by Dayle Gaetz
“My dad?”
“Uh-uh,” he grinned, “it’s Rachel. You do realize she’s got the hots for you, right?”
“Rachel? From work? Don’t be such an idiot, Stuart, she’s too old. Like you said, she likes to give us young guys a bad time.”
“Whatever you say, man.”
I turned and waved at her. “Hey, Rachel, are you going to watch our game?”
She grinned. “Sure am! I hear you’re pretty good.”
“You bet we are!”
Then I saw Leah coming up behind Rachel. “Leah!” I called and ran to meet her.
“How’s it going, Curt?” She smiled, but the smile didn’t light up her face the way it usually did.
“Good, I feel good. With you here, the other team doesn’t stand a chance.”
Her smile vanished. “Listen, Curt, whether you win or lose has nothing to do with me. You’re the pitcher. I’m just here to enjoy the game.”
“Right.”
She laughed. “Don’t look so bummed! I’m just saying that you’re really good. If I miss a game, you can play just as well as ever.”
“Whatever. So, do you want to go somewhere after? Go get something to eat?”
“Sure, Curt. Meanwhile, I’m cheering for you.”
We won that game 8 to 1. I could do no wrong. Well, one wrong. If it hadn’t been for that guy who made it to first base in the ninth inning, the score would have been 8 to 0. I almost had him too; the next two batters struck out. But the third one bunted past me. Our shortstop fumbled and the batter got to first. Meantime, the runner made it home.
After the game, Stuart came with us to get a burger, then Leah and I went for a walk to Macaulay Point. I showed her the round cement base where a huge cannon used to guard the strait during both world wars. “Stu and I used to play here when we were kids,” I told her.
We leaned back on the warm cement, out of the wind. “I can hardly wait for school to start,” she said.
“What? Are you nuts? Why?”
“I’m bored out of my mind! I couldn’t find a job, I don’t have any friends, and…”
“Aren’t we friends?” I interrupted.
“Sure, Curt. But I mean girl friends. Besides, you’re busy most of the time.”
How was I supposed to answer that? “So, are you coming to the game on Saturday?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
That should have made me feel good. But it seemed to me she had said the same thing before.
Friday night I took a pill before I went to bed so I’d get a good sleep. I may have taken another one during the night, but I can’t be sure. I may have dreamt it.
Saturday morning the rain was pouring down so hard I could barely see the neighbors’ house. I thought the game would be canceled, so I phoned Leah to see if she wanted to catch a movie or something. No one answered.
The rain let up by noon. Stuart and I met at the field and took some practice pitches. I kept glancing around, hoping to see Leah.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Stuart grinned, “but Rachel won’t be here today. She just started her shift when I was leaving. But she’s on until late tonight, so you’ll get to see her later.”
I wound up and threw the ball at him. He jumped out of the way. “Hey, watch it, man! You almost got me on the head.”
I laughed. “If I’d been aiming for your head, you’d have some powerful headache right about now.”
The game was about to start. Still no Leah.
I wasn’t about to lose because of a girl. She was right. I played just fine before she came along and I could play just fine without her. All I had to do was concentrate. And ignore my father.
We won, but the score was 4 to 3, too close for comfort.
“You okay?” Coach Watson asked.
“Sure, why?”
“You seemed off your game today. Is something bothering you? Is your shoulder sore?”
“No, it’s fine. We’ll win the next game, no problem.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He paused. “So, is it your girl?”
“What girl?”
He laughed. “That pretty girlfriend of yours. You think I haven’t noticed how you play just great when she’s here? But if she misses a game, you mess up.”
“It has nothing to do with Leah.”
“Okay. Whatever you say. But you take care of that arm and don’t stay out all night before the next game!”
I waited, hoping he would offer me some more of those little pills, because I was almost out. But he started talking to someone else.
Stuart caught up with me on my way home to get changed for work. “Hey, man, you okay?”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. You seem kind of stressed.”
“No, I’m good.”
“I was only kidding about Rachel, you know. You’d have to be out of your mind to look at her when you’ve got Leah.”
“I know that.”
But Leah didn’t show up for the game.
Chapter Eight
After work I pushed out through the door. It wasn’t dark yet, but gloomy, with a heavy rain beating down. I ducked my head and splashed across the wet parking lot.
I almost bumped into Rachel, standing there in a wet shirt that clung to her body. “Need a ride, Curt?” she asked.
Already my shirt was soaked through. “I’m fine. I don’t have far to go.”
“Where do you live?”
When I told her, she said, “That’s on my way home. Get in, I’ll drop you off. And don’t worry,” she grinned, “I promise not to seduce you on the way there.”
“I didn’t think…”
She laughed and opened the passenger door of a rusty little red car. “Get in.” She walked around to the driver’s side.
Rain streamed over my head as I stared at the open door. Rachel was being nice, offering me a ride. I got in.
“Where’s your little girlfriend tonight?” she asked as she started the engine.
“She’s busy.”
“Stood you up, huh?”
“No.”
“Did she come to your game?”
“No.”
“Was she supposed to?”
