Page 97 of Houston, We Have a Problem
“Actually.” I swallow and glance at the camera. Look at Roundy. Make eye contact with Fujimura. “I’ve decided that it is in my best interest to retire before the season starts.”
The Red-tails burst into shouts of surprise and anger, but I only focus on Darcy and the gentle smile she gives me. She doesn’t care if I’m a famous pitcher or a washed up former pro athlete, so why would it matter what anyone else thinks of my choice? She’s the only person whose opinion I care about.
When the audience finally quiets down, Darcy continues with her questions. “I can’t imagine this was an easy decision foryou. You’ve been playing baseball your entire life. What brought you to this conclusion?”
“It was a lot of things. For one, I don’t think I’d be able to play more than a few innings at a time. For another, some people think I’m too old to keep playing anyway.” I wink at her, chuckling when she scowls at my callback to our first interview. “Mostly, I was starting to feel unsteady in life, like I was lost at sea without an anchor.”
“Are you going to miss playing?”
I laugh. “That’s like asking me if I would miss my arm. Yeah, hitting the end of my career sucks. It was going to happen eventually, but it seems the universe was ready for that end before I was.”
“Are you disappointed that you didn’t play enough years to qualify for the Hall of Fame?”
That question catches me off guard. “Oh. I haven’t thought about it.”
Darcy cringes and mouths, “Sorry.”
But I smile. “As cool as that would be, it was never really my end goal. Baseball was something I did for me, as a way to push myself to be better than I was the year before. That’s just going to look different now.”
“So, what’s next?”
“I thought it might be time to settle down and start building a life with someone.”
She grins, though I can tell she’s fighting it. One of the things we talked about yesterday was which side of her I would be dating. Darcy still needs Tamlin to tell her stories until things hopefully change with her career, but she doesn’t want to have to dress up every time we go out. I’ll probably be in the spotlight for a while, until someone else becomes more interesting, so people will be paying attention to who I’m with.
Basically, I’m dating Darcy. So I should really stop smiling at Tamlin and giving the country a front and center view of how I feel about this woman.
“Anyone you have in mind?” Darcy asks, smirking a little.
I’m going to get her back for this. I don’t know how, but I will. “Yeah, I have someone who makes me want to be a better man. She sees me for who I am and is the best part of my life.”
Darcy’s eyes fill with tears, which she somehow manages to cover up by taking a drink of water. “She sounds great, and she’s certainly lucky to have someone like you.”
“Not as lucky as I am.”
Darcy clears her throat. “Well, I have one more question for you, Houston. If there’s one thing you’ve learned playing with the Red-tails, what is it?”
I like this question, but even though I knew she was going to ask it, I didn’t have an answer until now. Seeing my team beyond the cameras, the way they all have supportive smiles on their faces now that the news has sunk in, I realize I shouldn’t have gone through all of this alone. How much easier might this have been if I had told my family about what I was going through?
I look at Darcy and give her a small smile. “I learned that the best way to go through life is to trust your team. Whether that’s in sports, or your friends, co-workers, family… We’re all in this together, and no one should have to go through life on their own. I’ve been lucky to have such an incredible team behind me, both on the field and at home, and that’s not something I would trade for the world.” My voice breaks, but I let myself feel the bittersweet ache of leaving this life behind.
Darcy looks ready to throw caution to the wind and throw her arms around me. “Well,” she says with emotion to match my own, “I’m sure I speak for your fellow Red-tails as well as all your fans when I say I’m going to miss seeing you on the mound.”
I grin. “It’s someone else’s turn to help take the team to victory.”
“I’ll be here when they do.”
“I hope you are. I have a feeling you have a knack for finding the players worth knowing and giving them their time to shine.”
Now Darcy looks ready to kiss me. Or maybe punch me for getting her emotional andthenkiss me. As long as there’s a kiss involved, I don’t really care. “On that note,” she says, turning to the camera, “I’m Tamlin Park with Enhance Media, and we’ve just hit the end of an era. He may be done pitching, but I have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ll see of Houston Briggs. Until next time!”
The instant the cameraman signals the end of the recording, the area bursts into activity. Players swarm Roundy, probably hoping to take my spot on his roster, and they go for the coaches too, likely for answers to who’s going to pitch next season. For a moment, Darcy and I are completely alone, and I’m not going to waste this chance to escape before I’m surrounded.
I scramble to get rid of the microphone, glad to see Darcy doing the same. The moment we’re both wire-free, I grab her hand and pull her around to the other side of the backdrop.
Darcy frowns, looking around. “I thought we’d get farther than this,” she admits, which pulls a laugh out of me.
“Roundy won’t let me get far. He’s got other press coming in an hour, but I wanted Enhance to be the first to air the news.”
