"Okay, we’ve got five games over the next three days, so we’ve got to focus. We’re playing some powerhouses, so I hope you all get some rest tonight. We’ll have a light dinner at the hotel, and breakfast starts at nine. Neither meal is mandatory, but I want you all to eat healthy meals while we’re here. If you can’t manage to get yourself fed properly, then you’d damned well better be eating with us. If I catch any of you eating a bag of chips and a Coke for breakfast, the meal is gonna be mandatory – and that’s a promise.
"The bus leaves for the complex at ten a.m. sharp. If you’re not ready – we leave you behind. Oh, and curfew is midnight for everyone. I’m not going to do bed checks – but if I hear that someone stayed out much later than twelve, you’ll be sitting in your room instead of playing."
"One last thing." He scanned the players’ faces, making sure that everyone was paying attention – which they all were. "O’Flaherty has her girlfriend here with her."
Jamie could feel her cheeks coloring and she mentally rolled her eyes, wondering where this train was headed.
"I know most of you aren’t petty little whiners, but just in case, I want you to know that O’Flaherty isn’t getting any special treatment here. As you all know, the NCAA expressly prohibits any player from receiving benefits that a regular student wouldn’t receive – and I take the NCAA rules very, very seriously. Blondie paid for her own plane ticket and she’s paying for their room and her own meals. It doesn’t cost an extra dime to let her ride on the bus, and I’d gladly give a lift to any Cal student who wanted to hop on, so I’m not gonna charge her anything for that. Now, if any of you want to bring a boyfriend or a girlfriend or a family member, you have the same opportunity." He looked at every face once again, sparing a slight wink for Jamie, then nodded and sat down.
"Well, he’s certainly to the point," Jamie said. "Any chance of getting him to remember my name?"
"Only if you can play softball," Ryan said.
Their arrival at the hotel was a study in organized chaos. There was a tremendous amount of luggage stored under the bus, and it took quite a few minutes to get everything sorted out. Ryan grabbed her suitcase and crawled over a dozen bags to fetch Jamie’s, then started for the main entrance. "Honey," Jamie said, "you had two bags. You had a huge duffel bag, too."
"Oh. Yeah. Uhm … Jackie’s gonna take that one for me. I’ve got some of her stuff in it."
"Huh?"
"It’s cool. Everything’s under control."
Jamie took another glance at the milling players still trying to locate their bags, and doubted Ryan’s words, but it was her bag – so she shrugged her shoulders and followed her into the motel.
The student manager had gone inside as soon as the bus pulled up, and now she stood in the lobby handing out room keys. "You’ve got your own reservations, right, O’Flaherty?" she asked.
"Yep. We’re good." Ryan strode up to the front desk and got squared away, and a few minutes later they arrived at their room. To Jamie’s surprise it was a very spacious layout, with a nice sitting room and a separate bedroom.
"Did you do this on purpose?" she asked.
"Yeah. I know you’re not used to hanging with the poor folks, so I thought I’d at least get you a big room. I thought it might ease your transition into the lower class."
Jamie gave her a hug and said, "I appreciate your efforts to cushion my culture shock, but you don’t have to do this in the future. I think you’ll get along better with your teammates if it doesn’t look like we’re livin’ large. I mean, Coach Roberts must be a little concerned since he made a point of saying something on the bus."
"Nah. I don’t think that’ll be a problem with this group. He’s only being proactive. But I won’t splurge on rooms anymore. This is a special occasion."
"Oh, right!" the smaller woman giggled. "I forgot it was my birthday tomorrow."
"I didn’t," Ryan said. "I know it’s not the same as being at home, but I want you to have a fun day."
"All I have to do is be with you, and fun is sure to follow."
They were about halfway through putting their things away when Ryan went to answer a knock at the door. "Hi. Put it right on the table," Jamie heard her say. She popped her head out of the bedroom to see a man placing the largest gift basket she had ever seen onto the small dining table. The basket was obviously very heavy, because even his impressive musculature couldn’t quite handle the lift, and Ryan had to help him.
"What’s this?" Jamie asked, a delighted grin on her face.
