Commissions and Musings

Baseball Game (Commission)

It was a surprise when Dennis expressed interest in joining Lawrence and Stephen on their yearly midseason baseball date. Of course, they were obviously going to modify their tradition because of the new addition to their newly founded family in the first place but when the young man had found the tickets on their living coffee table and he asked if he could come along, it was a bit of a shock for a couple of reasons – and by a couple, they meant, like, two.

First, this would be their first big outing as a family. All three of them together, fathers and son, as a unit having fun together. Second, Dennis didn’t seem to be into those kinds of activities. He had ‘quieter’ interests like reading books high above his grade level and pulling small pranks when bored. They weren’t ‘go to a stadium full of loud and possibly drunk people while a bunch of dudes in itchy uniforms swing wood at balls’ type of interests, but they didn’t mind it. They were actually thrilled that he wanted to know more about something they were into a while back and if it brought them closer, then why not?

So, Saturday morning, they all got up, got ready, and went to their city’s baseball stadium for the game. Stephen was absolutely splurging on merchandise for Dennis. A foam finger, a baseball cap with a probably forged signature of one of the players, a jersey several sizes too big. He could feel Lawerence’s warning and slightly annoyed glare as he slid a foam bat into their son’s little hands.

“You’re spoiling him,” Lawrence said, arms crossed over his cream cardigan that was hiding a baseball tee.

Stephen simply smirked at him with a shrug, “C’mon, Lawry! It’s the kid’s first baseball game! I wanna give him the full experience!”

Lawrence’s ears turned red at the nickname, “You’re basically giving him your entire wallet. We need to save that for food.”

“It’s fine! He’s just getting what it’s like to be a baseball fan! Aren’tcha, kid?”

“My bat’s slipping,” Dennis deadpanned, his heavy pile of merch slipping through his fingers. Stephen quickly dropped down to catch the foam bat. Lawrence helped as well, still somewhat frowning but not as much as earlier. 

Stephen grinned awkwardly, chuckling, “Why don’t I get us some snacks and meet you guys at our seats?”

Lawrence nodded, taking some of the load off of Dennis’ arms as he led him to their seats through the crowds of people. He awkwardly tried to put a stiff hand on the young man's shoulder to ensure he wouldn't lose him in the crowd. He made subtle glances toward Dennis’ face in an attempt to get a read on what he was feeling but as almost always, the little brunette's face remained largely neutral, unphased even as he was inches from getting elbowed by the person in front of him.

The stoicism was nothing new, but it always made Lawrence feel way more awkward than he normally would because it meant he had no real gauge of what Dennis was feeling. He wasn’t a master at reading other people’s expressions but he was well-versed enough that he could get through a conversation and not trip over himself. But for the most part with Dennis, it was much more of a challenge. Unless he was lucky enough to catch the occasional eye roll of annoyance at his usual stiffness or if he just outright said what he was feeling, there was little chance of him figuring out if Dennis was secretly enjoying himself or secretly bored out of his mind.

They made it to their seats – the 11th row right near second base. Dennis plopped down his things in the seat beside him, saving them for Stephen. He wrapped a letterman jacket around his legs to protect him from the cold. They watched as the players from the home team did their stretches and practiced their pitches. More people filed in around them. Men with beer flights trying ever so carefully to make it without spilling a single drop. Sports families decked out in years' worth of merchandise exclaiming how great the season had been so far. Guys with somewhat disinterested dates scrolling through their phones, occasionally showing the other one something funny or interesting that popped up on their feed.