Kim teaches Maggie how to catch a baseball, Will teaches Kim how to shave, then the family spends an afternoon in a ball game.

by Valentina Michelle Smith

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Part 4

 

Will slept late. The sun was already high in the sky as he opened his eyes. He stretched his arms and legs to tense his muscles. The bed was empty except for him. Doris had obviously gotten up earlier, judging by the coolness of the bed linens. One more stretch and he hopped out of bed.

He pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before opening the bedroom door. Doris was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee. He greeted her with a kiss on her neck. “Morning, beautiful,” he said.

She smiled and turned to kiss him on the lips. “Hey, good morning yourself, big guy. Sleep well?”

“I don’t remember. I was asleep at the time. That coffee sure smells good.”

“Then pour yourself a cup. Breakfast is just cereal today, but we have fresh blueberries.”

“Mmmm,” said Will appreciatively, “I just love fresh blueberries with my Grape Nuts. Thanks, honey.”

“You can thank Maggie and Kim. They went and picked them this morning.”

“Did they? That was nice of them. By the way, where are the girls?”

“They already had their breakfast and went out to play catch. Kim gave Maggie her old glove.”

“Yeah, she said she was going to. Maybe I’ll join them after breakfast.”

“Mind if I come with you?”

“Sure, why not. Now where are those blueberries?”

* * * * *

Outside, Kim was showing young Maggie the finer points of catching and throwing a baseball.

“Remember to keep your eye on the ball, Maggie,” said Kim. “Now see if you can catch this one.” Kim threw the ball at Maggie. She ran toward it but missed.

“Oh, poopie!” said Maggie, using what she thought was a terrible curse word, “how do I get it to go in my glove?”

Kim laughed, remembering her own difficulty learning how to catch. “You don’t make it go in, silly, you catch it. Throw it to me and I’ll show you.”

Maggie had to run to pick up the ball, which she lobbed at Kim. It skidded on the ground. Kim fielded it as it bounced.

“How do you do that?” Maggie asked.

“It’s not that hard, squirt,” said Kim. “Look, here’s what you do. When I throw the ball, run to where it’s going to land, but keep watching it. Put yourself where it’s going to hit. Then, just about when it’s going to hit your head, bring up your glove between you and the ball and let it hit.”

“But what if it hits my head?” Maggie asked.

“You better not. We only have one ball and I don’t want it to split when it hits your head.”

“You’re mean, Kim! You take that back!”

“I’m only kidding, kitten. But that’s really how you catch a fly ball. You go to where it’s going to hit and put your glove between the ball and your face. Then, when it hits the glove, just squeeze it. Want to try?”

Maggie was a little hesitant, but she didn’t want to look like a ‘fraidy cat. “Okay, I guess. Throw it.”

“Here it comes, Maggie. Keep your eye on the ball.” Kim threw it right at Maggie.

Maggie watched the ball coming at her. It was like watching slow motion as the ball got closer and closer. She began to panic. It was going to hit her in the eye! It was going to bounce off her skull! She had visions of her brains spilling out all over the field. She put up her glove.

Thwack! The ball hit right in the webbing of her glove with a force that surprised her. Her hand was tingling from the force of the ball, but she remembered to squeeze. It stayed in the glove.

Maggie was elated. “I caught it! I caught it! I can catch a baseball!”

Kim smiled at her little sister. “I knew you could do it, squirt. Now how about throwing it to me?”

Maggie took the ball from the glove and tossed it. It fell short of Kim, rolling along the ground. Kim scooped it up and tossed it back at her. Maggie caught the ball with newly found confidence.

Kim ran over to her sister. “That’s great, Maggie. Now let me show you how to throw it a lot further.”

Kim held the ball and moved her arm to show Maggie how to throw. “What you do is use your whole body to throw,” she said, swinging the baseball in an arc over her shoulder. “When you are just about to release it, snap your wrist like this.” She showed the snapping motion at the end of the arc. “And aim it a little bit high, not in a straight line, because the ball will start falling right away.”

She tossed the ball to Maggie and ran back. “Okay, try it.”

Maggie cocked her arm back and threw. This time the ball arced higher and sailed closer to Kim, who moved in to catch it. She threw it back. “Nice throw, sis. Let’s see that again.”

