Wrathpup: Chapter 1: Finn in the Motor City

His next endeavor was now second nature to him. Taking a face-off was nothing new to him. This was what Mika Kykalisko did now, playing right wing for the Detroit Cougars (they would become the Falcons for the 1930-31 season and the Red Wings starting with the 1932-33 season). It had been a brilliant year for the Finn. He had become one of the team's standout players and was currently the top rookie in the National Hockey League. Today he was in Boston for a game against the Bruins at Boston Garden. It was early April, and the season was winding down.
"We are now set for the face-off in Cougar's territory," said the radio announcer calling the game. "Taking it for the Bruins is Aubry Victor "Dit" Clapper, and taking it for the Cougars is Mika "Wayne County Wild Child" Kykalisko. So far, it's been a great game for both and a dynamite season for Kykalisko. Throughout the year, we've seen this young player show the skills that made him a star player back home in his native Finland, and now at the age of 20, he's only a short step away from Rookie Of The Year. Off the draw, Clapper has the puck initially, but Kykalisko quickly swipes it away and BLASTS it deep into Bruins territory! Down the ice goes everybody not guarding the net. Kykalisko is closing in fast. He passes it off, gets it passed back to him, Kykalisko, slapshot! Scores! Hat trick for the one they call 'Wild Child'!"
Immediately after putting the puck in the net, both of Mika's hands shot up in the air in triumph as he yelled "YES!! WHOO!! YEAH!!" As he shouted and pumped his fists, he shook his head hard enough to where his blonde mullet also shook wildly with it. Helmets were not in widespread use back then, so Mika's hair was totally exposed. The goal was his third of the game. Clearly, he was on a hot streak tonight. After being congratulated by his teammates on the ice, Mika headed over to his team's bench where his other teammates and coach were. More congratulations awaited him there.

Later in the game, in the third period, Mika was back on the ice battling Clapper along the boards at center red line just inside the Cougars' zone. The score was 5-3 in favor of the Cougars, as two other players other than Mika had scored goals.
"They're really battling hard along the boards here in the third period. It's Clapper and Kykalisko battling for possession of the puck and they seem to be locked in a stalemate. Now Clapper kicks it free, but Kykalisko is the first one of the two in hot pursuit of the puck. Neither one of them gets there first."
Boston got to the puck first. Sensing a pass back Aubry, Mika immediately went after the puck and his now rival.
"Clapper gets the pass, OH, but here comes Kykalisko with a huge board check! And Aubry Clapper looks furious."
Normally, a board check, also called boarding, is illegal. But nobody saw it. Aubry pounded the boards in frustration. He had just about had enough of the young Finn constantly getting the upper hand. The puck swapped possession among teams twice after Mika swiped in out from under Aubry along the boards. Soon the puck was headed towards the Boston goal area. None other than Mika Kykalisko was leading the charge. Most of the Bruins had gotten back on defense, including Clapper.
"Boston retreats back on defense as Detroit advances on offense. Here comes Kykalisko again! He passes it off, then gets it back. Clapper comes in to intercept!"
Mika and Aubry collided in a fairly heavy impact. Mika was thrown over Aubry's back and shoulders, the toes of his skates catching Aubry's collarbone, which caused him to fall over backwards. He landed safely on his back and would skate away. Mika wasn't so lucky. He landed hard on his right shoulder, with his head also making contact with the stone-hard ice. He ended up on his back and lay almost limp on the ice.
"Oh, what a hit! Kykalisko goes down hard!" the announcer exclaimed.
Play was stopped immediately while a medical crew moved in to attend to the injured Finn. Mika was knocked unconscious and was out cold for almost a full minute. Concerned over his condition, the head coach and every other Cougar on the ice at the time rushed over to the scene where their injured comrade lay still. Eventually, Mika regained consciousness, but was very disoriented and in a lot of pain. After a few more minutes elapsed, he was taken off on a stretcher. As the stretcher was being carried off the rink, Mika put his left hand in the air and waved to show that he was awake and alert. He was completely unable to move his right arm. That sight came as a big relief to his coach, teammates and the commentators calling the game up in the broadcast booth. The game eventually resumed, with Detroit winning 5-3.

After spending the night in a Boston hospital, Mika was released the next day to continue rehab back in Detroit. His injuries were as follows: concussion, broken right collarbone, broken right shoulder blade, and a small cut on his scalp. Some of his hair had to be shaved off in order to apply a bandage on the cut. The cut only covered a small area, so not much hair needed to be shaved. After being released in the morning, Mika met up with his teammates, who were waiting by the team bus for the ride back to Detroit. It was mid-afternoon when the bus left Boston, and night had fallen by the time they got back to Detroit. Mika's right arm was in a sling, and the injury to both the collarbone and shoulder blade made rotating the shoulder joint impossible without experiencing excruciating pain, so his shoulder was encased in a plaster cast. He wore a rain poncho over his leather jacket so that no one would notice. And besides, it had started to rain when they arrived back in Detroit. The only other disguise Mika was wearing at the time was a Detroit Tigers ball cap with the "Old English 'D'" on the front, which he wore so that no one would notice the cut on his head.
After getting his equipment bags out of the cargo bay, Mika then waited under an overhang near the team's arena for a ride home.
