didn't last. The entire founding staff lineup was killed in an freak plane accident. They weren't in a plane, but one was involved. It crashed into a hanger where they were having a meeting. The company almost didn't survive. It wasn't until after I arrived in North America that things gradually began to turn around. Mikko was hired before that, and he was a big help in the rebuilding process. It's still going on, but I suspect things will get better. Oh, and along the way, Finland got its independence back via the peace that ended the war."
"So, flying is kinda in your blood," said Balto, sounding amazed.
"To some extent, yes," replied Mika. "If I was still back home, that's probably what I'd be doing. That is, unless my pro hockey aspirations went flat."
"Pro hockey? You play hockey?" Balto asked, sounding like he had never even heard of any sport other than dogsledding. Which for the most part, he hadn't.
"Yes," replied Mika. "Back home, it was my favorite sport. Still is."
"Are you any good?" asked Balto.
"I certainly am," responded Mika. "I played in a local league consisting of teams throughout Vaasa province. Pee-wee, junior, you name the rank, I played in it. I first picked up a stick at age 5, learned how to skate when I was 7, played my first game at age 8, and won four titles by the time I was 14. I was regarded as one of the best. Just ask my old teammates."
"You sure got some great credentials," said Balto.
"You got that right," replied Mika. "I was sure driven to succeed, but it came at a great detriment to my personal life."
"No luck with the babes?" Balto asked.
"No, I've had a girlfriend at least once before," Mika replied. "Three if you want to keep a hand count. The first relationship I ever had also lasted the longest of the three. Her name was Rikko Jehkinen," he paused, sighed, then continued, "and what a knockout she was. One day in January 1924, me and some buddies were just loitering by the general store when one of them spotted her on the opposite side of the street and said, 'Who's that?' All I could say was 'I...I don't know.' As I turned to see who the person of reference was, she happened to look towards us. Her eyes met mine, and my heart just went 'BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!! I thought it would bust out of my chest."
"Whoa!" exclaimed Balto. "Man, that's intense. Was it love at first sight?"
"Yes, it was," said Mika. "So I start over to see Rikko, not looking where I was going, and next thing I know, I got struck by a car and was thrown almost ten feet. I landed flat on my back, broke some ribs, got a bad case of whiplash, and suffered some nasty bruising. Rikko came over to see if I was okay, which for the most part I was. Turns out, she was a regular at some of my team's games. Her brother, who's name is Jari, was new to the team that year. I didn't notice that until I saw her again at a game, the first one since I got bulldozed by that Horch. That's a car brand, by the way. Oh, and it should be noted that the driver was distracted with reading the newspaper. What an idiot."
Horch, for those of you who haven't heard the name, was one of four German car brands that merged to form the Auto Union. The other three brands were DKW, Wanderer, and Audi. Audi was the only surviving Auto Union brand, and is still around today.
Balto couldn't help but think how eerily similar this was to how he first met Jenna. At first, he thought, "Where have I heard this story before? Oh yeah, how I first met Jenna! Except I didn't get hit by a car."
Mika continued his story. "So after a game my team won (we were called the Kokkola Rangers), I ended up asking Rikko out. For the most part, our dates were just meeting up somewhere and we ended up talking about whatever we had something to say about. I know that doesn't sound like dating in the usual sense, but I say it's all in your own point of view."
Balto knew most guys don't usually talk about things like this. But he usually talked about Jenna in such a manner, so he had no problem listening to Mika do likewise.
"The really interesting thing," Mika added, "was that Rikko's birthday falls on Valentine's Day. That day in '24, we beat the Ahtari Attack 6-2. After the game, after I'd changed into my street clothes, she met me outside the rink and was so happy we finally beat Ahtari, our archrival team by the way, she kissed me."
"Lips?" Balto asked.
"Where else?" Mika retorted. "If I were ready, I would have returned it. That was not the case, unfortunately. But after telling her 'Happy Valentine's Day', I returned the favor. It was the first for both of us. Call it a Valentine's Day present, if you'd like. Afterwards, I was so excited I let out a very long 'YAHOO!' and started pumping both fists up and down. Mikko and Ari, who were both at the game, asked what the scream was for. I told them what happened, Ari said 'No way, man!' I responded with 'Oh yeah!' and then Mikko said, 'Man, little bro, you finally know how to score on and off the ice!' I told him 'shut up' but that didn't work, and eventually both of them started going 'GO MIKA! GO MIKA! GO MIKA! GO MIKA!' Needless to say, I got really embarrassed when they did that. Still, it was the best night of my life."
