by Alison Mello
“I don’t know what to do.” I let out a deep breath as DJ strikes the kids out. We need one more to pull out of here with a tie game. “Timeout,” I call to the umpire who puts his arm up and stops DJ from throwing the pitch. I wave Sam over and run out to the mound, and Mason joins us. “Awesome game, bud, but I’m pulling you. I can see you’re tired.” He nods but looks disappointed.
“Nice game,” Sam encourages him.
“Yeah, D. You did awesome.”
“Thanks, guys.” DJ and I walk off the field. We can hear Stella screaming for her son, and it makes DJ chuckle. “Just a heads up. She’s going to be like that at every game.”
I chuckle. “That’s what we call a Hockey mom.” He looks at me, confused. “She’s loud and proud, buddy.” He laughs and takes a seat.
The remainder of the game is an absolute disaster making me wish I had pulled Ethan. It’s the last inning of the game, and he just bumped Noah out of the way so he could try to catch the ball and again he dropped it. One is hit to Colton, who also drops it because he’s yelling he has it, but the ball really isn’t in his area of the field.
We end up losing the game seven to four. The entire team is now sulking as they walk through telling the other team ‘good game’.
“Everyone join me by the shed please.” The boys gather their equipment and slowly walk over to the shed we’re about to rebuild. At this point, I’m really hoping this project helps because if not, I have no idea what will pull these kids together. I note the parents are also gathering behind us, and I can see the disappointment on their faces. It’s never fun to lose, but it’s worse when you lose because you’re not playing like a team. “Wow, you boys started that game off so strong. I was really proud of you.” I pause, letting that sink in. “Then you fell apart.”
“That’s because Ethan’s a ball hog!” Noah shouts out, giving him the evil eye.
“Screw you. If I knew you and Landon could catch the damn ball, Colton and I wouldn’t have to cover so many positions.”
“Both of you cut it out, right now. This is a team game and you know what, Ethan, even if you’re better at catching than Landon, who cares. How is he going to learn if you don’t give him the chance to do it? He has to get game experience and I’m going to tell you, you’re not better a player than he is and that’s because you’re too busy showing off.”
He starts to talk back, but his father stops him. “Don’t even. Twice Noah shouted he had the ball and it was in his area of the field, and you tried to snag it from him. Let him play his position and you play yours.” Ethan crosses his arms, pissed that his father doesn’t defend him.
“You boys have a good team, but you have to be a team.” I sigh. “Ethan, do you remember what you said to me outside my house the very first day we met.”
“Yeah,” he replies with attitude.
“You were wrong, and if you give me the chance I’ll prove it to you.”
“How?”
“Play your position and your position only.”
He shakes his head with a cocky grin. “Fine, because it will only prove to you that I’m right.”
I shake my head. “Hands in, boys.” I put my hand out and everyone puts there’s on top of mine. “On three...Refuse to lose.”
Our hands bounce in the circle as we count and the entire team shouts, “Refuse to lose.”
“Who's ready for some pizza?” The team cheers. I turn to the parents. “Thank you all for being here today. It's opening day, and it's always exciting for the kids to be cheered on by their parents. I'm heading to the pizza parlor up the street. Pizza's on me, and I hope you can all join me.” I note that Landon’s mom is here today, and it puts a bit of a smile on my face. I hadn’t realized it until this moment, but I went to school with her. I knew her name sounded familiar, but I’m better with faces than I am with names.
When we’re climbing into the truck Stella says, "I got to talk to Daisy while we were at the field. She seems nice.”
“I’m pretty sure I went to school with her. I hadn’t realized that until I just saw her, but I recognize her face.” I start the truck. “She was nice then, but I don’t know her story now.”
“She seems shy. She didn’t really say too much other than she’s usually not home from work early enough to get Landon to practice. She said she appreciated you picking him up.”
I nod. “I don’t mind. Like I said, I wish my coach cared that much.”
“We told her she was now a part of the mom squad with Lori, Haddie, Stacey, Misty, Karen, and I."