Maggie and Kim threw the ball back and forth. With each throw Maggie’s accuracy improved until she was bridging the gap to Kim with no trouble. The girls threw the ball back and forth, snatching it in the webbing of their gloves. They were so absorbed in having a catch that they didn’t notice when their parents arrived.

Doris and Will watched as Maggie and Kim threw the ball back and forth. Maggie’s throws were not as strong as Kim’s, but she was showing an incredible accuracy. More impressive was Maggie’s enthusiasm for catching. She had discovered something brand new that she could do, and she was doing it well. Kim was not just lobbing it easily, but was gradually challenging Maggie with increasingly difficult tosses. Maggie managed to snare each throw.

“Hey, that’s some mighty fine catching,” Doris called out. “Do you mind if a couple of old people join in?”

Maggie and Kim turned, noticing their parents. “Sure, Mom,” said Kim, “but do you think Daddy can keep up with us?”

“Keep up with you?” said Will in an exaggerated mock indignation, “you just stay put while your old man opens up a can of butt kick!”

Kim tossed the ball to Will, who relayed it to Doris. She threw it to Maggie who sent it back to Will. The ball made the rounds between the four of them. Finally, Doris had it in her glove. “Maggie,“ she called out, “let’s see if you can field a grounder.”

Doris deliberately threw the ball into the grass. It bounced and rolled along. Maggie went after it, but she held her glove all wrong and it rolled right past her.

Doris ran out to Maggie. She grabbed the ball and threw it back to Will. “Let me show you, sweetie,” she said. “Will, toss me a ground ball.”

Will threw the ball into the ground. It bounced and rolled. Doris ran into its path and scooped it up. “You see how I did it?” she said to Maggie. “You hold your glove with the fingers down and put your bare hand above the palm. Then you let it roll into the trap and hold it in with your bare hand.”

She threw a grounder at Kim, who fielded it the way Doris demonstrated. “Throw Maggie another grounder,” Doris said. Kim obliged with a bouncing grounder right at Maggie.

Maggie turned the glove around just like her mother had shown her. She placed it right in the rolling ball’s path. The ball bounced up a bit, but Maggie managed to get it in her glove and hold on to it.

She held it up in triumph. “Look, Mommy, I caught it! I caught it!”

“Great catch, Kitten; now throw it to Daddy.”

Maggie threw the ball in a high arc. Will ran to it like an outfielder and snagged it. He tossed it to Kim, who threw it to Maggie. The ball passed back and forth from glove to glove, and with each catch she made Maggie became more elated. She could throw and she could catch!

After about an hour they called a halt and headed back to the cottage. They were all a little sweaty and in need of a shower. While walking back, Will came up with an idea.

“Why don’t we all go to a ball game tomorrow?” he asked.

“Say, that’s a great idea,” said Doris. “I haven’t been to Shibe Park in years.”

“Shibe Park?” asked Kim, a little confused,

“That’s what we used to call it,” Doris said. “They renamed it ‘Connie Mack Stadium’ in 1953.”

“Why did they rename it?” asked Maggie.

“It was to honor Connie Mack, the old manager of the Philadelphia Athletics,” she answered.

“You mean Philadelphia used to have two teams?” she asked.

“That’s right,” said Doris. “The A’s played for over 50 years in Philly. They moved to Kansas City in 1954.”

“Why did they move?” Maggie asked.

“Well, the owners sold the team and the new owner thought he could sell more tickets if he moved to another city. It was kind of a shame. The Athletics were a good team.”

“Are the Phillies a good team?” Maggie asked.

Will, Doris, and Kim all started to laugh. “Not this year, squirt,” said Kim. “They’re bums, but they’re OUR bums. Maybe someday they’ll get better.”

“Yeah,” said Will, “one of these days the Phillies will win the World Series, right after the Mets.”

The four laughed some more at Will’s joke as they arrived at the cottage. Maggie and Kim headed for their rooms. They were going to change into their bathing suits and head down to the lake. But before Kim could head to her room, Will stopped her.

“Uh, Kim, I need to show you something,” he said.

“What is it, Daddy?” she asked.

“I want you to take a look at yourself in the mirror.”