"Man, I'm sure glad to be out of the hospital so soon," he thought to himself. He was, however, down in the dumps. The injuries he sustained in that collision on the ice meant that he was out for the season. After putting his bags down, he placed his left arm up against a concrete wall and leaned on it. All the while, he couldn't keep from thinking about what might be: He had a shot at Rookie Of The Year, and now that was in jeopardy. He was really looking forward to playing in the playoffs. Now that was out the picture. Things had gone from good to bad to worse in less than 24 hours, and he hated having to be reminded of it.
Soon, Mika saw his good friend and roommate Kevin Taylor pull up in his Ford Model T.
"Hey! Kevin! Over here!" Mika exclaimed as he frantically waved his left arm. "This way!"
"Welcome back, Mika!" Kevin enthusiatically shouted back from the driver's seat. "Get in, get in!"
Mika immediately hurried over to Kevin's car with his duffle bag slung over his left shoulder. He then put it in the back seat because the trunk didn't have enough room.
"Oh, man," said Mika after shutting the passenger side door behind him. "I'm sure glad to be out of the rain. When did it start raining here?"
"About eight o' clock," Kevin replied as he put the car in gear and began to drive home. When did you get back?"
"Ten minutes ago," Mika responded. It was well past ten o' clock, but not yet eleven o' clock. "I hadn't been waiting very long."
"Ah, Kevin put in. "So, what's the deal with your shoulder?"
"I'm out for the season, unfortunately," Mika said glumly to the point where his voiced was almost completely muffled by his thick Finnish accent.
"That bad, eh?" Kevin asked.
"Sadly, yes," Mika replied.
"That must've been one helluva hit you took," Kevin added.
"Well, I was knocked unconscious when my head and right shoulder hit the ice," Mika put in.
"You were knocked out?" Kevin asked.
"Yes, I was," Mika responded.
"Ah, okay," Kevin put in. "None of the sports articles around here have an injury report on you printed yet."
"Well, for starters," Mika proceeded to speak, "I have both my right collarbone and shoulder blade broken, plus a concussion and a cut on my scalp."
"Hey, don't worry, man," said Kevin as he tried to get Mika to cheer up. "You'll recover from this. I'm sure you'll be back to playing hockey soon."
By the time they finished talking, they were already well on their way home.
They drove on through the rainy night to reach home.
Eventually, they arrived at the downtown apartment building Kevin lived in. His unit was on the fifth floor, which he shared with Mika, as well as Mika's Finnish girlfriend, Rikko Jehkinen, who had come over from their hometown of Kokkola for his first game. Prior to that, it had been nearly four years since the two Finns, who were very much in love, had last seen each other. Despite their best attempts to move on with their lives, they couldn't seem to forget about each other. After Mika's incredible, heroic escape up in Nome, Alaska, in which the then 19-year-old saved Nome from a large band of Soviet extremists who had invaded Alaska after crossing the Bering Strait on a mission of their own to take back Russia's former territorial holdings in North America, word reach his hometown and got the residents talking. Among those who had found out was MIka's oldest brother, Mikko. Mikko then informed Mika's second older brother, Ari, who by then was working in the shipyards in Finland's capital, Helsinki. Rikko was also living there at the time and worked for the local newspaper. She had found out from Ari, and at first, she almost couldn't believe what Mika had managed to pull off. Neither Mikko nor Ari could believe it, either.
It was after eleven o' clock at night when Mika and Kevin entered the building, by which point the rain had let up. Rikko was already in bed by now, having had a long day working on a major story for the newspaper. She was an aspiring photojournalist who already had experience at a paper in Helsinki. But after that publication hit a major setback - and after hearing of Mika's heroic escapades up in Nome - she relocated to Detroit after hearing who Mika was going to be playing for. Kevin had been looking for a roommate to help with the rent, and Mika accepted the offer to stay. Eventually, Rikko decided to room with them as well, as was now an intern photojournalist.
Their entrance stirred Rikko slightly, and she eventually woke up. But she wasn't the first to greet Mika and Kevin. Karelia, a gray-and-white five month old Alaskan Malamute puppy, who was given to Mika as a birthday present when the Finn turned 20 back in January, was the first to greet them. He had heard the sound of the door opening and closing, and as if on cue, came bounding out bed and over to greet his owner and owner's friend. As he was sleeping in the same room as Rikko was, his getting up woke her up as well and eventually she got up as well.
"Hey, Karelia! Good to see you again," Mika said as he put his duffle bag down and picked up the pup with his one good arm. Karelia happily licked his owner's face. He clearly missed him.
Rikko entered the entry walkway just as Mika had wiped Karelia's drool off his face with the left sleeve of his jacket. Karelia was now back down on the floor.
"I'm so glad you're home," said Rikko  as she hugged her boyfriend. Mika carefully moved his bad arm off to side so he could hug her back. Because she had gone to sleep beforehand, Rikko was wearing her favorite pink pajamas and moccasin slippers.
"Yeah," Mika replied. "It's good to be back."
The two then shared a soft, brief kiss.
"I was so worried about you," Rikko said after hers and Mika's lips separated. "When I heard about what happened to you on the ice in Boston, I was in a panic." She was back to just hugging by this point.
"She hardly slept well last night," added Kevin. "That's how much of a nervous wreck she was."
"Really?" Mika asked.
"Yes," Rikko responded. "Even today at work, I was still worried about you. I almost couldn't focus on my work."
"I had to tell her a couple times myself not to worry," put in Kevin.
"It's okay, now," Mika said reassuringly. "I'm back home, now. It's okay."
