Page 89 of Despite It All
I swing by the cooler with the waters and try to balance mine and Stevie’s plates so I can get the bottles situated.
“Want me to help you with that?” a girl with long, fiery red hair asks.
Her smile seems genuine, and I don’t think she was with that group earlier. “That would be great. Thank you.”
She takes the water bottles from me. “You’re Wyla, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“I’m Callie, Adam’s little sister. It’s so nice to meet you!”
Relief floods me. “Oh hi, nice to meet you.”
“Adam told me Jett’s mystery girl would be here with a little blonde cutie! I got here late or I would have greeted you when you came in. Well, tried to greet you, I kind of came up here on a gamble if you were actually Wyla. I saw a blonde little girl and I thought I saw Jett’s parents, but I’m also not entirely sure I remember them completely. It’s been a couple years… But it’s you, so phew! Probably would have been super awkward if you were someone else's baby momma but…” Her eyes go wide. “Oh my gosh, Callie, stop talking.”
I kind of can’t help but laugh. Her “baby momma” didn’t hold any sarcasm undertone to it. She clearly just got carried away in her ramble.
“You’re alright. I suppose ‘baby momma’ isn’t a wrongstatement.”
Callie drops the tension in her shoulders and laughs. “I guess, but I would like to say, I do know you’re more than that too. I have a little bit of foot in mouth syndrome.”
“Hey, I get it. It happens to the best of us.”
“Mommy!” Stevie hollers from her chair. “Daddy’s playing! Daddy’s playing!”
Callie laughs. “I think that’s your cue. Mind if I sit with you?”
“Not at all.”
We make our way back down to our seats as Jett sets up at the mound.
“Mommy, can we go sit in the front now? Pleaseeee?” Stevie makes sure to drag out her please for the dramatics.
“But I got you food, you said you were hungry.”
“Please, Mommy! We can take the food with us!”
I look out to the field, I can’t say I wouldn’t mind a closer view myself. “Okay, we can go, but you have to be super careful going down the stairs. I have to carry the food so I can’t carry you.”
“I’ll carry her.” Vance picks her up and plops her on his shoulders.
Stevie squeals and pats his head. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
We all make our way down to the seats Jett told me about. We’re about three rows back from the net, whichStevie complains still seems “too far” but there isn’t enough open seats for everyone in the front row.
But she quickly becomes distracted because Jett just threw strike number two.
Callie laughs as Stevie sits on the edge of her seat. “Looks like someone is Dad’s biggest fan.”
Jett throws the last strike and Stevie practically jumps out of her chair with her little fist in the air. “Yay, Daddy!” she screams.
This overwhelming feeling of happiness fills me as I watch cheer for Jett. “Yeah, she is.”
We stay in these seats for the rest of the game. They have Jett pitch through the sixth to the eighth inning and a different guy closes out the ninth with the final score being 5-3 in favor of the Mavs.
“Can we go see Daddy now?” Stevie whines, taking my hand as we walk back toward the exits.
Um, I’m honestly not sure. I didn’t think to ask Jett what we were supposed to do after the game. I turn to Callie. “This may be a dumb question but I’m assuming they don’t get to change their clothes and leave immediately by chance.”
