Page 51 of Honeysuckle
“Two weeks,” Josh replied. “We’re gonna have to upgrade that radio to a TV soon. Can’t have you listening to MLB games. Gotta be able to see me pitching, right?”
“Dream big, boy.” Mark slapped his shoulder, and Josh flinched, but he swallowed the discomfort. “You got your schedule for the season?”
“Uh n—”
“Right here,” I said, pulling out my phone. “You got a piece of paper?” I asked, and the old man looked at me. “Dean Tucker, first baseman for the Harbor Hornets.” I held out my other hand for him to shake.
“Well, damn, you’re a big fucker,” Mark huffed, amused by the sight of me. “I know those announcers are dramatic, but they weren’t lying about you, golden boy.”
“Paper?” I reminded him, and he nodded, swinging the door open and wandering into the kitchen. He brought back a pen and paper, and I jotted down what was on our schedule for the first month. “I’ll get Josh here, an official one. We have magnets, you like magnets?” I asked, still scribbling.
Mark nodded.
“Maybe a Logan jersey?” I suggested, and Josh sighed. “You look like you fit a large, you’ll look good in navy too–get you out of that Lorettes red. What do you say?”
Mark laughed. "I like this one, he’s pushy.”
“And proud.” I smiled at him. “I’ll make you a bag and have Josh bring it over next week, before the exhibition game.”
Josh was about to open his mouth when a group of rowdy teenagers busted through the front doors, screaming and arguing with one another about a video they were watching.
“You boys should get going. I’ll get her lock changed after dinner.” Mark turned to Josh and shooed us away.
I made room for Josh to walk by me in the small hallway and held my hand out for Mark again, who finally took it in a tight handshake. He held on as Josh pushed out the front door.
“Tell me the truth. Is he okay?” Mark asked, in a low, serious tone.
“He will be,” I said with a nod. “Promise.”
A sick, unfamiliar feeling turned in my gut as Mark let go of my hand.
Josh’s hatred for the Hornets and everything we stood for went so much deeper than just a rivalry. His hatred was bone deep; not for the team but for the family he never had.
“Shit.” I exhaled and pushed open the door.
Josh climbed into the Jeep as soon as I pressed the fob and slammed the door behind him.Good to know we’re back to our old attitudes.The silence was raw when I closed the door and started the engine.
I hadn’t forgotten about the state of his childhood; still so present in his adulthood. My brain wandered into darker territory, thinking about how often he’d had to step back in there and relive it just because his mom called. His phone had stopped vibrating and I felt like a dick for assuming that we were going to see a girlfriend.
Sadly, everything made a little more sense.
I didn’t know what to say. Every question that formed felt too rude, too raw, or too soon. I wanted to know how long he’d been taking care of his mom like that, how many times he had been locked in his room as a child, if he’d always lived in that filth. But the words wouldn’t come, so more silence filled the space, and it felt wrong.
So instead of asking a question, I apologized.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that’s where you were going tonight. The caretaker seems like a nice guy. Has he always—”
“Shut up, Tuck,” Josh snapped. He didn’t look in from the window as the trees whipped past us back toward Harbor.
“I’m just trying—”
“I don’t give a shit what you’re doing,” he growled, cutting me off again. “It’s none of your fucking business, and don’t ever overstep in my life ever again. You don’t get to offer shit to people just because you want to clear your little rich boy's conscience.”
“That’s not what I was doing.” I gripped the wheel tighter. “I was just… trying to talk.”
“By offering him a ton of shit that he can’t use? He doesn’t need your fucking magnets, or your jerseys.” Josh whirled on me with eyes full of hatred. “You don’t know the first thing about my life, or his, and just because you barreled into it today uninvited, doesn’t mean you get to try to fix problems with your saintly attitude.”
I sighed.
