by Alison Mello
The remainder of our meal is eaten in silence. When we're done we box up the remainder of the pizza, and I follow Stella and DJ back to the house. When we get there, DJ goes straight to the shower, and when he comes back Stella and I are sitting in the living room. "What do you say we watch a movie on Netflix before you have to go to bed?" I suggest.
"I'm not sure he'll have time for a full movie, but we can start one,” she suggests then turns to DJ and says, "Go brush your teeth so you're ready for bed, and I'll let you stay up a little later."
"Okay, Mom. Can we watch that Pets movie?" he asks.
"We'll look for it," she promises while he runs off to brush his teeth.
When he gets back we have the movie ready to go. We all snuggle up on the couch and chill. It’s a perfect way to end the day.
It’s Wednesday night and the guys are all coming over after work for dinner. Trystan and I ran to the store over the weekend and got a ton of food to grill because Jack is bringing his wife and kid as well. His son is a bit younger the DJ but enjoys playing baseball as well, so it should be a fun evening.
“DJ, are you done with your homework?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Good, put your stuff away. Trystan will be here any minute, and the rest of the crew will be following right behind him. I want to sit down and talk to you for a minute before they get here.”
“Okay, Mom.” He runs off to his room to do as I asked, and suddenly I’m a bit nervous. I want to have a discussion with him in regards to alcohol and what is happening in case conversation comes up and he hears the adults talking. “What’s up, Mom?”
“As you know Trystan started coaching because he got caught drinking and driving. Well, the night that happened he did it to prevent a friend from driving while intoxicated. This friend is Billy, and he’s one of the guys coming over tonight. He is a nice guy but needs some friends right now, and we’re going to be that for him.” DJ has had plenty of health classes discussing alcoholism, so this should be an easy conversation.
“Is he an alcoholic?” he asks me.
“We believe he is, and Trystan and the rest of the guys have been working hard to help him stop drinking. There will be no alcohol served tonight and that’s why. We want him and everyone else to have fun so he can see there’s life outside of drinking. That said, you are to say nothing to the man about his drinking problem. I just want you to know that Trystan doesn’t have a problem and is just trying to help him out. Just be yourself and have fun.”
“I think alcohol is bad. I don’t think I ever want to try it, Mom.”
“I like you thinking that way, bud. I just want you to be prepared in case conversation comes up and you’re around.”
“Okay.”
There’s a knock at the door, and I know it must be Trystan. “Why don’t you go let Trystan in?”
He nods and runs off to do as I asked. A minute later, DJ, Trystan, and Billy come walking into the kitchen. Billy looks a tad better than the other day, but I can tell he’s still struggling. “Billy, it’s good to see you again.” I give him a hug, and he thanks me for having him over. Trystan gives me a kiss and tells me that Rick and Jack will be here any minute and that he told Rick he could bring the girl he’s dating. Sure enough, the doorbell rings. Trystan and I answer together. There standing on the porch is Jack with his wife and son. “Hey, guys.” Trystan opens the door. “Jack this is Stella. Stella this is Jack and his wife Rachael.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, welcome.” I shake hands with her.
“And what is your name?” I squat down in front of the shy little boy before me.
The little boy buries his face in his father’s legs. Jack scoops him up and says, “This little tyke is Jack Jr., but we call him JJ.”
“Do you know my son’s name is DJ because he’s a junior too.” The little boy shakes his head. “Come on, we can all head out back and JJ. can run around.”
When we get out there, Billy and DJ are already throwing the ball around. Billy still looks depressed, but at least he appears to be enjoying himself a little bit. “Hey, Billy. I need help with my team. What do you say? You think you can find some spare time to volunteer.”
He shrugs and continues to throw the ball around with a slight grin on his face. Jack and Trystan join them playing around with JJ while Rachael and I begin to grill dinner. “Thank you so much for having us,” Rachael says.
“Oh, it’s no problem.”
