by S. E. Rose
“See you on the flip side,” she says as we disconnect.
I look down at my phone. I put a photo of Tabby and me that Di snapped at the last family dinner as my screensaver. She’s laughing with her head thrown back as I grin down at her, clearly having said something that I thought was clever. Her hand is on my chest, and it looks like it was made to be there. This woman so has me wrapped around her little finger, and she has no idea. I need to rectify that as soon as I make it through game seven.
Tabitha
I am white-knuckling the armrests on either side of my chair. We are all in a box. B-Ray and his current boyfriend are down in the family seats. Kent didn’t want any of us to be out in the crowds if things get crazy.
It’s the top of the ninth, and we are tied four-four. A younger player named Nick Aguirre comes up to bat. I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until he hits a single and makes it to first base.
“Hey, hey!” Nate’s voice breaks through the tension.
Everyone turns to see that he is holding a box.
“I brought some goodies for everyone to up our fan game!”
Nate places the box on a table and goes to grab a beer. I hadn’t even noticed he’d left the box.
“Nate, where’d these come from?” Lyla asks as she walks over to the box.
“Oh, I, uh, just had a friend who does marketing here and forgot she had them for me.”
“Oh, these beads are so fun!” Tilly says, grabbing something from the box. “Here’s one for you, Betty, and, Millie, you need one, too.”
I turn to find Grandma Tilly and Nana Betty wearing anal beads around their necks. They are of course our team colors. Everyone turns and Millie doubles over in laughter, unable to control herself.
“Oh my god! Get those things off! You two don’t have a clue, do you?” she cries out in between laughter. Everyone in the box turns to see what Millie is talking about just as a camera focuses on us. Grandma Tilly and Nana Betty start jumping up and down and smiling for the camera and the crowd goes wild.
“Oh god. Grandma, Nana—stop—those are anal beads!” Kylie says in a hushed voice that I can barely hear above the roar of the crowd.
I see Lanie lean into Grandma Tilly’s ear and whisper something. The look on her face is a mix of complete mortification and also complete interest in her new toy.
Her lips mouth, “really?”
Lanie nods as Tilly whispers into Nana Betty’s ear. Now, Nana Betty reacts but with total shock and disgust, she whips the beads off, and they go flying, knocking Di in the head who slips and falls back into Nate.
“Are you insane?” she yelps.
Nate shrugs. “Sorry, I…that’s not the box I thought it was.”
“Damn right it’s not. What else you got there, Nate?” Gran Millie asks as she starts rooting through the contents.
“Millie, we’re in the middle of the most intense game ever, get your pornographic mind out of the gutter and sit down!” Nana Betty calls out as she plops into the seat next to PopPop Bob, who is doing the best he can to contain his laughter. Even Mr. and Mrs. Moore are holding their hands over their mouths.
“Millie? Grab us some of those,” Roger calls out, and everyone loses it. Everyone is bent over in complete hysterics. I’m wiping tears from my eyes as Ward comes up to bat.
“Shhhh. Ward,” I manage as everyone wipes their eyes and looks back to the game.
I glance over at Lyla who’s slapping Nate on the back of the head, but his focus is all on his boyfriend, Ward, who has just walked up to home plate.
Everyone quiets down in our box and we watch with bated breath as Ward settles over the plate. I swear none of us move or breathe.
The opposing team’s pitcher makes the slightest nod and releases a fastball. Ward whips the bat through the air and a cracking sound echoes through the stadium as he takes off toward first base, the two halves of the bat resting on the ground. The ball flies out into the stands and the crowd cheers as Ward slows his run around the bases. He’s greeted with hugs from his teammates as he hits home plate.
Everyone in our box gives each other high fives as though we just hit a run with a broken bat.
“Eggs for everyone!” Nate calls out as he tosses a bunch of vibrating eggs at people.
“Nathan!” Gran Millie says on a laugh. Everyone freezes until she adds, “Make sure I get one.”
Nate grins. And we all erupt into laughter.