"I know," Rikko put in before releasing him from her embrace.
Mika then reached down and picked up his duffle bag with his left hand and carried it to his room. After putting it on the floor near his bed, he came back out. By now, Kevin was relaxing on the couch and Rikko, having felt her stomach rumble, was in the kitchen looking for something to eat. She hadn't eaten since before she got home, and generally had trouble sleeping on an empty stomach. But this time, she was so tired that she bother eating anything. But after being woken up by Mika and Kevin arriving back home, she decided to get something to hold over until the morning.
After pouring herself a glass of milk, Rikko eventually got out a full loaf of bread, a fresh jar of creamy peanut butter, a knife, two napkins, and a plate. She then went back into the fridge and pulled out a fresh jar of concord grape jelly. After shutting the door to the fridge, she put the jelly jar next to the peanut butter jar, with the knife straddling the top of both jars and napkins on top of the bread. Rikko then proceeded to open the bread wrapper and pulled out two slices, which were then put on the plate. She then took the top slice and flipped it over onto a napkin next to the plate. Rikko then opened the peanut butter jar, pulled off the freshness seal, then reached in with the knife, scooped out a gob of peanut butter, and spread that on the bread slice on the plate. Once done there, she wiped the excess off with the other napkin, as there wasn't enough to put on the other slice. After putting the lid back on the peanut butter jar, Rikko then proceeded to open the jelly jar, scoop up some with the knife and spread almost the same amount of  jelly on the same slice of bread that had the peanut butter on it, with both spreads covering the whole slice. She did, however, have to pick up the jar and tilt it downward so that the jelly could come out. When finished with that, she wiped the knife clean, put the lid back on the jelly jar, and put all of the supplies back in their place. Once that was done, Rikko came back to the counter and flipped the remaining bread slice back over on top of the slice on the plate. She was about to take her sandwich, her lone remaining napkin, and milk to the kitchen table when she saw Mika sitting there, still looking bummed out over his shoulder injury.
"I wish there was something I could do to cheer him up," Rikko thought to herself.
After a few seconds of thought, Rikko put the plate that held her peanut butter and jelly sandwich back down on the kitchen counter, with her milk glass right next to it. She then brought everything she just used back out and proceeded to make another PB&J exactly like the one she made for herself right down to putting both spreads on the same slice of bread in the same order and not cutting the sandwich in half or cutting the crusts off. Rikko hoped it would cheer Mika up. Normally, Mika - who was right-handed - would be making it himself. But with the pain in his right shoulder being so great that the slightest movement would result in excruciating pain - and with it already encased in a plaster cast - Rikko decided to make it herself and spare him the pain. He had been through enough already.
After finishing up at the counter, Rikko first grabbed the plate with her sandwich on it and her glass of milk and put them on the kitchen table before going back for Mika's. Mika didn't know what to think at first. He looked at her, thinking, "What?"
"I thought maybe you could a little pick-me-up," said Rikko as she put her right hand on the back of his head and ran her fingers through his hair.
"You made that for me?" Mika asked, sounding a little surprised.
Rikko nodded and replied with a light "Yep."
With the top of bread as it would appear in the loaf facing toward her on the plate, Rikko picked up her sandwich with both hands and took a bite out of it right at dead center along the split top of the bread. As she bit into it, she closed her eyes, sighed contently, and after pulling the sandwich back from her lips, said, "Mmm, so good." Mika then smiled and shook his head in amusement before picking up his sandwich with his left hand. He then took a bite in the same place Rikko did with hers.
"Mmm, this is good," said Mika, who waited until after swallowing before speaking.
"I know," added Rikko, who had never had peanut butter or jelly until after coming to America. Initially, her first experiences with either one was having them separately, whether it was jelly on toast or a biscuit with breakfast or just a peanut butter sandwich - which was becoming increasingly common by now, being especially popular with children - for lunch or a snack. Rikko immediately took a liking to creamy peanut butter, even though she tried the crunchy variety, only to have problems with the peanuts in it getting stuck between her teeth and almost chipping a tooth trying to chomp down on a fairly large nut. But after having the peanut butter stick to the roof of her mouth numerous times - including one time where her tongue got stuck to the roof of her mouth - even with milk handy - she began looking for something to combine with the peanut butter to make it more palatable for her. After trying different things, usually in some other way, she decided that jelly worked best for her, and that her favorite flavor was concord grape. This came after trying other flavors as well. Sure enough, when Rikko first put the two together in a sandwich, she absolutely loved the taste. She would eventually declare peanut butter and jelly to be her absolute favorite sandwich, often taking one to work for lunch and at least two each whenever she and Mika went on picnics, weather permitting. Mika would even admit that PB&J made Rikko's lips taste good. However, the idea of this now iconic lunch item wouldn't really catch on until after World War II, when sales of the two spreads climbed dramatically.
By now, Kevin had fallen asleep on the couch, lying down the full length of the couch with his shoes off.
Mika and Rikko would spend the next twenty or so minutes at the table talking, eating, and occasionally kissing in between bites. Karelia, meanwhile, sat on the floor positioned behind and between them, waiting to nab any scraps that might fall from the table. Much to his dismay, it never happened. When he finished eating, however, Mika did have a slight drop of peanut butter stuck to the outside of his left cheek. Karelia was allowed to lick it off.
