by Alison Mello
The jumbotron is playing some cool stuff, and they’re showing kids around the arena dancing and being silly, so I jump up and dance too, hoping they’ll put me on it. I don’t make it the first time, but it’s early, and I still have time. There are a few things a kid hopes for at a game. First that their team wins, and second, they get to see their face on the big screen! The game starts, and the Celtics get the ball first. “Dad, check it out! The game is starting!” Amber is shouting like crazy at the team for any little mistake they make. They’ve had a good season, but they’ve also lost a lot of games.
“I can see that, son.” My father tries to hide his laughter, but he fails. I don’t care, though. It’s amazing to be here.
The Celtics score sending me out of my seat to cheer. My father watches with us for a few minutes and then goes to get us some drinks. While he’s gone, Amber and I talk about the game. She’s pointing out things they’re doing well. “See how high he jumps to recover that ball. Basketball is about more than taking a shot on the net.” She’s told us that so many times already, but it never stuck. Most of the time we forgot to jump to recover the ball.
“This is so much fun.” I tell her.
“I’m glad you’re having a good time.” Amber smiles at me.
She is really nice. I’m glad my she lives with us now. My dad seems so much happier now that they’re together, and she takes good care of us. Plus, we have fun playing basketball together. I think it’s funny she’s better than my dad at horse.
When my dad returns, he has drinks and popcorn for us, and in the time he’s been gone the Celtics have managed to gain a ten-point lead. Every time there’s a time out, I dance like crazy trying so hard to make the screen. It’s almost half time, and I haven’t made it yet. Dad says it’s probably because I’m a Celtics fan which I think is totally bogus. How is that fair? You let down some kid’s dreams of making the jumbotron because of his choice in teams. It’s not my fault I don’t live in Boston to go to a home game.
I slouch into my seat, frustrated I’m not making it onto the screen. My mood shifts when the Celtics score yet again.
It’s finally halftime, and my team is winning. There are cheerleaders on the floor dancing around. When they’re done, the jumbotron kicks on but they’re doing some kissing cam. It’s quite gross. Every time a couple is put in a heart they have to kiss. Would you believe Dad and Amber were put in the heart? I’m dancing like crazy to get onto that dang thing and all they had to do was sit there and kiss, and they made it on.
I roll my eyes. “So unfair.”
My dad and Amber laugh. “Stop trying so hard. Just have fun.”
The halftime show is almost over, but a few guys come onto the court with t-shirt guns. They’re shooting shirts into the stands. Dad manages to catch one and tosses it over to me. “Wow, thanks, Dad!”
“Don’t thank me yet. It’s probably a Wizards shirt, and it may not fit you.” He watches as I unwrap the shirt.
“It’s a Wizards shirt, size…” I pull at the tag. “Adult large.” I shrug. “I’ll grow into it.” I put it on my lap.
The guy behind us has been really loud the entire game, but now he’s starting to be mean. “Hey, kid. You should give a real fan that shirt.” I turn around but just shake my head. “You’re not even a fan. Why are you going to keep the shirt?”
“Because it’s mine,” I tell the man who I think is really drunk. He’s holding a beer but doesn’t seem to be talking right.
“Stupid ass kid,” he grumbles.
“Listen, that is my son you’re talking to.”
“And?” the guy growls. He collapses into his seat and watches as the third quarter begins.
The second half of the game seems to be going by really quickly, and every time the Celtics score this guy curses. When the Celtics pull ahead by twenty points, he drops an F bombs. My dad is not happy. He jumps up from the seat and gets security.
The guy is told he has to leave. Security assures us he will be put in a cab. The entire section starts clapping and thanks my father for standing up to the man.
“Wow, Amber, did you see that shot?” The Celtics just scored an amazing three pointer. “That was awesome.”
“It was, buddy.” She glances over, “Those shots take a lot of practice.”
With a smile that would light up the city, I say, “I’ll get there some day.”