Kent
Ace Kempler is up to bat. He’s a young guy, who is a hard worker. I’ve seen him put his time in, and I’m happy he’s gotten a place on the top of our roster this season.
The whole team seems to be collectively holding their breath as Julio Rodriguez, the pitcher for the opposing team, focuses his gaze on the ump.
He releases a curveball, and Ace clips it, sending it into the stands behind him.
He shakes out and gets back over the plate. I’m silently willing him to pop one out of the park.
Julio releases another curveball and Ace swings. I know before he even starts to run that he’s done it. The ball flies far into left field, but Taylor who’s on third manages to get home before Ace gets out as he slides into second base.
The stadium erupts in chaos as Ace walks to home plate and Taylor picks him up and hugs him. We all run onto the field.
It’s complete pandemonium, and it’s perfect. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Ward and I hug. A few minutes into celebrating on the field, I look up and see my family and Tabby. They are jumping up and down and screaming and holding up signs that they must have made.
Tabby gazes at me, and we lock eyes.
She grins down at me and blows me a kiss and I catch it, placing it on my heart. Her grin widens, and I know we must look like two love-struck kids, but I don’t give a damn.
I mouth, “I love you!”
She shakes her head in confusion. I grin and shake my head before Ward pulls me back into the chaos.
Tabitha
The excitement takes on a life of its own as we all pop champagne and celebrate in the box. Nate continues throwing sex toys at everyone after he finishes an entire bottle himself.
Kylie turns on music and pretty soon everyone is laughing and dancing. There are repeated hugs and kisses, and it’s a full-on party that eventually spills out into the hallway where the other players’ families and friends are also celebrating. Lyla, Nate, and I sink into the comfy oversized chairs in the box as we swig champagne straight from the bottles.
“We are dating World Series champions!!” Nate exclaims.
Lyla throws a hot dog at him.
“Ward’s is bigger,” Nate sighs with a dreamy look on his face.
Lyla shakes her head. “You need help. And I sure hope it is. Because if Ward had a little pee-pee after the rest of him looks like it does, that would be a travesty.”
Nate smirks, and we burst out laughing when he raises his hands a good ten inches apart.
“This is crazy!” I announce. “I mean a few weeks ago, I didn’t even know Kent. I’d never watched an entire baseball game, ever. Hell, I didn’t even understand the game. And now…”
“Welcome to our club,” Lyla says, raising a champagne flute.
“To the first ladies club,” Nate says, lifting his.
I giggle. “To catching us some fucking awesome men!”
We all burst into a fit of laughter until Nate is snorting and doubled over and Lyla and I have tears running down our cheeks.
“Uh, does anyone know what’s going on now?” I ask after I finally gather myself back together.
Lyla shrugs. “Hold on, let me text Am.”
She pulls out her phone and taps a message. A moment later her phone buzzes.
“Well, I think it’ll be a while. You guys want to go back to the apartment?”
Nate nods.
“I…I should check in with the Moores first.”
I pull out my phone and text the family chat.
M
e: Hey, what are the plans? Do we have plans?
Mothership: I think we are all going to the hotel for now. Do you want to come with us or go to the apartment?
Di: Say with us!
Kyles: Let’s all crash at the apartment!
C-Dog: Can I drink at the apartment?
Dad: Clark!
C-Dog: What? It’s a valid question.
Mother Hen: Let’s go to the apartment first. Maybe the golden boy will come back sooner than we think.
Me: OK – c u over there
“Let’s go to the apartment,” I announce.
We start to make our way through the crowds of people. It’s entertaining to say the least. Some people are completely inebriated and are barely standing up, while others look like they just had twenty espresso shots. I’m cutting through the crowd like a game of Frogger when I hear my name being called. I turn around and see Mrs. Miller from Banneker.
“Mrs. Miller?” I say as though she’s a mirage and I’m not actually seeing her. I saw some locals earlier when we took some photos before the game, but I can’t remember if she was one of them.
“Hey, hon! Isn’t this exciting?” she asks. She’s wearing Mardi Gras-style beads in the team’s colors and a baseball cap. Frankie, the kid from the ice cream shop, is next to her.
