Double Play at Short

by Matt Christopher

  “Strike!”

  That brought him back to the game real fast. He hadn’t even seen that pitch.

  But he did get a fix on the next one — and a piece of it with his bat. The ball sailed into center field and in a matter of seconds, he was on base with a clean single. It felt good to get a hit first time at bat.

  Standing on the bag while the next batter got set, he glanced across the field. This time he couldn’t help but see Tammy. She had taken off her cap and was tugging at her ponytail, sort of pushing it out of the way. But she was staring straight across the field — at him. And she was scowling. It was the kind of look he’d seen on linemen in football games when the TV showed a close-up — real mean and unfriendly.

  Maybe she’s just angry that I got the game’s first hit, he thought. Or maybe something else is bothering her.

  He didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on that question. The crack of the bat set him off to second base, where he arrived safely despite a good catch by the Jaguars’ right fielder for the first out.

  Andy Hooten recovered his stuff and struck out the next two Bullets batters. That ended Danny’s chance for scoring that inning.

  At the top of the third, the Jaguars went down one-two-three in what turned out to be one of the quickest innings of the series. One strikeout, one pop fly, and one foul ball caught by the third baseman. According to the scorebook, Marc had thrown only seven pitches! Danny hadn’t even had to wipe off his forehead.

  “Nice going, Marc,” said Danny, coming off the field. He caught himself before he said anything else. Marc was working on a shutout, and he didn’t want to jinx it.

  Gee, he thought, I’m as superstitious as Jennifer. I guess it runs in the family. That started the old brain machinery going. Family. What did it mean? He and Jennifer were both adopted. But the Walkers were one of the closest, most loving families in town. Sure, they fought once in a while, but they were a family. That meant everything to him. So why was he sniffing around outside of it, looking for information about someone he’d never even officially met?

  While Danny mulled this over, Marc started off the inning by striking out. Then the top of the Bullets’ batting order came up to the plate. Vern got the fans on their feet with a line drive between short and third that turned into a single. Then Elaine’s powerful swing sent one deep into center. Vern advanced easily to third, and Elaine stood up safely at second.

  With only one out, the chances of scoring during that inning looked pretty good. Mike was up at bat next, and Danny knew he was capable of the big one.

  But the Jaguars’ pitcher knew that, too. He kept the ball so far away from Mike that the Bullets’ third baseman ended up jogging down to first on a walk. The bases were now loaded.

  That brought Ken up. He had yet to connect with the ball this game. Unfortunately that record held. Ken went down swinging for the second Bullets out. Danny came up to bat.

  This was his big chance. Two away. Bases loaded. Nothing but goose eggs on the scoreboard for both teams.

  “Just a hit, Danny,” Coach Lattizori had said when he grabbed his batting helmet. “That’s all you have to do. Go out there, relax, and let your instincts take over. You’re a natural, and you’ll find yourself a nice piece of the ball.”

  That wasn’t enough. He was sure that the redheaded shortstop was glaring across the infield at him. He’d show her. He’d come up with the big one. He could practically taste it.

  Danny rubbed his toe in the dirt, then settled in to the batter’s box.

  The Jaguars’ pitcher released a fastball. Danny swung hard — but just barely connected. The ball went foul.

  The next pitch was a repeat of the first. So was Danny’s hit. With the count now at 0 and 2, Danny could feel the tension getting to him. He stepped quickly out of the batter’s box.

  He tried not to even hear the shouting from the stands as the Bullets fans clamored for a hit.

  Instead he scanned the field. Everyone was in position. There were playing him deep. They expected him to go for the big one. That’s what he wanted. All he had to do was hit the ball squarely with the piece of wood he held in his tight grip. Forget about that blur between second and third with a glint of auburn hair. Don’t even think about her, he said to himself as he stepped back into the box.

  Whoosh!

  He caught the pitcher’s motion out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he swung. And this time, he connected solidly.

  But it wasn’t enough. With a perfectly timed leap into the air, Tammy Aiken caught his hard-hit ball for the third out.