I didn’t answer.
“Poor Curt,” she said. “Such a pretty little girl, but she doesn’t appreciate you.”
Still I didn’t answer.
She took me home. To her place. “Come inside,” she invited. “I’ll make some coffee. You look cold.”
I peered through the wet windshield. It was a grim scene. Paint was peeling from the walls of the run-down apartment building. A rusted-out truck was parked in front. “I really should be getting home. It’s late.”
“Listen,” she said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. As much as I’d like to go out for something to eat, I’m soaking wet. I need to get changed. So, I figure, why not have something here?”
“No thanks, I’ll just walk home.” I opened the car door.
She laughed. “I promise not to molest you. But I will make some coffee and grilled cheese sandwiches.”
That sounded good. And, as usual, I was hungry. No harm in having something to eat. “Okay then, thanks.”
Her apartment was in the basement. It was small and smelled of mold. I sat on a lumpy couch while she made coffee.
She opened the fridge. “I could go for a beer,” she said. “Want one?” Before I could answer, she passed me a bottle and sat down next to me.
We drank the beer and talked about baseball. She seemed to know a lot about the game. “My old boyfriend used to play,” she said.
I was really hungry by then. I wondered what had happened to those sandwiches she had mentioned. She got up and grabbed two more beers.
I stood up. “Uh, I really should get going.”
She shoved a bottle at me. “Why? Is your girlfriend waiting?” She winked. “Besides, I’m gonna make those sandwiches now.” She sipped her beer and wandered into the tiny kitchen. She
put on a CD and danced as she opened a loaf of bread that lay on the counter.
I drank my beer and waited. I was so hungry that the beer was going straight to my head. Finally she put some sandwiches on the coffee table and went back to open the fridge. “Oops!” she laughed. “I’m out of beer.”
“Coffee would be good,” I told her.
“Whatever you say.” She laughed even harder as she poured coffee into two mugs. When she came back to the couch she had something in her hand — a little square of cardboard that was folded up like an envelope. She opened it and sprinkled something onto a hand mirror. A pure white powder. She divided it in half, stuck a short straw up one nostril and snorted the powder.
“Cocaine?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said, “it’s way better than beer. Try some.” She pushed it towards me. “Go on, it won’t hurt you.”
I should have said no. But I just stared at that innocent-looking white powder and said nothing.
She laughed at me. “What’s the matter? Scared? Will your mommy and daddy ground you? Will your little girlfriend get mad?”
Whether it was the beer on an empty stomach or the way she made me feel like a little kid, I don’t know. But I tried it. Wow! I had never known anything like it. The high was so sudden I was bursting out of my skin. I felt so good it hurt!
Then, just as suddenly, it was over. I felt real bad. So bad I could not stay in her smelly little apartment one second longer. I felt myself sinking lower and lower. My skin itched. I felt filthy.
Rachel’s laugh followed me as I hurried out the door into the rain. “You’ll be back!” she called.
Her words rang in my ears. I never wanted to see her again.
When I opened our back door and stepped into the kitchen, I noticed a light in the living room. The door squeaked as I eased it closed.
“Is that you, Curt?” Mom called.
“Where have you been?” Dad yelled.
“Oh, Curt!” My mother ran into the kitchen and threw her arms around me. “We were so worried! We almost called the police!”
“Why?”
Dad came in and snapped the light on. “Do you have any idea what time it is? We expected you home after work! Where were you?”
“It’s not that late.”
“Curt,” Mom said, “we’ve been sitting here for hours. Why didn’t you phone? You always tell us if you’re going to be late!”
“Sorry, I went to see Leah after work.”
“Don’t lie to us!” my father shouted.
“Curt,” Mom told me, “I phoned Leah hours ago. She said she hadn’t seen you. She said to tell you she’s sorry she missed the game, but her father is sick.”
Her dad was sick? Was that why she missed the game? I looked from Mom to Dad. Water trickled down my forehead and dripped off my shirt onto the floor. I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“And don’t tell us you were at Stuart’s,” Dad warned. “Your mom phoned him too.”
“I just…this girl from work gave me a ride. We had something to eat and we were just talking. I guess I lost track of time. I’m sorry.”
“You should be,” Dad said. He sniffed. “Have you been drinking?”
I nodded. “A beer.”
“Please, Curt, just phone us next time?” Mom asked.
“Sure, I promise. But I’m real tired now. I’m going to bed.”
“You shouldn’t be drinking!” my father called after me. “You’re underage!”
Chapter Nine
The next day was Sunday. I didn’t need to work until 11:00. Good thing too, because it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed at 10:00.
Mom was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and staring out the window. She looked awful. Her eyes were red and her face was all puffy.
“Hi, Mom!” I smiled and tried to look cheerful, even if I felt terrible.
“Morning, Curt.” She looked at me like I was a stranger. She didn’t smile. “There’s coffee if you want some. And cereal.” She studied the empty bowl in front of her, then pushed it towards me. “I don’t feel like eating right now.”
“Are you sick?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m just…I had a bad night.” When I didn’t answer, she went on. “I’m worried about you, Curt.”
