#Wattys2015 The Ghost of James Fitzpatrick

Chapter 50

Snow had finally left the grounds of Arden, and summer had come to the riverside town. Kids chased one another along the sandbars of the sparkling Mississippi River. Elsewhere, the grass lay beneath the feet of the townspeople like a deep green earthen carpet, and once again, leaves hung heavily on the tall cottonwood and oak trees.

There was a baseball game in full swing; the Arden Catfish versus the Northcreek Kings. Josh Netherby was at bat, with the front of his Catfish uniform already covered in Missouri dirt. There was a boy on first base, and another at third.

The pitch came in low and fast, and Josh swung a strike.

"You got this Josh," yelled his dad from the chain link fence. James Fitzpatrick's little brother, Tom, stood next to him with baseball cap pulled low and his arms crossed at his chest.

"Remember what I told you about this guy's pitch pattern, Josh," he said as he nervously spit a sunflower seed to the ground at his feet.

Josh nodded in acknowledgement from the batter's box, but did not turn around.

It was opening day for the Arden Baseball Association, and the fence that surrounded the field was dotted with red, white and blue ribbons. Tall trees stood protectively around the bright green grass of the baseball diamond.

Sarah sat in the old, but freshly painted wooden stands nervously chewing on her lip. "Come on Josh!" she yelled.

Directly in front of her on the next row down sat her mother who was sharing a bag of popcorn with Detective Flores. Directly behind Sarah sat her next door neighbors, the Millers, and their beautiful, fully grown, red haired daughter Margaret.

Sarah sat between her best friend on the planet, Lucy Marino and Mrs. Mary Fitzpatrick. They had all come to one place today for a special dedication.

The crowd stood and cheered when they heard the familiar crack of the wooden bat hit the ball, which landed out in left field and allowed the player on third base to slide into home and score a run. Josh stood triumphantly on first base with a smile on his face. The Arden Catfish were now on the scoreboard, their new, working scoreboard which read  in bright white letters on a green back ground, "James Fitzpatrick Field."

Sarah cheered for her brother's team. There would be many other times in her life when she would feel James was with her; when Heaven would show itself right here on earth in her everyday life, as it had today.

She smiled at the thought of James and the sun shone warmly on all she loved.

                                                                   The End