Page 6 of Batter Up!

“Like it had never been hurt.” I said. I had been devastated as a senior in high school and having to sit on the bench as my team played in the championship game and lost. I’m not saying we would have won if I had been behind the plate, but not playing was painful. Not playing hurt worse than when Chris Richmond, who played for the other team, was racing for home plate a few weeks earlier and slammed into my knee, tearing my ACL. No one could prove he had done it on purpose, but I had thrown him out twice in the series for attempting to steal, and he had let it be known that he was mad at me. The pain was excruciating, and I had wondered then if I would ever play again. I knew I would never forget his name.

“Son, I don’t know….” Dad said. He handed the letter to my mom to read while he ran his fingers through his graying hair. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up. I know how hard it was when your brother and teammates were going off to college to play ball, and you were stuck here. You’ve got a good thing with me and your brother at the shop. I know it’s not as glamorous as playing in the major leagues would be, but it’s good, honest work.”

“I know it is, Dad,” I began, knowing how he felt. “But I was born to play ball.”

“Well, let's all sit down for dinner, so it doesn't get cold,” Mom suggested.

We all took our seats and began passing around the food. It was my brother-in-law, Rob who spoke first, "So, what happens if you hurt your knee again?"

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take. The surgeon said it was repaired, and if I didn’t play for a while, there was a chance I would be fine to play again in the future. It’s been seven years. I already felt old when the scouts asked to see a bunch of us, and I was by far the oldest there.” I realized my mistake as soon as it came out of my mouth.

“Already? The scouts saw you already?” Dad asked, the vein in his forehead becoming more pronounced.

“Oh, Tyler!” Mom said, “How did it go?”

“Hold on a minute, Susan,” Dad said without taking his glare off of me. “How dare you just forget your responsibilities to the family business. Are you just going to leave us high and dry?”

“Alec Kight said he would love a job at the shop,” Carter stepped in for me. “And he’s going to take Ty’s room, so my rent won’t go up.”

“Oh, so you knew about this, huh?” Dad said.

“Of course, we did,” Landon replied.

Dad put his fork down, “It is the Stone Family Auto Shop. Not Stone’s one son and friend Auto Shop.”

“But, Mike, at least they thought about finding a replacement and a roommate to help with the bills. You know Tyler was never going to stay here. He always wanted to play ball and travel and see places. Owning a mechanic shop was your dream. Julia’s dream was to be a nurse, and Landon and Tyler wanted to play baseball.”

“So, when do you find out the results of the tryout?” Julia asked as she passed the garlic bread to Carter.

“He already did,” Carter replied and then took a big bite of the bread.

“You already know?” Dad said and looked at each one of our faces. “Oh. So, tell me Tyler, when do you leave?”

I put my fork down on my plate and looked from my dad to my mom, “Tomorrow. I will be taking a bus to Riverbend, Ohio, to be a Raptor. They are the Single A minor league team for the Cincinnati Cyclones.”

Dad threw his fork down on his plate and got up from the table, “Thanks for the big notice!”

“Dad, I knew you’d be mad. I didn’t know how to tell you. I – “

“You know what – go off and play your game. But if you hurt your knee again and can’t play anymore, don’t come crawling back to me. When you’re in run-down motels, heading from small city to small city, and have no money, don’t be calling us for cash. You will no longer be part of Stone Family Auto Shop!” With that, Dad stomped out of the dining room. We were silent as we heard the garage door slam.

“Oh, honey,” Mom said with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry about your dad. He’ll come around.” Mom and I both got up, and I pulled her into a big hug. My head rested on the top of her head. “I am so proud of you, sweetie.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I said, not realizing how much her approval meant. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, and I believe in you,” Mom sniffled. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

Julia got up and hugged me, too, “I knew you could do it. And if you need any cash or need to vent, you have my number.”

“I agree,” Rob said and shook my hand. “Congrats, Tyler. I don’t even like baseball, but I’d come to a game to see you play. Just like I did for Landon.”

I laughed. Julia had followed in Mom’s footsteps and became a nurse, and Rob is a doctor, but he is still in residency, so they didn’t have a lot of extra money yet. I already decided I wasn’t going to rely on anyone. “Thanks, Jules, but I’ll be okay. Living in run-down motels and playing in small towns is part of the experience.”

“If you love baking, then I know you love hands-on work. You enjoy the dough’s texture and creating masterpieces out of simple ingredients, sugar, and flour.”

“Hey, bestie! Where are you?” My former college roommate and best friend Meadow Lawson's voice came through my cell phone. “I’m heading down to Sweeties if you want to meet up.”

“No can do.” I said as I looked at the highway sign ahead of me that said Riverbend 175 miles.

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