Kim walked to the mirror over the washbasin that was in the kitchen. She stared at herself. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Not exactly, honey. Take a look at your upper lip.”

Kim stared at her lip, and then noticed, for the first time, a telltale shadow made up of fine hairs. She was growing a moustache!

“Oh, no!” she said. “What’s happening?”

“What’s happening, honey, is you are growing up. Your body is maturing, and this is part of it. You’re starting to grow whiskers.”

“Oh. Does this mean I have to…?” Kim hesitated. Her lip trembled a little. “Do I have to stop being a girl?” she asked.

Will chuckled. If she had asked him that question a few weeks ago, his answer would have been a lot different. “No, princess, I promised you that you could be Kim all summer, and I meant it. But if you want to keep being Kim, you’ll have to start shaving.”

Will picked up a bag he had left on the washbasin. “I sort of figured you might need this, so I went ahead and bought it. Go ahead, open it.”

Kim opened the bag. Inside she found a safety razor, a package of blades, a can of shaving cream, and a styptic pencil. “These are yours. I wanted to give them to you, and this seems like a good time. But I never dreamed I’d be teaching my daughter how to shave.”

Kim started to giggle. “Okay, what do I have to do?”

“Well,” said Will, “first you need to wash your face and leave it wet. That softens your beard. Go ahead and wash up.”

Kim ran the water and wet a wash cloth. She lathered it up and scrubbed her face. Then she rinsed it off but, as her father had told her, left it wet. Will demonstrated how to apply the shaving cream. “Just your lip for now, honey,” he said. Then he showed Kim how to put a blade into the razor. Now was the moment of truth.

Kim was a little nervous as she held the razor against her lip. She gingerly stroked the blade against her skin. The sensation of the sharp blade scraping away the hairs was a bit unnerving, but she kept going. Eventually, she had her upper lip shaved smooth, and had done so without any cuts.

Will examined the results and approved. “Hey, not bad. How does it feel?”

“Really weird,” she replied. “My lip feels all tingly.”

“That’s because all of the hairs have been cut short,” Will said. “Now pat some cold water on it.”

Kim splashed some water on her lip. “Wow, that really feels a lot better,” she said. “Do I have to do this every day?”

“Not yet,” said Will. “Right now just keep an eye on it, but you probably don’t need to shave that often.”

“What happens if I cut myself?” she asked.

“If it isn’t too bad you can probably just splash a little water on it. Or you can wet the tip of the styptic pencil and dab it on the nick. That usually stops it.”

Kim stared at her shaven lip. “Daddy,” she asked, “Will my beard get real dark? And does that mean I won’t be able to be a girl again?”

“I don’t think so, honey. I’m sure your mom can show you how to hide it with makeup. Just don’t ask me to show you, I don’t know anything about that.”

Kim giggled. “Thanks, Daddy.” She gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Now go get your bathing suit on. Your sister Maggie wants to go swimming.”

Kim ran to her room and changed. Will turned and saw his wife Doris grinning. “Well,” she said, “that was quite a touching father-daughter moment.”

“Was it?” he asked.

Doris grabbed him and gave him a big, wet kiss. “I am so proud of you, Will,” she said. “You have really changed a lot over these past few weeks.”

“Get used to it,” he replied, and he kissed her right back. They were still kissing when they were interrupted by a voice.

“Do you have to do that in front of everybody?” Maggie asked.

“Yes, I do,” said Will. “I really love your mother, and I don’t think I need to hide it from you kids.”

“Give them a break, squirt,” said Kim. Will looked at her in her yellow tank suit with black piping. She really looked pretty. Will found it a little hard to believe that he had just taught her the very male art of facial shaving. Maggie was wearing a pink bikini and she really looked cute.

“”Okay, girls,” said Doris, “remember not to get too far from shore, and only swim where Pop-pop can see you. He’s down at the fishing pier. And don’t make too much noise and scare away the fish.”

“Don’t worry,” said Kim. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t drown. Bye, Mommy. Bye Daddy!

The two sisters ran down to the lake. Will and Doris watched them. “You know, babe, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” said Will.

“What do you want to know?” she said.

“How does Kim manage to have the, you know, the boobies in her swim suit?”

