insanity is normal

“So was Rozanov. And no. I cannot imagine that a 18 year old boy planned to enter into a years long homosexual relationship in order to mess with Shane’s hockey game. Shane’s hockey game is perfectly intact.”

“But he hasn’t stopped seeing women. And he’s kept Shane a secret.”

“Well, but Shane hasn’t exactly been advertising this either. And you have to imagine it has the potential to destroy both their careers.”

“Yes, but with his reputation, he could always just say that he was messing with Shane. Like it was some kind of tactic. And then Shane would look—"

“It’s been almost ten years,” David interrupted. “That would be a hell of a long game. Shane has as much power over Rozanov’s career as he has over Shane’s.”

“I just… he’s always been so cocky. Like he thought he was God’s gift to hockey. Like he thought he was better than Shane.”

“You don’t have to like him,” David said. “You just have to trust Shane.”

“I know. But you like him.”  It was almost a question.

“I don’t know what I think. But I saw that he didn’t leave Shane to clean up their mess on his own. And I saw that Shane cares enough for him not to crumble under your disapproval.”

“David!”

“You told the boy he was disloyal for being willing to leave Boston!”

“I’m just not sure he’s not strategizing somehow.”

“If he were strategizing, wouldn’t it make more sense to get Shane to leave Montreal?  Instead he’s the one talking about signing with an inferior team.”

“Yes, but maybe that’s an advantage. Ottawa would pay a lot for a star. And it would be a heck of legacy, to raise the Centaurs from the dust.”

“And if he can do it, then good for him. But it’s a huge risk. And one he is apparently willing to take.”

Yuna huffed. “Because he thinks he’s God’s gift to hockey.”

“Yuna. Can you not see that he loves our son?”

“Ok,” she said, raising a hand in acquiescence.  “But I just think that for Shane, someone more…. Shane’s never gone for flashy. He’s steady. He’s—"

“That is exactly why I think we need to support this.”

“Why? So Shane can ‘sow his wild oats’? So he can jeopardize what he’s built for some kind of thrill?”

“Thrill? Look at him! He wouldn’t even eat tonight because you served pasta.”

“I served pasta because it’s bulking season!”

“Yes, I know. It’s why I love bulking season.  But he probably ate his carbs at breakfast. And he will not deviate. Tonight, he will still spend one hour and thirty five minutes in the gym, despite this being one of the most difficult afternoons of his life. Shane doesn’t allow for aberrations. He treats his life like an equation he can solve to get the right answer.”

“Shane is disciplined. And talented. And he is a serious young man who understands—"

“Shane is 26! He is a young man who keeps himself under such rigid control that we thought it was possible he just didn’t date because it would interfere with his training.”

“He will have plenty of life after hockey to explore whatever… entanglements he chooses.”

“Yuna, would you stop being his manager for just one second and be the kid’s mother? Our son has finally chosen something for pleasure.”

Yuna looks horrified.

“Yes, I said for pleasure. Our son who refuses wine, who refuses dessert, who refuses pasta. Our son who only eats salmon and brown rice in perfectly weighed portions. Our son who trains all but two weeks of the year, and then agrees to use that time to take us to Wimbledon even though he doesn’t want to. Our son who never misses a practice, let alone a game, who plays injured, who wears his Rolex and his Reeboks, and never fights on the ice. Never disparages the other team—"

“David—"

“—I’m not done yet. Our son who has never chosen a goddamned thing for himself has chosen this. And has been willing to jeopardize all the meticulous training and grooming and money—"

“I never wanted any of Shane’s money. I only wanted the best—"

“Ilya Rozanov is the best.” David laughed ruefully and ran a hand over his face. “Can’t you see that? Even in this, Shane chose the very best, the only person who could possibly match him.”

“On the ice, maybe,” Yuna said grudgingly.

“Or maybe off it as well. Did you see how quickly Rozanov was able to reach him? I know he doesn’t come around that quickly for me. For you either.”

Yuna looked hard at her husband. “You really think this is a good idea?”