“This means a lot to Jack. He was quite the mess when he came home the other day and told me what he found in Billy’s apartment.” Conversation like this is exactly why I spoke to DJ ahead of time. He’s old enough to know that if he hears stuff like this he is going to wonder.
“Yeah, when I went there to talk to him with Trystan they had cleaned the place up, but Trystan told me that he was a mess.”
“They have been worried about him for a while, but I guess he did a good job of hiding how bad he’s been hurting because they only recently realized how bad it was.”
“I’ve never experienced alcoholism like that, but I’m sure people who are sick like that figure out how to get what they need. That’s why I was so worried about the guys leaving him, but it seems like he’s doing pretty good.”
“Rick has been staying with him since Jack came home, but Jack says he’s going back to his place tonight until he thinks Billy is strong enough to stay by himself.”
Rick comes walking into the backyard holding hands with a dark-haired woman. “I must be at the right place because I smell food.” He rubs his belly as he climbs the back deck. “Hey, Stella. Thanks for having us.” Rick gives me a hug. “This is my girlfriend, Rhonda. Rhonda, this is Stella and Rachael.”
He kisses Rachael on the cheek before saying hi to the guys and introducing Rhonda to them. They all start playing around, while we three ladies hang on the deck cooking and getting to know each other. This is why I love this house. It isn’t huge but I have enough room to enjoy guests and that’s all I need. The next thing you know, the guys are on the ground and the boys are jumping on top of them.
“Dinner is ready,” I call out.
They all jump up like a group of starving teenagers and run to the table. “Yeah, I don’t think so...go wash up,” Rachael yells at them. They all whine but run into the house to wash their hands. “So gross.” She shakes her head. “I know they’re in construction and probably eat with dirty hands all the time, but really.”
I laugh. “I know. I always make DJ wash his hands before a meal.”
“Mommy, I wash my hands.” JJ holds his hands up to show his mom his wet but clean hands. She laughs and grabs a napkin to dry them.
When the guys get back we all sit to eat. The table is quiet, and I feel like there’s some tension. No one’s sure of what to say, so I set us up with an easy topic. “Thank you guys for helping with the shed build.”
“Oh, you’re welcome. It will be pretty easy to do, and with everyone helping we’ll get it done in a few hours.”
“I want to build teams and have each team work on a part of it,” Trystan says.
“Yeah, like one team build each of the four walls,” Rick suggests.
“Exactly.”
“What do we get to do?” DJ shoves a bite of hamburger into his mouth.
“One of us will lead your team, and you’ll help build the frame for the wall.” Billy shrugs. “Stuff like that.”
“Is that what you do every day?” DJ asks Billy.
“Something like that. We’re hired to do all sorts of stuff, but you’ll see some of it when you help us with the shed. We build walls, floors, we install cabinets, and sometimes we build decks.” The rough sound he had in his voice the other day is starting to clear.
The rest of dinner goes smoothly. While the guys are playing tag and dodgeball in the yard, Rachael, Rhonda, and I clean up from dinner. When we’re done, we sit and watch the guys messing around but suddenly everything stops and I see the three guys tal
king while DJ and JJ continue to play. I can’t help but wonder what they’re discussing, but I have an idea when Billy comes over. “I want to thank you for dinner tonight. It was nice to have somewhere to go.”
“You’re welcome here anytime, Billy.”
“Thank you.” He nods and walks out of the backyard.
Rick, Trystan, and Jack join us at the table. “Is he okay?”
“I think so. I think he has a lot he’s still struggling with, but I think he’ll eventually be okay.”
“How can you tell?” I ask, worried he’ll slip.
“I told him I was buying a breathalyzer test and that if I thought he was drinking I would test him and then bring him to rehab.”
My eyes go wide. “What did he say?”
“We did a lot of talking over the last few days. He told me how much he hated the drinking and that he only did it to forget the pain of losing his family. I told him he needed to honor them by living a normal healthy life and not disrespect them by turning into the town drunk.” He shrugs. “I’m a guy so I’m not that great with words, but he seems to be doing better so I guess I did okay.” The guys all start to laugh at him.
