“Like how?”
“Just a couple before the bell. Women couldn't vote, but if they were single and inherited a house, they had to pay taxes. So, taxation without representation. Also, if a woman had income, it belonged to her husband, as did her personal property.”
“That's not fair.”
Fritz leaned against his desk. “Women's rights have developed slowly. It took from 1848 when the Sentiments were signed, until 1920 for women to get the right to vote. So yeah, it wasn't fair. How is it now?”
The class lit up for the remaining few minutes. No hands were raised, and the points the students threw into the air included pay inequality, women's healthcare, and domestic abuse. When the bell rang, Fritz congratulated them on an enlightened discussion. “Remember all this when, not too long from now, you're making decisions about your world.”
At lunchtime, he refocused on the tournament. Cruising through to last period, he welcomed his excited ninth graders with a discussion of the Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited alcoholic beverages. They discussed how to fix bad laws.
With only a few minutes remaining, he asked, “So, are you all ready?”
Susan asked, “Mr. R, does Mr. McAllister know that we already have a traffic jam outside?” She pointed out the window, where a line of cars headed for the parking lot. “All the kids who are in the first games have asked their parents to come. We even have rolls of quarters, so we can give change.”
“It seems you've thought of everything. Well done. Anything I should know before we start?”
Ted said, “You should know that next year even more kids will want to play.”
Waiting by Fritz's door, George paced, his nervousness undisguised. As Fritz entered the hall, George was visibly shaking. “Mr. Chatham is here.”
“Relax, George. He wants to see what all the fuss has been about. Liz has the cafeteria all set. Do you have your introductions ready?”
“Yes, but I didn't know he was coming.” At the end of the hall, the superintendent walked in and waved. Lois was walking with him.
“Everything will be fine. Remember, you're on the team.” He waved and met Lois and Mr. Chatham, pulling George with him. “Hi, Lois. Mr. Chatham, I'm Fritz Russell.”
“So you're the culprit.” He chuckled as they shook hands. “My office staff will be here in a little bit. They want to meet the man who has had our phones ringing off the hook.”
“Sorry. This is much more than we had expected.”
“Nonsense. I'm looking forward to it. No reason to be sorry.”
Standing in the middle of the corridor, Liz Chambers directed the traffic into the cafeteria. She smiled at the approaching group. “Hi Bob, glad you're here,” she said to the superintendent. “Fritz, the auditorium is full. Bob, we saved you a seat up front.” While she talked, she waved kids and parents to the line that had formed to buy tickets. “By the way, Bob,” she said, “adult tickets are $1.00.” George snorted.
At the lectern, George waited for quiet. But the loudspeaker boomed, “Everyone, please rise for our national anthem.” Fritz gleamed at Susan. When the music ended, the announcer said, “Play ball.” Cheers filled the auditorium.
George welcomed the superintendent, parents, and students to the first Riverboro High School History-Baseball Tournament. The two teams for the first game waited backstage. He introduced Rosenberg's Scorpions and their captain, Bob Bee, and Lucas's Logarithms, led by David Jewels. Like the rest of the audience, Fritz saw the team tee shirts for the first time. The cheers exploded. George introduced Susan and raised his hands to his ears. Bob Chatham gave George a thumb's up.
Susan thanked everyone for coming and Barking Tees for donating the team uniforms. “I hope everyone will go there to buy their Riverboro sweatshirts and jackets.” She turned to Fritz, and said, “I'd like to present today's pitcher, Mr. R, I mean, Mr. Russell.” The whoops drowned out her correction.
Both teams had worked hard. Although the Scorpions scored first, Barb Lucas' kids got hit after hit and led 6-1 after the first inning. Joe Rosenberg stood in a corner of the stage, deflated. His students scored twice in their second at-bats. The score at the end of the second inning was 6-3. With two men on and two out, Bob Bee asked for a home run. If he made it, he'd tie the score. Fritz asked, “What year did California become a state?” Bob closed his eyes. “Eighteen…” A low buzz filled the stage. “1852.” The Logarithms all whooped. Fritz said, “Sorry, Bob, 1850, as set up in the Compromise of 1850.” Bob hung his head and smacked his forehead.