Feeling full after the meal, Mika and Rikko decided to turn in for the night, as it was past midnight. Mika did need help changing clothes, so Kevin, who had woken up off the couch, and Rikko helped him with that and anything else he might need, with Kevin setting up Mika's toothbrush. Mika needed no help with actually brushing his teeth, though.
"Thanks, you two," said Mika before Kevin went off to his room. "I appreciate the help."
"You're welcome," Kevin replied. He then headed off to his room.
"Thanks again, Rikko," Mika added.
"You're welcome, Mika," Rikko responded. "It's the least I can do."
"That was a great sandwich you made, by the way," Mika put in.
"Well," Rikko responded, "peanut butter and jelly is my specialty. I was hoping you would like it."
"And I did," said Mika.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Rikko replied.
Before they headed off to bed, the two Finns hugged and shared a long, soft kiss goodnight. It was so long, they both almost fell asleep in the middle of it - and while still standing up. After whispering "I love you" to each other upon finishing the smooch, they went off to their own rooms and off to sleep. Karelia came into Mika's room, where he usually slept on the bed with his master, and he too, called it a night.

The next morning, Mika was in a slightly better frame of mind, even though the pain in his shoulder was still great. He didn't have trouble waking up or getting out of bed, but as expected, tasks like making breakfast, setting up his toothbrush, changing his clothes, or any other tasks that required using both hands, proved very difficult. Just like getting ready for bed last night, Mika still needed help from Kevin or Rikko, sometimes both of them. But neither one of them complained about it. They couldn't exactly afford to complain. Mika was going to be in that cast for about two months, so he was going to need a fair amount of help with those things. And it was no different the day after. In between getting their own breakfast, making and packing their own lunch, and getting ready themselves, Kevin and Rikko would take time out to help Mika, knowing that his injury was only going to be a temporary burden.
"Morning, guys," Mika said as he walked in. Kevin and Rikko were already having their breakfast of a bowl of cold cereal and orange juice. Rikko also had an banana on hand.
"Good morning," Kevin said.
"Morning, baby," said Rikko as she looked at him adoringly. She then got up and gave him a good morning kiss, which he returned.
Mika then headed over to the counter to get his own breakfast.
"Oh, Mika," Rikko spoke up as she noticed him head toward the counter. "I hope you don't mind, but we already set up yours."
"Found it," Mika said as he then sat down at the kitchen table. Because they were in an apartment, all they had was a kitchenette. Mika and Kevin both had an orange with their breakfast.
"You gonna be alright here by yourself today?" Kevin asked.
"I should be okay," Mika responded.
"You sure, honey?" Rikko asked.
"I'll be fine, sweetheart," Mika replied as he put his left arm around her shoulder and kissed her right cheek.
After finishing breakfast, Kevin was the first to hit the bathroom and get ready for work. It was a Friday, so it was casual clothing that he adorned. Rikko was next, with Mika, not needing to go anywhere that day, brought up the rear. While Rikko was in there, she went ahead and set up Mika's toothbrush. After finishing in the bathroom, Kevin and Rikko both proceeded to get dressed. Kevin was going to be meeting up with some friends for lunch that day at a restaurant downtown, so he didn't need to make one here. Rikko, however, was not eating out for lunch, so she had to make her own. Sure enough, she went ahead and fixed herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (no meat was available, so this was her only option), an apple, and a small carton of milk for lunch. There was plenty of room in Rikko's lunch pail for her to lay everything flat in it, which she did. There were sectioned compartments in them for each item, so Rikko knew where to put everything. And she definitely wouldn't have to worry about her sandwich getting smashed flat. She also put the peanut butter on both slices of bread to prevent the jelly from soaking through the bread, thereby avoiding the dreaded "jelly wet spot". It would be a while between the time she made the sandwich and the time she would get around to eating it, so that's why she made it that way.
Rikko gave PB&J  a try after hearing about it from a co-worker, whose wife usually made them as a school lunch for two of their children, both of whom were school-age. And they loved it. On that particular day, she just had a peanut butter sandwich to eat, with no jelly. After her tongue was cemented to the roof of her mouth by the peanut butter - and mentioning the various combos she had tried to no avail - her co-worker suggested adding jelly. When Rikko first took a PB&J to work for lunch, she did thank him for the suggestion.
By now, Kevin was already waiting at the front door to drive her to the paper where they both worked.
"You gonna be alright here alone?" Kevin asked Mika.
"I'll be fine," Mika replied. "I may head down to the rink and see how the team is doing and if coach (Jack) Adams has a suggestion for any exercise I can do while recovering."
"You sure you can walk there?" Kevin asked again.
"It's not that far," Mika responded. "And I can take Karelia with me and get him some exercise."
"Okay," Kevin added. "Oh, are you meeting up with me and the guys today?"
"I'm not sure," Mika replied. "Isn't this a work only thing?"
"Oh, that's right, I forgot," Kevin responded. "My bad. Come on, Rikko."
Kevin then said "See you later" to both Mika and Karelia as he went through the doorway just as Rikko, with her long, blonde hair done in a ponytail, came through the area where Mika was standing. She was carrying her lunch and a few assorted work-related items including her camera.
"See you when you get home," said Mika.
"I'll see you then, too," Rikko said back.
Before Rikko left, she and Mika shared a goodbye kiss - as they did every time that one of them had to go away - before she headed off.
"I love you," Mika added.
"I love you, too," Rikko put in. She then bent down and pet Karelia and went, "Bye, Karelia!" before heading out the door to catch up with Kevin.