“Hi, Frankie.”
“Hey, Miss Tabitha. Isn’t this awesome!” he exclaims as he throws his hands up in the air.
“It sure is.”
Frankie chuckles. “I love that the whole town is here. Kent made sure anyone that wanted tickets got them. It’s even cooler that we had a whole Banneker section. Aunt Edith said she’d bring me because my parents couldn’t. And the paper wants to do an article with that photo we took before the game. This is amazing!”
“Oh, you are related?” I ask, looking for similarities between them.
“I’m his grandmother’s sister,” Mrs. Miller says proudly.
“That’s cool. You guys OK to get out of here?”
“Yep, my friend lives down the street, and we parked there,” Mrs. Miller says.
“Good, you two be safe,” I say as I look around us.
Mrs. Miller laughs. “Sweetheart, I was a military nurse. None of this chaos bothers me in the least.”
I look up and down at this lady who has got to be eighty years old. “OK, well, be safe.”
They nod. “Tell Kent congrats!” Frankie says as they head off toward an exit.
“Sure thing.”
“Seriously, the whole town is here?” I turn to Lyla. I mentally try to remember how many people were here earlier when we took the friends and family photo, but my mind is spinning in too many directions to recall.
“Yeah, that’s just how Banneker is. There’s a reason Amery and Ward bought houses out that way, too. It’s like freakin’ Mayberry.”
I cover my mouth to stifle a laugh. “Oh my god, that’s what I call it. It’s ‘so’ Mayberry! If the people weren’t so funny, I’d swear it was part of a Stepford Wife movie!”
Nate chuckles. “Yeah, they are a crazy group of kids out there, but it’s a great place to hang out. Even my city-lover self enjoys a nice quiet night out in Banneker.”
We continue zigzagging through the hordes of people until we make it to the apartment complex. Carlos is at the front door and lets us inside.
“Great game!” he says cheerfully, motioning to the television set he has on his desk.
“It was, wasn’t it!” Nate says, giving him a fist bump.
“Are the Moores here yet?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah, they all got here a few minutes ago. I think the grandparents are hanging out with Mrs. Thomas, and the rest went up to the rooftop deck where everyone is partying.”
“Mrs. Thomas isn’t partying?” Nate asks with wide eyes.
“Yeah, but she had to give her cat meds, so I think she’s back in her apartment.”
I look between them. “Who’s Mrs. Thomas?”
They both laugh. “Crazy old lady who lives across from Kent. She’s a riot.”
Lyla presses her lips together in a half-hearted attempt to keep from laughing but fails miserably. “She’s a trip, alright.”
We head up to drop our stuff in Kent’s apartment. The door across the hallway is open and I can hear the sound of voices. After we throw our things on the dining room table, Nate knocks on the doorframe of Mrs. Thomas’s apartment.
“Hello? Lucy, I’m home!” he calls out.
“Natie, is that you,” a hoarse voice yells from somewhere inside the apartment.
“It is, Mrs. T.”
Lyla and I follow Nate into the apartment and find all the grandparents sitting around on sofas with giant flowers on them. A large white Persian cat is curled up on an ottoman, and PopPop Bob is passed out in a recliner, snoring up a storm. The ladies all have some type of cocktail drinks in their hands.
“Cheers!” Nana Betty says, raising her glass.
“Go grab a Pink Lady,” Grandma Tilly says, motioning toward the counter of the kitchen.
Gran Mill tries to stand but nearly falls over, Nate leaps to catch her.
“Whoa there, Mills! Have a seat, I’ll go grab drinks for the rest of us! Is everyone else still up on the deck?” he asks as he walks over and fills red Solo cups with a pink-colored drink that’s in a giant punch bowl.
“Yep, the kids are upstairs. We couldn’t hear each other, and Sprinkles needed her meds, so we came down here,” Mrs. Thomas says as she looks over at me and her eyes light up. “Is this Tabby? The young lady who captured our little KJ’s heart!” She practically swoons at the words.
