Fast-Pitch Love

by Clay Cormany

The kid stared at him without speaking. Jace searched for some sign of sympathy or understanding but found none. He could feel his own face redden and tremors of nervousness creep up his spine.

  "Why don’t you see if your girlfriend can help you out," the kid finally said with a touch of sarcasm. Jace didn’t like that tone, and for a moment he thought about shoving his cone into the guy’s face and saying, "Why don’t you just take mine back?"

  "That’s a good idea," said Stephanie, opening her purse. "I’m sure I’ve got some change in here." Before long she came up with a dime and two quarters, which she dropped in the kid’s hand. Crisis averted, thought Jace, but he still felt a little embarrassed, and with no more money, he realized he should take Stephanie home as soon as they finished their cones.

  They strolled out in front of the store, licking their ice cream. As the two stepped off the curb, Stephanie lost her balance for a second, and Jace reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. Even after she regained her footing, Jace kept his hand on her arm and gradually moved it up to her shoulder. For a minute, they stood that way, just staring out into the humid June night.

  "I’ve had a great time, Jace," Stephanie finally said. "Everything’s been so much fun."

  "I’ve had a great time, too, but I have to admit I’ll never be a ballet fan like you."

  "That’s okay," Stephanie said, touching one end of her napkin to her lips. She paused and then reached over and dabbed the unused end of the napkin on Jace’s chin. "You had a little dribble there."

  Jace’s heart soared. He felt like some supernatural force lifted him into the air, even though he knew his feet remained on the ground. Words didn’t come easily, but he found them anyway.

  "Maybe we should go out again sometime."

  Stephanie’s eyebrows lifted. "What would we do?"

  "Maybe go to a movie…a romantic movie or a funny one."

  She smiled at him but didn’t respond. They finished their cones and got back into the car.

  "Guess I better get you home," Jace said as he started the engine.

  "What time is it?" Stephanie asked.

  Jace glanced at his watch. "Quarter to eleven."

  "Then there’s time for us to go somewhere else first."

  "Where?"

  "How about Wilson’s Bluff?"

  ****

  Jace had never been to Ridgeview’s make-out spot, but Stick once told him how to find it — go about two miles past the high school on Ellinger Lane, turn right onto the gravel road next to the abandoned gas station, then drive another mile or so, veering left where the road forked. These instructions took Jace and Stephanie into a wooded area of oaks, maples, elms, and hickories.

  "Look at that!" cried Stephanie, pointing at a raccoon that peered into the headlights before dashing into the underbrush.

  "Yeah," said Jace. "There might be lots of wild animals around here." And a few in cars on the bluff, he thought to himself.

  Even before they reached the fork, Jace felt the road inclining upward toward their destination. His uneasiness also began to rise. He had never made out with any of the girls he dated before. Just a few quick good-night kisses. Would he have the nerve to go as far as he wanted?

  The gravel road ended at a grassy area overlooking one of the town's wealthier neighborhoods. The shrubs and trees on the bluff were far enough apart to allow vehicles to snuggle in between them. A pick-up truck and a convertible were already there.

  Jace stopped the car between two large red maples.

  "How’s this?" he asked.

  "Fine."

  Jace didn’t know what to say next, so he sat there, clutching the steering wheel, finding security in its firmness. He stared at the plush homes below the bluff with their manicured lawns and illuminated swimming pools. Then his eyes went out into the night sky, awash in stars and moonlit clouds. He cast a sidelong glance at Stephanie. In the darkness, he couldn’t see her face too well, but the steady rhythm of her breath sent flutters through his stomach. He knew what she expected him to do, yet it seemed so crass, so Carson-like to just start necking without saying something to set the mood.

  Perhaps tiring of the silence — or the suspense — Stephanie spoke.

  "You’re going to college, aren’t you?"

  "Yeah, but I’m not sure where yet."

  "Do you know what you want to study?"

  "History or poly sci, maybe. Something that will set me up for law school. How about you?"

  "I don’t know where I’ll do my undergraduate work, but someday I want to go to the business school at OSU."