Later that day, Mika met up with some of his teammates at a restaurant in downtown Detroit, albeit not the same one that Kevin was at. Afterwards, it was off to the Detroit Olympia arena for practice. Mika was just there to watch, and he did indeed bring Karelia with him.
"Well, Karelia," said Mika as they entered the locker room. "It's time you got a look at my professional life."
"Oh, this ought to be good," said Karelia, knowing that only Mika could hear him say that.
Most of Mika's teammates were already in there and were happy to see him there despite not being able to play due to his injury. As Mika made his rounds, Karelia got greetings from virtually everybody in the locker room. Even the trainers and head coach greeted the malamute puppy.
"Hi, Mika," said Coach Jack Adams. "Good to see you here."
"Hello, Jack," Mika said back, knowing that Jack didn't mind his players calling him by his first name.
"Ah, you brought Karelia!" Jack said taking notice of the gray-and-white puppy sitting next to Mika. He bent down to pet the dog.
"So, how's the shoulder doing?" Jack asked. "Still have any pain in it?"
While in Boston, Mika was given a painkiller to numb any pain in the affected area. It was a IV painkiller that when Mika had it administered had been injected right down to the bone to alleviate any pain in his right shoulder. And according to Mika, those injections hurt as bad as the pain that was already the
"Yeah, it still hurts a bit," Mika replied. "It's worse if any weight is put on it, which rarely happens."
"Well, try and avoid that as much as possible, okay," said Jack.
"Okay," Mika said back. "Say, any ideas for any exercises I could do while my shoulder heals. Not exercises for my shoulder, but for, basically everything else."
"You can ask the trainer about that," Jack answered. "I'm sure he can come up with something you can do while your shoulder heals."
That would indeed be Mika's next stop. The exercise tips he got included mostly strength training for the lower body, seeing how there wasn't much he could do with the upper body for the time being. During the offseason, long-distance running was one of Mika's most commonly used training methods, and sure enough, running was indeed offered as a suggestion. Cleaning up afterward, however, would be a problem. With Mika needing to keep the cast covering his shoulder dry, he couldn't necessarily take a shower. A bath would be the only option that would allow him to clean up without the full risk of getting the cast wet.
After visiting with the trainer, Mika then took Karelia out to the rink to watch practice.
"So this is what you normally do when you come here, right?" Karelia asked his owner.
"Yes it is, Karelia," Mika answered back. "When there's not a game going on, that is."
"I figured that much," Karelia added.
As they watched the Cougars practice, Mika couldn't help but want to be out there on the ice with his teammates. And who could blame him.
"I should be out there," Mika thought. "I shouldn't be just standing here watching my teammates shoot the puck around."
Karelia looked up at his master and could see the frustration hiding behind the disappointment in his ice blue eyes. He, too, wanted to get out there and chase the puck around just like he usually did whenever Mika would go to a certain pond when it froze over in the winter and practice there on his own. Unfortunately, Karelia often kept sliding on the ice whenever he chased the puck, often ending up in a snowbank. Needless to say, he did not like that at all. Especially when he went in too deep and Mika would end up digging him out with a shovel.
Against his usual instincts, Karelia decided not to venture out onto the ice and try to chase after any puck flying around. With the speeds that they were traveling at, there was always a risk of injury, especially since protection for even the players wasn't anything to brag about, even with padding.

That evening, Mika just sat on the couch, with Karelia taking a nap next to him. Kevin and Rikko hadn't come home from work yet, so the Finn and his dog has the place all to themselves. All the while, Mika kept thinking about how quickly things had change for him in the past few days, wondering how he was ever gonna pull through. He knew he would have to find a way to do so somehow. But he wasn't sure how. But it wasn't like he needed to come up with something right away. This was easily one of those things that could take time to work out. He needed not to panic.

The next day, Mika had taken Karelia out for a walk. That morning, they had already gone for a run, but that was hours ago, and Karelia was itching to get out for more. A walk was what the malamute puppy and his owner decided to take.
As they made a turn into a more run-down section, something caught Mika's eye. On a fenced-in area, some inner-city kids were playing a game of basketball on a blacktop court. Mika remembered occasionally seeing such games going on during his first time living in Detroit, but he never really showed much interest, as hockey was his main sporting obsession. This time, however, he was intrigued, having remembered seeing it before.
"So, you've seen this game played before?" Karelia asked.
"Yes, I have, but it's been a few years," Mika responded.
"And you want to have a closer look, eh?" Karelia asked again.
"Yes," Mika replied.
"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Karelia exclaimed with delight.
Mika and Karelia crossed the street to where the court was and walked up to the fence to watch. The players were mostly dark-skinned kids, but there were some light-skinned kids in there. As he arrived at the fence, Mika put his left arm up on the fence with his elbow at a 90-degree turn. At one point during the game, the ball bounced over to where Mika and Karelia were standing. One of the black kids in the game ran after the ball, which stopped upon contact with the fence. As the kid grabbed the ball to pick it up, he saw Mika's hiking shoes, dark blue Wrangler jeans and black leather jacket. He then looked up to see who was wearing them, and upon seeing the face of their wearer, instantly recognized the face. And there was certainly no mistaking whom that blonde mullet belonged to.
"You're," the boy stuttered in surprise at what he was seeing. "You're Mika Kykalisko!"
Mika then nodded in acknowledgement.
"Boys, come on!" the kid at the fence called out to the other players. "Everybody over here! Look! It's Mika Kykalisko!"
