Page 41 of Relief Pitcher

“For you to put a little baking soda on the soles of your shoes. I was a teenage boy with the same hormones and didn’t have feet that could clear a room.” Seth pulled a photo album from the box and studied a page of photos of me and Gavin goofing off at the hot springs.

Those had been such fun times. Gavin had been the best friend I could’ve asked for growing up. Like Seth, he’d taken jobs all over the world, but we’d worked hard to stay close. Small-town life wasn’t for everyone.

“Sure, let me just hop in my DeLorean and travel back to tell Young Ty about the wonders of baking soda.”

“That would be great. Could you tell Young Seth to invest in Apple?”

I laughed. “I should wear that jacket to my softball practices.”

“I’d pay to see that.” Seth didn’t look up from the album as he flipped another page.

A pang knocked around my chest. I shouldn’t have been such an asshole to him in high school by keeping my nerdy little brother from hanging out with me and my friends. I wanted to make up for it now.

“You’re playing softball?” Mom asked.

“Yeah. Part of the queer rec league. I might get a deal for the brewery out of it.”

“Let me know if you’d like any pointers.” She aimed her devilish grin at me.

That actually wasn’t a bad idea, but I’d never admit it. Mom had been a top softball athlete in college and was so proud of me when I got a full ride to play baseball.

“I think I’ve got it,” I teased.

Mom smirked. “Looks like that letter on your jacket saysbaseball,notsoftball. If it weren’t for the goddamn patriarchy, I would’ve lettered in high school.”

“Are the athletes talking sporty things again?” Dad asked Seth as he joined us.

“Ugh. Yes. I’ll never get it. The marching band was so much more entertaining.”

Dad gave Seth a high five. “Damn right.”

I pulled a pair of tattered and dirty Nike Air Force Ones from the box, then caught a whiff and held them at arm’s length. “Jesus. Who’s got the baking soda?”

Mom pinched her nose as Dad pulled over a trash can and lifted the lid. I tossed them in, and he slammed it closed again.

“Might need to burn them,” he said.

Seth kept flipping through the album. “You two were so different. I don’t get how you ended up together.”

“It was written in the stars,” Dad said dreamily as he kissed Mom on the cheek.

“Sometimes things find a way of working out.” She patted him on the cheek. They shared a look I didn’t quite understand.

“Forty years is pretty amazing.” I couldn’t imagine being with someone for forty days, let alone forty years.

“Doesn’t feel like it’s been a day over ten.”

“And you don’t look any older than you did then either.” Dad winked at her.

“Suck up,” Mom teased.

I tried to think of another way to stall because Dom sure as hell didn’t have room at his place for me to bring these boxes home. “We got all the beer and food set for the anniversary party.” Their party was sneaking up fast, in just over a month. Their thirtieth seemed like it’d only been a year or two ago.

Mom peeked in a box. “I can’t believe it’s that close. There’s still so much to do. Grandpa is going to stay in Arizona until the party, but he said we can do whatever we need to so his place is ready.”

“Gramps is giving us free rein? But he’s so prickly about his place.” I loved Grandpa’s house and land. It was full of childhood memories. I’d spent nearly all my free time there as a kid, running among the trees, playing hide-and-seek in the barn, and rolling around the field. Before I’d discovered video games, anyway.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to stay in Arizona full-time in the coming years. He sure loves that sunshine,” Dad said.

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