by B. D. Gates
I pondered that situation. Certainly, it was all for 'fun,' that was the agreement. And it had been fun, hell, more than just fun, it was fantastically fun. Penny was an 'all-in' kind of girl, there was no half-way in her world. When you're with someone like that, it's a rush, an adrenaline shot straight into the vein, there's no slowing down. Problem was, I liked Penny.
I missed her.
Maybe I was in withdrawal.
Dr. Biggs walked into the kennels. I quickly stood up and tossed the paper on the counter, hoping she hadn't seen me killing time on her pay. She had seen me, but held up her hand, shook her head as if to say, 'I saw it, no need to panic.' She walked over to the sink and began washing her hands.
"Did you read the article?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am."
"Well, those are the teams we're facing this year. I can tell you their strengths, their weaknesses, even where they go to eat after games. I just cannot tell you what is going to happen to keep us from winning the championship. That's part of the fun, part of the pain. You've got to embrace it all." She laughed as she finished the sentence.
She leaned against the sink as she dried her hands, looking out across the kennels. "Baxter, you've got such good skills. You've come a long way since the start of practice, and I really think you'll get even better as the season goes on and you go up against the different teams, get some diversity in facing pitchers. I just want you to know that I'm really glad to have you on the team."
Her comments caught me by surprise. I nodded my head, not so much in agreement, but as if to say, 'I hear you, Coach.'
"Let me change the subject." Dr. Biggs turned to me. "How are you doing? Are you adapting to your new life in Tenley?"
I thought for a minute. I didn't know how to answer that question outright.
"I suppose I am. It's different from Maryland, but not so different. I mean, it's Life, the things that would happen to me in...Rockville, well, they'd be just as likely to happen here." I was thinking about the situation with Penny. "The only difference between here and there, really, is geography."
Dr. Biggs smiled and nodded. She apparently liked my answer, or understood it, simple as it was.
"Baxter, I want you to know that I know how hard it is sometimes, to be in a new place, so if you ever need someone to talk to...". She left the rest of that sentence unfinished, but I knew what she meant.
I smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Coach."
"Well, then, why don't you go ahead and check out for today, go get ready for tonight. I'll see you at the ballpark."
I have learned to not try to argue with Dr. Biggs. "Okay, Coach, see you tonight."
I gathered up my gear and headed out.
On my way home from work, I stopped by Henderson's Hardware to pick up some new tube socks. Henderson's was more like an old-fashioned 'general store' carrying far more than hardware. I wandered through the aisles, amazed at the selection of 'trash and treasures.' I picked up a six-pack of tube socks, along with a spice candle and a box of double-A batteries. I headed for the checkout with my goods when I spotted Jared in the row that contained fishing tackle.
"Hey, Jared."
"Well, hey, girl, I was jus' checkin' out the lures, seein' what Dave has in stock. Miz Maggie and I are going fishin' in the mornin' and I need to replace the ones I lost last year. What are you up to?"
"Buying socks for softball, mine are a little thin."
"You playing softball for Dr. Biggs? Aw, that's good. She's a good coach, shame what happened last year at the Championship game. Those girls played like they were on fire all season and then, boom! They lost it all on the last play of the last game."
"What happened, Jared? I've never heard."
"Well, I tell ya, it was a heart breaker, that's for sure. Let me set it up for ya, first. Bottom of the seventh, Bigg's team is up by one. Snelling's team is up and this one girl comes up to bat, hits a double into right field, goes all the way to the fence, so now there's a man on second, you don't mind if I say 'man' do you, makes it easier to tell."
I nodded, prompting Jared to get on with the story.
"Anyways, man on second, and the pitcher, Stacey, manages to strike out the next two batters. Now we're down to the last batter, everybody's on their feet, the noise is incredible. This little girl comes up and Stacey starts pitching. In no time, she's pitched three balls, two strikes, full count, and then that little girl started fouling off pitches! She fouled off six of 'em before she hits one solid out to center. Now, here's where the wheels come off. The center fielder gets under it and everyone thinks that's it, but the fielder dropped it. Dropped it! Well, the base runner's already rounded third, the fielder can't find the ball, and by the time the left fielder comes in and picks it up, the base runner's crossed and that little girl is headed for third. The left fielder throws the ball past the cut-off man towards home, over the catcher to the backstop, the little girl has rounded third and she pours it on, manages to slide in under the catcher. It was pandemonium! That park went crazy! I tell ya! Best and worst finish to a season I have ever seen!"
I was numb. I knew who that 'little girl' was, I had just seen her at bat the night before. Penny had been recruited for her talent, and to keep her from being on Snellings' team again. Coach knew what she was doing.
"I tell you, though," Jared continued, "That Dr. Biggs, she took it all in stride. She smiled, went over and shook Dr. Snellings' hand, shook hands all around, stayed on that field til it was nearly empty. Maggie and I were in the stands, waiting for everyone else to get out of the parking lot and we watched her the whole time. Her graciousness was just so, well, gracious. After the park cleared, we walked down and shook her hand, too, mostly because we were so proud of her, and we told her so. She just smiled and said 'those are the breaks.' Ya know, those girls, they had played a helluva season. They just ran out of gas before they ran out of road, know what I mean?"