"Oh, they do this for everyone," Ryan teased.
The server wiped his brow and said, "If we did this for everyone, I’d find a new job!"
Ryan tipped him and sent him on his way, and by the time she saw him to the door, Jamie was already deep into her exploration. "Ryan! Look at all of the cool things in here!"
"Catherine comes through again," Ryan said, peering at the delights over Jamie’s shoulder.
"Did you know she was going to do this?"
Ryan gave her an enigmatic smile and said, "We’ve had a few discussions about your birthday, and how to make it special for you. We share a common goal, you know."
"What’s that?" Jamie linked her hands behind Ryan’s neck and leaned back to be able to observe her face.
"To make sure you’re as happy as possible every minute of the day."
With a few gentle kisses and a firm hug, Jamie said, "You’re both doing very, very well."
They were sharing lazy kisses when another knock startled them. "Now what?" Jamie asked.
Yet another man entered the room, this time carrying a large square box. "Put it right there," Ryan instructed, while reaching into her pocket for another tip.
"Ryan!" Jamie said after the man had gone. "It’s a cake big enough to feed the whole motel!"
Ryan checked her watch and proclaimed, "Then I guess it’s time we invited the whole motel in for a party." She opened the door and the entire team started streaming in, each woman bearing a neatly wrapped present and offering a hug for the birthday girl.
Jamie was too stunned to move, and every time she cast a glance at her partner, the taller woman was smiling like the cat that ate the canary. When the last of the guests had entered, Ryan called them to order. "We’ve got enough food for a small army here – and I want every crumb gone by midnight! The kitchen is sending up drinks, but if there’s anything you want that we don’t have, just let me know. Enjoy!"
Jamie had sidled up next to her while she spoke, and Ryan reflexively draped an arm around her shoulders. "Surprised?"
"Uhm … yeah. I’d say that surprise covers it," she said. "You are too much sometimes."
"You know what I always say," Ryan said. "Too much of a good thing is juuuuuust right."
The party was in full swing and Ryan was the perfect hostess, making sure that everyone had food and drink at all times. She had to climb over bodies to tend to everyone’s needs, but she was graceful enough that she was able to manage it.
Jamie caught her during a quiet moment and said, "That’s a pretty impressive mound of presents there, sport."
"Yeah," Ryan said. "You’ve obviously made an impression on them all."
"Oh, I’m sure that’s so. I’ve even inspired them to use matching paper, and wrap the presents in an identical manner. Remarkable," she said.
"Yep," Ryan said, going along with the joke. "You’ve inspired them to uniformity. Wanna open them yet?"
"Nah. Let’s wait until most of the food is gone. It will be easier to move around when people aren’t balancing plates on their knees."
"Having fun?" Ryan asked, bending to kiss the top of Jamie’s head.
"Absolutely. I think we should do this for every road trip."
Ryan gulped, her eyes wide. "I’d better get busy then, ‘cause this took me weeks to plan!"
They combined the gift opening with a test of Jamie’s memory. The memory test was, of course, Ryan’s idea, and Jamie shot her a few lethal looks, but
played along.
Ryan handed her the first gift and pronounced, "This one is from Stephanie."
Jamie accepted it, and scanned the crowded room. She pointed at a very slim, dark-haired woman and said, "Stephanie Simon. Pitcher. Senior. Uhm … from somewhere in Southern California." Smiling at the woman she cocked her head and asked, "How’d I do?"
"Excellent," Stephanie said. "I’m from San Diego, by the way, but I won’t deduct anything from your score."
Jamie rolled her eyes and said, "Softball players – always keeping score."
She got through the pile of gifts with very few errors, although she had a pretty tough time with hometowns. Ryan had obviously bought and wrapped each of the gifts; and while each was only a small thing, Jamie was deeply touched by the effort and thought her partner had put into the endeavor.
Heather approached as the guests started to leave and pressed a small gift into her hands. "I wanted to get you a little something on my own, Jamie," she said nervously. "I uhm … hope you like it." She gave her a hesitant hug and took off before Jamie could get a word out.