By now, Mika had become well-known throughout Detroit and the state of Michigan, especially among his fellow Finnish-speakers, most of whom lived in the Upper Peninsula. Mika lived there for a little more than three years in between his stays in Detroit and Nome. But even those who weren't Finnish or of Finnish decent had heard his name and recognized who it belonged to.
"Hey, can Karelia and I watch you guys play?" Mika asked.
"Yeah!" most of the kids replied simultaneously, some even gesturing "Come on in!".
With that, Mika grinned and motioned to Karelia to follow him into the fenced-in area.
The game went on for a while, but Mika wasn't worried about the time, as he had all afternoon free. He actually had a good time watching these kids play a game he barely knew anything about. It gave him a chance to free up his mind from all the tumultuous events that had happened to him during the past few days. Karelia, meanwhile, just enjoyed being out in the sun, although he was getting the urge to chase the ball whenever it rolled out of the hands of one of the players' hands. Whenever the ball bounced out of bounds right where Mika and Karelia were sitting, usually one of them would pass it back in. One time, the ball almost hit Mika in the head, prompting him to pull his head of the way and say, "Whoa! Right there, basket's that way, chief! Yeah!" Another time, Karelia jumped up and bumped it back inbounds right off the tip of his nose. The player who first noticed Mika watching the game, who would later reveal his name to be Jamal, caught the pass with both hands and was in shock as far as who passed it to him. He knew it couldn't have been Mika because he knew about his shoulder being busted up and immobile.
"Did your dog just do that?" Jamal asked.
"I think he did," said Mika. "I didn't see all that happened."
"Your dog jumped up and knocked the ball back into play," Jamal continued.
"No way!" Mika said in shock. He then turned to Karelia and said, "Did you do that?"
Karelia nodded.
"Holy crap," said the Finn, looking very confused and disillusioned. "I didn't know he could do that. I mean, he sometimes chases stray hockey pucks whenever I practice on this one frozen pond in the winter whenever I practice on my own. But he never jumped up and caught a ball before. At least I've never seen him do it before."
"If the only the hoop were lower," said another kid who was among those on the court, "he could score a basket."
"Well, he is only five months old," Mika answered back. "Wait until he's full grown, then he could probably score one in the hoop at its full height."
"I'm sure he could," said Jamal.
Eventually, the game resumed. It went on for a few hours longer before many of them had to go home for dinner. Mika and Karelia were just about to head home when Kevin pulled up near the basketball court in his Model T.
"Where've you been, man?" Kevin asked, sounding less than thrilled about Mika disappearing for as long as he did.
"I took Karelia for a walk, saw these kids playing a basketball game, went over to watch, which I was only going to do briefly," Mika explained in the best way he knew, "but somehow one of them recognized me and drew everyone else over to the fence. I asked if Karelia and I could watch them play, and they invited us inside to watch. Oh, and get this. At one point, the ball bounced to where Karelia was sitting, and he just jumped up and knocked the ball back inbounds with his nose!"
Kevin's jaw dropped.
"What?!" he exclaimed. "Are you pulling my leg?!"
"Why the hell would I do that?" Mika asked, confused that his good friend and roommate didn't believe him. And also not knowing that "pulling my leg" was a figure of speech. Then again, he had never heard the phrase before, so he didn't know what it was, let alone what it meant.
"Seriously, when have I ever lied to you, Kevinator?" Mika asked again, calling Kevin by a nickname he had used for him since they became good friends.
"I don't remember," Kevin replied after being silent for a few seconds. "Oh well, I guess I'll believe it when I see it."
"Say, Mika," said Jamal after he came up to where was leaning on the door of Kevin's car. "If you want to, after you get the cast off your shoulder, you're welcome to play a game with us."
"Thank you, Jamal," Mika responded. "It won't be for a while, though. I've got almost two months left before it comes off."
"Okay, man," said Jamal. "Hope it heals."
"It will," said Mika. "The doctor said it will."
With that, Mika and Jamal exchanged a fist bump before Jamal headed for his home and Mika and Karelia climbed into Kevin's car for the ride home.

Over the next several weeks, Mika's shoulder would indeed make progress as far as healing goes. Before he knew it, the day finally came to take the cast off. It was a workday, and he would be going in alone, so he had to take Karelia with him. It took a hand saw to remove the cast, but once it was off, Mika could at long last move his shoulder. It was still a little tender when he moved it, but at least it wasn't accompanied by any major pain. Soon, the Finn was back to action, but not able to play any hockey game. Besides, the season was over by now, and the Cougars had lost the Stanley Cup to Boston, the very team they were playing when Mika had the accident that left him out for the season.
But it wasn't all bad news for Mika. He made good of his word to join a basketball game with Jamal and company and practice for it as well. Which, needless to say, wasn't going very well at first. But as with all things, practice made perfect, and he did indeed improve at it.
He would often practice on the same court where those kids usually played at. On game morning, a Saturday, Kevin and Rikko were called in at the newspaper due to a breaking story that needed to be covered. But it was quick, and they were back home by noon. Mika, meanwhile, had gone out for some practice wearing his gray sweatshirt and sweatpants. He came back in after his roommates got home.
Rikko was the first to answer the door when he came back in.
"Hey, there. We wondering where you were," she said.
"Just getting some practice shots in before game time," Mika explained.
The two then kissed briefly.
