Requesting a tour.

Standing now at my feet Jamie looks down at me in my stall visibly gawking at my exposed chest as I have yet to get a shirt on after my post game shower. “You played like a god tonight Mark. Want me to work out those muscles when we get home?” Jamie asks not loudly but with the unnerving quiet in the locker room it carried.

“YOU CAN WORK MY MUSCLES OUT Jennifer!” One of the other guys yells out in an anonymous response but finishes under his breath, “Just keep that dress on for me will ya?” This retort causes the room to erupt into raucous laughter, which allows the room to return to its normal post game buzz.

As I was the focus of the post game interviews tonight most of the guys were now grabbing their jackets and heading out the door. Jamie takes a seat beside me, leans into me, and stares up into my eyes, “I have never actually been back here, can you give me the tour?”

I point down the hallway opposite the way she entered, “The only place I can show you besides here is the weight room. You have to go through the showers to get there and I think Jon is still back there, he doesn’t live up to his name in the showers.”

Pointing to the narrow hallway that breaks through the center of the stalls she asks, “What’s back there?”

“That’s Church back there, players and their young children only.”

“Church? Why are kids aloud back there?”

“Sorry, that’s what we call it. It’s the players sanctuary. A couple couches, tv’s, fridges, video games, ping pong table, that sort of stuff. Not even the coaches go back there, hell, we even stock it all ourselves. We let the old guys take their kids back there because we are on the road so much and their kids are part of their sanctuary. Get the nick name now?” I answer the question honestly.

By this time we are now the last two people in this area. “Well I want to see it, or have you taken so many pucks to the head that you are superstitious?” As Jamie finishes her clear statement she stands and crosses the room very quickly disappearing around the corner before I have a chance to finish getting my shirt on.