  "So you want to own your own business someday?"

  "Either that or be a real estate agent for a large company like my mom."

  "Then I guess I’ll be seeing your picture on grocery carts and at bus stops."

  "Oh that’s not enough for me," Stephanie said with a laugh. "I’m going to have my face on a blimp and fly it over Ohio Stadium during football games."

  "You won’t have to do that to sell houses," Jace said.

  "Oh, I’m joking of course," Stephanie continued. "But advertising is important in real estate. It’s a very competitive business."

  "Yeah, I know it is," Jace said. "But someone as… as….."

  Stephanie leaned forward, allowing the moonlight to illuminate her face. "As what?" she asked.

  "As drop-dead gorgeous as you could make millions selling alligator-infested swampland in Florida."

  Jace wasn’t sure where those words came from. They seemed to jump out of him like water from a crack in a dam. Whatever the case, he was glad he said them.

  Stephanie’s mouth dropped open a little, whether in surprise or amusement, Jace didn’t know. But for some reason, it seemed the ideal moment to do something he had only dreamed about until now. Jace put his arms around her, drew her mouth toward his, and kissed her. He pressed his lips on hers as if to merge them, and his embrace was strong enough to feel the notches of her spine on his fingers. And then the most unbelievable thing happened; he could feel her arms wrapping around his shoulders and across his back. Not quite as firm as his embrace, but strong enough to send a shiver of delight through his whole body. The kissing ended while breaths were taken and then it resumed. After a few seconds, Jace took a chance and touched the tip of his tongue on Stephanie’s lips. She responded by opening her mouth and putting her tongue on top of his. Soon, their tongues were locked together in a playful little tug-of-war.

  How long did the flood of passion last? Jace was never sure. Through it all, his heart did cartwheels, and his body felt like it was carried on a swift river current that kept changing directions. His mind flew to mountaintops, to clouds, to planets not yet discovered, and to stars beyond the galaxy. But wherever he was, she was always there, too, her beauty enveloping him. Then, almost by accident, he looked at his watch.

  "Oh no, it’s almost midnight! Your dad is going to kill me!"

  Jace started the engine and pulled the car out of its niche between the trees. He wheeled it toward the gravel road, ignoring the sound of a shrub that screeched against the vehicle’s sides. Seconds later, stones flew as Stick’s car carried the duo toward a possible confrontation with an angry father.

  It was past midnight when Jace pulled into the Thornapples' driveway. The porch light was on, but the inside of the house appeared to be dark. Maybe everyone is asleep, Jace hoped.

  "Thanks for a wonderful evening," Stephanie said, unlatching her seat belt. "But I better get in there right now."

  "Let me come with you."

  Together they almost ran to the front porch. As Stephanie reached for the door, Jace put his arms around her waist and moved his head toward hers. One brief good-night kiss was all he wanted. He felt his lips touch hers, and at the same time, heard the door open. But it wasn’t Stephanie who opened it.

  "Get in here now," a gruff voice said.

  Jace let go of Stephanie, who scurried into her house, and then looked into the unsmiling face of Mr. Thorna
pple. For about ten miserable seconds, he glared at Jace and then pulled back the sleeve of his robe and pointed to his wristwatch.

  "Do you know what time it is?" The voice was controlled but its irritation was unmistakable.

  Jace glanced at his own watch. "Twelve-fifteen."

  "And when did you say you would have my daughter home?"

  "Eleven-thirty at the latest."

  "That was forty-five minutes ago, wasn’t it?"

  "Yes, sir. I’m sorry."

  "Do you know how worried her mother and I were?"

  "Very worried, I’m sure."

  Mr. Thornapple’s expression changed from anger to disappointment. He folded his arms.

  "Blast it, young man, even that dumbbell football player at least gets my daughter home on time. Did something go wrong? Did your car break down or have a flat tire?"

  "No, sir, nothing went wrong with the car. The ballet ended just a little after ten, and Stephanie and I were having such a good time, we decided to do some other things before I took her home."