I laugh. "The mom squad?" I question.
"That's so cheesy, Mom," DJ pipes in from the backseat.
"Cheesy or not, Lori’s son came up with it and it's stuck." We pull up to the pizza parlor with a line of cars following us. I hurry in because I don't want anyone to pay for lunch today. I go to the counter and order a bunch of pizzas telling them to mix it up between cheese, sausage, pepperoni, and veggie. The team comes walking in as I'm getting plates from the man at the counter. Stella directs everyone to the corner so we don't take over the entire place. It's hard not to though because the place is not that big.
I make note that Colton and Ethan are sitting on the end almost by themselves while the rest of the team is at the corner section of the pizza parlor. They’re mumbling something and I’m trying hard to listen, but I can’t quite hear what they’re saying. “Colton, where’s your mom today?” I want her to know what’s going on with these two.
He shrugs. “She couldn’t be here so I came with Ethan.”
I nod, but say nothing more and go back to conversing with the adults, still keeping an eye on the two of them. Briggs comes over and asks, “What’s up with them?” and he nods in their direction.
“I don’t know, but I’m planning on having a conversation with Colton’s mom.” The ladies all burst into a fit of laughter, pulling us from our conversation.
Misty, Haddie, Stella, Lori, Stacey and Daisy are all laughing so hard tears are running down their faces. “What’s so funny?” Billy asks, walking over with Rick and Jack.
“Hey, guys. Have some pizza.” I hug my boys and notice that JJ and Rachael aren’t here. “Where’s the family?” I ask him.
“Home, that’s why we're late to the party. I had to drop them off, JJ was tired and needed a nap.”
“Thanks for coming to the game.”
“No, problem, but it looks like you could use some help.” Billy nods toward the two loners.
“Ha, yeah. You down.”
He nods. “I’m down.”
“Boys, we have another coach joining us. This is Billy.” A smile spreads across Stella’s face. She knows how big this is. She excuses herself and comes over to hug the guys. She whispers something to Billy, and though I can’t catch it I do hear him tell her he’s trying. We may have lost our game, but that right there is the win of the day.
I can't believe it's already Saturday morning. The car wash starts shortly and we are all very excited to get this done. Trystan has been at my house every night this week spending time with DJ and I. We've cooked dinner together, made posters, and he and DJ even spent time in the yard throwing the ball around. It’s been an amazing week, but I have to admit I’m a bit scared of my feelings for Trystan and I think DJ is starting to feel the same way.
Today we're all jumping into his truck and heading over to the store for the big fundraiser. I'm lucky he has a truck because we have a lot to transport. We have a table for the bake sale plus everything we need for the car wash.
When we pull up, we find Lori and Misty are already here. They start helping me unload the back of the truck. “Briggs is inside dealing with some stuff, but he’ll be out for the carwash.” Mason and DJ take the hoses over to the side of the building to attach them, while Misty and I set up the table with the plastic tablecloth for the bake sale. We put the bake sale at the beginning of the lineup that way people can have a snack while they wait. Lucky for us there's a tree for shad
e because it's a beautiful day. It's supposed to be in the low seventies, and Lori has a ton of chocolate for us to sell on top of all the baked goods.
Parents are arriving and, as instructed, the boys are all wearing their team caps. "Okay, everyone gather around please," Trystan calls out.
He waves everyone over to the bake sale table. "Thank you all for being here today. We're going to divide up into teams, and we'll rotate where the boys work so no one is stuck in the same spot for the day. DJ, you're starting out on the hose. Mason and Ethan, you're going to each take a position on one side of the car and soap them up. Vincent, I'll have you watching the boys soap the cars to ensure they do a good job." He continues on giving everyone their assignments. He puts three boys at the street, two of which are Mason's little brothers. They came out to help. Briggs is going to stand with them to try to get cars to stop. Billy will make sure that Noah does a good job of rinsing the cars off.