Doris laughed a little. “The suit has a built-in bra. I just sewed some waterproof forms into the cups.”

“Oh. She really looks pretty in it. Sometimes I forget she’s really a boy.”

Doris smiled. “Like I said, you big lug, I am really proud of you. Now how about peeling some potatoes for dinner while I shower?”

* * * * *

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, Pop?” Will asked.

“No, I don’t really care for the city. I’ll just go pester the fish some more. You kids have a good time at the ball game.” Big Bill picked up his tackle and walked down to the pier.

“Okay, Pop. We’ll see you when we get back.” Will opened the door to the Dodge. They were taking Doris’ car because it was a little bigger and more comfortable. He called into the house. “Okay, who’s coming? The boat shoves off in five minutes.”

Kim and Maggie came out the kitchen door. Kim was wearing a pair of jade shorts with a teal top, pink keds and a Phillies cap. She had her glove with her, as did Maggie. Maggie was wearing a floral-print dress and sandals.

“Why are you bringing your gloves?” Will asked.

Doris answered as she emerged from the kitchen. “I told them to,” she said. Doris was wearing teal Capri slacks with sandals and a loose v-neck top. She was carrying a tote bag and a large thermos. “They might get lucky and catch a souvenir.”

“What’s in the thermos?” he asked.

“My own special ball park mixture of iced tea and orange juice. And we need to stop at the deli on the way to pick up some hoagies.”

“Okay, let’s get rolling,” said Will. Everybody got in and they drove off toward Philadelphia.

Kim and Maggie watched as the landscape changed from rural to urban to urban blight. Connie Mack Stadium was located at 21st Street and Lehigh Avenue, and the neighborhood was changing. Will parked the car in one of the nearby lots, but he was definitely nervous as they walked the streets of North Philadelphia to the park. There were many people headed to the park, and he felt a little safer being in the crowd, but the neighbors staring at the fans made him a little edgy. He felt a lot better when they finally reached the park.

Standing at the corner was Ike Parham, a street vendor, hawking his wares. “Get your scorecards here!” he shouted. “They cost twice as much inside! Can’t tell the players without a scorecard! Get your pretzels here! Nice soft pretzels, only a nickel!”

Maggie begged her father, “Daddy, can we have a scorecard? Can we have a pretzel? Please, Daddy?”

Doris rescued him. “You get the tickets, Will, I’ll take care of pretzels and scorecards.”

“You sure, Doris? Will you be all right?”

“Of course I will. Now get the tickets and I’ll meet you at the gate. Okay?”

“Okay,” he said, and made his way to the ticket window.

Doris turned to Ike, who continued making his sales pitch to all passers-by. “How much are the pretzels?” she asked.

“Nickel apiece, Ma’am,” he replied, ”and six for a quarter.”

“I’ll have six,” she said, “and two score cards.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Ike said, producing a paper bag with six soft pretzels and two of the score cards. “That’ll be fifty-five cents.”

Doris pilled a dollar from her purse and handed it Ike, who made change from a coin dispenser on his waist. Maggie was fascinated at the mechanism that shot coins into Ike’s hand as he pressed the appropriate levers. Then, unexpectedly, she reached over and touched his arm.

Maggie seemed lost in reverie. “It’s just skin!” she said in amazement. She stared at her own arm, and then at Ike. “It’s like all of my freckles sort of touched each other.”

Doris was embarrassed. “I’m sorry; she’s never seen a Negro before.”

“Mo-ther!” said Kim in the sort of exasperated tone of a teenager correcting an uncool parent. “Nobody says ‘Negro’ any more; it’s ‘Black.’”

“That’s all right, little lady,” Ike chimed in, “your mother meant it with respect, and that’s what’s important.”

Ike turned to Maggie. “Is this your first ball game, sweetie?”

“Yes it is!” she answered.

“Well, then, you need something special for this special day. Let me see here.” Ike reached into his cart and pulled out a pack of baseball cards. “Would you like some baseball cards?”

Maggie’s eyes opened wide. “For me? Can I, Mommy, please?”

Doris started to object when Ike said, “It’s on the house, compliments of Ike Parham. Now you go enjoy the game.”

“Do you have more cards?” asked Kim. She pulled two quarters out of her purse.