I stood there nodding, thinking about Dr. Biggs, her kindness and her 'graciousness.' She had taken me in, given me a job, a spot on her team and, well, my whole life evolved around all the things Dr. Biggs had done for me. I swore to myself, right then and there, that I would do everything I could to win that championship for her. I owed her that.
"So, we're gonna have a fish fry if we have a good day, and you're more than welcome to join us," Jared was saying.
"Oh, thank you, that's awful nice of you, and Miz Maggie, but I've got a practice game tomorrow night."
"Yeah, that's right, I forgot. Y'all play the Whitmore Wheelers on Monday, right?"
"Yessir."
"Well, I tell you what. Miz Maggie makes the best sauce you've ever tasted, you don't want to miss it, but we'll be frying fish right regular from here on. Season's just gettin' started, you know."
It sure is, I thought to myself.
It sure is.
16
That night, my team won the game. I got on base twice, with a single and a double with a run batted in. Tess met me at the gate.
"You're doing really well," she said, as she handed me a bottle of water.
"Thanks," I said. "And thanks for this," I said, indicating the water.
"Hungry?"
"I could eat. What do you have in mind?"
"Steak." She replied so quickly, I laughed.
"Who's hungry," I said, more a statement than a question.
Her turn to laugh. "I've been thinking about it all day."
"You've been planning dinner with me?"
"Well, yeah," she replied. "We're going out to Gene's and Hettie's."
Gene and his wife Hettie had a small space in a strip mall that also housed a chain grocery store and a dry cleaners. Their fare was mostly steak-house based, the restaurant was pleasantly lit, with warm beige carpet, red-and-white checkered table cloths over the two and four-seat table groupings, with light-colored wood booths lining the wall adjacent to the kitchen. Hettie welcomed Tess like a long-lost family member when we came through the door.
> "Oh, come here, you dear girl, how are you, it's been too long," cried Hettie, a grandmotherly type with what was most likely a German accent, though it could have been Austrian, a small stout woman who reminded me of Mrs. Claus as she hugged Tess tight.
"Good to see you, too," said Tess, hugging back just as tightly. She lightly wiped at her eyes as they broke away from each other.
"Gene, come out and see who's here," Hettie called to the back. The few patrons scattered about the restaurant looked up to see as well.
A short, somewhat rotund man made his way to the front. He wore a red-checked shirt and a white apron, round spectacles and a short-trimmed white beard. I smiled and, with eyes wide, turned to look at Tess. She looked back at me with a quizzical expression.
Holy crap, this was what Santa and Mrs. Claus did in the off-season.
"Well, hello, sweetheart, look at you, good to see you," the round little German said as he gently hugged Tess. She laughed sweetly as she returned the hug.
I had been hanging back, not quite knowing where I fit in with all the hugging.
"Gene, Hettie, this is Bish-my friend, Lisa Baxter," said Tess, introducing me.
I held out my hand but was immediately embraced by Hettie. "It's so good to meet a friend of Tess's," said Hettie, as she squeezed me and patted my back. Gene took his turn as well, saying "so good to meet you."
With the introductions and hugging done, Hettie showed us to a small table toward the back. The location was away from the traffic to and from the kitchen, but not so secluded that we had to wait for anyone to see to our needs.
"What's Gene cooking tonight?" asked Tess.
"He put on a prime rib this morning that is just perfect with his special au jus," Hettie answered. Tess hummed happily to her answer and ordered for the both of us, asking Hettie to pick the wine.
Once our orders were in, and we were left alone, Tess opened the conversation.
"Think y'all have a chance to win the Championship?"
"I should be asking you that." I answered. "You've watched the practice games, and you've seen them play against other teams. So, how do you think we're going to do?"
"Well, I think that keeping your bat deep in the order gives you a chance to start something when the other team thinks they're just gonna blow pitches by you and make some easy outs. And, with that girl that smacked one in the first practice game batting clean-up, y'all have a really good shot at taking it all."
"That girl's name is Penny and she's the one that won it for Dr. Snellings' team last year."
"Penny." Tess appeared to make a mental note.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing."
There was an uncomfortable silence. I had to break it.
"Tess, why don't you play?"
"Well, because, I just never know when I'm going to get called for one thing or another. I can't guarantee that I'd be there for the practices and all the games. The season lasts ten weeks, plus two more weeks for the series. And softball really wasn't my thing in high school."
I recalled the conversation with Biggs and the UVA scholarship.
Hettie brought two glasses and a small decanter of wine, poured, and smiled while she patted Tess on the shoulder before going back into the kitchen.
Tess raised her glass. I raised mine in turn. "To The Pride. May their bats be straight, their hits fly true, and may they cover all their bases!" I laughed and added "Hear! Hear!" as we clinked glasses.
