League of Her Own

by Faith O'Shea

  Enrique thought carefully before replying, “I have to earn their respect first. I can’t ask anyone else to give it up for the team if I’m not willing to. I hope to prove myself not only to you but to them as well.”

  Mac leaned back, his fingers steepled under his chin.

  “I like that answer. What happened to you last year?”

  He could articulate that logically because of the conversations he’d had with Fifi. He knew now what they problem had been and accepted it as such. He wasn’t going to give excuses.

  “I got bored. I’m not good on the bench, but I should have played my role as a utility player with as much grit and determination as if I was the main attraction. I regret my…apathy.”

  Mac was taking him in, stroking his closely shaved chin.

  “I used to get bored, too. I hated days off, didn’t like being side-lined. As a manager, I look at it differently. I know what a season can do to you. It’s long and you can burn out if you’re not careful. You’ll be getting days off. I don’t care if you’re in the middle of a hitting streak, I’ll be benching all starters, every ten to twelve days. I expect you to get as fired up as if you’re out on the field. A leader cheerleads from wherever he is.”

  Rique didn’t like it, but he understood it. He also appreciated that the man was looking out for his players.

  “I can do that.”

  Thumbing his ear again, Mac looked up at him and smiled for the first time since sitting down.

  “You wouldn’t have been traded if you were living up to your potential. If you turn yourself around, your…apathy…could turn out to be our good fortune.”

  “I’m ready to settle down. I’m mentally prepared to do the job, and I have the skills to get it done.”

  “No more of your infamous parties.”

  It seemed his reputation preceded him. He wasn’t going to get into the why behind it, but said simply, “Won’t have a need for them.”

  “I treat my players like grown men who know their roles. I don’t play babysitter or nursemaid. I’m depending on you to monitor yourself. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  “Now that I have what I needed about you and your mind-set, let me tell you a little about me, what my expectations will be, and something about my style.”

  Rique nodded and sat forward, wanting to hear every word that came out of the man’s mouth.

  He’d become a better listener over the last week.

  “I expect to win the World Series and I have the team who can do it. I expect everyone in the clubhouse to step up, get better. I want aggression in the batter’s box, and I want every hitter to hunt for the right pitch to hit. I will be using analytics but will be filtering out what I don’t need from what I can use to win the game. I want to have a good relationship with the players. I won’t be your best friend, but I will be there to listen. I can only get the best out of you if there is a connection between us. And as I already mentioned, you’re grown men, who know the game. I’ll be treating you like professionals, not kids. Any questions so far?”

  “You won’t be looking for home runs?”

  “Every manager loves home runs, but I want you to work the count, go after pitches that might not look great but will get the man home if you drop it in the right place. I want everyone working toward the goal, as a team. From what Leo’s told me, you, Mattie, and Sebastian have already become friends. There’s chemistry there and it will work in our favor.”

  “Mattie said he’d work with me on hitting.”

  “I’d love to see you be our lead-off man, but you’ll need patience, especially your first time at bat. You’ll give the guys a sense of how the pitcher’s working that day. You might have to sacrifice yourself at times, but if and when you get on, your speed will create some momentum.”

  “With Mattie and Ovitz as the three-four punch, I’ll make sure I get to first so they can hit me home.”

  He felt his enthusiasm and passion for the game amping up.

  He liked Mac. He could only hope he’d earn the man’s respect through hard work and mental discipline.

  Mac checked his watch when the doorbell rang and stood. “Looks like your time in the barrel is over. I want you ready for spring training like you’ve never been ready before.”

  Rique nodded. “With another couple of weeks before the trucks leave, I was wondering if I could use the sports facility again, the one we used for drills with Leo. From what I understand it’s yours.”

  “This tells me you’re not bullshitting me. Talk to Casey and arrange some time. Maybe I’ll have her block out some time every day for you and whoever wants to join you. When will you want to start? Thursday?”

  “I’ve made arrangements to visit my family in Brazil one last time before the season starts. My ticket is for late afternoon the day of the funeral, my return will get me here for Monday.”

  “Monday it is. That will give her time to move some things around if she needs to.”

  “Thanks. I’m looking forward to working under you.”

  “With me. I can’t do anything without the players.”

  They walked down the hall toward the front door. Mattie was waiting in the same chair as he had and rose to his feet as soon as they approached. Alicia was there as well. She must have driven him over. Mattie didn’t yet have a license.

  Mac addressed both players. “I’ve heard you’re the one-two punch our infield needed. I can’t wait to see it for myself. Oh, and by the way, Leo’s agreed to stay. He’s one of the best and he’ll bring continuity, something we need to a certain extent. There’ll be plenty of new bodies around to shake the box.”

  Rique smiled at Mattie and said, “Good to know.”

  “I’ll see you at the funeral, if not at the wake. I expect you’ll be wearing a suit to that, but you don’t have to dress up every time I talk to you. Suits have there place, on the road when traveling, but not for quick meetings with me. It’s one of the perks of managing. I don’t like to be strangled by a tie unless I have to.” He laughed outright, “It’s the main reason I turned down their offer as Greenliner President.”