Ryan saw the interchange and approached her partner, whispering, "Glad to see that she’s got that shyness thing licked."
"She’s so cute," Jamie said. She tore the wrapping off the gift to expose a CD. "Ooo … the new Nelly Furtado. Cool!"
I owe you one, Heather, Ryan growled internally. I hope Jamie plays that when I’m out of the house.
The next morning, they were almost ready to head downstairs to wait for the bus when the phone rang. "I’ll get it," Jamie called. "Hello?"
Martin’s voice greeted her. "Happy birthday to ya, Jamie."
"Oh, thanks for calling Martin. It’s been a great birthday so far, thanks to your daughter. She had a huge party for me last night – with the whole team. It was great!"
"You bring out the best in her, Jamie, and for that I’m forever grateful to you."
"She does the same for me, Martin. That’s the only way it works."
"Wise thoughts for one so young," he teased. "Of course, that extra year you put on today might have done the trick."
"Most likely."
"Maeve wants to say hello, too," Martin said. "Here she is."
"Happy birthday, Jamie dear. How was the party?"
"Ahh … you knew about it, huh?"
"Not in detail. But we knew that Ryan had arranged for something with the team. Was it fun?"
"It was a blast. It was a nice way to get to know everyone, too. As usual, Ryan had several agendas she was serving."
"That’s our girl," Maeve said. "We’ll let you go now, dear. I’m sure you have a million things to do."
"Yes, the bus is leaving soon, so I’d better run. Thanks again for calling. I appreciate it."
"Think nothing of it," Maeve insisted. "Have a lovely day, Jamie."
"I haven’t had many bad ones with Ryan by my side. She’s my perpetual birthday gift."
When she hung up a pair of warm hands settled on her bare waist. "Perpetual birthday gift, huh? I like it."
"I like it too, but if I don’t get dressed I’ll miss the bus. Something tells me that Coach Roberts would ditch me, too – even on my birthday."
When they arrived at the softball complex Jamie found a quiet picnic table and started to study. She quickly got lost in thought and barely noticed when Ryan sat down next to her. "Hi," she said, all decked out in her softball gear. "Do you want to study today, or would you like a more interactive experience?"
"I could be convinced. What do you have in mind?"
"Wanna be our bat girl?" Ryan asked.
"Are you serious?"
"Yep. Coach says it’s okay if you want to. You could even wear a uniform."
"Can I sit on the bench with you?"
"Yep. Right next to me."
"I think I’ll pass on the uniform," Jamie said, "but I’m all about sitting in the dugout with you."
They found a navy blue, Cal Softball polo shirt that fit well, and the khaki shorts she had chosen nearly matched the ones the coaching staff wore. So Jamie looked very much like the supporting members of the team. Her duties were few – run out to the plate and retrieve the bat when a player hit the ball. She took her cues from Ryan, who watched the game so intently Jamie wondered what could possibly be going on in her head since there was so little action.
She got a clue into her partner’s mental processes when Jackie sat down next to her. Jackie Maloney was probably Ryan’s best friend on the team so far. She was a very friendly woman from Salinas, California, and Jamie was sure she’d never seen anyone look less like an athlete – at first glance, that is.
Jackie was a farm girl, who had spent her early years helping out around her family’s large spread. She had to weigh at least 225 pounds, and she was only about Jamie’s height. Her long, wavy, medium brown hair was usually worn in a heavy braid that trailed down her back, but having all of the hair pulled off her face so severely made her look even more imposing. When she wore her uniform, the vertical stripes looked more like a series of parentheses, but upon closer inspection Jamie had quickly decided that she wasn’t truly fat. She was simply a very large girl with a substantial bone structure and heavy, thick muscles.
As Ryan had said, it was a shame that Jackie was straight, since many lesbians were partial to large, powerful women, while most young men didn’t find the look attractive. But Jackie was clearly straight – albeit frustrated by her inability to find a man who could appreciate her.
Jackie had struck out in spectacular fashion in the first inning, nearly managing to fall onto her butt when she flailed at a pitch in the dirt. Upon her return to the bench she sat next to Ryan and the pair stared at the opposing pitcher for a few minutes, not a word spoken. Finally, Jackie said, "I can’t read her. You got anything?"
