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I jog over to Talynn. “Are you ready to go down?”
Her eyes widen and I find myself watching the bob of her throat. She cocks her hip and taps her finger over her lips. Once. Twice. Three times. “How about we put a little wager on this?”
Erasing the distance between us, I say, “What kind of wager?” I’m in her personal space but she doesn’t back away.
“Dishes. Loser does the dishes for one week.”
“You’re on.” I point to her as I jog backward to my team.
God, she looks cute in my hat and that long blonde hair pulled through the hole in the back. She doesn’t know how beautiful she is.
The game operates like an egg toss during the first few rounds, with each side getting to throw directly at the other side. In this round, you’re allowed to duck, bend, or jump to keep the balloon from hitting you. We both make it through what I call the “prelims.”
There’s ten people left on each team, including one nine-year-old boy on my team and one ten-year-old girl on her team. In this round you can chase each other. Megan blows the whistle, so we grab our squishy, latex water filled balls, and the race is on. Ortega is out quick. Talynn’s gazelle like. She’s a runner. She has to be. Her form is upright with a slight bend in her arms which move in perfect synchronicity to her legs. Her ponytail is swishes back and forth as me and my little partner chase her and the little girl following her. The girl in the yellow tank top rears back and throws an orange balloon at my sidekick, and it pops right on his chest.
“Way to go Mariana!” Talynn shouts with pride as she runs over to give her a high five. I let them have their moment before going in for the kill.
“Talynn. Incoming.” I toss the two balloons I grabbed in succession. She turns just as a blue and yellow balloon both hit her. One splashes on her arm and one in the chest. She’s soaking wet but she’s not laughing.
I run to her hoping she’s not hurt. “Are you okay?”
She takes a few deep breaths, and slowly looks up at me through her lashes. “You win, Towles.” She begrudgingly walks forward and pulls me into a hug.
“I always do,” I say with a smile. She scoffs, and then—splat. She smacks me with a water balloon which bursts over my back, soaking me through.
“Seriously?” I laugh and swing her around. Her cackle is an arrow to the heart. As we stop spinning, I can hear the crowd quiet. Lowering her to her ground, our eyes lock, and I don’t want to look away.
But quicker than a cricket, she takes off running and I’m trying to catch her as she yells, “Kids, help me.” They weave around me until they bring me down. I’m lying down in centerfield with a hornet’s nest of children all over me—giggling.
Her legs appear endless as Talynn towers over me like the jolly green giant. Her body blocks the sun giving the hairs on her arms a golden glow. She sits down in the grass beside me with a wide, effervescent smile, pulls a couple of kids in her lap and we all forget that a hurricane destroyed homes and families yesterday. As long as I live, I will never forget this day and how one person’s smile can make the world a happy place.
An announcement is made over the stadium speakers for the players to head inside to begin serving lunch to the elderly.
“Duty calls.” I ruffle the hair of few boys wearing bring new Sarasota Sharks T-shirts.
“Towles.”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll have to up the stakes next time we make a bet.” She smirks.
I stop and throw my palms up. “Whatever you’re willing to lose.”
A grin tugs at the corners of her mouth as I jog into the locker room.
A line full of elderly citizens is already forming. For health reasons, we want them to eat inside and get a reprieve from the heat and humidity. Men with canes and women with glasses an inch thick form a line. That’s when I recognize some of the faces from the nursing home I visit. I run from behind the serving station and down the line looking for my favorite human being.
Is Oscar here? Where is he? When I finally see him, relief washes through my body.
“Oscar, I’m so sorry I didn’t check on you.”
“Ahh. I’m fine. Now feed me.” His hand tremors as he takes mine. We walk to a nearby table so he can sit down. I fill his plate full of carbs and fresh fruit. Whenever I visit Oscar, he is always eating watermelon and bananas which are my favorites too.
“Now, how about giving me a tour. I’ve always wanted to see the inside of a major league locker room. My sweet Dottie, she loved baseball.”
After getting permission from Kenni, I walk Oscar to the locker room. We walk to the area with logos on the floor, and Oscar bends down to touch the perfectly waxed hardwood. “This sure is a beauty. I used to be in flooring. This is some fine work here. Yes it is.”
I nod my head in agreement. “Come on, I’ll show you my locker.”
