The best way to describe it might be a noodle soup with a lot of different vegetables in it. My fellow tablemates thought I’d gotten the short end of that trade, but I occasionally traded with Chrissy to try something different. I was happy with the deal, and she loved the lasagna.
When I was almost done, I received a call from someone using a Chicago area code.
“David, is it true you’re thinking about entering the draft, and the Cardinals’ scout is coming to your practice today?” Lucas Kite, one of the scouts from the Cubs, asked.
“I’m exploring my options since I decided not to go to Michigan to play football,” I explained.
“But the Cards?” he asked.
“I didn’t set that up. Coach Haskins used his contacts. He used to manage in the minors,” I explained.
“Mind if I drive down?”
“I would love to see you again. When you get here, look up Moose. You met him in North Carolina,” I reminded him.
“Your head coach?”
“Yes. He’s who you need to talk to.”
“Okay, see you this afternoon,” Lucas said as he rang off.
I figured if Lucas left the Cubs’ offices right now, he would miss the traffic and be here in less than two hours. Plenty of time to get down here and make it to practice.
◊◊◊
Ms. Saunders met with me right after school because I wanted to talk to her about the pictures I’d seen at Tracy’s roommate’s exhibit. The Krannert Art Museum had a website that showed several of the photographs.
“She said I had to get a wide-angle lens and software to recreate her shots. I wanted your take on what I needed,” I explained.
“You already have the software, and I would be happy to show you how to create the mirrored effect. I’m glad to see you’re expanding your lens options. Most new photographers focus on zoom. They want to be able to pick out a bee on a flower from thirty yards.”
“I might want one of those, too,” I admitted.
“I agree, a telephoto zoom lens is something you should own, and I suggest you at least get a good one. They’re not the only or even the first one I would recommend for you as you expand your lens collection. If you want to capture the action of a football game from the bleachers or the vista of a landscape, wide-angle is the way to go.
“I want to caution you, though, that there can be distortion when using wide-angle lenses,” Ms. Saunders added.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Because a wide-angle lens takes in such a broad field of view, there can be a noticeable bend where straight lines should be. It can also alter the relationship between objects. You have to monitor your pictures closely.
“Then again, you sometimes want your picture to have that distorted look,” Ms. Saunders said.
“So, what do you suggest I get?” I asked.
She made her suggestion, pointing to a lens in an online catalog.
“This is the kind of lens that you can buy once, use all the time, and never need to replace. It provides a moderately wide angle of view, usually with less distortion, and it’s fairly cheap. This is the kind of lens you can just leave on your camera all the time. It’ll give you a chance to try out wide-angle photography. If later you decide you need something better, get it then,” she suggested.
I planned to take my camera on spring break and also when I traveled for the upcoming movies. If I was going to be traveling around the world, I wanted to capture the memories.
◊◊◊
I dressed early for practice and was pleasantly surprised to see my favorite reporter there with a cameraman.
“Jeff, what are you doing here?” I asked.
“Frank Ingram hired me to document your tryout today, and I get to interview you about what happened yesterday,” he shared.
“I promised the reporter from last night an exclusive,” I said to try to get out of it.
“Perfect. My editor took it away from him and gave the assignment to me,” Jeff said, smiling.
I looked across the field and spotted Paddy O’Malley.
“Excuse me, I need to take care of something,” I told Jeff and jogged off to meet Paddy out of earshot of everyone.
“It’s been taken care of,” Paddy said.
I stared at him, and he smiled.
“I like you. You’re smart enough to keep your mouth shut. I’ll only tell you two things. The first is that I followed your father’s instructions.”
That meant he hadn’t hurt anyone. I must have visibly relaxed. While it sounds cool to act like The Godfather and order a hit on someone, in reality, my stomach was all twisted up with worry about what I’d unleashed.
“And the second?” I asked.
“When I ‘fix’ something, it stays fixed. If either of them causes you any trouble, let me know, and I’ll take care of it, no charge.”
From the way he said it, I’m sure my dad wouldn’t be happy if he had to come back. Then I let out a giggle.
“Sorry,” I said. “I just never expected you would give me a no-cost satisfaction guarantee.”
“If we’re through here, I’ll get my money and take off,” he said and turned around and walked away.
I watched until he had gotten into his car and driven off. Cassidy came up beside me.
“You have your phone on you?” I asked.