The jumbotron comes on once again, and now they’re playing some awesome music, so I get up and start dancing. This time it finally happens. I make the screen. I jump up and down. “Dad, look!” They see me up there, and we all wave. I collapse in my seat once they move on, panting out of breath. I look at my dad. “Thanks, Dad. Best night ever.”
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve seen everyone. The season is over, and since Stella was getting closer to her due date, they’d slowed down on doing anything. Today we’re all getting together to celebrate the birth of the baby TJ. Stella and Trystan are having a get-together at their house. We’re all very excited to meet the him for the first time. She had him a few weeks early, going into labor four days ago. She delivered the baby rather quickly with no complications, but no one was allowed to go to the hospital, and no pictures of the baby have been sent out which is incredibly unusual. She simply said they would explain when we get there today.
I grab the gift I got for the baby, and we all head out the door. “There’s probably going to be quite a few people there you don’t know. The baseball team was big and very close. We always got together after games, so I have no doubt a lot of them will be there. Trystan and Stella consider them family.”
“That’s cool.” I don’t really know what it’s like to be part of a large family.
We arrive at the house to find that Vincent was right. It’s full of people. There are more blue baby gifts scattered around the living room. Blue baby blankets, blue baby swing, blue baby toys. It makes me smile to see all the cute baby stuff. It also makes me slightly jealous. I’ll never get to experience that for myself, but I instantly brush off those thoughts. I’m happy for my friends.
Misty grabs my hand the moment she sees me. “Come on. I have some girls you need to meet.” Misty is excited and is not to be messed with, not that I would. I’m thrilled she’s going to introduce me around. There are only a few people here I know. Actually, the house is full of people, and I only know a small fraction of them. Misty quickly introduces me to Stacy, Haddie, Karen, Rhonda and Daisy. I mentally repeat names, hoping I can keep them all straight. I’m not that good with names.
“It’s nice to meet you all.”
“They’re all a part of the mom squad,” Misty says.
“Well, I’m not really. I’m a friend of the family,” Rhonda explains.
Misty plants her hands on her hips. “You come to watch the games, don’t you?” Misty tries to keep her in our little click as she calls it.
Rhonda laughs. “I do.”
“Mom squad,” Misty states.
Stella finally joins us. “Congratulations, Stella.” I hug her and hand her the gift I’ve been carrying. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks, I forgot how much work it was to push a baby out.” She chuckles. “I feel really good, though. A bit sore still but nothing major.”
“No problems?”
She shakes her head. “I was in labor for all of two hours, and that was it.”
“Wow, that’s quick, isn’t it?”
She nods. “It is. DJ was born rather quickly as well. I’m glad, though. It’s exhausting even without the hours and hours of pushing.”
“Where’s the baby?” I ask.
“Sleeping.” I pout. “I’m not waking that baby. Y’all will have to wait a little longer.” She opens the gift we brought her. It’s a little baseball onesie with TJ on the front of it in red. “Oh my, it’s adorable. Thank you so much.” She wraps me in a hug and then runs off to show Trystan.
She comes back a moment later and grabs a plate. “Help yours
elf, ladies.” We all follow behind her making our plates. We find seats and begin digging in. The guys are in the other room talking to Trystan while we hover in the kitchen.
“Okay, so are you going to spill the beans as to why we couldn’t go to the hospital?” Lori asks.
“Yeah, what was the big deal?” Haddie sucks her teeth. “We were all so excited to come see you guys. Then you turn around and tell us no guests.”
“At first I was scared something was wrong, but you clearly have some big secret.” I narrow my eyes at her.
Stella’s getting a good laugh out of this when we hear the baby cry over the monitor. “I’ll tell you in one second.” She hurries into the other room to get the baby. When she comes back, we’re all stunned because the baby that we were expecting to see dressed in blue is dressed in pink. He is a she.
“Meet Taryn Jasmine Shepard.” She giggles. “Also known as TJ.” We all burst into laughter.
“You had a girl?” Lori asks.
