Page 18 of Heart of a Hero

“Can you pitch to me?”

Baseball wasn’t Benji’s favorite sport, but belonging on one of the AL baseball teams, Benji always wanted to practice. “Sure.”

Benji ran to grab his bat, and Mark grinned. It surprised him how much Benji was such a miniature version of himself. When Benji had something to do, he gave it his all.

It wasn’t long before Richard called them in. Once Benji ran over to him, he ruffled his son’s hair. “Good job tonight.”

“I’m getting better, aren’t I?”

“Absolutely. I’m impressed by your determination to practice so much.”

Benji looked up, scrunching his nose. “It’s still not my favorite, you know. I really like running, but it seems like everyone I know plays baseball.” He shrugged as he dropped his ball, glove, and bat into the basket next to the back door. “I figure I might as well practice so I can be as good as anyone else.”

They sat at the table and plated the barbecue meatloaf, homemade mashed potatoes, and peas. Mark had a hard time getting Benji to eat green vegetables—green beans, asparagus, and broccoli were a hardno. English peas ended up on the menu several times a week, and if potatoes accompanied them, Benji was happy.

“How was school today?” Mark asked.

“The fifth graders are going to have a geography bee this year.”

“What’s a geography bee?” Richard asked.

“It’s like a spelling bee, only they ask us geography questions. Like what country a certain mountain range or river is in. Or maybe what’s the capital of a country. They can even ask about the population or whether it’s forest, jungle, or mountainous terrain. We’ll study this year, and then we’ll start taking practice tests.”

Richard’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “In my day, we just had spelling bees. All we had to do was figure out how to spell a word.”

Benji grinned at his grandfather. “They still do that, but there’s going to be a statewide geography bee, and our principal hopes that if our school has students who do well enough, we can move up.”

“Sounds good,” Mark said. “Why do I have a feeling you’re gonna work extra hard?”

Benji grinned even wider. His son had a competitive streak, and Mark knew Benji was already aiming to go to the state competition.

After another mouthful of meatloaf, Benji piped up, bouncing to another topic. “You know Paul? The one in my class?”

“Yeah. I think he’s joining the running club.”

“That’s him. Did you know he’s getting a new dad?”

Shaking his head, he replied, “A new dad?”

"His mom is getting remarried. His parents are divorced, and he doesn't see his real dad much," Benji explained between bites of his dinner, his nose scrunching in thought. "But his mom met somebody, and they've been dating. Anyway, Paul says the guy is really nice. So, when they get married, Paul gets a new dad."

Mark nodded, making a vague noise of acknowledgment, his attention only half on the conversation. Benji had a way of steering their dinner discussions in unpredictable directions, and Mark had learned to just go along with it. To a ten-year-old, the idea of getting a new dad was a big deal, and he figured Benji was just working through that in his head.

"It got me wondering..." Benji shoveled another forkful of potatoes into his mouth.

Mark’s brows lowered, and he glanced at his dad, receiving a shrug in silent response. They both turned their attention back to Benji. “What are you wondering?” Mark asked, already bracing.

“Well… if Paul’s mom was dating someone, and now he gets a new dad, why don’t you date someone, and I can get a new mom?”

Mark’s fork stopped midair as he stared first at Benji and then at his dad, whose expression was a mirror image of his own—wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Once again, Richard just looked at Mark and offered a silent shrug.Thanks, Dad,Mark thought ruefully.

Clearing his throat, he set his fork down carefully and tried to find the right words. "Well, Benji," he began slowly, "if I did date someone, that doesn’t mean I would marry them."

Benji’s brow furrowed in confusion. "Why not?"

"Uh… because dating doesn’t always end in marriage," Mark explained, trying to keep his tone light while mentally scrambling for how to handle this. "When people date, it’s to getto know each other and see if they want to be together long-term. I’d want to date someone who’s a good person and fits into our lives. But since I work long hours and want to spend as much time as possible with you and your granddad, I haven’t really looked for anyone to date."

Mark held his breath, wondering if his somewhat of a rambling explanation would satisfy Benji’s curious mind. For a moment, Benji just stared at him, his expression thoughtful. Then, with a nod, he grinned and asked, "Can we have dessert now?"

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