Page 26 of King of the Crease

This time, I get down a second faster than the last time and push myself up with greater leg strength. I bob my head up to Hank who throws his arms in the air.

“Did I get lost and wind up in an art museum? Because all I’m seeing are absolute masterpieces!”

Without his prompting, I do three more butterfly drops in quick succession. I work leg muscles I didn’t know existed. My confidence skyrockets.

“Am I looking at my son’s report card? Because all I’m seeing are A-pluses!”

“Son?” I’m snapped out of our practice. “You have a son?”

“Yeah. He’s going off to college next year.” He pulls a wallet-sized picture from inside one of his arm pads. “I keep this with me for good luck when I play.”

“He’s a handsome guy.” I spot parts of Hank in him, and his inherent kindness radiates.

“He’s insanely smart. Smarter than I ever was. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

“I’ll bet.” I feel a tug at my heart, both thinking of how caring and attentive Hank must be as a dad, but also a feeling of regret. For the first time, it hits me that I may not get to experience this. I hand back the photo.

“He’s got my hair and his mom’s eyes.”

“His…mom?” Hank is straight. That was the likely outcome. But straight and married? Man, did I pick the wrong guy to fall for.

“That’s nice,” I say. My spirits do their own butterfly drop. “You can see your wife whenever you look at him.”

“That’s kind of the problem,” he laughs nervously. “Ex-wife.”

I nod as it all clicks.

“Not the reminder I want. But it’s been so many years, I don’t even notice anymore.”

“How long has it been?” The question tumbles out of me. I have an unquenchable thirst for facts about Hank.

He does the math in his head. He’s astounded by the answer. “Nine years.”

“I’m sorry. Or not?” I bite my lip. “What is the proper thing to say about someone’s divorce?”

“Don’t be sorry. It was definitely a good thing. She is…she’s not a fun gal to be around. You know the kind of person who can always find the silver lining in something? What’s the opposite of that person?” For the first time, I hear a laugh with a hard edge from Hank. I kick myself for nudging us into this topic.

“I’m sorry. That sounds really rough.”

“My folks told me marriage has its ups and downs. They were together over thirty years and had their share of rough times. But me and Cathy, at some point, we only seemed to have downs.”

The joy stamped on his face fades from view for a moment. Nine years and yet some pain lingers. That’s the downside of muscle memory. Pieces of our past will remain inside us.

“Getting divorced is like getting a root canal. It’s necessary and painful, but it’s even more painful if you don’t get one and let your teeth rot. And once it’s over, you feel so much better. Now, when I look at Brody, I don’t see her or me. I just see him.”

Talking about his son immediately boosts his mood. Pride radiates off him. Could this guy be any sweeter?

“She’s getting remarried. I’m happy that she found someone,” he says.

“You don’t have to do that.” I don’t know this woman or what transpired, but fuck her. Anger flares inside my chest. “You don’t have to be happy for her, even if she is the mother of your son.”

“Cathy has a lot of anger. Anytime she gets something she wants, it only seems to make her unhappier. She’s getting married to this rich guy. A CFO. But she still seems angry.” He shrugs, unable to comprehend.

“Some people only focus on the negative. I know people who are extremely wealthy, who’ve never had to work a day in their life, who have access to all the privileges in the world, and they still find ways to be miserable.”

“You know people like that? What kind of circles do you run in?”

“Uh…family friends.”