“I sure did.” Stella gently cradles her precious bundle of joy. “We were so blown away we decided to tell you guys by having you all over. We couldn’t announce her immediately because we didn’t have a name picked.” Taryn instantly calms down. “It took us a little time to agree on something.”
“That’s hilarious,” Daisy says to her.
“I didn’t think it was funny at all.” Trystan plucks her from Stella’s hands. “Not because of her sex but because we now have all this blue stuff, and I have a princess who deserves pink.” He bounces her lightly in his arms. “Isn’t that right, my little princess?” he coos.
“Will you still call her TJ?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I don’t know, probably not. It’s not the same.” He beams with pride as he looks down at his precious little girl. Clearly the fact he had a girl instead of a boy doesn’t faze him. He’s thrilled to have a healthy baby.
Rhonda tells me about the gender reveal party they had not too long ago and all the blue powder that exploded from the inside of the balloon. The funny thing is a gender reveal mix up usually goes the other way. They predict a girl and then all of a sudden, they’re born and it’s a boy. But not this bundle of joy.
“Guys, my sister is awake. Come see her!” DJ shouts. I hear the boys questioning him about it being a girl as well. It’s really taken everyone by surprise. The boys all gather around the baby. They go to touch her, and Trystan stops them. “No touching the baby until you wash your hands.” Trystan takes a seat while the boys rub sanitizer into their hands. They all hurry back over. They grab her hands and touching her toes. It’s like they’ve never seen a baby before.
“Mom, can I hold her?” DJ asks.
“You know my rule. On the couch.” He rushes into the living room to take a seat on the couch. Trystan puts Taryn into his lap, and the boys gather around him. Stella grabs her camera to capture the moment.
“He looks so proud,” I tell Stella.
“He is. He has been a great big brother.”
“How did he take her being a girl?” Lori asks.
She looks at her with her eyes wide. “Are you kidding? He was thrilled. He has someone to look over now. He’s totally a proud big brother, and I fear the day she brings a boyfriend into this house.”
I shake my head. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
Trystan and DJ both say in unison, “She’s not allowed to date.”
We all burst into laughter, scaring Taryn and causing her to cry. Stella scoops her up and gently calms her. It takes but two minutes and she’s a happy baby again.
The rest of the evening is spent passing the baby around. Stella asks for pictures of each couple holding her. She explains that she wants to make a baby book for her, and she insists on including every one of her family members. She then sets up her brand-new camera on the tripod and arranges everyone in the living room so we can get one big picture. Once everyone is in place, she sets the timer and jumps in with us. The camera flashes, telling us the shot has been taken. “Don’t move. I need to make sure it came out okay,” she warns.
Everyone stays perfectly still. “Boys, if you don’t sit still you’re all missing your first practice.”
Trystan’s jaw drops. “You have my entire team here.”
“I guess you better get them to sit still,” she sasses him.
“Boys, sit and smile,” Trystan demands.
The boys all freeze in their spots and plaster smiles on their faces. She sets the timer again and jumps in with us. When the camera flashes, she checks it, and a huge smile lights up her face. “The perfect family photo,” she says excitedly. She passes it around for everyone to see.
I look at the camera with a huge smile on my face. I’ve been blessed. Before I agreed to date Vincent, I felt lonely. I didn’t have many friends and certainly didn’t have any family. In the short time I’ve known these people, I’ve come to learn that in our world family isn’t about bloodlines. Family is made up of the people around you. The people who help you, support you, love you and are there for you no matter what. Now, I’ve not only found the man of my dreams, but I have a family and friends who will be there for me. Together, we’ll always rise up!
It’s a beautiful sunny evening, and we’re all at the ballpark for a night of baseball practice. Things have been going incredibly well in our lives, and we couldn’t be happier. Laney has been released from the rehab and is now staying with her father. After seeing the true effort Laney was making in rehab, Vincent has agreed to let Ethan visit with her as long as Phillip is home, and she doesn’t drive anywhere with him. It’s our hope that over time he’ll be able to trust her again, but he told her he needs time.