I blush and nod. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Thomas.”
She stands and comes over to hug me. “Now, none of this Mrs. Thomas crap. Call me Mrs. T or Miss Molly.”
I hug her back. She pulls back and hugs Nate and Lyla. “You kids get on up there and have fun. I’ll get these old fogies to the hotel when we are done visiting. Just let Kathy and Ted know that.”
We all nod and continue on our way. I haven’t been up to the rooftop deck yet. It’s quite alive with a party when we file out of the elevator. I see the Moores in a corner near a heat lamp. They’ve taken over an outdoor seating area around a fire pit.
Mrs. Moore stands up first. “You made it over here, good! We were just about to check in on the group chat.”
I notice another guy and a couple around the Moores’ age sitting on one of the sofas.
“This is Aidan, Ward’s brother, and Sharon and Mike Ward, Ward’s parents,” she says to me as Nate hugs them all.
They all say hello, and I take a seat next to Di. “So, what’s the game plan?” I ask.
“Well, I think we’re all hanging out here in hopes of seeing the guys whenever they roll in,” Lanie says. There’s a built-in outdoor kitchen on the roof with a television on the back wall. Right now, it looks like Ward is getting interviewed, but then the camera moves and suddenly a reporter is talking to Kent. My eyes are glued to the screen. He’s never looked more handsome. He’s freshly showered, but his hair is still wet. I want to run my hands through it so badly that it’s killing me. I’m completely oblivious to what he’s saying until I hear him say “girlfriend.”
I stand up and walk closer, trying to crane my neck to hear better.
“So, you are dating someone?” the reporter asks.
Kent winks at her. “More than dating, but you know I don’t talk about my personal life.”
My eyes widen to the point where I think they may pop out of my head.
“Well, shit, someone’s in deep,” Nate’s voice says from behind me.
“Did I just imagine that?” I ask.
He laughs and claps me on the back. “No. Girl, that guy has it bad for you. Just learn to love it. You’re in a relationship with a jock.”
“It’s not the jock thing that scares me, it’s the relationship thing.”
“Fair. But Kent’s like the best guy. Trust me, that one,” he says
pointing to the screen, “is a keeper.”
He turns back to the Moores as he leans against the bar top. “Plus, you get a really awesome bonus family. You can’t beat that.”
Nate and I stand like spectators and watch everyone chatting, hugging, laughing, and giving each other high fives.
“They are great, aren’t they?” I ask rhetorically.
“The best,” Nate says with a smile.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I vaguely remember Kent picking me up from the sofa and carrying me into his bed last night, or this morning? I also faintly remember a comment about the sex toys on the dining room table. After Mrs. T’s Pink Lady punch, everything gets a little foggy. I open one eye to find water and aspirin on the bedside table. I go to reach for them, but I can’t move. I look down and find Kent’s giant arm is wrapped around me like a vine. I try to disentangle myself, but he only pulls me closer.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” he whispers in a gravelly morning voice.
“Can I get the water that you so kindly left for me?” I ask him.
He kisses the back of my neck and leans over to hand me the glass. I prop up on my elbow and drink the cool liquid, throwing the pills down my throat for good measure.
“I see Mrs. T got to you.” He nods toward the dresser where my red Solo cup still sits. I frown not remembering putting it there.
“Yeah…”
I turn back to him and smile. “How’s it feel to wake up a champion?”
He grins at me. “Fan-fucking-tastic!”
I laugh. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
He leans over me and ghosts a kiss on my lips.
“You for starters.”
Kent
I’m euphoric and exhausted. It was well after midnight when the guys and I finally rolled into the apartment building. My siblings were still up on the deck, but Tabby had passed out on my sofa.
I carried her to my bed and fell fast asleep.
I have to say, it was the best sleep I’ve gotten in ages. And waking up to her is even better.
I trace her jaw and neck with my lips and watch as goose bumps form on her skin. I nip at her earlobe, and she moans, her hips rolling back against me.
I grin, remembering what I found on my dining room table last night.