  The others on the team tried to hide their disappointment.

  “That was an unbelievable catch,” said Joel. “Just like you would have done, Danny.”

  “Just don’t let it get you down. You’ll get another shot,” said Joanne.

  Yeah, but would it happen this game? Would the coach take him out?

  “Danny,” the coach called before he could dash out to the diamond.

  Uh-oh, this is it, he thought. He’s giving me the bad news.

  “Danny,” Coach Lattizori said, “you’re playing Millie a little too deep. She hasn’t been hitting that strong, and I think you ought to come in on her a little. Now go out there and do your stuff.”

  That’s it? That’s all? The coach was keeping him in? Danny realized he’d been holding his breath. He let it out with a whoosh.

  As he went off to take his position on the field, he was filled with a new determination. Okay, I might not have done it at bat, he said to himself, but they’re not getting anything by me on the field.

  He lived up to his promise. For the rest of the game, he concentrated on every play. His fielding was top quality. At bat, he walked once and got on base once. He even managed to score by outrunning a peg to home. It turned out to be the Bullets’ only run of the game.

  The Jaguars made it onto the scoreboard as well — with a power-drive homerun hit from their number-one slugger, her red ponytail streaming behind her as she ran across the plate.

  The score was still tied, 1–1, at the bottom of the sixth. Tammy was on first when Drew Ferris, their hard-hitting catcher, came up to bat.

  The count was 2 and 2 when Drew found the pitch he wanted.

  Crack!

  The ball sailed high into the sky above center field. It looked like it was going all the way. Tammy took off from first. Danny didn’t even want to see her as she started to round second toward the winning run.

  But the ball dropped, hit the end of the center field fence, and bounced inside. Joel was on top of it in an instant. He threw it wildly in the direction of the plate but only got it as far as the infield. Danny was the closest. He scooped it up, whirled around, and as Tammy approached the plate, he pegged it home.

  Larry grabbed it and twisted for the touch, but Tammy had just slid under him and scored.

  The Jaguars had just won game three, 2–1. And that’s the way the series stood as well: 2–1 in their favor.

  8

  The morning after the third game, Joel swung by the Walker house right after breakfast. Danny was still sitting at the table after everyone else had gone off. He was pushing a spoon around his cereal bowl and staring at the lines it made in the thin film of milk at the bottom.

  “Yo, slugger, how’s it going?” Joel asked.

  “Slugger, hah!” Danny muttered.

  Joel grabbed a chair, twisted it around, straddled it, and sat down.

  “Yup, just what Dr. Joel figured. The patient is in a rotten mood. As part of the team that is now one down in a crucial series, the patient is cracking up,” he said.

  “Very funny, Joel,” said Danny. “Don’t start in on one of those Dr. Joel routines.”

  The two boys had grown up in the same neighborhood and had known each other forever. All the Jackson kids went to the same school as the Walkers, and they had started out playing in the same sandboxes. Danny and Joel had been best friends for years.

  When they were i
n second grade, Joel had gotten a doctor kit as a Christmas present, and he took it very seriously. For a while, Danny had gone along as his “patient” and let Joel wrap long strips of gauze around his head and slap bandages all over his arms.

  The doctor kit got put aside when Joel discovered other kinds of medicine. For the last year or so, he had decided that he might become a psychiatrist. So now he walked around spouting words that he thought might come from a shrink.

  Luckily he had a sense of humor about it. He didn’t mind when Danny and the others ribbed him about his doctoring. Joel could take it as well as dish it out.

  “Zo, Danny,” said Joel, putting on a fake accent, “if you don’t vant to come to ze doctor, zen ze doctor has to come to you. My prescription for zis ailment of ze brain is fresh air and exercise.”

  “Oh, great,” said Danny, laughing despite himself. “Very original. What would you have said if it’d been raining right now?”