They had a lengthy conversation at the Phillip’s house. She thought now that she was sober and was straightening her life out, they had a chance together. He felt so bad, but he was honest with her and told her that he loved me and that we were happy together. She took it better than he thought she would. She wished us well. She and I are now quite cordial. I’m not saying we’ll be breaking bread together anytime soon, but it’s a start.
“Hey, girl.” Stella comes up to the bleachers carrying Taryn in her car seat.
“Here, let me help you.” I take the diaper bag so she can carry the baby easier.
“How is this precious little girl doing?” I coo into the car seat.
Stella sighs. “She needs to sleep.”
“Oh no, is she still not sleeping well?” I ask her as she rocks the car seat. She has her dressed in the little baseball onesie that we got her with some green pants to match the team colors.
“No, she slept through the night once, and it made me so paranoid I was in her room every fifteen minutes to make sure she was breathing.”
“You never stop doing that,” Misty says, climbing the bleachers.
“Yeah, well this is the last child I’ll be doing that for, because I’m not having anymore. I’m too old for this.” Stella shakes her head.
Misty takes a seat next to us. “How’s my godchild?”
“She’s good.” Stella continues to rock her until she’s sound asleep. She rests the car seat between her legs holding her steady so she can nap. “She’ll be up to eat before practice is over, though. I’m hoping now that I have her eating a little later, she’ll start sleeping longer.”
“So I hear congratulations is in order,” Misty says to me.
I grin. “You heard?” I’m surprised. We haven’t told too many people.
“Did you really think Stella would keep that kind of news from me. Let me see that ring,” she demands, taking my hand. “It’s gorgeous,” Misty gushes.
My engagement ring truly is gorgeous. He picked a stunning princess cut diamond that is perched beautifully in a platinum setting. “He was very sweet. We were sitting in bed one night when he reached over and grabbed the box. It was completely out of the blue.”
“That is sweet,” Stella says.
The other ladies come over to join us, and Stella go
es into baseball mom mode. She’s talking about fundraisers we need to do for this year. Apparently, they did a very successful car wash last year that included a bake sale. They also stood outside a grocery store with jars. This year instead of jars, she wants to sell candy bars. Lori has already volunteered to get a bunch from the local wholesale store.
Everyone stops talking when Laney arrives. Stella taps me on the arm. “I didn’t know she was out,” she whispers.
I nod. “She’s a very different person now.”
“Really?” Misty asks.
“Hey, Laney,” I call over to her. She looks over her shoulder. “Want to join us?”
She looks to the floor and quickly shakes her head no. “It’s okay, Laney. Come on over,” Lori says.
She hesitates. She looks out to the field. Ethan waves at her. She smiles and waves back. She looks up at us and notices we are still watching to see if she’ll come up. She finally caves and makes her way up the bleachers.
“Hey, ladies.” She sits and stares out at the field. “Congratulations, Stella.”
“Thank you,” Stella replies with a smile, trying to ease the tension.
I’m not sure what happened between these ladies, but it’s clear they have history. I almost feel bad that I invited her over. I knew she wasn’t a nice person before, but I hadn’t realized how many people she affected.
“How are you, Laney?” Misty asks sincerely, trying to break the silence.
She shrugs. “I’m okay.” She appears to be on the verge of tears.
“Please don’t cry.” I try to console her, but it pushes her further.
She looks at the ladies. “I’m sorry.” She pulls a tissue out. “I’m sorry for all the nasty things I did and the way I behaved. I was trying so hard to be perfect, I lost track of who I really was.” She looks down. “The worst part is the harder I tried the more I realized I was never perfect, because no one is. Every trial I won made me want to win more, and if I lost, I got angry because it proved I needed to be better.” She dabs her eyes as she rambles on. It’s clear she needs to get this all out. “No more.” She shakes her head. “I just want to be a mom and a friend. I want to be happy.” She pulls her sweater closed around her. We’re now all on the verge of tears. “Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”