Dinner was delicious. I quizzed Tess about the tool shed break-ins. There hadn't been any more in a while, but some of the stolen goods had turned up in donation boxes in and around Tenley, for Goodwill-type distribution centers for the poor, run by area churches. I wondered aloud if there might be any security camera footage that might be available, Tess looking at me curiously as she answered that they'd investigated that but there weren't any trained on the boxes or nearby.
Tess was really at a loss, but she did point out that it was tough to catch a break with crimes like that, since there were no witnesses and there was no hard evidence to go by.
I told her that maybe there wouldn't be any more, or that they'd catch a break if there was.
We were about to finish dinner when Hettie and Gene arrived at our table with a rather large piece of chocolate cake with a burning candle on it. I looked quizzically at Tess, who was now looking rather embarrassed.
"For you, darling girl, Happy Birthday!" said Hettie as she placed the cake in front of Tess.
"Oh, Hettie, no," said Tess.
"What, did I get the date wrong?" asked Hettie, looking perplexed and a little embarrassed herself.
"No, Hettie, the date's right, I, just, I wasn't planning..." said Tess, flustered.
"It's your birthday?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Well, then, by all means, Tess, make a wish and blow out the candle," I urged her. "Go on."
Tess closed her eyes, took a deep breath and blew. We were all smiling as we quietly clapped for her.
"Thank you," Tess said, in a small voice, a shy smile on her face, her eyes downcast.
"You're more than welcome, we would never forget such a thing," said Gene, smiling. "Thank you for coming here tonight to share it with us," he added as he filled our glasses from the decanter. I smiled and nodded in thanks as they left us to enjoy the dessert.
I looked closely at Tess. The faint discoloration was fading, but a sadness had taken its place. I'd seen that sadness, it was something she'd kept hidden from everyone. I saw it the morning I'd almost kissed her in the carriage house kitchen. The morning I'd come home when she wasn't sure that I would.
As Gene and Hettie headed back to the kitchen, I heard Hettie tell Gene that she knew she wasn't wrong, that Rick had always brought Tess here on her birthday, and that she'd made note of it on all of the calenders through the years, just as a reminder to herself.
Tess had come here with her dad. Tonight, she was here with me. Tess really didn't have anyone else in her life.
"Tess..." I spoke softly.
She shook her head, her eyes closed.
"Tess, I'm honored that you would share your birthday dinner with me. Really, I am."
"It was a mistake," she whispered.
"What?"
"I shouldn't have come here. I thought it had been long enough, that I could do this."
"Of course you should have done this. Tess, you're with people who love you on a night that should be celebrated."
"Bishop, I...just...I miss him so!" she whispered, as she looked down at the table.
"I know, Tess."
Her eyes snapped up to meet mine. "No, Bishop, I don't think you do."
I leaned in. "Tess, I didn't know my father," I answered, my voice low but steady.
"What?"
"Or my mother. I grew up in foster care. I 'aged out' as they say. I was never adopted."
"Oh! Oh, Bishop, I'm...I'm so sorry." The tone of her apology was truly repentant, her eyes still focused on the table as she shook her head.
"So, maybe I don't know exactly how you feel, but I do know something about feeling alone in this world."
Tess looked up, met my gaze. I reached across the table and took her hand.
"Tess, I'm so sorry you lost your father. But I can honestly say that he loved you with all his heart, that he still does, and that he would want you to move on with your life. Now, these beautiful friends of yours have brought you a lovely piece of cake, and I think that we should at least have a few bites of it, for their sakes, don't you?" I gave her hand a small squeeze as I let it go and sat back.
Tess gave a slight nod.
I waited as she took the first bite, then I took one of my own and washed it down with a rather large slug of wine. The lump in my throat was hard to swallow without it.
We ended up eating nearly the whole piece and, maybe it was the chocolate, or the wine, or a combination of the two, but I would say that we were both feeling reasonably better when we had eate
n as much as we could.
Hettie met us at the register as we made our way to the door.
"Dear girl, you are family to us, you eat with us any time you can. Thank you so much for coming here tonight, and...I'm sorry I upset you." There were tears in the woman's eyes.
"Hettie, no, I upset you and I'm really so very sorry," Tess apologized, as she hugged her close. "Thank you for such a lovely dinner and I promise I'll come and see you more. I promise," she whispered to the stout little woman.
We left the restaurant and I walked Tess to her car. She turned to me, her eyes glistening.
"Bishop..." she said softly. Then, she reached for me, pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back.
We held on tight, stayed that way, two orphans clinging to each other in the dark.
"Happy Birthday," I whispered in her ear.
She nodded, then broke away and got into her car without looking back. I got in mine and watched as she drove out of the parking lot.
I drove home and, as I pulled up to the gate, my headlights shone on a red convertible.
Damn.
I had company.
Penny was still sitting in her car when I got out of the Jeep. I walked over and leaned against the driver's front side panel, arms crossed, and looked down into the cockpit at her.
"Hello," I said.
"Hello," she quietly replied, not meeting my eye.
"What do you want, Penny?" I said flatly.
"I don't know, Baxter," she answered just above a whisper, her head still down.
"Well, you need to figure it out."
"I know."
"I'm going in now. It's been a long day."