  Jace felt sweat collecting on his forehead and on the back of his neck, and his mouth was so dry he doubted he could continue the conversation much longer. He prayed Mr. Thornapple would go back into his house without demanding to know what those "other things" were.

  "And just what were those ‘other things’?"

  Jace took a deep breath, trying to think of a safe answer and at the same time control the unbearable anxiety that was turning his guts into mush.

  "We got some ice cream at Bostwick’s."

  "It doesn’t take two hours to eat an ice cream cone," Mr. Thornapple snapped. "What else did you do?"

  At first, Jace couldn’t bear the thought of telling Mr. Thornapple where they went next, but then a strange scene came to his mind. One from a nature film he saw years ago in school. In the film, a bobcat corners a field mouse and is about to crush it in its jaws. But the field mouse, far from standing still and accepting its fate, charges the bobcat and tries to bite its paws. Charging Mr. Thornapple wouldn’t be smart, but maybe, like the field mouse, he needed to show some backbone.

  "Stephanie and I went to Wilson’s Bluff, Mr. Thornapple."

  The man stepped back, and a look of surprise crossed his face. He unfolded his arms, put them on his hips, and stared at Jace. There was still some anger in Mr. Thornapple’s eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was softer than it had been.

  "I don’t know if Stephanie will ever want to go out with you again. But if she does, you’ll need to do a better job of bringing her back home at the hour you promised."

  Before Jace could answer, Mr. Thornapple went back into his house. The door slammed, and the porch light went out, leaving him alone in darkness. He trudged back to the driveway fearing his first date with Stephanie would also be his last.

  Chapter Fourteen

  On the day after his date with Stephanie, Jace tried to busy himself with things that wouldn’t bring her to mind. He played catch with Phoebe, ran some errands for his mother, and started reading Little Women. In the afternoon, he returned Stick’s car — along with the copy of Playtime—and then joined him for a four-mile run.

  Stick apologized for the magazine. "Don’t know how I missed that!" He also wanted to know how the date went. "Did you get to first base?" Stick asked, as they ran stride for stride through his neighborhood.

  "I had a great time," Jace said, ignoring the question. "But that might be the last date I have with Stephanie."

  "Why? Did you tick her off?"

  "Not her. Her dad."

  "Uh oh! What did you do?"

  "Brought her home late."

  "How late?"

  "About forty-five minutes."

  "Is that all? Why, that’s nothing. I know guys who’ve brought their girlfriends back three or four hours late and lived to tell about it."

  "Stephanie’s not my girlfriend, not yet."

  "And she never will be if you don’t ask her out again. So give her old man a few days to cool off and call her."

  "Okay — maybe."

  They darted around a series of small potholes and then headed up a hill, their pace unchanged despite the slope.

  "So did you get to first base?" Stick asked again.

  Jace rubbed some sweat off his forehead and flicked it into his friend’s face. "First base? You sound like a softball coach."

  ****

  The next day, he worked at Farrell’s, mowed the lawn, and tried to calm his sister, who was nervous about playing in her first real softball game that evening. Now and again, thoughts of Stephanie would elbow their way into his mind no matter how hard he tried to keep them out.

  As he laid out the clothes he would wear for the game, Jace gave in and reflected on everything that happened two nights ago on his date. He couldn’t help but feel that Stephanie liked him a lot. After all, she was the one who suggested going to Wilson’s Bluff. And her kisses — those magnificent kisses still sent tingles up his spine. But at the same time, he worried that he had gotten her into trouble. Even if she wanted to go out with him again, her father might not allow it.

  "Eeeeeooow!"

  The piercing screech knocked Jace out of his gloom and sent him scrambling downstairs to the back door with his mother close behind. He opened it, and Phoebe stumbled in with tears on her cheeks.

  "What happened?" asked Martha, putting an arm around her daughter’s shoulder.

  "A bee stung me," Phoebe answered between sobs. "I was just smelling the flowers in the backyard and not even bothering the dumb thing."

  "Let me see," said Martha.

  Phoebe held up her right hand where a reddish welt protruded on the tip of her thumb.