  Rique’s eyes widened. He didn’t know Mac had been asked to fill the president’s role. He was glad he’d turned it down.

  “Thanks, Mac.”

  “Nothing to thank me for yet. I expect a lot from you. Don’t let me down.”

  “I won’t.”

  And he meant it.

  When he left, he sat in his car, rethinking the decision of a small one. He would have loved room for his legs, especially now. While he waited for Mattie, he put a sports radio station on to listen for updates, hear what the callers had to say about Mac. He thought it would have been great if Seb was available, but he wasn’t meeting with Mac until mid-afternoon. The outfielder was sure he was saving him for last. Just because.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Fiona rushed into the eatery in Stoneham, her phone pinging from the inside of her purse. Whoever it was would have to wait until she found Bohdan. She couldn’t wait to see her friend and lab partner. She’d called him as soon as Rique had left for his meeting with Mac to let him know she’d heard from the head of the science department at the university in Boston last night. Their most common lunch dates were in the courtyard outside the school, where he’d all but force feed her, making sure she had the sustenance needed to keep her brain cells from shriveling into nothingness. He was an undergrad, she a doctoral student but they’d formed a partnership that he’d kept going after graduation. He got a job working days and dropped by the lab afterwards to work with her until the wee hours of the morning. They never socialized, so meeting outside the school, was a new experience.

  She stood at the periphery of the room and scanned the interior until she saw him, seated at a table in the corner. He had a smile on his face, but then he always did. Life for him was one big adventure, and he brought life into a lab that could have been sterile and impersonal. He’d made the tests measurable a
nd the outcomes bearable, helped her run her standards, one failure at a time until they’d conquered them, and they were able to claim victory. They’d always talked about working together again, when one of them got their own lab, although he still had a ways to go before he was finished with his dissertation. He hadn’t even started the application for his doctorate.

  She eased through the room and he was on his feet by the time she got there, reaching out to give her a bear hug. Laughing, she sat down opposite him and said, “It’s been way too long.”

  In reality it had been only a few short months, but when you work with someone every day for weeks on end, even a couple days seemed like years. And when that person made you feel less alone, it was more an eternity. It’s how it would feel when Rique was out of her life. Giving her no time to dwell on that, his words rushed out. “I’m glad you called. I was worried when I hadn’t heard from you. You could have texted, you know.”

  She shifted in her seat. “There was nothing to tell. This is the first real possibility and I’m terrified it’s too good to be true.”

  She needed him to convince her it wasn’t, that it was the natural progression for her in reaching her goal of advancing science. He knew what she did and how she did it, knew what was possible. He’d kept her running on positive and she needed the high-octane fuel of his conviction.

  “Tell me the facts. You skipped all important facets of the upcoming interview.”

  She settled in, her hands clasped, and she could hear the excitement in her voice.

  “They’ve just recently freed up one of their laboratories and they’re looking for a new tenant. That would be me. Us. It’s partially equipped which will cut down on the amount of money they’d have to donate to our cause, although it would still be up to me to find a grant to keep it open.”

  “From what you said, they reached out to you?”

  This was the key. She hadn’t gone searching.

  “Yes. He, that would be Dr. Kurtis Michaels, heard about my upcoming interview in Amherst, talked to Terry, and decided he wouldn’t allow me to go to his in-house competitor.”

  The University of Massachusetts had several satellite campuses, the home seat established in the western part of the state, where her next interview was scheduled. She might be able to cancel it, stay in the area. She still couldn’t believe her good luck. The call had come just as she was about to take Hoover outside and had caught her completely off guard.

  After he’d given her his name and the reason for the call, she’d been tongue-tied. She’d wanted to ask him to repeat everything he’d said, so she could savor the invitation to interview, but was able to control herself. Her maturity or lack of it was the one major hindrance in finding a sponsor and she wasn’t going to let him rethink his proposition. She’d agreed to a Wednesday appointment to discuss the offer and swiped off, reeling from the conversation.

  She’d told no one about it, not even Rique when he’d finally asked who’d called. She’d needed to process it in her own mind before sharing it with anyone else. When her eyes fluttered open this morning, a secret smile on her lips, she’d decided to share it. But then the call had come from Mac Calipari, and she decided to postpone telling him. He’d been nervous and edgy about his own meeting, feelings she could relate to, so she had spent the precious few hours between the call and his departure, allowing him lead in conversational topics.

