by Cat Mann
****
I tugged at the end of Ava’s long ponytail that was pulled through the back of a baseball cap. “Good seats, huh?”
“Great seats! We're so close to the field. This is perfect for Max’s first major league game.”
“I hope you aren’t disappointed, but these tickets are all I got for you. I thought we’d just stay low key tomorrow, hang around the house and stop by my parent’s place for some family time.”
Ava leaned her head down on my shoulder and I kissed the rim of her hat. She knew why I wanted to stay home. The anniversary of our marriage will always be marred by the dark days that had followed – a reminder of the week that she was missing. Our home and our peace had now been violated twice again and I was determined to keep both Ava and Max safe and at my side as much as I could. Nervous energy was balled up inside me. I kept waiting for some kind of ball to drop. Doomsday was approaching. I could feel it in my bones. Something was going to happen. I was going to fail them.
“Ari, this weekend is great. All I ever want is you. You know that. But, will you do me a favor?” She lifted her head from my shoulder and looked up at me with puppy dog eyes.
“You know I'm going to say yes to whatever you want so just spit it out.”
“Grab Max and me a hotdog? Pretty please.” She batted her lashes playfully.
Glancing up at the long and steadily growing concession stand line, I hid my grimace. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Thanks, Ari.”
“You betcha, Baby.”
From the line, I could see our seats. My eyes stayed focused on Ava and Max. They were both engrossed with the action on the field. Occasionally, Max switched from his own chair to Ava’s lap and then back again. Removing my cell from my pocket, I hit Julia’s number and called her again for the hundredth time or maybe more. “Julia, hi… me again. I would really like to talk with you. It’s important. Anyway, love ya.”
“Ari, fancy seeing you here,” the hard baritone of Cameron Gallo’s southern accent made my nerves crawl. The sound of his voice scattered up my spine and burrowed into my brain like a seedy cock roach. He patted my shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze.
My eyes remained on Ava in the distance and I slid my phone back into my pocket.
“Leave us alone, Gallo. I have nothing to do with you.”
“You're right, Ari. You have nothing to do with me. Angels fan?”
“No. You?”
“I’m from Texas, Ari.” His accent said it all; he was undoubtedly a Rangers fan. A quick look back in his direction showed me his old, faded Texas Rangers cap, complete with a small, ratty tear to the front of the bill. The hat was uncharacteristic of his rich and polished style and stuck out like a sore thumb in contrast to his tailor made slacks and loafers. “Are you a fellow Rangers fan then?”
“No, I certainly am not.” I stepped up to the stand and ordered, “Two hotdogs with relish and extra mustard, three bottles of water.”
“May I ask what interest you have in this game?”
“What interest do you have in Julia?”
“I have no interest in Julia.”
“Where is she?”
“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen her since you and I last spoke. As I said before, my interest is in Ava. Only Ava.”
“Leave. Her. Alone.”
“I am on your side, Ari.”
“I don’t need you on my side.”
“Wrong again.”
I grabbed the hotdogs in one hand, the waters in the other and turned to walk away.
“I would like to meet Ava, she ran off at the baio show before I had my opportunity.”
My muscles tightened and hairs pricked at the nape of my neck. “Stay away from her.”
Cameron’s gaze followed mine and his eyes narrowed at the sight of my wife and child.
“Max,” he said and smiled when he spotted him. “I have a daughter his age and she is always looking for new friends. We're seated in the dugout suite. I’ll fetch Lola and we'll come over to say hello.”
He walked away in the direction of the Rangers dugout without ordering anything at the concession stand.
“Hey, Baby.” I nudged her shoulder with my wrist and handed over her hotdog. “Careful, it’s hot.”
“Thanks! Long line? You were gone forever. I was about to come look for you.”
“Mmm hmm. Having fun? We don’t have to stay for the whole game. I’m happy to head home whenever you are. We can get ahead of the traffic and just play on the beach by the house tonight…”
“Ari,” she patted my empty seat beside her. “It’s a good game. Max won’t be ready to go for a long time.”
I slid down into the chair and passed Max his hotdog.
“There are forty thousand people here. We're safe. We don’t need to worry about that stuff right now. Let’s try to have…fun.” She bumped her shoulder with mine. “Relax. We're winning!”
“I know. And I am relaxed. And who are we cheering for?”
“The Rangers.”
“I’m from L.A. Why aren’t we cheering for the Angels?”
“You’re not really from L.A. and I like the Rangers…I have a thing for southern accents.”
“You do not.”
“Ok, you got me, I don’t.” She took a massive bite from her hotdog. “But I like the team just the same. You know – the Rangers were my dad’s favorite team.” She talked past a mouthful of food.
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
“Your dad told me. He gave me a picture he had of my dad wearing a Ranger’s cap. Makes me want to root for them just for my Dad’s sake.”
“Go Rangers.” I winked.
“Ari.” Cameron squeezed my shoulder again, alerting me of his quick arrival. “Having fun?”
“We were.”
“This is my daughter, Lola.” Cameron smiled brightly down on a little, messy-haired girl who hid behind his knee. She made him seem less polished. She made him more human.
“Hi.” Lola looked past me with wide, blue eyes staring at Max. He froze in his embarrassment caused by the little girl and smashed his reddened face into my arm.
“Smart, pretty girls make him nervous,” I told Lola.
“I am very sure he’ll grow out of that.” Cameron stared at Ava who hadn’t yet bothered to look away from the game. “Hello, Ava. I am Cameron.” He purred. The way he stared at her made me want to kill him.
Ava looked up in his direction and squinted her eyes in the bright sun. She had another bite of hotdog in her mouth and licked at the small drop of mustard on the corner of her lip. “Hi.” She swallowed, smiled politely and then put her attention right back on the game.
I grinned triumphantly at my girl.
“It’s nice to meet you.” He pulled her back into the conversation.
“It’s nice to meet you, too…?”
“Cameron Gallo.” He said and his eyes narrowed, causing the skin to pull in the corners.
“Do you work for Ari?”
A hint of humor twinkled in his eye. Cameron is a well-known man. From what little I have read about him, he owned everything. He knew everyone and more importantly, everyone knew him. My own sister had a weird and marginally inappropriate crush on the man nearly twice her age. Every woman in the stadium would jump at the chance to speak with him. Ava had unintentionally but significantly wounded his pride and I couldn’t help but love her even more for that.
“Not exactly, no. I am involved in many things, but the fashion industry isn’t one of them. I …”
She was blissfully unaware of Cameron as he talked and did not grant him the least bit of attention. Ava wasn’t deliberately being rude, she was just pre-consumed. She jumped from her seat when a loud crack from a baseball bat echoed through the stadium. The ball flew into the bleachers and the batter sped through the bases for a home run.
She cheered and Max jumped alongside her.
>
“We have a box reserved. You are welcome to join us. There is plenty of space. Much better food…I am friends with the team’s manager. Your son can meet the players after the game. Maybe run the bases if he would like.” He turned back to me.
“Thanks, Cameron that sounds nice but we're all set here. In fact, we were just talking about leaving. Lola, it was a pleasure meeting you.”
She smiled past me at Max and the very tops of his cheeks blushed just as Ava’s sometime do.
“Bye, bye.” The little girl said to Max.
He stared back at her, unblinking and mesmerized by her pretty, doll face. “Bye,” he said back to Lola Gallo and Ava and I both gasped at the unexpected sound of his voice.