Balto was clearly in a state of disbelief. "What did they mean by..." He paused before finishing his sentence. "Oh, I get it. Haha, very funny."
"Yep," Mika added. "When we got home that night, me and my brothers (Kaj was in bed by the time we got back), couldn't stop talking about what happened. Mikko summed it up with, 'We beat Ahtari, and Mika got lucky. Now that's what I call a successful night out!'"
Balto started laughing. "HE ACTUALLY SAID THAT?!" he asked and exclaimed at the same time. He was trying not to laugh, but all attempts proved to be futile. He eventually fell off the couch and started rolling around on his back on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Mika put his left hand on his forehead, shook it, and thought, "Good grief, I've incited a laugh riot. Better hope nobody calls the police." After about five minutes, Balto finally calmed down.
"Are you done making an idiot out of yourself?" Mika asked.
"Yes, I am," Balto replied. "But that sure was funny."
Mika chuckled slightly and shook his head. "We eventually lost in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs to Ahtari, but Vaasa beat them in the finals. Rikko and I continued going out, even visiting each other often, although Kaj hated it when she came over and our room became 'off limits'. Jari and I started training together, even during the off-season. Their mother, whose name I don't remember, took a liking to me, while their dad, whose name I also don't remember, did the usual tough guy bit, but eventually we hit it off. He said I reminded him of himself when he was my age. Even my own dad had said he thought Rikko was the one."
"Really?" Balto asked.
"Yeah," Mika answered. "He said she reminded him of mom when she was young."
"Oh," added Balto. "Okay, I can see that. So, what happened?"
"Well, remember the plane crash that killed most of Vaasa Express's senior staff? That's what happened. Dad was out of work for about a month before getting a job offer in America. I was only 15 and not old enough to be out on my own, so I had no choice but to come with my parents and Kaj. Mikko and Ari had already moved out, so they weren't affected."
"How did Rikko take it?" Balto asked.
"Not to well," Mika replied. "Her dad found out from my dad. She was just devastated. And who could blame her?"
"Not me," added Balto.
"I still can't forget the day I left. She came to say goodbye, all teary-eyed, looking as if she'd been betrayed. I almost couldn't bear to see her like that. Making it even worse was seeing my two older brothers just stunned by the whole thing. They couldn't believe it was happening. Yeah, I took it hard, too. But I didn't fall apart. At least I didn't show it. Before heading down to Helsinki, Finland's capital, I told her I loved her and I promised to return someday. By the way, on the former, that wasn't the first time I told her that. And I made sure to tell Mikko and Ari that, too."
"Good for you," said Balto.
"Once in Helsinki," Mika added, "where, by the way, Ari works in the shipyards, we caught a ferry to Oslo, Norway, and from there another boat to America."
"So, you came straight here to Nome?" Balto asked.
"No, it wasn't that easy hitting rock bottom," replied Mika. "My first home here in America was in Detroit, Michigan. This was in the winter of 1925. When I arrived there, I think the serum run you took part in was still in progress. The only thing that took my mind off of being homesick was hockey. It was here where my pro aspirations really took off. Have you ever heard of the National Hockey League?"
"Should I have?" Balto asked.
"I didn't say you had to," Mika retorted. "Anyway, Detroit has a team in the NHL called the Red Wings. I remember one day when I went to see them play. During the first intermission, the organizers were hosting a skills challenge for local players. I took part in this. The Detroit coach took notice of me and said that I had potential to play in the big leagues."
"Whoa!" said Balto, who was clearly in awe at this point. "By the way, what's a red wing?"
"I'm not sure," Mika responded. "The team emblem has a wheel at one end, with a wing extending from behind it. So after the skills challenge, their coach approached me and told me that he was impressed by my abilities. After thanking him, I asked for his autograph and a spot on the team. He signed my stick, his telephone number on a separate sheet of paper, and said to give him a call in a couple years. I wasn't old enough to play professionally at the time. Plus they had a full roster."
"So what was Detroit like?" Balto asked, sounding eager to hear the
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