I got up, excited about two things. First, Moose told me he had a surprise for me. I was to meet him at the Field House, first thing. Second, Brook had sent me a text and scheduled a ‘play date.’ I worried that it was too cold out, but became confused when a subsequent message told me to bring my swimsuit. I was
Mom was alone in the kitchen when I came in.
“Congratulations,” she said as I stuck my head in the refrigerator to figure out what to eat for breakfast.
“What did I do this time?” I asked.
Mom gave me a scowl.
“You know, your latest stunt left Rita traumatized. I thought you were smarter than that. Remember the last parent who caught you with their daughter, and your promise?” she asked.
“Pam,” I said and sighed.
“Let’s just say you owe me one.”
“Put it on my account. Someday, when I’m picking out your nursing home, I might catch up.”
“I want someplace with a view.”
“Of the parking lot,” I mumbled.
She decided to ignore my smart mouth.
“We got the strip mall under contract. The owner finally agreed when I told him about your comment to take the Victorian on Main Street. We just have to pay for all the closing costs.”
“How quick do we close?” I asked.
“Thursday, if we get a clean report from the county. The title company still needs to check on any outstanding open permits or violations. The title search didn’t discover any title issues or liens, and we were able to recertify the survey. Construction will begin next Monday. Caryn hopes that after the roof is done, we’ll get the lower units ready first. I have a tentative tenant in a cell phone provider.”
Dad came downstairs.
“Where are Peggy and Little David?” I asked.
“She took him to her parents’ house and stayed last night. They should be home later today,” Mom said.
Her parents seemed to run hot and cold towards her and her son.
◊◊◊
The main door to the Field House was unlocked. I went inside and tracked down Moose, and he took me to the far end of the building. They’d set up a couple of batting cages there. What made me smile was we had a new pitching machine. Moose handed me a manual.
“I figured since you’d probably use it the most, you should set it up.”
Of course I would. Moose left me to it and returned to his office.
They had bought a good-quality machine. The brochure talked about how major league teams used it. According to the manual, it was capable of throwing any type of pitch (fastballs, curves, sliders, drop balls, risers) from either a left- or right-hand delivery. The maximum speed of its throws exceeded 100 miles per hour. It held twenty balls and threw them at seven-second intervals.
I ran over to the equipment room to get balls, bat, and helmet. Once I had all the gear, I set the machine up to throw fastballs as hard as it could. I wanted to see what a 100-mile-an-hour-plus fastball looked like. The settings looked right, so I loaded twenty balls into the hopper.
I used the remote to turn it on. Well, there’s one item I can check off my bucket list. I now knew what it felt like to take a 100-mile-an-hour fastball in your side right under your armpit. My brain recognized the problem as soon as the ball fired from the machine. I have quick reflexes, but holy shit! I actually heard the ball as it shot through the air. While I did jerk to get out of the way, it was already too late. Dang, that hurt.
I almost caught the next one in the head when I sat up. I shut it off and tried to catch my breath. That would leave a mark. Moose must have heard the sound the ball made when it hit me. Think sledgehammer hitting wet cement.
“Are you all right?” Moose asked.
“I need to make a slight adjustment. I probably should have tested it before stepping into the batter’s box.”
“Good tip. Let me see.”
I lifted my shirt, and my side was red. I was going to have a lovely bruise. Moose took me to the training room, filled a bag with ice, and then used an ace bandage to hold it in place. He left me to contemplate what I’d done when Jim came in.
“What happened to you?” he asked.
“I stepped in front of the new pitching machine,” I admitted. “Here’s the remote to start it up, if you want to try it.”
He took it, and I told him my bat and helmet were out there. I hopped off the table to go watch. Jim was smarter than me. He stood back and turned it on to get a feel for the speed, and I watched in disappointment as the ball missed him.
“Jerk!” he called out as he shook his head.
Moose surprised me.
“You really are, sometimes,” he mumbled right behind me.
“He would’ve done the same.”
Moose just stepped back into his office.
◊◊◊
I picked Brook up and pestered her for the entire ride to the YMCA. When we arrived, there was a big sign that announced a SCUBA class. The class offered you a PADI certification for open water diving.