We all break up and go to our stations to get the car wash rolling. Trystan pulls a ten from his wallet and puts it into my bucket. He gets into his truck and pulls up to the car wash. The boys are all excited to be washing the coach’s truck which is covered in mud from his work site. DJ begins squirting it down and 'accidentally' squirts Trystan. The boys all start to laugh. Trystan nods his head with a tight grin. "Be careful. You may start something you can't finish." They all wave him off and continue to wash the truck. A car pulls in behind it, and Trystan tells them it's time to get serious. He gets back into the truck and pulls it around so they can continue on with the next car.
We may be in a small town, but we're surrounded by two larger towns and are lucky to be getting a lot of patrons who are driving through. It's been quite busy, and the kids are having a blast. Trystan rotates them about every hour so they all have a turn at holding signs and washing cars. The bake sale is also going over well. The parents really came through with their donations. We have everything from mini breads to cookies, cupcakes, and brownies.
I'm totally thrilled with how the day is going until a sports car pulls in and a chick climbs out wearing a short skirt, heels, and a skimpy top. I know from the way she’s approaching Trystan that she has to be his ex. I start making when way over, when she walks over to him, hands him some money, and tells him to make sure they take good care of her baby. She runs her perfectly sculpted nail down his chest. The jealousy I feel is like nothing I've ever felt before. I put my arm around Trystan, and rest my head on his chest.
"Hey, baby. Is this the chick who cheated on you?" I give her a cheesy grin.
Trystan chuckles and says, "That it is, sugar." He kisses me on the head. The look on her face screams disgust.
She steps back from him, looks me up and down and spews, “That’s our business, not yours.”
I look at her, shocked. “It’s my business because Trystan is my man now, so you can take your ‘baby’ and pretty little self on out of here.”
"Who do you think you're talking to? Trystan and I go way back."
I put my hand up to stop her. "Yeah, I heard. Back far enough that you cheated on him while he was away training to defend his country, and now that he's moved on you're bent. Well, guess what, you need to move on because he has."
She gives me an evil grin. "We'll just see who will be moving on." She climbs into her car and squeals her tires as she pulls out of the parking lot without getting her car washed.
I look up at Trystan and shake my head. "I’ve seen rats the size of cats. If she thinks she scares me, she’s crazy."
He shrugs. "Who knows what's going through her head, but if she thinks this stuff is going to help her get me back, she really is nuts because she's pissing me the hell off."
"We'll deal with that later. We have more cars coming in." Trystan goes back to collecting money from patrons, and I go back to the bake sale table where Misty is standing.
"That woman has balls bigger than most men." Misty shakes her head with her hands on her hips.
"Tell me about it. Can you believe she thought it was a good idea to show up here and flirt with him in front of me?” I shake my head. “Clearly she doesn’t realize I’m a New York girl. I may want country life, but I’m a city girl through and through. I’m not taking her shit.”
Misty throws her head back in laughter. "Look at you defending your man. I love you, girl.”
"Damn straight, and back at you." I wink at her as some patrons come over, so we both go back to work selling what goodies we have left. People have been very responsive to helping this team so we're getting low on stuff, but that's a good thing.
The day is winding down, and I couldn't be prouder of my boys. They've all worked very hard today, and I didn’t get one complaint about switching jobs or doing something they didn't want to do. Stella and I took a few minutes to talk about getting everyone together for a cookout after the shed is built to celebrate their success. We'll announce at the next practice what our plan is.
"Good job, boys. This is the last car then we're done!" They all cheer excitedly over their hard work.
Misty and Stella are closing down the bake sale table. There are only a few goodies left, and we're out of water. When they finish, Lori and Vincent come over and join them while the kids finish up. Briggs is watching the boys as they finish up drying the last car. When it pulls away, I call everyone over.