“I’m sure you did fine,” I encourage him.
“It was you who really got through to him. He told me he wanted to be strong like you. He even joked that if a woman could do it, then he could do it.”
“Oh wait till I see him again.” They laugh.
Rhonda takes Ricks hand in support. You can tell it’s been a rough few days.
“Trystan has a saying, ‘Refuse to lose.’ I told him he has to fight. He has to refuse to lose.” Rick chuckles. “I used to bust his balls for it, but really, you can use that line on almost anything, and right now it’s working. I heard him mumbling it in the kitchen yesterday morning.”
“Well I’m glad he’s doing better, and I’m glad I was able to help.” I finish off the last of the water in my bottle.
“Mommy!” JJ calls out and, when we all look over DJ is trying to help him off the ground,I can see he feels really bad.
Rachael and I both go over to see what happened. “I’m really sorry. We were playing with the ball, and I threw it a little too hard.” I know DJ would never intentionally hurt another child, and I can see from Rachael’s expression she knows it too.
“It’s okay, DJ, he’s just tired. He didn’t get a good nap today.” She scoops JJ up off the ground to console him as we walk over to the deck. “Jack, I think it’s time we get going. He’s tired, and clearly I need to give him a bath before bed.”
They’re both standing to leave when Rick fills him in that he promised Billy he could have the place to himself tonight, but if we thought he’s had one drop of alcohol we would be all over him. Jack hugs Rick. “Thanks, man.”
“We’re going to head out as well. Thank you so much for having us over.” Rick and Rhonda stand from the table.
“It’s no problem at all. As a matter of fact, maybe we should do this more often.” I hug both Rachael and Rhonda. “It was nice meeting you ladies.”
They agree, and we say our goodnight.
It's game day, and I think I'm about as excited as the kids are. I slip on a pair of khakis and the green coach’s polo I was issued for game day. Running my fingers through my hair, I slip my ball cap on and head out to the living room where DJ is pacing nervously. "What's wrong, kid?"
"A little nervous I guess." He runs his hands down his white pants. I never understood why they have them wear white pants. They're a pain in the ass to keep clean and yet we expect them all to show up looking their best.
"Listen to me." DJ stops pacing and exhales a deep breath. "This is little league. There's no need to be nervous. You're a great pitcher, and you have an amazing team behind you."
He shakes his head. "You know if Ethan and his boy start pulling their crap, we’re done."
"I’ll deal with Ethan and his friend. I’m really hoping now that Vincent is around more Ethan will pull his head out of his…” My words trail off, realizing what about to say. “Well, let’s just say I’m hoping he’ll be better.” He exhales another breath and nods. “Go get your stuff, it’s almost time to go.”
He runs past his mother to his room. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah, a little game day nerves that's all. He'll be fine. He just needs to get this first game out of the way."
She nods and takes a step closer. "You're looking good, Coach." She runs her fingers through my beard and I lower my face, pressing my lips to hers.
"Really, guys? My stomach is already a mess," DJ teases, and we both laugh.
I wrap my arm around his shoulders and pull him into a headlock. "Let's go, you." I give him a noogie, and Stella ushers us out the door.
When we pull up to the field, other parents and players from our team are starting to gather around, and I’m thrilled. The last thing we need on opening day is for players to be late. The younger kids are on the field now. They're losing, but they look really cute out there. The score is only two to nothing and they're up to bat, so they still have time to score. "Awww look, baby. They're too cute," Stella gushes.
"I know, right." I love this game. It's great to watch no matter what age is playing.
"Trystan, the other team is arriving." DJ pulls my attention from the game.
"Okay, let's pull everyone together for our picture and then we’ll start warm-ups." We gather on the bleachers by an empty field. I let the photographer know that we're all here. He lines us up and snaps our picture as a team and then does each kid individually. We finish up just as the kids on the field are wrapping up. There's a lot of energy going here, and it's an amazing feeling. The kids are anxious to take the field and get to warming up.