  "It hurts so bad!" Phoebe bawled. "Put something on it, Mom."

  "I will, honey, I will," Martha assured her. "Jace, go upstairs and get some calamine lotion out of the medicine cabinet. Then meet me in the kitchen."

  "Do you think she can play in the game?"

  "I don’t know. Let’s take care of her bee sting first."

  "And hurry!" bellowed Phoebe.

  Girls are such ninnies, Jace thought as he dashed up the stairs. It was just a bee sting — not a broken arm. He realized, though, that the injury came at a bad time with the Valkyries' first game less than an hour away. Jace found the calamine lotion and ran back downstairs to the kitchen.

  Phoebe stood next to the sink while Martha poured baking soda into a tablespoon and then held it under the running faucet. Jace put the lotion on the counter next to Phoebe and glanced at his watch. "Our pre-game practice begins in twenty minutes," he said.

  "I know," said Martha. "Go suit up and then drive my car over to the park. Take the equipment bag with you and tell everybody I’ll be along soon."

  "How will you get there?"

  "Once I’ve patched up Phoebe, I’ll give Mrs. Caldini a call and ask her to swing by and pick us up."

  "How’s the bee sting, kid?" Jace said, putting a comforting hand on his sister’s back.

  "It hurts bad, but I can still play, can’t I?"

  Martha sprinkled the baking soda and water concoction on her daughter's thumb. "We’ll see."

  A few minutes later, Jace went to the kitchen sink and filled up his water bottle to the brim. It was cooler now than when they played their practice game, but he knew he’d still get plenty thirsty. He slung the team’s equipment bag over his shoulder and left the house for Addison Park. He wore his Valkyries jersey and hat along with running shorts and an old pair of cross-country shoes.

  Outside, he ignored his car — as useless as it was two days ago—and hopped into his mother’s station wagon. Jace threw the bag into the back seat and then picked up a schedule of games that lay on the dashboard. The Valkyries’ first game pitted them against the Firebirds. Wagner versus Stravinsky, he thought as he started the car and backed down to the street. The metaphor made him chuckle. He needed a little humor in his life right now, even if he had to add it himself.

 
Several purple-shirted players, including Sylvia and Tina, were already at Diamond Number One when Jace arrived. Some threw balls back and forth; others chatted and admired the fit of their uniforms. When Sylvia saw him, she waved and trotted in his direction. Jace had decided not to bring up anything about his date with Stephanie unless Sylvia asked — which she did immediately.

  "I hear you had a great time with Stephanie," Sylvia said.

  "Yeah, we did until I brought her back late. Your dad got pretty mad about that."

  "Oh, don’t let him scare you. He’s like most dads. His bark is worse than his bite."

  "I don’t know," Jace said. "He even made it sound like he trusts Carson more than me."

  Sylvia screwed up her face as if she had just bitten into a lemon. "Believe me, my dad has no use at all for Carson." Her face softened and she added, "There’s no comparison between you and that jerk, and my dad is smart enough to see that."

  "I hope so," Jace said and then motioned toward their players. "Say, we better get these girls into the field for some –"

  "Jace, what’s it like at Wilson’s Bluff?"

  "Huh?" He recoiled as he searched for a way to avoid an answer. "Um, I don’t think I should –"

  "I didn’t mean what the two of you did there," Sylvia said. "I just wanted to know what it looks like." She paused and her voice dropped. "I’ve never been there."

  Jace shrugged. "It’s just a clearing at the top of a hill with some trees and bushes. It gives you a nice view of that new development with all those big, fancy houses."

  "Kind of romantic, huh?"

  "Yeah. Yeah, it is." Jace hesitated. He saw longing — almost despair reflected in Sylvia's eyes.

  "I’m sure someone will take you there someday," he offered, putting his arm around her shoulder. She nestled in a little closer to him, and when she did, his mind replayed the events at Wilson’s Bluff two nights ago, except this time Sylvia was the girl locked in his embrace and kissing him. He shook his head, and the crazy images vanished. But why had they appeared in the first place?

  "What's wrong?" Sylvia asked, moving away from him.