"Yeah," Ryan nodded, "I got a little. She’s got an ‘oh, shit’ sinker that you bit on your first time up."
"No kidding?" Jackie said, giving Ryan an elbow in the ribs. "I felt like a pretzel!"
"Yeah, she messed you up bad on that one. But I’ve been watching her carefully, and she has a little bit of a tell when she throws it. You’ve gotta watch carefully, but it’s her favorite pitch and she gets a little excited when she’s gonna throw it. Right before she goes into her windup, she loosens up her shoulders – like she doesn’t want anything to interfere with the delivery. Watch her," Ryan instructed. They sat quietly for a few minutes, and sure enough, the next time the woman threw the sinker she nudged each shoulder a little, trying to settle her shirt. "Here goes," Ryan predicted. Lupe flailed at the ball, and Jackie gave Ryan a warm grin.
"Good work, Rof," she said as she slapped her hard on the back.
"Rof?" Jamie asked when Jackie went to grab a bat.
"Yeah. I told you they were calling me the Notorious R.O.F. before I even joined the team. Well, that got shortened to Rof."
"You jocks are all about nicknames, aren’t you?"
"Hey, you’re a jock, too. Don’t you have nicknames for your golf teammates?"
"None I’ve ever heard. Maybe I’ll start a trend."
"Yeah, tell ‘em your nickname is Cinna Bunz," Ryan said. "That oughta make you popular."
"If that gets out, you’re toast," Jamie threatened, her green eyes flashing.
"Don’t worry, you’ve got more on me than I have on you."
When Jackie took her next turn at bat, she managed to hold off on every sinker thrown her way. The pitcher was getting frustrated, and after Jackie had worked the count to three balls and two strikes, the hurler made a mistake and sent up a fat fastball – right over the heart of the plate. The pitch was so juicy that Jackie almost swung too soon, but she held back a heartbeat and crushed it. The ball left the stadium so quickly that the left fielder didn’t even move. She merely let her eyes rotate to watch the missile zoom over her head.
The whole team rose to greet her, and Jackie reserved a special thump on the back for Ryan. "You rock, Rof. Thanks!"<
br />
"I only gave you a tip. You’re the one who ripped the cover off that poor ball. I think it’s still rolling around out there in a field somewhere."
Jackie went to get a drink and Jamie looked over at her partner, who was sitting calmly, a broad smile covering her face. Patting her on the thigh, she said, "You really don’t mind not playing, do you?"
Ryan shrugged and said, "I’d rather play than not – but I’m cool with it. Jackie’s a better hitter than I am, and she’s a good fielder, despite her size. She’s been with the team for four years, and works her butt off to perfect her hitting. I don’t have a word of complaint."
"You’re a good teammate, Ryan."
"Hey, I’ve pushed a lot of good players to the bench in my day. I don’t mind seeing what it’s like to be on the other side. Besides," she said, "I get to sit with my best girl when I don’t play. That’s a deal I’d make any day."
Part 9
A curly-haired brunette sat in the vaguely comfortable seat in the United terminal, and craned her neck towards the doors where she expected passengers to soon disembark. Although she was eagerly anticipating this visit, she still felt a little ill-at-ease, an emotion that she couldn’t ever remember experiencing around her older brother.
She was lost in thought for quite a while, shaking her head in amazement when Peter tapped her on the shoulder, grinning widely. "Bored?" he asked.
"Peter!" She leapt to her feet and rose to her toes, stretching to reach his neck. With generous kisses to both of his cheeks, she released him for a moment before she leaned back in for a hug. His bag was draped over his shoulder, restricting his movement, but when he saw how desperate his sister’s embrace was, he dropped the bag with a thud, and wrapped his arms around her.
"Hey, are you all right?" he asked softly as her face nuzzled against his jacket.
"I’ve missed you," she mumbled. "This is the longest we’ve ever been apart."
"Hey, you’re the one who didn’t want to go to Europe over Christmas," he reminded her gently.
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