Page 32 of Years in the Making

“See ya tonight.”

Between every pitch, I find myself staring at where Nellie is sitting in the bleachers talking to my parents. I’ve heard my mom’s laugh a few times, and knowing it was Nellie that caused it does things to different parts of my body. My heart is falling fast, my head is in awe, and I’m more turned on than I ever want to be when my family is involved. After I get the final batter to ground out, I walk slowly back to the dugout with my eyes glued to the woman who has flipped my world upside down. She looks over at me as she listens to something my dad is saying and smiles. I’ve never cleaned up my shit so fast.

“Great game, kiddo,” Dad says as I walk up to where he’s still sitting with Nellie and Mom. “I wasn’t sure you had yourhead in the game, but you proved me wrong.” He winks and tilts his head at Nellie along with a not-so-subtle thumbs-up.

“Thanks,” I say to him, but my attention is on the woman sitting next to my mom. “Did you enjoy the game, Mom?”

“Omm,” she hums while reaching over to squeeze Nellie’s arm. Then she nudges Dad and gives him a look only he understands.

“Well, it’s late so we’re going to head out. You kids have fun,” he says, helping Mom down. “Don’t be a stranger, Nellie.” He looks up as his hand covers Mom’s on his arm. Mom’s smile is bigger than I’ve seen it in a long time, and it’s all for Nellie.

I join Nellie on the bleachers, and we watch as my parents slowly make their way across the field to their car.

“What happened?” Nellie asks, taking my hand and leaning into me.

“She had an cerebral aneurysm rupture when I was twelve. She was fine, and then she wasn’t. We came home from school to find our aunt at the house, which was odd. Dad didn’t come home for a couple of days, but that was only to shower and change. It took her a long time in various forms of therapy to get her motor functions back. Unfortunately, her speech never got better. She was a teacher…” I trail off and feel Nellie’s arms wrap around my torso. I’ve told the story so many times, but this is the first time in years that I’ve struggled to finish it.

“She’s really great,” she whispers into my shoulder. “Your dad is too.”

“Yeah, as far as parents go, I did okay.” I look around to see that everyone has gone, and it’s just the two of us left. “You wanna get out of here?”

THIRTEEN

NELLIE

When Teddy said his mom couldn’t speak, I didn't know how to react. Obviously it wasn’t a problem for me, but it hit me just how new we still were. I barely know anything about his family, and he barely knows anything about mine. It isn’t that I need to be in the know this early on, but his mom’s situation seems like a big deal.

In the end, though, I had nothing to worry about. I had a wonderful time meeting his parents, and I looked forward to seeing them again. What was more, I loved the way his parents looked at Teddy throughout the game and when he walked up to us after it. His mom, who had looked happy all evening, practically levitated when he made his way over, clearly the light of her life.

Teddy’s friend manages a drive-in theater near the ballpark, and after a few texts, he gets us in for the second movie which is starting in half an hour. His car is a far better vehicle for a drive-in so I leave mine at the back of the theater lot and hop into his. After he finds a spot, he backs in and pops the trunk before getting out.

“Was all of this just in case?” I ask when I join him and see the blankets and pillows.

“Always be prepared, LG.” He smiles down at me, gesturing for me to climb in. “You get comfortable, and I’m going to go change and grab snacks.” And then as if he can’t keep himself away another second, he draws me in for a kiss that has me sliding rather than climbing into the back on account of my knees turning to Jell-O.

I do a bit of reorganizing so that we have some support yet be able to get good and close. I am trying to figure out what position to wait for him in when he appears around the corner with his arms bursting with stuff.

“Did you leave anything for anyone else?” I laugh, leaning forward to take things from him before he drops them.

“Well, I didn’t know what you liked, and Ed told the concession guy to give me whatever I wanted.”

“You could have asked.”

“Where's the fun in that?” he asks, climbing in next to me. “Besides, I may have been taking advantage of the situation.” He holds up a couple of bags of candy. “If you don’t like any of these things, they are now car snacks.”

“Clever.” I snag the bag of Swedish Berries out of his grasp. “I do happen to love these, though.”

His gaze drops to my lips, a sly grin appearing on his lips. “Excellent.”

“What’s that look for?” I ask, popping a candy into my mouth.

His smile grows and he leans into me, his hand going to the back of my neck as he draws me closer. “I also happen to love Swedish Berries.”

I only get out a small “oh” before his lips meet mine.

We spend most of the movie making out because both of us seem far more interested in each other’s lips and bodies thantornadoes full of sharks. We only come up for air when we need to hydrate or freshen up our Swedish Berry breath. By the time the credits roll, I feel high on sugar and Teddy.

“It’s late,” I say, holding his wrist up so I can check his watch.

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