"Great job today, everyone! You all did an amazing job, and I'm proud of you. You've all worked hard, and this bucket of money shows it. It looks like we have raised more than enough to build the shed. Maybe we can even get some new equipment." The parents all begin to clap. "Let's get this place cleaned up, and we can all go home and enjoy what's left of our day." The boys run to the car wash area and begin collecting the sponges and towels. At first, I think they're trying to hurry up so they can get out of here, but I’m wrong. I turned my back on them and that was a mistake. I suddenly see the parents step to the side, and I quickly discover it's because the boys decide to take the two soap buckets and dump them over my head. I'm now soaked with soapy water.
I turn around with a shocked look on my face, but I make a bee-line for the hose and lucky for me, I beat them to it. I pick it up and spray each of them with the cold hose water. They all run squealing like pigs, shouting that the water is cold. "I warned you to not start something you couldn't finish." Those who have parents here are hiding behind them. "Don't be a chicken, come out of hiding!" I shout to them, but more parents are starting to show up for their kids. "Y'all are lucky your parents are here, and I don't want you to go home too wet." I disconnect the hose from the building and throw it into the back of my truck. Some of the parents look amused and some don't look too thrilled that their kids are wet, but I shrug it off because in reality, they’re all a bit wet from washing cars anyway.
Once everyone is gone, we decide to head back to Stella's. On the way, we stop at the store to pick up some burgers. When we finally arrive at her house I grab the bags. "Do you want me to start the grill?"
"Sure. I'll season these burgers and meet you out back."
When she comes outside, the grill is ready. She has four burgers on a platter seasoned and ready to go. "I'm excited to get the shed build done. Do you think the boys will enjoy doing it?" she asks, setting the platter down on the table.
I shrug. "It's not always about enjoying it. It's about donating time to do what needs to be done. This is their community too, and they need to learn the importance of keeping it clean and in good shape."
She nods. "I can agree with that."
"Don't get me wrong, I think the cookout afterward will make it worth their while and make it more fun for them, but the work comes first."
"I'm excited to learn how to build it," DJ announces as he comes outside in dry shorts and a t-shirt.
"I'm glad." I place the burgers on the grill while Stella grabs a pencil and some paper. She's so organized, she's writing everything down that we’ll need for the cookout. I don't need to worry about a list of what's n
eeded for the shed because Rick will take care of that. I even spoke to the guys at work about breaking up into teams with the boys. One team will build the floor, and the other teams will build the walls. Then when that's done the guys and I will build and install the roof. We don't want any of the kids on ladders with tools.
DJ and Stella start discussing food, and it turns into an argument over what's necessary for a cookout full of growing boys. "Mom, you have to have a variety of chips. You can't just get plain. You need stuff like Doritos and Sour Cream and Onion, you know—flavors." I can't help but chuckle.
"I'm sorry, sugar, but he's right. You need some variety." DJ puts his fist out to me. I bump with him and a huge grin spreads across his face.
"All right, all right, so we'll have a variety of chips. What else do you boys like?" She runs down her list of stuff, and we add a few more small things like pickles and some special condiments. Pleased with her list, we all sit down to dinner. She tries to convince me I need to make a team list to pair everyone up for the build.
"Baby, I think your list is a good idea, but we've spent the entire day with the team. It’s time for family." I hand her the container of pasta salad we picked up at the store.
"You're right. I'm sorry." She takes some and gives a little to DJ who doesn't look all too thrilled, but he bites his tongue and dives into dinner. The rest of the conversation revolves around what we should do for the rest of the weekend and what DJ has coming up for school this week. We're becoming a family, and I couldn't be happier.
It's Monday morning and, as usual, I'm off to the diner to work. Trystan has started following me to work when he stays at the house, grabbing a breakfast sandwich and his coffee before he heads off to the job site. We've developed a nice routine, and DJ seems to be adjusting well. He doesn't mind having Trystan around, and they get along well. DJ listens when Trystan asks him to do something, not that I would expect anything less from my son, but you never know how children will act in this situation. Some can be extremely bitter that their parent has moved on from the loss, but not mine. I'm a lucky woman. Not only did I find a wonderful man who wants to be a part of our lives and cares for us, but my son seems happy. He likes him, and they get along great.