I shrugged and poured myself some coffee. I filled the bowl with cereal.
“Do you have a new girlfriend?” she asked.
“No, Mom. It’s nothing like that.” Somehow I couldn’t bring myself to use Rachel’s name. “We just went out for something to eat. And we talked about baseball. Her boyfriend plays baseball too.”
“Oh. So she has a boyfriend?”
“Yes, she’s way old.”
I munched on my cereal. Mom sipped her coffee. “Why did you lie?”
“What?”
“Last night, why did you tell us you were with Leah?”
“Oh that! I don’t know, Mom. I thought Leah would be jealous if she found out. I figured if no one else knew, she’d never find out.” My mom’s questions were driving me nuts. I had to get away from there.
“Do you really think that’s fair to Leah?” she asked.
“I don’t know…whatever.” I scooped up the last of my cereal, took a swig of coffee and stood up. “I’ve got to go or I’ll be late for work.”
“Hey, Stuart,” I said when I arrived at the store, “I thought you had today off.”
“I’m supposed to, but Rachel didn’t show — again. And they needed someone on cash. So, they called me at the last minute.”
I was glad Rachel wouldn’t be in today.
“Where were you last night?” Stuart asked. “Your parents sounded worried.”
I could not tell him I was with Rachel. I needed a quick, believable lie. “I ran into some friends after work and we went out for something to eat. No big deal. I wasn’t that late, but you know how parents are.”
“What friends?”
Nothing like being put on the spot. I tried to think of someone I knew that Stuart didn’t. Baseball buddies, friends from school, people at work, he knew them all. “What is this?” I snapped. “Twenty Questions? I’ve got one mom, thanks. I don’t need another one!”
I turned away from the hurt look on Stuart’s face. I didn’t need this. Who did he think he was? I felt pretty bad though. Later on, when I saw him head off for his break alone, I felt even worse.
I phoned Leah as soon as I got home. There was no answer. I left a message, but she didn’t call back. Later, I tried two more times, but Leah never returned my calls.
That night I was almost asleep when it suddenly hit me that Leah was mad at me again. What did I do this time? Maybe she had found out about Rachel. For sure she knew I was out late, because my mother told her.
I lay there half-asleep, worrying about Leah and the next day’s baseball game, first of the semi-finals against the Panthers. I knew the Panthers were a strong team, with a couple of awesome hitters. My head started to hurt. Next thing I knew, I was thinking about Rachel. Not Rachel so much as what she gave me. I kept thinking about that cocaine and how good it made me feel. But the low afterward was hard to shake.
I couldn’t sleep. I had to stop thinking. I got up and took two pills. Only two left.
On my way to the game Monday evening I stopped by Leah’s place, but no one was home. I arrived at the field angry enough to spit.
“Hey, Curt!” Stuart called. He seemed to have forgotten the way I had talked to him. We tossed the ball back and forth as usual. But I didn’t feel that great and I couldn’t seem to concentrate.
My fastball needed work. I wound up and threw the ball. Stuart ducked just in time.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
“Sorry, man! I was thinking about Leah!”
“Leah? I thought you liked her!”
“So did I!” said a surprised voice behind me. I swung around. “Leah!”
Her eyes were huge and she looked scared.
/> I dropped my glove and ran around the fence. “Leah! Where have you been?”
“Nowhere. I’ve just been, uh, busy. Curt, what did you mean you were thinking about me when you tried to hit Stuart with the ball?”
“What? I didn’t try to hit him! I just — I wasn’t concentrating.”
“Good thing he ducked!”
“Yeah.” I ached to put my arms around her, but I wasn’t sure if she would let me. “Let’s walk for a minute.”
We started around the field. “Your mom phoned Saturday night,” Leah said. “She was worried about you.”
“Yeah, well, I went out with some friends after work. I was kind of late and should have phoned, but I forgot.”
“My dad would kill me if I did that!”
“That would solve the problem all right!”
She laughed.
“How is your dad?”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Mom told me he was sick.”
“Oh that!” She looked away. “He hasn’t been feeling so good since we moved here.”
Chapter Ten
The score was Falcons 6, Panthers 0. I felt like a superstar. The bottom of the eighth was about to begin and the first Panther walked up to bat. While he took some practice swings I glanced at the stands, just to see Leah, for good luck. What I saw sent a chill through my bones. Rachel was making her way across the grass towards the stands. I pulled my eyes away.
Okay, I could do this. I could get this guy out. All I had to do was concentrate. He wasn’t a great hitter. He shouldered the bat. My eyes flicked over to the stands just as Rachel sat down in front of Leah. She smiled at me and waved.
My guts twisted. I turned away. Everyone was quiet. Watching, waiting. I took a quick breath, wound up and pitched. The batter swung and connected. On second base, Jarrod caught the fly ball. I lucked out.
My eyes kept sneaking over to the stands. Rachel and Leah were watching me. Not talking. Of course not, what did I think? I mean, it wasn’t like they knew each other. But it gave me the creeps, the two of them sitting so close.
By the end of the inning the score was 6-2.
