Page 20 of Bro Code

The morning was a mix of outdoor activities and training, which for Louis meant sitting in the chilly mountain air at a picnic table with his laptop. An NHL weekend retreat was not a vacation. He scrambled to clean metrics in real time as the players did incline sprints on the trails around the compound and partnered log carries on the lawn outside the chalet.

Holly wanted everything in the cloud so she could start going through it that afternoon, so Louis skipped lunch and stayed at the picnic table. His phone rang around one, as he was finishing up and checking his schedule for the afternoon. Chloé. She probably wanted to talk about their mom’s back pain. He picked up and wedged it between his ear and shoulder. “Alò?”

“Alò, Fré. How are you?”

“Ah, you know. Same as always.”

“Busy.”

“Wé. But it’s fine. What’s up?”

A moment while she covered the phone and said something to someone on the other end, then he heard a door banging closed behind her and guessed she’d gone out to the yard. He heard a rooster in the background.

“So Manman’s having back pain still.”

“Uh huh.” Louis pulled up his calendar on the laptop. “Did she go to the doctor yet?”

“Yeah, Papa and I had to wrestle her into the car, basically.”

“And what did he say?”

“Dr. Leseur is a woman, Lou.”

“Right.” He pulled the phone from between his shoulder and ear. “Sorry. What did she say?”

“She doesn’t think it’s osteoarthritis. And Manman is getting this cough now? I don’t know if it’s related. But Dr. Leseur wants her to go in for more tests.”

“Okay.” He looked over his shoulder through the window into the chalet’s dining room. Lunch was wrapping up. “So you need some more money?”

“Well, yes, but… I don’t know, I guess mostly I’m just worried.”

The door to the chalet opened and a few of the guys spilled out and started coming down the steps, shoving each other and laughing. Someone had a football (American) and heaved it across the lawn as someone else sprinted down the steps and went after it.

Louis sighed and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “Okay. I still…don’t really know what else you want me to do right now, Sé.”

“Bon sang, Louis! I don’t know, just–” She sighed, sounding frustrated. “I guess I’m just keeping you in the loop.”

“Okay. Sorry. Thanks.” He pinched his brow with his thumb and forefinger. “Look, don’t worry, okay? I’m sure Manman is fine. Just make sure she does whatever tests Dr. Leseur wants, and I’ll pay for it. Okay?”

Quiet on the line. Out on the lawn the jocks were throwing the football around. Coach Meyers and Holly were coming down the stairs from the chalet.

“Okay,” said Chloé. “Sure. Thanks.”

He hesitated. “All good?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” He waited, sensing there was more, and eventually, she added, “Are you gonna come home for Christmas this year?”

“Ahh…” He sighed. “I don’t know, Sé. Maybe.”

“I think Manman and Papa would like to see you.”

A bitter laugh. “Sure.”

She didn’t say anything to that, and they sat there with the line quiet between them as Coach Myers rounded up the guys to go over the afternoon schedule. Eventually, Chloé said, “Okay.”

“Okay,” echoed Louis.

“Okay,” she said. “Well...bye. I guess.”