeah Sid, aren't you going to introduce me?"

Sid looks slightly embarrassed for a moment but then lifts a shoulder and says "sure."

He looks at his friends and says "everyone, this is Catherine, or Cat as I've learned today. She and her daughter Lizzy were at the kids' party we had at Consol yesterday."

I notice a few of the guys nodding and one or two have a sad look in their eyes. Those are the ones who remember that the party was for 'under-served' community families. I've seen that look before and know that, even if it's misplaced, it isn't meant in a malicious way.

"Yes guys, it was my daughter who had the meltdown when Iceberg left the room." I tell them and they all chuckle.

"Duper here has four kids; he didn't even notice because that's the only sound he hears in his house" the red headed guy says as he punches a guy in the arm who must be 'Duper.'

"I'm Pascal" 'Duper' says to me.

Sid picks up the rest of the introductions. "That's Paul, Kris and Marc" he says as he points to each guy. I'm noticing a similarity amongst them; a physical similarity.

"You all play for the Penguins?" I ask them.

"No matter what everyone may think, the captain can't do it all alone" the one named Kris says in a French accent. Wow, he certainly packs a punch. Between the beautiful face, long hair, deep brown eyes and French accent, I feel a definite pull. Are all hockey players this gorgeous? It looks like I'm going to have my hands full with these guys and I intend to enjoy every moment of it.

"Ok guys, you have one last chance. Coffee, water, juice? What's your poison?" I ask them with a saucy smile.

I watch Cat walk away with our drink order and admire her ass in the tight black leggings. How come I didn't notice that the last time I saw her?

"You talked about the kid. How come you didn't tell us how hot the mom is? Fuck Sid, trying to keep her all for yourself?" Paulie asks.

I look back at the table and all of the guys are looking at me laughing.

"Ha ha Paulie. You're a funny guy."

We all stop talking when Cat comes back with our drinks and then takes our food orders. This time, as she walks away, we are all watching her. Seriously, how come I didn't notice that that other day?

"Elle est une belle fille" Tanger says. I wholeheartedly agree.

Talk turns to the game against Winnipeg tomorrow. We really want to win this one since they're coming into our rink and we did lose the opener.

"Turnovers in the neutral zone killed us. It's sloppy play. We hung you out to dry Flower" Duper says.

Flower shrugs and replies "ok, but I didn't help on the PK."

We all get really quiet so I say "so, we need to control the puck better, make smarter passes and get Flower either a bigger glove or pads."

The guys all laugh as I hoped they would. We can easily spiral during a shortened season when every game matters. Both Geno and I let our tempers get the best of us at the end of the last game earning a game misconduct for each of us. We need to do better; I need to do better.

When our food arrives, there is a lot of laughing and joking from both the guys and Cat. She was so worried about Lizzy the other day that I really didn't get to see her humour and, how when she laughs, her blue eyes sparkle. As we eat our food, I find my eyes following her around the diner. She stops to talk with a couple who must be regulars because the woman hugs Cat. A group of elderly ladies wave to her as they come in and she waves back. Part of me is jealous because she seems to be this friendly and outgoing with everyone when I thought it was just for me. Wow, when did my ego get so big? I must be crazy thinking this way. Although I am happy that Paulie suggested we try this diner and I may find myself back here again.

Sid and his friends, team mates I guess, were a lot of fun. They played rock, paper, scissors to see who would pay for their meal. Marc, the one that they call Flower, lost out but I was grateful when I saw the big tip he left me. The guys all left and I bussed their table. Not a speck of food was left on their plates. I guess professional athletes have big appetites.

When I come back into the dining room, I see that Sid has come back into the diner and he smiles shyly when my eyes catch his. After checking on a table, I move to the door to where Sid is waiting.

"Hi" I say.

"Hi" he replies.

I wait him out. He must want something.

"Um, Cat, I don't know if anyone has called you yet but, um, I have a box that I usually fill with kids from the community. I asked the PR staff to contact you and see if you wanted to come; with Lizzy."

Oh, it wasn't the Penguins, it was Sid. I can't help smiling at him. He really is a very sweet man.

"Yes, I received the call this morning. We've never been to a hockey game before and it should be a lot of fun. We do need to make sure that Lizzy gets to see Iceberg. I imagine he runs around the arena during the game so she can watch him, right?"

