Chapter Seven: The Cracks are
Beginning to Show
Frankly,
the book could have begun with this chapter and we would have gotten everything
we needed to know about the dysfunction in this couple. Between their regular
stress (NHL season for Ryan and grad school for Jenna) with the addition of
wedding planning, the two are fighting all of the time. Immediately after
telling people that they’ve set a date, both their mothers begin to pressure
Jenna to plan more things. Which, to be fair, there are things that need to be
planned in advance, like choosing a location and booking hotel rooms. But since
they can’t make those plans until they have a guest list, and Ryan keeps adding
to the guest list, those decisions can’t be made.
The
two of them are placing entirely different values on the wedding. To Jenna,
it’s important because it’s the start of the rest of their lives. To Ryan,
she’s confusing the wedding with the important stuff, although he does not
clarify what he does consider important. He says it’s just another day and how
could it be more important than any other day.
They
argue constantly and it usually ends with someone storming out. In Jenna’s
case, she meets up with Katie, “her only friend who existed outside of Ryan’s
hockey world” (50). I find that troubling, since she ought to have been able to
meet people in her classes and through the Art Institute. Far more troubling,
however, is that the narrative points out that this “friend” Katie doesn’t know
that Ryan is a Blackhawk. That… seems like a major point of information that
eventually a friend is going to need to know. I can understand Jenna not
telling everyone immediately, but she met Katie in her classes, to which she’s
been going for three years. Even if she didn’t meet Katie until the most recent
semester, Katie is spending enough time with Jenna that she’s the only one to
whom Jenna can go when she’s upset about Ryan’s behavior. And she’s going to be
attending the wedding—Jenna even plans to set her up with one of the other
players. They’re pretty close, in other words, and by this point I think it’s
insulting to Katie that Jenna hasn’t told her what her fiancé does.
Then
again, I have no idea what Jenna has
told Katie, since the latter is convinced that as a couple the two of them are
one in a million, although she’s never met Ryan. Still, as a plot device Katie
is useful. The two of them chat long enough for Jenna to try to convince
herself that Ryan makes her happy.
“…I don’t want anything that Ryan
can’t give me. I want what Ryan gives me to be enough.”
… “If what he gives you isn’t
enough, Jenna, then he can’t give to you what you want him to. Maybe it’s a
good thing you realized this now before it’s too late” (51).
Yes,
yes, yes. Listen to Katie, Jenna. Listen
to the words of wisdom. But before she can, the narration switches to Ryan.
Whenever Jenna storms out, Ryan works out.
The extra workouts were helping his
game, because Ryan began to lead the team in goal production—he wasn’t just the
captain, he had become the best player on the team
(52).
I
won’t disagree that working out off-ice is helpful for on-ice strength,
stamina, and speed. But I can’t see how cycling or weight lifting by itself helps
someone to become the top scorer. I mean, it can be related. If you have more
stamina, you’ll get more ice time, and if you use the ice time productively,
you can get more shots on goal. But there is no way strength training is going
to lead directly to more goals.
Along
with more workouts, Ryan is also going out with the guys more, and Jenna has
begun to start refusing to join him. When asked about Jenna’s continued
absence, Nick admits to his teammates that his fiancée may have become sick of
him.
“Wait. What?” Nick asked. He was
torn between the concern for his teammate and the glimmer of hope that he
immediately cursed himself for having (52).
He
goes on in this vein for a while—insisting that Ryan and Jenna love each other,
even if Nick could love her better. Not to mention, he puts it in terms of
hockey, that if Ryan was upset his production would suffer. While he’s probably
right, that’s a relatively unfeeling way of looking at this possibility. For
all of Nick’s valuation of Jenna as an actual person and not as an accessory,
he still values hockey beyond all else.
Ryan
isn’t too worried about Jenna leaving him, however. As far as he’s concerned,
she’s just turned into a Bridezilla and everything will be fine after the
wedding. The thing is, her asking for a little bit of input and decision making
about things as basic as the guest list is hardly being a Bridezilla.
I
know I’ve said “I hate this couple” any number of times already, but seriously
I see no value to this relationship and therefore no tension in Jenna leaving
it for Nick. None. Zero.