  Joel shook his head. “Vell, it isn’t, so don’t get smart viz ze doctor.” He grinned. “Get cleaned up and shake a leg. I’ve got my bike outside. Let’s go for a ride over to the mall and see if the new Dagger of Death video is in. We can watch it later on — if it does rain. Or tonight after dinner. What do you say?”

  “Might as well,” Danny answered.

  “Come on,” said Joel. He pointed at the table. “Though first, you’d better clean up that mess you made. Hey, you weren’t just —”

  “No, I wasn’t crying over spilled milk, Doctor!” said Danny. He threw a dish towel at Joel and ran out the door.

  On the ride over to the mall, Joel tried to keep Danny from mulling over the game.

  “It wasn’t an error,” he said, referring to Danny’s throw to home. “You didn’t waste any time. Neither did I. It was a great hit and a terrific run. Nothing anyone could do about it.”

  “If only I had —” Danny started to say for the zillionth time.

  “If only you don’t knock it off, Dr. Joel will have to pay you another visit!” Joel shouted.

  They parked their bikes and locked them in the rack outside the mall entrance. When they got inside, they went right to the video store. They headed for the section marked “New Arrivals.”

  They scanned the shelves, then went back and checked more carefully — no Dagger of Death.

  “Rats!” said Joel. “I really wanted to see it.”

  “Well, pick something else,” said Danny. “Maybe we ought to get something funny instead.”

  “You don’t think Dagger of Death would be a million laughs?” asked Joel.

  “Come on,” said Danny. He dragged his friend over to the “Comedy” display. They picked two videos, one they’d seen years ago and a brand-new one that neither of them had seen before.

  “They ought to be good for a few laughs later on,” said Joel.

  They left the video store and started walking down the main strip inside the mall when Danny saw the photo shop.

  “Hey, wait a minute,” he said. “My mom dropped off some film for me the other day. It might be ready.”

  “You want to pick it up?” asked Joel.

  “Yeah, I’ll save her the trip,” said Danny.

  The Walker photos had come back. Danny paid for them, and the clerk handed him the package.

  “Let’s see what they look like,” said Joel when they got outside.

  “Maybe later,” said Danny evasively. “Right now I’m starving. Come on, I’ll race you to the bike rack.” He shoved the photo package in his shirt pocket and ran off. Joel came tearing after him, and they both touched the rack at the same time. “Tie!” they yelled, and exchanged high fives. They put on their helmets and headed home.

  As they got near the Walker house, Joel looked at his watch. “I’d better get home. Give me a call later, and we’ll figure out when we’re going to watch these videos, okay?”

  “Okay,” said Danny. He put his bike in the garage and went inside the house. Mrs. Walker was in the bathroom sorting laundry.

  “Hi, Mom,” said Danny. “Need any help?”

  “No, I’m fine,” she said. “Thanks.”

  “Okay,” he said, and went off to his bedroom.

  Danny hadn’t lied to Joel. He was hungry, but that could wait. Right now, his instincts told him to examine his pictures without anyone looking over his shoulder.

  When he opened the photo pack, he was glad he’d followed his gut feeling. He flipped through the pictures till he came to the last one: the close-up he’d taken of Tammy Aiken. The minute he saw the photo, he knew that what he’d been thinking could be true.

  She looks exactly like me, he thought. And I bet I know someone who would agree — someone who’s been holding back important information from me for a long time!

  He grabbed the pile of photos and went back into the kitchen.

  “Hey, Mom,” he said, “I want you to take a look at something.”

  Mrs. Walker turned toward him, shoving something in her pants pocket as she did. Danny noticed that she looked a little odd, but he shrugged it off.

  “What is it, Danny?” she asked.

  “Take a look,” he said. He quickly shuffled all the pictures, then laid them out on the kitchen table.

  Mrs. Walker sat down and put on her glasses. “That’s a nice one of Elaine and Joanne. And that Joel — always the comedian. Jennifer looks —” she stopped suddenly and picked up the close-up of Tammy Aiken. She gasped and bit her lip, then took off her glasses.

  Danny thought she was going to break into tears at any second.

