Luca glances from my son to me. Seeming to reach a conclusion, he places his hands in his pockets and speaks to Charlie. “Want to come with me for a tour of the stadium while she finishes whatever she needs to do?”
To my surprise, Charlie immediately pockets his phone and stands. “Totally.”
“You don’t have to do that, Luca,” I protest, but Charlie shoots me a glare, and Luca just chuckles.
“I’ve got some time. And he should know his way around the stadium. Who knows, maybe he’ll be playing here one day.”
“That would be so awesome,” Charlie says, his voice full of awe. “Do you think there are any players around today?”
Luca shrugs. “Maybe, I’m not sure. But we can check out the locker room and the dugout. Maybe throw some balls around outside if it’s not too cold while we wait.”
“Cool.” Charlie turns to me. “C’mon, Mom. This way you have time to work. And we can order food later.”
I open my mouth to say that’ll work when Luca interjects, shooting me a subtle wink. “How ’bout we take care of ordering something for all three of us so your mom has more time? I won’t intrude on lunch, but I was going to order in some sushi, if that’s cool?”
“I love sushi. And you can eat with us, right, Mom?”
There’s not a chance I’ll say no, not when the two of them have identical hopeful expressions on their faces. Even if I should be worried about them growing closer, I can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy about it. It gives me hope that Charlie will accept our relationship easily when I find the guts to tell him.
“Of course, he can join us. You two have fun.”
Luca dips his head in a nod before gesturing to the door. “Come on, Charlie, let’s go see if any of the guys are in the gym.”
The two of them turn and walk out of my office, Charlie already peppering Luca with questions. I manage to return my focus back to my unfinished work. An hour later, they reappear, both grinning ear to ear.
“Hey Mom, we ordered sushi. And Luca showed me everything. It’s really cold outside, so we didn’t stay on the field for long, but he said I could throw the first pitch at a game sometime if I want to.”
“That’s awesome, kid.” I smile at my son, who’s dropped back into a chair, and immediately pulls out his phone.
I mouth the wordsthank youto Luca, earning a warm look in return. I wish I could do more than that. I wish I could hug him and tell him how much it means to me that he’s willing to connect with my son.
When lunch arrives, and the three of us are crowded around the table in Luca’s office, I listen to the two of them talk about baseball with huge grins on their faces. They don’t stop chattering about next spring and the upcoming major league season, and whether or not the Vancouver Tridents have a chance of taking the championship again.
Until there’s a break in conversation, when Charlie drops a potential bomb.
“You haven’t asked about my arm.”
His statement comes out so casual, so matter-of-fact, and yet it makes me grateful I don’t have food in my mouth to choke on.
My gaze flies to Luca, but he’s calm, a small smile on his face. “No, I haven’t. I guess it never occurred to me, it’s not really my business. Everyone’s bodies are different in some way.”
Charlie studies him, and I hold my breath, waiting to see what he’ll say.
“True. But normally people are nosy and ask. I’ve been like this my whole life, so I’ve been asked a lot.”
Luca glances at me, his gaze dropping ever so briefly down to his leg, then back up to me, and I give a subtle nod.
“I can understand that,” he says casually before reaching down and pulling up his pant leg, revealing his prosthetic. “Mine is easier to cover up, but I’ve still been asked a lot of times, too.”
“Holy shit!” Charlie exclaims, his mouth falling open.
“Charlie, language!” I say, but honestly, his reaction is exactly what I expected.
“Sorry, Mom,” he replies immediately, still staring at Luca’s leg. He finally glances up at me, eyes wide. “Did you know?”
I wince, but nod. “I did, but it wasn’t my business to tell anyone.”
Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to care. “Yeah, I get it.” He turns back to Luca. “I haven’t met a lot of other people missing arms and legs. How did you lose yours?”
