Page 1 of Saved By the Pitcher

Chapter One

James sat in the window-facing café booth, awaiting his brother Billy and Billy’s girlfriend, Nadia. He had missed them for the three weeks they had been overseas on a charity mission. Although James had kept busy with his starring role in a successful Broadway musical, the downtime between performances had reminded him of the companionship dependency he had on his sibling.

James had casual friendships with the cast and crew of the show, but his colleagues were more like neighbors who chatted in passing without ever inviting each other to visit. He assumed they were wary of him because of his right-wing senator father, Charles Vicksburg. The senator’s wealth and extreme views didn’t sit well with the diversity of artists who made up the Broadway community, most of whom struggled to reach their positions. James thought they might not trust his proclaimed liberal views, but he had his own reasons for remaining quiet about his father’s politics. He knew that to those around him, his silence made him appear like a coward at best—and complicit at worst. They didn’t understand his father’s reach or connections, nor the willingness of so many to do the senator’s bidding, even when nefarious. James had been a target himself on more than one occasion, and he had learned discretion equaled survival. James did his best to offset negative perceptions by being a supportive, dedicated team-player in the workplace.

During her marriage, James’ mother had been miserable, contradicting his father on almost everything. While in boarding school, James learned of his mother’s fatal car accident via a text from his father. The notification was brief, followed by a command to pack in preparation for the funeral. James had longed to read that his father shared his grief or was thinking about his love for his family. Instead, the text had closed with a message to be strong.

After a few years of living as a widower, Charles Vicksburg met Caroline Finney—the woman who became Billy’s mother when James was nine years old. It was ironic that it was the second time James’ father was smitten by a woman from a left-leaning family which deplored Charles’ politics. Undeterred by pressure from her parents and siblings, Caroline married Charles, believing he must be a good man to have been raising James on his own.

Not having taken time to acquaint herself with her fiancé proved fatal for her marriage, as she disagreed with him on every culture-war issue. The bigger wedge was their different opinions regarding child-rearing. Caroline abhorred Charles’ support of corporal punishment, emphasis on masculine sports for his boys and his compulsion to see his children match his career success at any cost. The couple divorced after two years, sharing custody of their then-one-year-old son. Once he was grown, Billy often complained to James about his childhood and how he had been bounced between two households with different expectations. Like James, Billy grew up to be sensitive, gravitating to his mother’s more liberal views of the world, much to his father’s chagrin. Charles blamed the adult versions of his sons on soft mothers and the influence of their New York City friends. The senator had hoped his sons’ circles would be comprised of citizens from the more conservative districts of New York—the areas that had voted Vicksburg into office.

When Billy had begun dating Nadia, the daughter of a white man and an African-American woman, James’ father couldn’t conceal his contempt. In public, he didn’t criticize the union, recognizing it would be frowned upon by most—even in more conservative circles. In private, he bemoaned white Americans losing their identity, heritage and more powerful positions in society. Billy was shocked when his father told him that Nadia was the type of girl he could experiment with, but to use protection so there wasn’t an undesirable consequence which would ‘tarnish’ the Vicksburg lineage.

While James and Billy were expected, and sometimes coerced, to appear at their father’s campaign rallies, Senator Vicksburg made it clear that the platform was for family members only. That sidelined Nadia, despite her two-year relationship with Billy.

James broke into a broad smile when the five-foot-six Billy and his taller girlfriend entered the café. Unlike the stoic and constipated-looking Vicksburg clan, Billy and his girlfriend were cute and exuded fun and affection. Upon seeing James, Billy returned the joyous expression and rushed to him with arms outstretched. After a couple of pats on each other’s backs, James kissed Billy’s forehead. James adored his little brother, and he didn’t care if their being affectionate seemed odd to others. He knew it was distasteful to their father, for sure. But James wanted Billy to experience how much he meant to him. It was something he never had himself when growing up.

Nadia laughed and rolled her eyes, pushing Billy away from his brother so she could wrap her own arms around James. She pulled the man in for a quick peck. When she backed away, she was still beaming, brushing aside a lock of James’ thick, shiny mane.

“It’s so good to see you guys,” James said, pointing to the booth for them to sit. “How was the trip? It killed me that we couldn’t connect much.”

Billy and Nadia shuffled into the booth, and James sat opposite them.

“Oh my God, dude, the devastation from the earthquake was awful,” Billy began.

“But it was really rewarding to be there to help,” Nadia finished. “We weren’t able to participate in recovery missions, of course, but they let us help care for the injured, find places for displaced pets…”

“Oh man, that was so sad, James. You should have seen all the poor animals that were wandering, lost and looking for their owners. It broke my heart,” Billy added, his eyes watering at the memory.

Nadia placed her hand on Billy’s thigh, nodding in agreement. “It was sad, but going there helped, and I’d do it again in a minute.”

“Yeah,” Billy concurred, then he turned to face James. “I wished you could have been there with us, bro.”

“Me too,” James admitted. “But you know, the show must go on, as they say.”

“Still filling the house?” Nadia asked.

James tapped his fist on the table for good luck. “So far, so good. I’m afraid I’ll jinx it by saying this, but box office receipts are holding up. Variety magazine called the show an ‘official smash.’ I knew it was possible when we prepped this show for the last two years, but to see it happening is wild.”

“I’m happy for you.” Billy smiled. “You deserve it. And the show is super good. So much better than some of the other crap you’ve performed in.” He snickered, then gulped some water from the glass before him.

“Stop it,” Nadia chastised. “Be nice. You haven’t seen James in weeks.”

“It’s okay.” James laughed. “He’s right, and I’m glad he’s honest. At least when he says something is good, I can believe that he means it.”

“Dude, I always praise your work,” Billy reminded him. “It’s just some of the shows you’ve been in weren’t worthy of your performances.”

A blonde, large-busted server approached the table to take their orders, directing most of her attention to James. When she walked away, Billy gave James a leering look.

“What?” James inquired.

“She’s hot, and I think she has an eye for you,” Billy responded. “I’ll bet she saw you sitting on the other side of the booth all by your lonesome, thinking how she’d like to make us a quartet.”

“She was being polite. She wants a good tip,” James dismissed him.

“Nah, she took one look at you and thought, ‘I know the other guy is much cuter, but he seems to be taken. Fortunately, the loner isn’t too hard on the eyes,’” Billy quipped.

“Ha! I doubt it. I think she’s wondering why Nadia isn’t sitting with me instead of you. She’s worried she fell into some upside-down parallel universe,” James retorted.