returned. Bobby Robinson was all business, intent. He went through his windup and hurled what looked like another strike, only Craig timed it just right. The ball came sailing toward the bleachers in a high arc and fell near the pack of girls, who shrieked and leaped in every direction.
"That boy's definitely in love," Charlene said. "No other explanation Bobby gonna accept."
She laughed, squeezed my arm gently and returned to the pack.
The contest sparked an idea for me, and I began to work madly on a new drawing, concentrating on it so hard that I had no idea how much time had gone by or that I had worked to the point where the coach had blown his whistle and declared the practice had ended. The pack of girls exploded in every direction, each catching up with one of the players. Craig came sauntering out toward me and waited while I finished a line. Before he could speak, I turned it so he could see it.
It was a picture of him, swinging hard, his whole body in movement, but as the ball came off his bat, it turned into a bird.
"Wow," he said, taking it to look closer. "Can I have this?"
"Sure," I said.
He handed it back. "Sign your name. Someday it's going to be worth a ton."
I laughed and wrote my name in the bottom right corner.
"See," he said, "I knew you'd have a good time coming to practice. What did you think of my first hit?"
"It looked like you were aiming for those girls." "I was," he said, holding his hand out for me.
I took it and we started back toward the school building.
"Give me fifteen to take a shower and dress and I'll be out to drive you home."
"Okay," I said. Before he turned to go in, he leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips.
"In baseball," he said, his lips still close to mine, "we call that getting to first base. Did I get on with a hit, a walk or an error?"
"Felt like a hit," I said. He beamed, kissed me again and hurried into the building.
Oh please, please, I prayed, let this not be deception.
While I waited for him, I gazed back at the ballfield and wondered why my aunt Zipporah never spoke about her or my mother having any boyfriends at school. Didn't anyone ever ask either of them out? Didn't they watch boyfriends at basketball or baseball practice? Why weren't they in the school plays? Surely, they could have met boys there. They were as void of any school activities as I was. Could that possibly have had something to do with what had been going on and what had occurred later?
It seemed that whenever I went into deep thought about my mother, I left time and place and had no concept of where I was or how long I had been there. The next thing I heard was Craig calling to me. Finally, I felt him nudge me.
"Hey, what's with you? I was shouting like crazy," he said.
"Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking about things."
"That deeply? I hope it involved me," he said, reaching for my hand.
"In a way it did."
"Great. I'll take anything. Even 'in a way,' " he said, and we headed around the building toward the parking lot. Just about everyone had already dressed and gone. There were only a half dozen cars left, including his.
"I saw you were talking to Charlene Lewis in the stands," he said as we approached his car.
"You weren't concentrating on your practice?"
He laughed. "No, but I did finally. She's a nice girl. I like Bobby, too. Maybe we'll go on a double date with them."
I didn't say anything. He opened the car door for me, and I got in.
"You didn't say anything when I mentioned a double date," he said after we drove out of the lot.
"What should I say?"
"You'd like it or not, for one thing."
"I don't know. I've never been on a double date. I've never been on a date," I added unashamed.
"No secret romances?" he kidded.
"If there were, they were so secret, even I didn't know," I told him, and he laughed.
"You know you're a pretty interesting girl, Alice. As I told you, what I like about you is I can't tell what you're going to do or say. Most of the other girls here are carbon copies, almost mass
"That boy's definitely in love," Charlene said. "No other explanation Bobby gonna accept."
She laughed, squeezed my arm gently and returned to the pack.
The contest sparked an idea for me, and I began to work madly on a new drawing, concentrating on it so hard that I had no idea how much time had gone by or that I had worked to the point where the coach had blown his whistle and declared the practice had ended. The pack of girls exploded in every direction, each catching up with one of the players. Craig came sauntering out toward me and waited while I finished a line. Before he could speak, I turned it so he could see it.
It was a picture of him, swinging hard, his whole body in movement, but as the ball came off his bat, it turned into a bird.
"Wow," he said, taking it to look closer. "Can I have this?"
"Sure," I said.
He handed it back. "Sign your name. Someday it's going to be worth a ton."
I laughed and wrote my name in the bottom right corner.
"See," he said, "I knew you'd have a good time coming to practice. What did you think of my first hit?"
"It looked like you were aiming for those girls." "I was," he said, holding his hand out for me.
I took it and we started back toward the school building.
"Give me fifteen to take a shower and dress and I'll be out to drive you home."
"Okay," I said. Before he turned to go in, he leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips.
"In baseball," he said, his lips still close to mine, "we call that getting to first base. Did I get on with a hit, a walk or an error?"
"Felt like a hit," I said. He beamed, kissed me again and hurried into the building.
Oh please, please, I prayed, let this not be deception.
While I waited for him, I gazed back at the ballfield and wondered why my aunt Zipporah never spoke about her or my mother having any boyfriends at school. Didn't anyone ever ask either of them out? Didn't they watch boyfriends at basketball or baseball practice? Why weren't they in the school plays? Surely, they could have met boys there. They were as void of any school activities as I was. Could that possibly have had something to do with what had been going on and what had occurred later?
It seemed that whenever I went into deep thought about my mother, I left time and place and had no concept of where I was or how long I had been there. The next thing I heard was Craig calling to me. Finally, I felt him nudge me.
"Hey, what's with you? I was shouting like crazy," he said.
"Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking about things."
"That deeply? I hope it involved me," he said, reaching for my hand.
"In a way it did."
"Great. I'll take anything. Even 'in a way,' " he said, and we headed around the building toward the parking lot. Just about everyone had already dressed and gone. There were only a half dozen cars left, including his.
"I saw you were talking to Charlene Lewis in the stands," he said as we approached his car.
"You weren't concentrating on your practice?"
He laughed. "No, but I did finally. She's a nice girl. I like Bobby, too. Maybe we'll go on a double date with them."
I didn't say anything. He opened the car door for me, and I got in.
"You didn't say anything when I mentioned a double date," he said after we drove out of the lot.
"What should I say?"
"You'd like it or not, for one thing."
"I don't know. I've never been on a double date. I've never been on a date," I added unashamed.
"No secret romances?" he kidded.
"If there were, they were so secret, even I didn't know," I told him, and he laughed.
"You know you're a pretty interesting girl, Alice. As I told you, what I like about you is I can't tell what you're going to do or say. Most of the other girls here are carbon copies, almost mass
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