Susan returned to the microphone. She introduced the next teams' teachers Shelly Rapstein and Ellen Berg, and their teams, Rapstein's Raptors and Berg's Behemoths. Again, George covered his ears. In a close game, the Behemoths beat the Raptors, 3-2. The two language teachers, who were sisters, hugged and then shook hands. The first day's play had ended. As the auditorium emptied, Jay Bennett walked up to the principal and the superintendent, carrying a grey metal box. Jay shook the superintendent's hand and headed for the stage.
“Mr. R, Susan, we collected four hundred-eighteen dollars. The cafeteria was packed.”
Several teachers had been waiting to speak with Fritz. “What we want to know is if you'd allow other teachers to be the pitcher. We might want to try this in our own classes.”
“I'd have to show you how it works. I'd love to have a rotation of relief pitchers.” He suggested they spread the word. He would meet with them before classes on Thursday.
Ashley was a nervous wreck by Wednesday afternoon. At lunch, he couldn't eat or stand still. Between classes, Fritz overheard students commenting that Ashley hadn't taught anything all week.
“I want to win this thing.”
“Are you making things worse for the kids?”
Mid-step, Ash stopped. “I don't know.”
“Then, my friend, you'd better calm down. Your team, in case you didn't know, has practiced without you. Matt told me on Monday they were all at his house on Saturday for six hours.”
“Really?”
“They want to win too.”
When the final class ended, George waited in the middle of the hall. “Here he is now. Fritz, this is Natalie Johnston. She's writing about the tournament for the Riverboro newspaper.”
“Nice to meet you. I'm afraid I can't talk now, but if you want, you can call me.”
“That's fine, Mr. Russell. Mr. McAllister has filled me in. I'd like to watch.”
“Come on in then. I have to get ready.” Ashley had disappeared when Fritz stopped. When Fritz found him backstage, he asked, “You ready?”
“I dated her.”
“Who?”
“Nat Johnston.”
“I thought the name was familiar. Pretty woman.”
“Long story. I gotta get my kids.”
The first game came down to the last question. Then Ashley's Aristocrats battled Larsen's Lunatics. Ashley's worries fizzled. Matt had set a strategy of “all or nothing.” Singles and home runs. By the end of the first inning, the Aristocrats were ahead, 6-0. Matt had the lower grades try to get on base with singles, and the seniors answer home-run questions. Johnny Clayton and Matt both drove in three runs in their first at-bats. Ashley's team won 12-3.
As the auditorium emptied, George told Fritz that the cafeteria had been standing room only. Jay and Susan announced they had collected over $800. “Mr. R, I think every kid in school was here.” Ashley was beaming. “Bye, Mr. Gilbert.” The twin voices of Nicole and Rachel carried over the surrounding noise. Rachel, who was on Ashley's team, had hit well.
“Bye, girls. See you tomorrow. Good game, Rachel.”
“Ash, I think that's the first time you haven't been scared of them,” said Fritz.
* * *
CARS LINED THE street in front of his house. Fritz waited for Ashley, and they went in the back door together. In his jammed kitchen, he greeted Linda, and then asked if something had happened. Jane told them the president had just called. The North Korean h
ad been killed trying to escape on the way to another interrogation. He had grabbed a gun and shot six guards before they got him. “The president is furious,” Jane said.
“How did the games go?” Linda asked.
With a wide grin, Ashley said, “The kids were great. We won, 12-3.”
When the house was finally quiet again, it was past nine o'clock. Linda told Fritz that she had aced her finance test and had another piece of her term project completed. He told her that he had an early meeting with teachers who wanted to be pitchers.
“Did the president say when you're going to Israel?”
“No, but I'm guessing Sunday.”
“Why does he want you to come?”
“Lin, honestly, I think he wants company. But I really don't know. Should I invite him for dinner?”
