Page 27 of Curveball

“Our games start next week, and that will take months, meaning I can’t play this season. And because I’ve been here illegally for so many years, I might not get it at all.” The tears start up again and trickle down her cheeks. “I don’t know what to do. I suppose I need an attorney. I can’t really afford it, but what else am I supposed to do?”

“I’ll pay for an attorney.”

She shakes her head. “Absolutely not.”

I hate seeing her in pain. I wrack my brain, thinking, until it hits me. The perfect solution. “I’ve got an…idea.”

She pinches her eyebrows together with a hopeful expression. “What is it?”

“Just hear me out. It’s a little out of the box. Let’s…” I swallow. “Let’s get married.”

Her chin drops. “What? Are you nuts?”

“I’m not kidding. Let’s get married. You’ll be legal if you’re my wife. That solves all your problems. Immediately.”

“I…I…We can’t just get married.”

I stop massaging her feet and cross my arms. “Why not?”

She sits up on the couch and runs her fingers through her hair before turning her head to me. “I’m not getting married under these circumstances. Why wouldyoueven want to?”

I shrug. “I’m neverreallygetting married or havingkids. If I can help you out, it’s not a big deal. It fixes everything for you.”

“Why don’t you ever want to get married and have kids? I’ve never heard about this before.”

“Because I refuse to turn into my parents who made their kids feel like an afterthought. Who never prioritized us.”

“I know your parents weren’t around much, but they love you guys.”

“Maybe, but they love their business more. My job requires me to travel. I’d rather not have kids than have them and make them feel the way I felt, like I came in second place. So I’m not having any. Same goes for a wife. I can’t exactly work with my wife like my father does; therefore, I’m not getting married.”

“What about when you retire? You’ll change your mind. You’ll want a wife and kids then.”

“I’m a pitcher. I can play for a long time. I could play until I’m in my forties. Plenty of pitchers have done it. That’s a long time away. And what else am I suited for? I’ll end up coaching or being an analyst when I retire. I’ll still need to travel. Nope. Never getting married for real anddefinitelynever having kids. I don’t want them.”

“That’s silly. You’ll feel differently one day.”

“I promise I won’t. I’m serious about this. I’ve seen several urologists about having a vasectomy. No one will perform the procedure at my age, but in a few years, I’ll be getting it done to ensure that it never accidentally happens to me. That’s my biggest nightmare.”

She opens and closes her mouth several times. “But I want to get married and have kids one day.”

“Then we’ll get divorced. It’s just a paper marriage. People do it all the time.”

“The immigration agency would know it’s fake.”

“We’re not strangers. We’ve known each other for more than fifteen years. No one will question it.”

She’s silent for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t think I can do that. I want to marry for love. I want something real.”

“Do whatever you want, but this solves your problem, and whenever you meet someone, we’ll simply end our arrangement.”

She quietly contemplates for several long minutes.

“Would we tell anyone?”

“No, of course not. It stays between us.”

“I’ve never kept a secret from Arizona in my life.”

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