"Mmm, I can tell what you've been having," said Mika after detecting a familiar taste on Rikko's lips during the course of that kiss.
"Yeah, I know," Rikko said shyly as she held up her left hand. She was clutching a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that had a few bites taken out of it. Rikko had just taken a bite out of it before answering the door to let Mika and Karelia back in and she had obviously taken it to the door with her.
Sure enough, on the table in the kitchen was the plate that held Rikko's sandwich, a glass of milk - which was her favorite drink to have with PB&J - and an orange already cut up with the skin off.
"You gonna want anything to eat before you go play?" Rikko asked.
"Yeah, probably," Mika replied. "In fact, what you got looks pretty good right now."
"Get your own," Rikko said as she put her hands on top of her lunch, "because this is all mine."
"I was," Mika responded in a firm, but nice tone.
Sure enough, Mika did indeed have what Rikko was having, albeit his own.
Game time eventually came, and Mika was off to the b-ball court. As was the case last time, Karelia came along. This time, however, Rikko and Kevin also came along to see how their roommate would fair at a sport he had never played competitively before. Mika didn't set his own expectations very high, like he did the first time he played hockey in a competitive situation. This would indeed prove to be very interesting.
"Hey, hey, look who's here!" Jamal called out upon seeing Mika. "Hi Mika!"
"Hi there, Jamal!" the Finn called back.
"Ready to play?!" Jamal asked.
"Why, yes I am!" Mika replied enthusiastically. He then proceeded to shed his outer sweats, revealing a sleeveless shirt and loose shorts. Instead of hiking boots, the running shoes that he used for running and other forms of training adorned his feet.
Jamal and Mika would both end up playing on the same team, with Jamal offering a few pointers to his rookie teammate. They seemed to help, as Mika would eventually score some points. He didn't take two many shots on net, so his scoring chances proved to be scant. Still, his supporters on the sideline showed their support whenever he did well.
The game would go on for about one hour. Fate seemed to repeat itself at one point when the ball bounced out of bounds right to where Karelia, Kevin, and Rikko were seated. Sure enough, while the ball was up in the air, Karelia jumped up and bumped the ball back in with his nose. Everyone froze in shock at the sight.
"No way!" Mika said in surprise.
"Did he just do what I thought I saw him do?" Rikko asked. She was in a daze by now, and it showed all over her face.
"Uh, yeah!" said Kevin in response. "I saw it, too."
Rikko had been told about what Karelia did that one time when he and Mika were just spectators watching the kids play. Now she saw it for herself and was now fully convinced.
At game's end, Jamal would end up making the winning basket for his team. Mika pumped his fist in delight when the ball went "swish!". Kevin and Rikko cheered from the sideline.
After all the celebrating and congratulating took place, eventually it was time to head home. It was late afternoon by now, so it was closing in on dinner time for most of the kids. Mika was feeling really good for the first time since before his shoulder injury. To take on largely unfamiliar sport and do as well as he did fresh off recovery from an injury would have felt like a win even if he hadn't actually won. To actually win was the icing on the victory cake. And on top of all that, he made some new friends in the process. All and all, it was very much a great day for the Finn.

That evening after dinner, the threesome had gone out for dinner to the very place where Kevin had gone for that one business meeting the day after Mika came home from the hospital in Boston. After hearing Kevin described the place, Mika and Rikko wanted to check it out themselves. Kevin, of course, was doing the treating. It was a pizza place that served many different styles. The favorite of the three was, undoubtedly, Chicago-style deep dish with pepperoni.
"I can't believe how good the food is here," said Rikko after finishing off her first slice.
"Oh, it's definitely good," said Kevin.
"As good as when I first ate here," Mika added.
"You've been here before?" Rikko asked.
"Why, yes I have," Mika responded. "When I first came here to Detroit, it was Kevin that showed me around. And this was one of the places he showed me."
In fact, it was the first place Kevin showed Mika after the Finn first came to Detroit. And he was unreserved in his praise about the place, as he was with every other worthy place in the D. You see, Kevin was a Detroit man, through and through.
"Well, I can definitely say that I have officially found a favorite restaurant here," said Rikko.
"I had a hunch you would like it," Kevin replied.
"As did I," Mika added.
He then got up to go to the bathroom, having already eaten his second slice. Rikko couldn't keep from staring at him - as usual - as he headed off.
"So, Rikko, what was it you were saying about...." said Kevin. He stopped when he noticed Rikko still eye-balling Mika on his way to the john.
"Rikko? Rikko!" Kevin finally raised his voice and snapping his fingers in her line of sight.
"What, what?" Rikko said in a confused tone as she snapped out of her apparent trance.
"What were you doing?" Kevin asked."
"Uh, admiring the scenery," Rikko replied, obviously trying to play down that she had been staring at Mika the whole time. Kevin, of course, didn't believe her.
"Oh, please," Kevin said in a tone that clearly conveyed his disbelief in what she had to say. "You really think I'm that stupid? You were staring holes through Mika as he was off to the can!"
"Well, excuse me!" Rikko snapped. "I can't help it!"
"Meaning?" Kevin asked as he tapped the table with his right hand.
"Well," Rikko replied, "you probably already know about my early days with Mika back home in Kokkola. Ever since I came here, I feel like I'm reliving all those good times I had with him all over again."
"Girl, I can already tell that if nostalgia were a food, you'd never go hungry," Kevin put in. Rikko chuckled at the remark.