Sid smiles at me "he does. We might be able to do better than that though. I'm glad you're coming."

As Sid turns toward the door, and before I can think about it, I touch his arm. When I feel the huge bicep, my mind turns completely blank and I forget what I was going to say. Sid looks from my hand to my eyes and tilts his head. What the hell was I going to say? Oh yeah.

"Um, thank you Sid. I really appreciate what you're doing for us."

Sid smiles again and covers my hand, still on his arm, with his own. The warmth radiates into my hand and up my arm. I'm still trying to identify what I'm feeling when Sid nods and leaves. Wow. This guy really packs a punch. No wonder he's the captain of the team. Now I'm really looking forward to seeing how he plays.

The rest of the day goes by quickly and I don't have too much time to think about Sid and the Penguins. I manage to get out on time and make my buses. When I enter my apartment, I hear Lizzy giggling and my heart melts. No matter what happens during the day or how tired I am, all I need to hear is my little girl's giggle and everything is right in the world.

"Mommy!" Lizzy yells and launches herself into my arms. I hold her close and breath her in. It's a mixture of crayons and talc powder and smells like home.

"How was your day my little Lizzy?"

Lizzy giggles and proceeds to tell me everything that she and Miss Sally had done all day. It takes the entire time that I hang up my coat, greet Miss Sally, wash up and change. Lizzy finally winds down as I help put our dinner on the table. The three of us eat and chat. It isn't until we're almost done dinner when I remember the offer to see a Penguin's game.

"Lizzy, how would you like to go and see a hockey game?"

She frowns at me and I realize that she doesn't know what hockey is so she doesn't understand. I don't know that I'm the one to explain it to her.

"Remember when we saw the penguin the other day?"

That makes sense to her and she runs to get her Iceberg stuffed animal.

"Pengun!" she shouts out as she runs back and holds him up to me.

"Yes sweetheart, the penguin. Would you like to see the penguin again?"

Now Lizzy starts jumping up and down shouting "pengun, pengun!" I guess that's a 'yes' and we're going to a hockey game.

Miss Sally leaves after dinner and Lizzy and I begin our bedtime routine. First is her bath, with bubbles, and she plays with some of her tub toys. There were a few tense moments when I told her that she couldn't take the penguin into the tub but she was satisfied knowing that she could have him in bed.

After she's dried and in her pajamas, she chooses a book to read and we curl up in her bed to read it. The book is one of her favourites and features Elmo. When it's done, she tucks in and I kiss her as she quickly falls asleep. I stay where I am beside her and watch her sleep. She's so beautiful and I can't believe I made her. She's becoming a sweet, kind and loving little girl. I feel so lucky to be her mom. It wasn't always that way. In fact, when I was pregnant, I doubted myself constantly about being able to do this well.

I look around the room and see my bed in the corner and the second hand dresser. We may not have much; but, my daughter is happy and healthy. My mind drifts back to the players at the diner today. I bet none of them have to think about their next paycheque or if they can pay their rent. It is wonderful to see how players like Sidney Crosby believe in giving to the community with his wealth. That makes me wonder.

I go to my computer and enter his name in Google. Holy shit! There are over twelve million results. I add the words 'kid' and 'charity' to the search and I see that he has his own children's charity foundation. He also does a lot of stuff with the Penguins too. He does small things like visiting with kids through Make a Wish and big things like outfitting hundreds of kids in Pittsburgh with hockey equipment so that they can play. Wow, he even does things back in his home town like creating a teen lounge in a hospital. The room has a pool table, air hockey table, big-screen TV, video games, a reading nook, and a kitchen. Wow, that's a lot for the kids and their families. It's so different from the rest of the hospital and so needed by them.

I can't help myself and I look at the images of him. He truly is a beautiful man. I love the pictures when he smiles but doesn't seem to know that his picture is being taken. It seems so much more natural. Hmm, there are a lot of pictures of him when he's out doing things like having dinner with friends or shopping. It must be difficult not to have privacy.

My eyes are getting really heavy and I realize that I've been at the computer for an hour. I'm exhausted and need to be up at 5am tomorrow. I have to remember to ask for the time to go to the hockey game. Lizzy will love seeing the penguin again. I think that I'm looking forward to seeing a different penguin than Lizzy.