  It was only after he left, his good-bye kiss one for the history books, that she’d called the man she was meeting. She was chomping at the bit now to tell someone, to scream and holler her good fortune. Not only would Bohdan be happy to hear the news, he’d understand that the offer was a treasure trove of all she’d wanted, hoped, and dreamed about. Working together in Terry’s lab, she’d found he complemented her strengths and weaknesses. Originally from Ukraine, he’d come to the States as a boy and had polished his interest in science any way he could. He’d gotten her through the transition point that came in graduate school where you have to turn the corner and be willing to explore unchartered territory. Spending years being told what to do, it was sometimes hard to become your own teacher. When she’d come up with her hypothesis, embroidered it with complexity and improbability, he’d worked with her to bring it into the realm of possibility. When she’d finished, he’d been as much responsible for her success as she was. She’d promised she’d take him with her wherever she went. It was a way to thank him for all he’d done. Today she was keeping that promise.

  He asked again, “Come on, spill. Tell me about it.”

  She moved her purse off to the side and rested her arms on the table, leaning toward him.

  “It’ll be small, but that’s okay, because it’s an on-campus site, in the heart of the city. Michaels heard about the new discoveries being made in the field at a recent conference and read more about it in an article written by Argosy that was published in Science America.”

  Bohdan would know who that was. They’d been in constant contact with the man during her writing phase of the dissertation. He was a key player in the field and any article, brief or long, would be consumed by scientists.

  “When Michaels heard I was looking to further my research and one of the UMass satellites was in the running, he picked up the phone and called Terry. She gave him bullets of my thesis and told me she’d sold it. I’m meeting with him on Wednesday to discuss the particulars, but it sounds like a solid offer.”

  “He knows your age?”

  Bohdan knew this would always be the sticking point. She’d discussed it with him ad nauseam.

  “He does. When Terry called just before I got here, she confirmed that he’d been impressed by all that I’d accomplished. Her glowing recommendation didn’t hurt.” She looked up and smiled. “Or so she said.”

  He gave a quiet whoop. “We’re on our way.”

  She made eye contact with him. There was five years of shared experience in their history. He was as brilliant as any scientist she’d met.

  “We are, but you need to get moving on your application. You can work with me, do your own thing on the side.”

  “I like working as your side kick. I don’t need the doctor thing added to my name.”

  She chewed her lip. “I didn’t either.”

  “Yes, you did. One of us had to. Better you than me.”

  Bohdan didn’t like regulations, didn’t like the political taste of the doctorate process. There were protocols to follow and stringent parameters set, and he was a free spirit who wanted to work at his own pace, on his own passions.

  Her phone pinged again. She looked up and apologized with her eyes as she scrambled the cell out of her purse and thumbed the message icon.

  There were two texts from Rique. He must have been the one who’d reached out as she was coming into the restaurant.

  The first message read:

  Meeting went well. I’m waiting for Mattie to finish with his and am going out for coffee or lunch to compare thoughts. Later.

  The second had the tone of annoyance.

  Where are you? You didn’t get back to me. I’m with Mattie now. Will be home later to tell you all about it.

  Home? He made it sound like they lived together, was irritated that he couldn’t connect with her. Had she missed the memo that said he was part of her life? Could he possibly want her in his life? For real?

  She glanced up to see Bohdan peering at her.

  “I know that look. You wear it when you don’t understand something.”

  He did know her, better than most. He was her translator to the rest of the world when she was overwhelmed and under-energized. Did she tell him all? She was sure he’d nag until she had, so she admitted, “I…I’ve found myself in a conundrum.”

  “What are you confused about?”

  “It’s more a who than a what.”

  He plopped back against his chair. “Really? You? You actually might have a life?”

  Bohdan was married, the father of a young daughter, an
d his wife was as much a part of the scientific community as he was. Ardita worked in the emergency room of a local hospital, her hours as fierce as theirs were. Bohdan’s mother lived with them, took care of their daughter Priyanka, so they were able to fulfill their lives doing the work they loved, without sacrificing family.

  She’d often envied him.

  “I didn’t go looking for this kind of complication.”

  “Does anyone? It usually rushes at you from out of the blue.”

  The waitress came over for the third time and they allowed themselves a moment to scan the menu and give her their order. When she’d hurried away, he said, “Tell me about him.”

  And she did, leaving nothing out.

  “What the fuck, Fiona? Do you do this to yourself on purpose?”

  He’d startled her with his outburst.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing can come from it. You’ll never have to make a commitment to him or the relationship. Which is why, I think, you went along.”

  That stung, yet she had to consider the veracity of the statement. Was that why she’d given in to the attraction? Rique was safe, and she wouldn’t need to choose family over career.

  She shook her head. It wasn’t as simple as Bohdan was suggesting. It was more layered and complex than that. It might have been part of the reason she’d been inclined to say yes. Now she wanted more… not only time with him, more of the intimacy they’d shared, but also the space to explore it, see if it went anywhere. He didn’t. That stung, too.

  The ache in her heart told her she’d gone farther downstream than she’d anticipated.

  Needing to defend herself, she said with more conviction than she felt, “I went along because he’s handsome, athletic, and had the potential of getting an A in bed.”

  “Something tells me he made the grade.”

  She might have blushed, but this was Bohdan and he knew a lot of her secret longings.

  “He did.”

  Their meals arrived, and as soon as the waitress left them alone, he picked up a fry. “And now?”