"Yeah, I admit, I'm a sucker for that," Rikko said, still grinning from Kevin's remark. "But I tell you, whenever I'm with him, or even think about him, I feel my heartbeat going, 'Mi-ka. Mi-ka. Mi-ka. Mi-ka.'" As Rikko did this, she put her right hand over her chest and thumped it in a simulated heartbeat thumping out Mika's name.
"Gracious, Rikko Jehkinen," Kevin said as he shook his head in both amusement and disbelief, "what an enchanted world you live in!"
Rikko didn't bother to dignify that with any kind of response at first. But that was because she couldn't come up with one.
"What?" she asked quizzically. "Kevin, are you trying to tell me that there's no one who holds a special place in your heart?"
"No," Kevin replied. "Not for a long time."
Kevin was not dating anyone at the time and hadn't done so in about two years. His last relationship did not end very well.
Eventually, Mika came back, not knowing what happened while he was away and they eventually finished up their meal and went home.

Later that very evening, Mika was standing in front of the mantle looking over the photos that were lining it. Among them were some pictures he took while up in Nome, including some photos of himself, his younger brother Kaj, and other assorted pictures of the town. But the one he couldn't take his eyes off of was one of himself with Nome's canine hero, Balto, who had not only been a part of Mika's life during his last few months in Nome, but on more than one occasion, had actually saved it. The first one was when Mika had taken a nasty fall off of a cliff near the town of Wales -also in Alaska - after the Finn had fled Nome after saving Kaj's life after he had gotten attacked in an alley, only to be faced with death threats having inadvertently killed one of Kaj's attackers and wounded the other two with a revolver. The second time, of course, came during the siege of Nome by the Soviet extremists, whom Mika followed back to Nome after they had destroyed Wales, along with a few other towns along the way. Also in the picture was Balto's beloved mate, Jenna, and her owner, Rosy. Kaj had taken that picture just minutes before Mika left for Detroit aboard brother Mikko's airplane. It was a rather bittersweet moment for Mika, because after saving Nome from the extremists, he had gone from loner with few friends to the town's bipedal hero. It wasn't an easy decision to make, and he did miss those days to some extent. But he would never forget the good times he had up there, so he at least had that to hang on to.
Mika was sitting down on the couch when Rikko came into the living room. It was late by now.
"You okay, Mika?" she asked. "It's after midnight."
"I couldn't sleep, Rikko," Mika said in response.
"You've been holding that picture for quite a few nights lately," Rikko said. "You miss Nome in anyway?"
"I don't know," Mika replied. "I do have some good memories from up there. This photo being one of them."
"You said Kaj took this one, right?" Rikko asked.
"How could the four of us fit in there if it was me taking the picture?" Mika asked in response. "Yes, he did take it."
"It sure is a good one," Rikko added.
"I know," Mika said in followup.
Mika had often talked about his experiences up in Nome - both the good and the bad - with Kevin and Rikko, so it wasn't like they didn't know. And by sharing it with them, it kept the memory alive and well. Lately, though, Rikko in particular was very intrigued by those stories and often tried to imagine herself as a witness to those events as they happened.
"I tell you, Mika," said Rikko after a brief moment of silence, "you sure do a good job recounting these events and telling of them. Makes me wish I was there to see them as they happened."
"Really?" Mika asked.
"Yes, indeed," Rikko replied. "In fact, hearing about them has even made me want to go see the place myself."
This last sentence caught Mika completely by surprise.
"You mean that you'd want to go there?" Mika asked.
"Yes I would," Rikko answered enthusiastically, although she did have to keep her voice down so that she didn't wake Kevin, who was asleep by now. "The way you tell those stories makes seeing the place so exciting! I'd love to go there! I just wish there was some way I could work such a trip into my schedule. I know if I had your kind of work schedule, I could easily fit one in.
"Maybe we can," said Mika.
"Really?" Rikko asked. "But how?"
"I'm sure there's a way," Mika responded. "So, you really want to go, eh?"
"Only if you come with me," Rikko replied.
"Of course I will," Mika added.
Even though it hadn't fully materialized yet, Rikko could already imagine such a trip happening and even what it might look like. And having already heard that Mika said that he was going to go up there with her made her look forward to it even more.
"Do you think that Kevin would want to come?" Rikko asked.
"I don't know," Mika answered. "He's so much of a Detroit man, I doubt he'd want to be away for more than a week."
"How long do you think we can be away on such a trip?" Rikko asked.
"You know," Mika replied. "Let's not worry about that right now."
"Good idea," said Rikko as she put her left arm around Mika and lay her head on his now healed right shoulder. She then looked over at him, the look on her face clearly saying that she wanted a kiss. Having seen that look numerous times before, Mika knew well enough not to ignore it, and he happily returned the kiss. Seeing how late it was, they both eventually headed off to bed. But not before sharing another kiss, which was only slightly longer than the one they shared while on the couch.
"I love you, Mika," Rikko whispered softly.
"I love you too, Rikko," Mika whispered back.
Before heading off to bed, the two shared one more kiss, this one being just a quick peck on the lips. Now it was off to bed for the two Finns. As she drifted off to sleep, Rikko couldn't keep from thinking about how such a trip up to Nome might play out. It was a pleasant thought for her, and it would help her make it through the night.

What awaits Mika upon his will return to Nome? How will Rikko fair in her first trip up there? Find out in Chapter 2: Nome-ward Bound.