Page 7 of Catching Dreams

“Oh, crap! I didn’t realize it was going to come up this fast,” I cried out as I tried to pull the map open as quickly as possible. “There is a reason technology has evolved to something better than paper maps.”

Penelope just laughed at me. “I didn’t realize it was going to come so fast either. I’ll go to the next Oakville exit, and we can stop at a gas station and see where we need to go.”

“Pen, please let me turn on my phone. His game has already started. I don’t want to miss more,” I practically whined.

Penelope just rolled her eyes at me, again. “Molly, he’s already playing. It’s not like he can stop mid-game and talk to you. You won’t be able to talk to him until after the game anyway, so just chill.”

I sighed, “You’re right. Ok. Let’s stop at the gas station.”

“Mommy is always right,” Peyton retorted with a giggle.

“Always,” Camden emphasized.

“I’ve got some very smart kids,” Pen said as she pulled off the exit and into the first gas station.

I had circled the stadium the Oakville Bobcats played at on the map and found where the gas station was. It took us longer than it probably should have, but soon, we had our route mapped out, and on a separate piece of paper, I made note of where to turn and in what direction.

“So, this is what people had to do before Google?” Camden asked.

“Yes,” Pen and I both said at the same time.

“Thank goodness for Google!” Camden said. “This is taking forever.”

Soon, we were back on the road and heading for Oakville County Field, home of the Bobcats. We found a parking spot and went to the ticket booth, but it was dark and there was no one there. We headed around to the front gate and found it open with a few workers milling around.

“Hi, we were wanting to buy tickets for tonight's game, and there was no one in the booth,” I explained as I flagged down a worker.

The girl looked at her watch and looked at us with wide eyes. “You do know the game started a while ago, right? It’s almost the seventh inning.”

“We know, but we’re willing to pay the full price. We’re the ones who are late,” I offered.

“Just let them come on in,” another woman said. “Go ahead, and just sit in any empty seats you can find.”

“Thank you so much,” Penelope said.

“A free game? Yes!” Camden said with a raise of his fist. “Does that mean I can buy some popcorn since we didn’t have to buy a ticket?”

“Yes, it does,” Penelope said. “What do you want, Peyton?”

“Twizzlers!” Peyton cried out.

“Go ahead, and find us seats,” Penelope said. “I know you’re anxious to see your man. Do you want anything from the concession stand?”

“Maybe some nachos and a bottle of water, please,” I said and handed her some money. I then headed to the seating area. “Thanks, Pen.”

I walked down the stairs towards the field and was glad to find an open section right behind home plate. I smiled as I saw Tyler walking towards the plate, and I admired him as he squatted down into position as the opponent’s batter walked up after his warm up swings. The first pitch by the Lightning pitcher I didn’t recognize went in the dirt. It was not like Tyler at all to miss catching a ball. Something was definitely off with him.

“We want a catcher, not a belly scratcher!” I called out as I got close to the fence that separated the fans from the players. It only went around the home plate area and a small wall divided the field from the rest of the stadium.

I was shocked when Ty stood up right as the pitcher was about to throw the next pitch. The home plate umpire said something to him, but Tyler wasn’t paying attention as he looked around frantically. Tyler’s manager yelled something, too, but he continued to look around.

“I’m sorry for distracting him!” I called out, and a few fans looked at me, wondering what was going on.

My husband made eye contact with me, and before I knew what was happening, he threw his catcher’s mask on the ground and was running towards me. He hopped over the small wall at the edge of the field and rushed for me. I found my feet running on their own towards him. I had never seen him do this in a game, and I had just seen him not that long ago. We had gone a lot longer without seeing each other before, and he would usually only give me a wink or blow a kiss during the game. Something was definitely off with him.

Tyler stopped in front of me, and that’s when I noticed the tears streaming from his green eyes. “You’re ok? You’re really here? You are ok, right?” He asked as he took my face in his hands and began kissing me all over.

“Yes, I’m here. Of course, I’m okay,” I replied. I wiped away his tears with my thumbs as he pulled me even closer to him. He wrapped his strong arms around me, and I found my arms winding around his trim waist.

---