wondered if the pitchers realized they both pitched no
hitters, even though the final score was Panthers 15, Bruins 9? Those walks will kill you every time.
She stepped out of the announcer's booth to find Ben
Santos waiting for her. Her mind whirled and for a moment, she stared at him
before she realized what she was doing. She made herself stop and smile.
Looking at player stats between innings, she'd learned he was nine years old
and in the fourth grade. He was small for his age, and slender, though his face
still had the roundness of a young child. His hair was black, like Tony’s but
it had a lot of wave to it. His eyes were big and brown, his skin, though
olive, was fairer than his father’s. He was of an age where his front teeth
looked way too big for his mouth, but still, he was a very good-looking boy, so
much so that she noticed a group of little fourth-grade girls watching and
giggling over him. Oh, those Santos men.
His uniform was smudged and stained, but his face wore a
big, proud grin. "I know you," he said.
That surprised her. "Do you watch Evening Newscene ?"
Her question seemed to confuse him. "No. My dad's got
a picture of you in his den."
Her breath caught, then she
smiled at him, cool and polished, as if his words didn’t mean a thing to her.
"Well, I know you, too. You're Ben Santos, a very good baseball
player."
"That's right." His face lit up just the same as
she'd seen his father's do time and again. "My dad said I shouldn't let
you go home until you go over and see him."
How arrogant of him! "Is that so?"
"Yeah. But he said I
shouldn't make you mad. That didn't make you mad, did it?"
Her mouth tightened. "No, Ben. Not
at all." She walked with Ben until Tony came into view, then Ben
ran to join his father. Tony had gathered the team together and was giving them
a talk about the game, praising good plays, instructing how to remedy bad ones,
and making the kids feel good about themselves and their team. Her irritation
vanished.
Her legs and back felt stiff as she waited. Before long,
the boys were released. With whoops and hollers they charged off to their
awaiting parents.
Tony turned around, as if searching, and stopped when he saw
her standing by the fence. He grinned as he approached. "I was afraid
you'd hurry off," he said, stopping in front of her, hands on hips.
"I wanted to thank you for announcing. I figured Miwok ought to get some
benefit from all that talent."
"Actually, I enjoyed it."
One eyebrow lifted skeptically.
"Hey, you two," Snyder called. "Pizza time. Come and join us, Lisa. You weren’t
half-bad. Maybe you’ll do it again sometime?"
She nearly choked. "Unfortunately, I’m leaving town
soon."
"Too bad." Snyder waved
and hurried off with his team.
As Ben joined them, Tony lifted the duffel bag with bats
and balls onto his back, then draped his free arm
around Ben's narrow shoulders as they started walking off the field. She'd
forgotten how easily Tony touched people.
Tony said, "We can understand if you don’t want to
join us. I doubt a 'pizza supreme' sounds like the
kind of thing you'd want to eat."
"Tell her the place has video games, Dad," Ben
said, then spun in front of Lee and started walking backwards. "They're great,
Lisa."
"Oh?" she said, unable to contain a wide smile
as she watched him.
"Do you play?" Tony asked. "Watch where
you’re going, Ben."
"I've never tried," she replied.
"Then you got to come," Ben shouted, jumping up
and down in excitement. "I can show you a whole bunch of neat games,
okay?"
She glanced at Tony, then her
eyes lingered on Ben. "How can I refuse such an offer?"
"All right!" Ben threw
both arms in the air like Joe Montana after a touchdown. God, where had that
image come from, she wondered? Now she was even remembering old northern
California sports scenes, and she didn’t even like sports.
As they walked along, her gaze kept veering toward the man
she used to know so well, and to his son, who greeted her with such
hitters, even though the final score was Panthers 15, Bruins 9? Those walks will kill you every time.
She stepped out of the announcer's booth to find Ben
Santos waiting for her. Her mind whirled and for a moment, she stared at him
before she realized what she was doing. She made herself stop and smile.
Looking at player stats between innings, she'd learned he was nine years old
and in the fourth grade. He was small for his age, and slender, though his face
still had the roundness of a young child. His hair was black, like Tony’s but
it had a lot of wave to it. His eyes were big and brown, his skin, though
olive, was fairer than his father’s. He was of an age where his front teeth
looked way too big for his mouth, but still, he was a very good-looking boy, so
much so that she noticed a group of little fourth-grade girls watching and
giggling over him. Oh, those Santos men.
His uniform was smudged and stained, but his face wore a
big, proud grin. "I know you," he said.
That surprised her. "Do you watch Evening Newscene ?"
Her question seemed to confuse him. "No. My dad's got
a picture of you in his den."
Her breath caught, then she
smiled at him, cool and polished, as if his words didn’t mean a thing to her.
"Well, I know you, too. You're Ben Santos, a very good baseball
player."
"That's right." His face lit up just the same as
she'd seen his father's do time and again. "My dad said I shouldn't let
you go home until you go over and see him."
How arrogant of him! "Is that so?"
"Yeah. But he said I
shouldn't make you mad. That didn't make you mad, did it?"
Her mouth tightened. "No, Ben. Not
at all." She walked with Ben until Tony came into view, then Ben
ran to join his father. Tony had gathered the team together and was giving them
a talk about the game, praising good plays, instructing how to remedy bad ones,
and making the kids feel good about themselves and their team. Her irritation
vanished.
Her legs and back felt stiff as she waited. Before long,
the boys were released. With whoops and hollers they charged off to their
awaiting parents.
Tony turned around, as if searching, and stopped when he saw
her standing by the fence. He grinned as he approached. "I was afraid
you'd hurry off," he said, stopping in front of her, hands on hips.
"I wanted to thank you for announcing. I figured Miwok ought to get some
benefit from all that talent."
"Actually, I enjoyed it."
One eyebrow lifted skeptically.
"Hey, you two," Snyder called. "Pizza time. Come and join us, Lisa. You weren’t
half-bad. Maybe you’ll do it again sometime?"
She nearly choked. "Unfortunately, I’m leaving town
soon."
"Too bad." Snyder waved
and hurried off with his team.
As Ben joined them, Tony lifted the duffel bag with bats
and balls onto his back, then draped his free arm
around Ben's narrow shoulders as they started walking off the field. She'd
forgotten how easily Tony touched people.
Tony said, "We can understand if you don’t want to
join us. I doubt a 'pizza supreme' sounds like the
kind of thing you'd want to eat."
"Tell her the place has video games, Dad," Ben
said, then spun in front of Lee and started walking backwards. "They're great,
Lisa."
"Oh?" she said, unable to contain a wide smile
as she watched him.
"Do you play?" Tony asked. "Watch where
you’re going, Ben."
"I've never tried," she replied.
"Then you got to come," Ben shouted, jumping up
and down in excitement. "I can show you a whole bunch of neat games,
okay?"
She glanced at Tony, then her
eyes lingered on Ben. "How can I refuse such an offer?"
"All right!" Ben threw
both arms in the air like Joe Montana after a touchdown. God, where had that
image come from, she wondered? Now she was even remembering old northern
California sports scenes, and she didn’t even like sports.
As they walked along, her gaze kept veering toward the man
she used to know so well, and to his son, who greeted her with such
Similar Books