“Sure do, little lady, five cents a pack. That is, if your mother says you can.”

“Go ahead, Kim,” said Doris, “but just five. I don’t want you spending all of your allowance on baseball cards.”

“Thanks, Mommy!” said Kim. She handed Ike a quarter and Ike handed her five packs of cards.

“Thank you kindly, Ma’am,” said Ike. “Now y’all go in and have a good time at the ball park.”

As they left, Ike began his sing-song pitch. “Pretzels! Nice, soft, pretzels; only a nickel! Get your scorecards here! You can’t tell the players without a scorecard!”

Doris and the girls caught up with Will as he was leaving the ticket booth. “Looks like a big crowd today,” he said. “The best I could do was outfield seats.”

“They’ll be fine,” said Doris. “Besides, we’ll have a better chance of catching something there.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Will. “The Phillies haven’t exactly set the world on fire with their hitting this season.”

The family made their way into the park and up to their seats. They passed several souvenir stands along the way, and Will could not resist buying Maggie a baseball cap.

The seats turned out to be pretty decent for the outfield, only two rows from the field. Doris and Will set Kim and Maggie down between them, with Maggie sitting next to Doris. Doris held one of the score cards and passed the other one to Kim, who shared it with Will.

“Hey, Kitten,” said Kim, “Do you see that fence in right field?” She pointed to a tall fence running just past the outfield.

“Yep, I see it,” Maggie said.

“That was built to keep people from watching the game without paying for it.”

“Really?” said Maggie.

“Sure was. The people who live on 20th Street had put seats on their rooftops and charged people a quarter to sit there and watch the game. The owners didn’t like that, so they built the fence.”

“Wow! That’s mean!”

“That’s what the neighbors said, but the fence is still there.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the announcer, welcoming the fans to Connie Mack Stadium for today’s game between the Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Following protocol, the Pirates’ Lineup was announced to a chorus of boos and catcalls from the stands. This was the behavior that earned Philadelphia fans their nickname, the “Boo Birds.”

The Phillies lineup was announced, and each player was greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos. Phillies fans were hard on their players. The National Anthem played over the speaker system, followed by the umpire’s cry of “Play ball!”

Ironically, the Pirate’s pitcher was a former Phillie, Jim Bunning. Jim had tossed a no-hitter in this very park back in 1964. The fans hoped he would not repeat this stellar performance today.

The game quickly developed into a pitcher’s duel. It was the third inning before anybody actually got to base, and that was from a walk. He never made it to second. There were a few hits in the fourth, but both the Phillies and the Pirates managed to leave players stranded.

By the fifth inning everybody was hungry. Doris passed out the hoagies she had bought at the deli in South Philadelphia. Will originally groused about going there, so far away from the park, just to get sandwiches, but Doris assured him that these were worth the trip. She was, of course, correct. These were the real thing, made on an Amoroso roll and stacked high with salami, capicolla, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and moistened with a bit of olive oil. The stands smelled like the inside of an Italian deli to anybody nearby, and more than a few mouths watered as the O’Connell’s enjoyed lunch.

By the time they finished the fifth inning was over, and the game was tied with no score on either side. At the bottom of the sixth the Phillies started showing some grit. Cookie Rojas hit a fly into the outfield and was out. Then, Tony Taylor hit a line drive and scored a base hit. Roberto Pena lined in the opposite direction, putting men on first and second with one out. Now the crowd was getting on their feet. They felt something in the air, and with good reason. Richie Allen stepped into the batter’s box.

Allen’s batting average was only .263, but he was currently the only hitter on the Phillies’ roster producing home runs in double digits. The fans knew he could hit one out of the park. But he was just as likely to strike out. It looked like this was going to happen when, after two pitches, Allen was behind 0-2.

Bunning wound up and threw a slider. Allen reached and got a piece of it. He hit a line drive to the shortstop Gene Alley, who threw it to second for a forced out. The second baseman, Bill Mazeroski, threw to first where Donn Clendenon snagged it and tagged Allen out. It was a beautiful double play; unfortunately, it was played by Pittsburgh against the Phillies. The sixth inning ended with no score for either side.

The people sitting in the row in front of the O’Connell’s decided they had enough and got up to leave. Several folks had the same idea and made their way out, hoping to beat the inevitable traffic jam. But the O’Connell’s were true baseball fans and would stay to the last out.