"Briggs, I'm going to have you on first and, Vincent, you on third." I notice that Rick, Billy, and Jack and his family are in the stands ready to watch our game. I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. Billy is starting to look good.
"You got it, man." Briggs slaps me on the back.
"Let's get out there and warm up, boys." They take the field and begin tossing the ball around while DJ takes the mound to warm up his arm with Mason. Vincent organizes half the team and Briggs works with the other half while I watch DJ and Mason.
The other team is gathering, and they’ve started to stretch and get ready. I exhale a deep breath and call my team back in so they can have some time as well. “Bring it in, boys.”
They all hustle back into the dugout, and I begin my speech about how this is a game and we are here to have fun. “Remember, boys. I say all the time this is supposed to be fun, but you are at the age now where games count and there are playoffs. If you work together you can make it there, but you have to be a team and you have to refuse to lose.” I chuckle. “My coach used to say that to us all the time, and it stuck. Play your positions, and we can go far. Now I've posted the batting order on the wall. Make sure you know your order and be ready to go. You all know your place in the field." The umpire comes over to ask us if we’re ready to go, and I let him know we are. Since we are the home team we take the field first.
The kids run over to check the order. "Coach?" Ethan calls to me in a questioning tone when he sees his spot.
"Show me you can handle it."
He chuckles. "Thanks, Coach."
The umpire calls the coaches over to talk to us. We all shake hands. He tells our opposing team, the Bears, to get the team ready to bat and we take the field. DJ is back on the mound, and he's gently tossing the ball around to Mason to keep his arm warm. When their first batter is ready, he steps up. I give DJ a nod of support, and he throws his first pitch. It's a ball. "It's okay, DJ, you got this," I call over to encourage him.
He lets out a deep breath and throws the next pitch. “Strike one,” the umpire screams out. DJ smiles and continues to do his thing, striking the kids out. He has a great arm, and if he can stay healthy he can go far. The second batter manages to get on base, but they throw him out at sec
ond when the next batter hits a line drive. "Way to go, boys. One more." DJ strikes out the third batter, and just like that, we're up at bat.
Mason is up first. He takes the plate and gets on first. Noah is next, but he strikes out. Next up is Ethan. "Okay, Ethan, keep your eye on the ball." He swings at the first pitch and misses. He steps out of the box, takes a deep breath, and steps back in. His father encourages him from third. The next pitch is thrown, and it's right on the mark. He swings and nails it into the outfield. The boys take off running as fast as they can. The ball is thrown in from the outfield, but it's too late. Mason has scored, and Ethan is on third. "Way to go, boys." Ryan and DJ both strike out, but we're up by one. The boys are encouraging, cheering each other on as they take the field for the next inning.
The game is moving along nicely, but it's a close game. We're winning, but only by two and they have two guys on base with only one out in the seventh inning. DJ has pitched the entire game because his pitch count has been low until this inning, and I think it's time to take him out. I call timeout and head to the mound. "Getting tired, buddy?" He shakes his head. "I think you are, but you got this. Finish this inning off strong." He nods, and I take my place back at the dugout to watch him throw his next pitch. The kid pops it up in between Ethan and Noah. Noah shouts that he’s got it, but Ethan’s not listening and continues to go for it. Noah shouts again, “I got it.” They crash into each other, and the ball drops. Ethan’s pissed, so he throws the ball wild putting it way out of Mason’s reach. Both boys score tying the game. Now they have another player on second. I shake my head. I can’t believe what I just saw, they’ve played a great game until this point. “Sam, warm up.” He stands near the dugout and tosses the ball lightly with Briggs.
The next batter goes up and DJ pitches a strike, but in the meantime, Ethan’s in the field pissed off and growling at Noah. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I can only imagine. “Pull him,” Vincent says, pulling me from my thoughts.