Swing

Chapter Twenty Two

I ran outside just so see that the only reason my dad was being obnoxious was because he was drunk. The lawyers must have finally settled everything in court and he was either depressed or celebrating. I wasn’t sure which one but I honestly didn’t care to stick around and see what happened after the third twelve pack, which he was already halfway through.

 I quickly ran outside to avoid any further conversation and made a strait jog to Fiona’s house. She wanted me to pick her up before practice. Just as I was arriving at her house she stepped outside.

            “So what is so important that you want to come see me practice?” I asked nudging her.

“Just making sure you don’t get your head bashed in, again,” she said pushing me back.

We both laughed as we started jogging to the baseball field. We made jokes and were laughing all the way to the baseball park.

Once we got to the baseball parl Fiona went and sat in the bleachers like usual and I went and started warming up with the few people that showed up before me. Practice normally started around seven thirty and I was normally the first one there at seven but I was about ten minutes later then I usual today.

I was warming up with John until the coach came and said that today we would be working on sliding, helping me with getting back on the mound, and clean our batting up.

We started with sliding and worked to batting. Sliding drills and all only took about fifteen minutes so we had some extra time to work on batting. After batting, coach said that anyone who wanted to leave could leave because from here on it was strictly me on the pitcher’s mound. Nobody left because everyone wanted to see if I still had my arm and if I was still going to be a good pitcher.

I got to the mound and started with some basic fastballs and changeups. Everything was flowing smoothly so I started throwing them harder and in more difficult places. I worked on my slider a bit and even got my curveball to sink some more.

After a little while of throwing them to just a catcher I stopped throwing them and turned to the coach.

“You and I both know I can always put it over the plate if nobody is standing over it. How about we give the guys some more batting practice?” I asked with a grin.

The coach nodded and randomly selected people to bat. First I kept it nice and easy letting them hit the ball. Then I stepped my game up and started throwing more heat. Without me even noticing that he had left the coach went and grabbed a radar gun to see if my pitches were as fast as normal.

After I had gone through the entire line up twice the coach said that it was enough. Everyone started to leave but coach called me over.  Trotted over thinking that I had just missed my normal settings and that he was going to ask me to sit out the next game or two because my pitching wasn’t at par yet.

“This way Robert, I want you to see something,” he said when I finally reached him.

I waved the guys off signaling that it was good for them to leave without me though I knew Fiona was going to stay.

Coach led me towards the main office which was weird because normally only staff and coaches were allowed back there. Something big must be going on.

“Now Robert, you saw me shooting the radar gun at your pitches didn’t you?” he asked as we were reaching wherever he was taking me.

“Yea, but you normally do that, don’t you?” I asked back slightly confused.

“Yes, but this time the results,” his voice trailed off. “Take a look for yourself,” he said.

I looked at the monitor displaying the pitches that he caught with the radar.

“Coach are these legit?” I asked backing away from the monitor.

“The radar doesn’t lie,” Coach Macco said.

“So you’re telling me that when you first started clocking my speeds that I was throwing the ball at about seventy miles an hour and by the end of practice I was just shy of a hundred mile per hour fastball?” I asked amazed.

“That’s what the radar says kid. I haven’t seen this radar be wrong before. I want you to stay out of trouble and stay clean. I need you this weekend. We’re going up against one of the toughest teams in our league. If you throw this weekend like you did tonight we have a great chance of staying undefeated. Can you do that for me Robert?” he asked. Dumbfounded I just nodded my head and started walking away.

“Oh, it was nice to have you back Robert,” Coach said.

“Felt good to be back,” I replied.

I walked outside to find that Fiona was waiting by the door with my gear ready to go. She must be hungry or she has to get home soon.

“What was that all about?” she asked as we started walking.

“Tell you later, Want to grab some pizza?” I asked hoping that’s what she wanted.

“Though that sounds really good right now, I have something better,” she said stopping.

“Better?” I asked.

“Better,” she said. “Now put this blindfold on, I want it to be a surprise”.

I didn’t hesitate I put the blindfold right on and she led me to the unknown. We walked for what seemed like miles though it wasn’t that far because I knew that I walked around the same block a few times. You can only miss the smell of crazy Steve’s hotdogs when your sinuses really hate you.

When we finally got to where she was leading me I went to take the blindfold off and she smacked my hand.    

“Ouch, was that really necessary?” I asked.

            “Maybe, Not really but you know,” she said giggling.

            She opened a door for me and I walked in. I instantly knew that I was in for a treat because I had never been in this place before. I had no idea what this building was but it smelled of sweet chicken and warm honey. It also smelled of fish and shrimp. Very odd combinations but it mixed so well.  

She pulled the blindfold off and in seconds I was surrounded by the baseball team congratulating me on my fast pitches.

“How did you guys..?” my voice trailed off. I wasn’t sure which question to ask. “I never told, how did,” I kept stuttering.

“Fiona told us that you broke some pretty awesome records today at the mound. Apparently her and coach had a little chat while you weren’t paying attention,” I heard one of the guys in the back say, though I couldn’t quite tell who.

For the rest of the evening into that night we all had a great time talking and messing around. We ate and we just had a great time. Around eleven I decided I had enough and Fiona and I left.

I walked her home where we said our goodbyes and then I was on my way home for the night. I was about to walk inside when I started counting the amount of beer boxes and bottles outside. There were a total of four cases of beer empty outside and I could hear my dad just falling over and knocking stuff over everywhere he went. I decided that it would be best to just climb in a window and get straight to bed because if not, there is no telling what his drunk ass might do.

Right as I’m climbing into a window my phone goes off and unlike the ninety nine percent of the time, it was not on silent.

“Robert, Is that you?” I heard the slurred terms fall out of his mouth as he started his way to my room.

Dear god someone please kill me.