“Not unless you have to. We already have too many people hanging around.”
Chapter 19
TEN TEACHERS WERE waiting by his door when Fritz arrived. He invited them all inside.
“Wow. So, you all want to be pitchers?”
“Fritz, I've heard about your classroom games for years,” said Liz Chambers. “My kids haven't stopped hounding me to try it.”
“I may not be much on history,” Joe Rosenberg said. He was excited to have a new tool for chemistry. “I'm going to try it.”
The door opened and Ashley and four more teachers came in and sat. Fritz could tell from Ashley's frown that something had happened, but it would have to wait. “Ash and I prepared the list from the textbooks and related readings, and we found some great sources on the internet.” Fritz explained how he chose questions, and Liz suggested letting them try. She offered to pitch the three games the following day. Fritz said he would show them all what to do after the first round ended.
Ashley waited for the teachers to leave. “Jane flew to Washington early. There's a money link. She said it doesn't make sense. It ties the Korean to Eledoria. She said it's a wild goose chase. The president disagrees.”
The afternoon games pitted Jaffrey's “Gyroscopes” against O'Malley's “Ordeal” and Ben Cumber's “Batch” against Oaks' “Blokes.” Tom Jaffrey's team won the first game, 7-3, and Ben Cumber's kids eked out a win.
As he was leaving, a man came up and introduced himself as the proprietor of Barking Tees. “Mr. Russell, my name is Mark Witcannon. I dropped by to see the tournament in action.”
“Nice to meet you, and thank you so much for our uniforms. The ninth graders were ecstatic when you offered.”
“I was glad to. This is so cool. I've been telling the Chamber of Commerce and the Riverboro Business Council how much you've done to get all our businesses involved.”
“It wasn't me. Really. It was the kids. You can see from the turnout that they've been very busy.”
“I saw the cafeteria when I came in. Jay Bennett let me in the auditorium, but he said it was standing room only. Some showing!”
“I hope it met your expectations.”
“It sure did. Nice meeting you, Mr. Russell.”
“Name's Fritz. I can't thank you enough. See you again.”
Ashley waited until Fritz's conversation ended. “Let's get out of here. I just spoke to Jane. She and the president have been going at it all day.”
* * *
AS SOON AS he got home, Linda told him the president had called and sounded upset. “You left your phone on the counter this morning.”
When he called back, the president asked him to set the portal so Jane could come back to New Jersey.
Jane related her argument with the president between bites. An Eledorian bank had been the source of funds for the terror attacks through an account in the name of Caitlin Morgan. The Eledorian government continued to disavow knowledge or involvement. She said that one point of contention was that the Eledorians always denied involvement. The argument had peaked when Jane reminded the president that Colonel Mitchell didn't think the soldiers at the settlement were Eledorian. She pointed out that Eledoria gained nothing from the bombing. Neither did Naria. The United States had no grounds for an attack, and a misdirected attack hurt us as much as its targets. He still thought the straight line from the bank to the terrorists was evidence enough.
She asked him where the money had come from. “Is it like God, it always has been there? Was it in the Garden of Eden?” He didn't like the sarcasm. “All due respect, sir, are you forgetting Geneva? The assassination attempt? Are you forgetting Koppler? He was tied to this. He's dead, but it's still happening. So he wasn't alone.”
“Jane, WE DON'T KNOW THAT. We have no evidence of it.”
“THEN LET'S GET SOME.”
General Beech brought them back to basics. “What can or will we do? Are you suggesting an attack, sanctions? Turning the Israelis loose? We don't have good options. If we do something that starts new warfare, what happens to the summit?”
“Jim, what do you suggest?” the president asked.
“Keep looking for evidence. Activate our naval forces in the Mediterranean. Announce maneuvers with NATO so they are not surprised. And call the Eledorians and Narians first and let them know we're not on a war footing.”
“Did he mention what he's going to Israel for?” Fritz asked.
