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“I laid in bed all day.”
“Oh, I’m sure you did.” She winks.
The waitress brings us some coffee, and I put two creams and three sugars inside.
“But really though? Are you happy? I haven’t seen you perky like this in years. Brodie is just what the doctor ordered.”
Honestly, I have Tina to thank for this whole situation. If she wouldn’t have pushed us together, then I wouldn’t have taken the chance of going out with Brodie.
“We are in a good place. Got our first game with the girls today. Lee’s going to be there.”
Tina’s eyes go wide. “Wonder how that’s going to go?”
Lee better stay in his lane and not cause any drama. Why is he so upset about this? He had ten years for his chance. Don’t come running to me now. I never would have guessed Lee would act this way, but it goes to show people always surprise you.
“Do you think he is going to say something to Brodie? He seemed livid at the house, and unfortunately he is the coach of his daughter’s team, so he is gonna have to get the hell over it.”
I take another sip of coffee and ponder her question. “If he can’t be a man, and accept the fact that he missed out on his chance, then that’s on him. Brodie shouldn’t be treated badly because of his mistake. I hope Lee will be an adult about the situation, but only time will tell.”
The game starts in less than an hour, and honestly, my nerves are all over the place. Not only because it’s our first game of the season, but with Brodie’s and my relationship evolving, we don’t want to it affect the team in a negative way. We want to remain professional on the field.
“Are you coming to the game today? Didn’t know if you had clients coming in this afternoon?”
She replies. “Yeah, two color clients. So I can’t make it, but I’ll be at the next one cheering her on.”
I put a couple dollars on the table for the coffee, and say goodbye to Tina. I can’t be late for warmups, and typically the coaches are the first people there.
My tires crunch on the gravel as I pull into the parking lot at the softball fields. The other team is already warming up. What time did they get here?
Sherrie has already been worrying about the game, and wants to win. This is exactly what I don’t want. She doesn’t need to worry about that, but instead focus on her love for the game. These girls need to get out there and enjoy themselves. They are too young to have that in their minds, but some of these parents engrave into their kids that that’s the only point of playing sports. And that’s exactly why they aren’t coaching.
When Sherrie showed interest in playing softball, Lee and I agreed that we would only let her join a team that didn’t have a coach as a player's father or relative. There are many reasons and one of the biggest ones is you lose coaches a lot because of that. When their daughter moves up, so do they, and they leave the team behind. Or, they show favoritism toward their child, and someone else who is better fit for a position gets overshadowed.
Our team doesn’t have to worry about any of that. We have their backs, and even if their parents push them to win, we are the ones in the dugout with them, and as long as they have fun and do their best, then it doesn’t matter the outcome of the game.
At this age, it’s more about learning the fundamentals of the game, than actually playing itself. When they get into their teenage years, the coaches will pick kids that understand their fundamentals over someone who plays a good position, but knows none of the rules. I want to shape these girls, and push them to learn more about whatever position they plan on continuing on.
Lee pulls up, and Sherrie jumps out of the car. She has her bag and her jersey on ready to go. He doesn’t get out, so I take it he might not actually watch the game. Please tell me he is not going to let this keep him from seeing his daughter play. I have half of a mind to walk over there, but with the team starting to show, I can’t focus on him.
Parents are already taking their spots on the bleachers, and girls are getting their equipment ready to go.
“Who’s ready to play today?” I ask.
They all yell in unison.
Brodie is running a little behind because of work, but he should be here any minute. We have about twenty-minutesuntil game time and it’s time to get the team warmed up.
“Alright girls, go out on the field and play catch until Coach gets here, then we will do drills.”
The girls run onto the field, and pair off to warm up. Now, Lee gets out of his car, and his eyes bear into mine, and he doesn’t look happy. I haven’t talked to him in person since he showed up at my house, and honestly, I think it’s a waste of time for me to beat around the bush.
“How is she? First games are always hard on her,” he says, lacing his fingers through the chain link fence.
Okay, so maybe he isn’t going to be a complete douchebag today? Softball means a lot to his daughter and his issues with me shouldn’t overshadow her game.
“She’s excited. Better coach this season,” I reply.
He scoffs. “Oh yeah, I forgot Brodie is the best fucking coach ever.”
