Page 30 of Love in the Outfield

14

GEORGIA

I’m sitting on the couch folding laundry, thinking about my rediscovered passion and guilty pleasure, baseball. Cade’s team won again last night. If they win tonight, it’ll be a sweep. Auggie even seems to be into it… as much as a toddler can be. When Cade was up to bat, I pointed him out and said there’s your daddy. He replied with a ‘Da Da’. No surprise that I teared up. Lately, it doesn’t take much and I’m crying like a baby. Cade had a good game, and in a post-interview one of his teammates called him “an absolute gamer.” I googled it and it means a player who approaches the game with tenacity and spirit and thrives under pressure.

I hear tires crunching on our gravel lane and peek around the curtains of my front window. A fancy Mercedes SUV is parking behind my Subaru. I watch in horror as Cade’s mom steps out.Well, shoot. Just as I remember, she is put together like a spokesmodel for sophistication. I wonder what it’s like to be that confident. Her blond hair is neatly styled, nary a hair out of place. She glances up and I quickly drop the curtain. My heart pounds as I hear her footsteps clang on the metal stairs. Unfortunately, there is nowhere to hide since the wide-openfront door leaves only the screen door as a barrier between me and her.

She knocks, peering inside and calls out, “Yoo hoo, anyone home?” Jasper starts howling.

Dang it. I just put Augs down for his afternoon nap. “Shh, hush your mouth, Jasper. The baby’s asleep.” He looks at me with those expressive soulful eyes, tail a waggin’ and quiets down. He is so smart.

I get up and face my old adversary through the screen door.

“Hello, Georgia.”

“Hello, Mrs. Jennings,” I say politely wishing I could slam the door shut.

“Call me Wendy.” We stare at each other like we’re facing off.

“Um… okay, Wendy.” I laugh nervously and say, “Where in the world are my manners? Would you like to come in?” I step back to let her in and she barges past me as if she owns the place. I watch her look around curiously. I swear it’s not my imagination. She looks like she just bit into a sour lemon. Hoity-toity if you ask me. My gaze trails around the room, trying to see it through her eyes, and land on the old chair cover and well-worn couch. Toys I didn’t take the time to pick up are strewn everywhere. So what! It may be a bit messy but it’s clean as can be!

Jasper is blocking her path which makes me want to giggle. “Jasper, let the poor woman get through the door.”

Wendy smiles at him, leans down and ruffles the fur on his head. “Jasper huh? What a good boy you are,” she says affably which surprises the bejeebies out of me. “He’s cute.” Maybe she’s not as bad as I remembered.

“Would ya like to take a seat?” I motion towards the recliner.

“Thank you.” She perches at the edge of the chair and folds her hands on her lap. This woman is accessorized down to the tips of her perfectly manicured nails. There is an awkwardstretch of silence and for the life of me, I think I’ve lost all my verbal skills. I angle the fan towards her before sitting down.

“Cozy little place you have.”

“Thank you. We’re comfortable.”

“It’s nice to see you, Georgia. You look… healthy.”

“Nice to see you as well,” I say, sounding almost as insincere as she does. I self-consciously tuck my messy hair behind my ears and tug my cropped tee shirt down. I mean, what the hey? This is my house but I feel like the unwanted guest.

“I must confide, I was shocked to learn I have another grandson who is almost two years old.”

“I’m sure it was a surprise.” I clear my throat then blurt, “Why are you here? Um… I mean… that didn’t come out right. I’m sure I can guess why. You’re here to meet August, right? He just went down for his nap ‘bout ten minutes ago. He’s usually down for a couple of hours, sometimes even more. That is, if I’m lucky. Not that I want him to sleep all the time, but it’s the only time of day I can get things done, I mean, like catch up on things. But sometimes Mama is here and I can do my school work and such, or my baby sister Ava. She watches him too and then… oh my Lord I’m babbling.” I gulp in some air. “But whyareyou here?” I repeat.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but what were you thinking?”

I know exactly what she’s referring to. I guess the gloves are off. I play dumb anyhow. “What do you mean?”

“Keeping August from his father.”

“I mean no disrespect Mrs. Jennings but hisfatherleft town without so much as a “see ya later.” I didn’t know for sure I was with child until a month after he’d left. I reckon you’d be singing a different tune if I’d a dragged him away from his lifelong dream. Then you’d have been hollering that I was trying to trap him.”

“That would never have happened. And I’m sure you weren’t certain who the father was at first.”

I gasp at her audacity. “How dare you,” I say voice shaking. “I knew exactly who the father was and I wasn’t about to saddle him with a child seein’ as he’d finally got the call he’d been waiting for his whole life.”

“Nice of you to make his decision for him. Don’t you think he should have been given the choice?” Wendy says quietly.

I shrug my shoulder. “Maybe… probably. The way he left, I assumed he didn’t want to have anything to do with me, let alone an unplanned child.”

“It’s obvious you don’t know my son at all. He is as responsible and loyal as they come. He would never have turned his back on the baby.”

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