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TACKETT
“The life of a reality star.” Oscar slaps his leg and throws his head back like a semi-truck passed him at ninety miles per hour. “You must be crazy.”
I didn’t have time to stop to see Oscar before I left on this week-long away series, so I called him. His favorite nurse, Judy, gave me her number so Oscar and I could video call. I knew I shouldn’t have told him about the reality show. He can’t quit laughing.
“Son, ask yourself one question. “Will being on a television make your relationship stronger?” Oscar finally sits up straight and points his finger at the phone. “If the answer is yes, then do it.”
I already know the answer. No. But Talynn’s excited.
“Hey, I have something to show you.” I pull out the pocket watch Oscar gave me and hold it in front of the phone. The apples of his cheeks round under his eyes. As I open it, a tingling sensation breezes over my skin. The picture of Talynn is early in our friendship when we went to the park; she’s swinging. She’s not looking at the camera, but she’s laughing. I remember it vividly. Her blonde hair blowing back as the swing came forward.
Newton’s Law of Motion.
He moves his face closer to Judy’s phone and inspects the photo. “Beautiful. So, Talynn’s the one?”
I nod. “The one. We exchanged the big ‘I love you’to each other.”
“Ahhh. Well, that is a big step. She’s a lucky girl. Next time you’re home. I would love to meet her. I briefly saw her the day after the hurricane at the stadium, but I want to really meet her, and make sure she knows what will happen if you don’t treat her right.”
“Will do, Oscar. I’m due at massage therapy in twenty minutes so I’ll see you in a week or so. Call me anytime that Judy will let you use her phone.”
“Okay, kid. Bye.”
For the third day in a row, I’m seeing a massage therapist our athletic trainer set up for me on this away series. She’s doing the same when we’re in New Orleans. But this therapist’s hands don’t knead in the same way Talynn’s do. I can’t wait to get home and have Talynn’s hands gliding over my leg and lower back.Four more days.
After therapy, I join the team in the locker room—which looks like a high school locker room. It’s old and beat up; nothing like ours. There’s not even a drawer for little things like keys, wallets, or a pocket watch. I unfasten the gold filigreed watch and stare at Talynn’s photo. It’s not lost on me that the gears show on the other side. All the gears need to work together in unison for the watch to keep time. Relationships. Baseball. To be successful you have to work together.
Of course, Ortega and Philpot don’t know that I’m in a philosophical discussion with myself, so they rib me about being in love. “Our baby is in love.” They’re calling me baby until someone joins the team who’s younger than me. My hair gets ruffled and with a couple of slaps on the back, they say, “Let’s go.”
I tap out anI love you textto Talynn and immediately receive one back before inserting my phone into the zippered pocket and placing it on the wooden bench. I take the pocket watch with me and slip into the back pocket of my pinstriped baseball pants. This is my favorite uniform. Life is good, but it will be perfect once I’m back on the field.
My new goal is to make my return next week on my birthday. We’ll be playing the Bladerunners, the team we were supposed to play the day after the hurricane. Megan along with Kenni and the marketing team are planning all kinds of events during the three-day series. After the last game there is going to be fireworks and free glow necklaces for everyone.
Tonight was a heavyweight fight between pitchers. In the bottom of the ninth, it was tied at zero. Both pitchers had thrown flawlessly until their third baseman hits a solo homerun to win the game. It sucks to play so well and lose. Coach comes up and warns, “You better be on the mend soon. We need your bat.”
The other guy’s shower but I don’t see the need since I didn’t play. I change into my street clothes. Athletic shorts and a T-shirt.
My phone rings in the pocket, but by the time I retrieve it, Jayson has hung up. I tap over to messages. Fuck. There are more messages than I can count from my brother Jayson and from Talynn.
Jayson:Call me. It’s never been more important…
Jayson:Call me, your games over.
Talynn:We need to talk.
Jayson:Call me now!
Jayson:Call me!
Talynn:I have something to tell you.
Talynn:Have you talked to ESPN?
There’s more from Archer and Megan too.
Since Jayson’s seems urgent, I call him first. I want to be alone when I talk to Talynn anyway. On away trips, we always play the game “what would you do if I did….” She makes me laugh at the same time she makes me horny.
“Hey, what’s so important?”