  “I’m not just imagining it, am I, Mom?” he asked quietly. “This girl looks like me. And I think you know something about it, but you’re not telling me. Why? What is it about this girl?”

  The anguish in his voice cried out for an answer. There was no mistaking that.

  Mrs. Walker covered her face for a moment, then quickly wiped away the tears that had gushed over at his plea for information. She got up from the table and started for the living room.

  “Come with me, Danny,” she said. “I have something you’d better see for yourself.”

  She went to her desk and took out a small wooden box with a tiny brass lock. Danny and Jennifer knew the box was there, but they’d thought it had money inside. Mrs. Walker sometimes mentioned the “mad money” she had hidden away in case of emergencies, and they figured that was where she kept it.

  When she unlocked the box, however, Danny saw that there was no money inside. Instead it was filled with newspaper clippings. Danny could see one that he remembered from the headline: “Danny Walker Wins Little League MVP.”

  Mrs. Walker rummaged through the box and took out a yellowed newspaper clipping from the bottom.

  “You’d better read this,” she said.

  Danny took the clipping and sat down.

  He read the story of a terrible accident. A young woman about to give birth was on the way to the hospital with her husband when their car was struck by a speeding pickup truck. The husband died instantly, but the young woman was rushed to the emergency room, where she died shortly after giving birth — to twins, a boy and a girl. The date of the tragedy was the same day as Danny’s birthday.

  There was a picture of the young woman, taken before the accident. She could have been Danny’s older sister. In fact, she looked a lot like an older version of Tammy Aiken.

  9

  Danny could hardly believe his eyes. There was no question about the resemblance among the woman, Tammy — and himself.

  “Yes, Danny,” said Mrs. Walker. “That’s a picture of your biological mother.”

  “And… and… Tammy?” he asked. “She looks just like Tammy.”

  “Tammy is the other twin she gave birth to before she died,” Mrs. Walker said.

  “But I never knew I had a twin sister,” he blurted out. “Why not? Why didn’t anyone ever tell me? Is there something wrong with her? With me? I just don’t understand.”

  “Oh, Danny, there’s
nothing wrong with either of you,” said Mrs. Walker. “You were both beautiful, healthy, wonderful babies when you were born. And you’re just as wonderful now — and I’m sure Tammy is, too. I’ll explain everything if you’ll just calm down.

  “Let’s go into the kitchen, and I’ll make us both some lemonade.”

  Danny wasn’t sure he could get anything down his throat, but he followed her anyway. He took the yellowed newspaper clipping with him and stared at it again. He just couldn’t get over how much the picture looked like Tammy grown up a little.

  When the lemonade was ready, Mrs. Walker poured two glasses. She dropped an ice cube in Danny’s glass and sat down.

  “Your dad and I argued endlessly about how to tell you that you had a twin sister,” she started to explain. “We just couldn’t agree on when the right time would be. Then, as you grew older, we just kept putting it off.

  “So you can imagine how I felt when I found this in your pocket a moment ago.” She held out a crumpled piece of paper. Danny recognized the letter and application form he had called for.

  “Mom, let me explain —” he started to say.

  Mrs. Walker held up her hand. “There’s no need, Danny. I know you were simply following your instincts to figure out something you should have learned from your father and me a long time ago. And we were going to tell you, right after the championship. We were afraid that if you found out before, it would affect your playing. We had no idea you suspected something.” She shook her head.

  “Why couldn’t you tell me?” he asked. “What’s so horrible about having a twin sister?”

  “Oh, no, Danny, there’s nothing bad about that,” she said, patting his arm. “We were afraid you’d think we were terrible for separating the two of you. But we had no choice.”

  “Why didn’t you just adopt both of us?” he asked.

  “We would have loved to,” she said. “But that wasn’t really possible for a number of reasons. First of all, Tammy was spoken for. You see, we had registered with the hospital’s adoption service. So had the Aikens, but they were ahead of us. They were notified that a little girl had been born and came to claim her when they discovered there were twins.”