“Yeah. To hold them back and make sure the Prime Minister remembers we can just show up.”
“Why does he need me?”
Chapter 20
“I WISH TODAY were over,” said Ashley. “I was just grilled about ship bombings.” Fritz agreed. His first period had been the same. By the end of the day, Fritz had accomplished almost nothing in any class. Liz Chambers met him at his door, and they walked together to the auditorium. Their route was clogged with students. A group of men in ties waited with Mark Witcannon.
“My friends here are from the Chamber of Commerce. They've come to see what I've been talking about.”
“Glad you're all able to take the time,” said Fritz. “This is Liz Chambers, head of our history department. She'll be the pitcher for today's games.”
“We better go get our seats before you have another sell-out,” said Mark. “See you later.”
The first game pitted Jim Wayne's “Pistols” against Bob Fortune's “Outrage,” the name stemming from Mr. Fortune's supposed favorite word, outrageous. The Pistols whipped their opponent, 8-3.
“I think you've got the idea, Liz,” said Fritz after the last call. “Good luck with the next ones. Remember, you're the umpire. You can decide any answer. I'm going to head home.”
The second game was a slaughter. Cynthia Lee, another social studies teacher, had prepared long and hard with her team, the “Virginians.” Their opponent was Charlie Webb's “Spiders.” The Virginians scored eight runs in their first at-bats. The Spiders tried unsuccessfully to catch up with home runs.
Before he left, Fritz waved to Susan, who was ready to announce the next teams. He found Ashley and said, “See you at home. I'm going.”
“Jane's at your place. She texted me. News.”
* * *
THE SKY SPIT some rain on his windshield. Hearing a siren, Fritz pulled over as the police car door opened.
“Mr. Russell, your rear light is out.”
Fritz focused on the officer. “Sorry, Chief Dempsey. I'll take care of it.”
“Jim Shaw has been telling me a lot's happening.” Fritz's worried look prompted, “Don't worry. I swore not to say anything. Say hi to the president for me. And get the light fixed. No ticket.”
“Thanks, Chief. See ya.”
Starting to drive away, Fritz stopped again. The car's new. Why would a bulb be out? Dempsey was a block ahead, but backed up when Fritz got out.
“Something wrong?” asked the chief.
“I don't want to sound paranoid, but I bought this car in November. I'm just wondering if someone tampered with it.”
“Do you want me to call someone?”
“Can you hang around a minute?”
“Sure.”
Fritz
called home and told Linda where he was. She put Jane on.
“Fritz, leave the car. I'll get the forensics people to check it out. Do you want me to come get you?”
“Hang on. Chief, someone's going to come check it out. Can you give me a lift? And maybe have someone keep an eye on it?”
“I'll have someone here in about ten minutes.” The chief radioed for help. “Mr. Russell, park it at the curb and hop in.”
Fritz told Jane he had a ride. When he walked through the back door, Linda was pouring a soda, her cheeks tracked.
“Why are you crying?”
“Fritz, this is too soon to forget. I'm scared.”
“It's probably nothing but a blown bulb, but I was just being cautious. It's okay.” He hugged her. “I'm home safe.” Jane said the car was going to be transported to the warehouse where his other car had been investigated. She had also called the president.
“He said to call him when you got home.”
“Ash said you have news.”
“Call the president,” she said. “Have your soda, then I'll tell you. Ash will be here soon.”
While he was hanging up his coat, the doorbell rang.
“Come on in, Jim.”
“Chief Dempsey called me, Mr. R. What's going on? Hi, Mary.”
“Probably nothing, but a light bulb blew so quickly on a new car. Just taking precautions. It's a good thing it was the chief who stopped me.”
“One of my friends is watching the car. I'm going to join him.”
“Someone is coming to tow it. Do me a favor. Let me know when they have it.”
“Sure. I'll be back. See you in a few minutes, Mary.” Mary was holding TJ, and Fritz bent to kiss him. They went into the kitchen.
“Jim is watching the car. He'll be back in a bit.”
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