During the seventh inning stretch Doris passed out the pretzels. The bottom of the seventh ended with no score. The eight was short for both sides, three up and three down each.

It was the bottom of the ninth. All of the food was gone, and there was still no score. Jim Bunning was still pitching, but would probably be relieved if the game went into extra innings. The faithful fans who remained were hoping for a rally.

Tony Taylor stepped up to the plate. He took the first two pitches and was ahead 2-0. He got a fast ball right down the center, connected, and made it to first. The fans cheered. Could their Phillies actually pull a win out of this?

Pena batted next. Bunning concentrated, then threw to first where Taylor had been taking a long lead. This happened three more times, and each time Taylor made it back to first ahead of the ball. Finally, Bunning pitched. Taylor took off for second. The catcher, Jerry May, threw to second, but it was too late. Taylor was safe.

The crowd was on their feet. Pena swung at the next ball and hit a deep fly to the outfield. The Phillies had runners at first and third, no outs, and Richie Allen stepped up to the plate.

Bunning wasted no time trying to hold Pena on first, which was just as well because Pena was not especially good at stealing bases. All of Bunning’s concentration was on the stocky black man at home plate.

The first pitch was low and outside. Allen did not swing, and the umpire dutifully called Ball 1. The next pitch was just inside for a called strike. With a 1-1 count, Bunning pitched a fastball. Allen swung and connected.

There is a unique sound made by a wooden bat smacking into a horsehide covered baseball that is music to the ears of any true baseball fan. This is the sound that says “Home Run!” It was that sound that reverberated in Connie Mack Stadium, and every fan was on his feet. The ball arched high! Little Maggie watched it every second of its flight and quickly realized it was coming straight for her.

It seemed that everything was in slow motion. Maggie saw the ball coming right for her head. It would smack her in the eye if she didn’t move. And just as it was about to hit, she remembered the previous day and brought her glove up between her head and the approaching baseball.

The ball smacked into her glove with a force so strong it stung her hand. She almost cried. But she remembered what her sister had shown her yesterday and squeezed the ball. It stayed in her glove.

The crowd went wild! Byrum Saam was ecstatically reporting the scene to his radio audience; a small girl with long red hair had caught the winning run. Dick Allen rounded the bases, greeted with high fives at home plate by Taylor and Pena. The crowd cheered and the Pirates walked off dejectedly. Their season was only slightly better than the Phillies’ this year, and every loss hurt.

Maggie was jumping for joy. “Mommy, look! I caught it! Daddy, look, I caught the ball! I caught the ball!”

“Good for you, Kitten!” said Doris. “That was one fantastic catch!”

“I think I broke my hand!” she said.

“I don’t think so, squirt,” said Kim, “or you wouldn’t be able to hold it. Hey, let me see it.”

“You can’t have it! It’s mine!”

“Hey, I’m not going to take it from you! You caught it fair and square. I just want to see the ball my little sister caught.”

“You’ll give it right back?” she asked.

“Sure will. Maybe Daddy would like to see it.”

Maggie released the ball from her glove reluctantly. Kim held it and rotated it in her hend. It was marked by the bat and was coated with a thin layer of rubbing mud, but it looked beautiful.

Kim handed it to her father, who admired it. “That was some catch, Maggie. I’m proud of you.”

Maggie giggled. “Thanks’ Daddy. Wow, did you hear it when I caught it? It hit so hard my hand was seeing stars!”

Will passed the ball to Doris, who passed it back to Maggie. “Well you hang on to that ball, Maggie. That’s a game-winning ball.”

“I will, Mommy. Could you put it in your bag until we get home?”

“Sure, Kitten,” she replied, and stuck the ball into her tote bag.

“Well this was quite a day,” said Will. “Let’s head for home and tell Pop-pop about out adventures today.”

The family made their way out of the stands and back to the parking lot. Maggie and Kim could hardly keep quiet talking about the game. They found the car and drove back to the lake.

As they made their way back to Big Bill’s Bungalow, Will and Doris talked. “You know,” Doris said, “that was one fabulous catch Maggie made today.”

“It certainly was,” said Will. “I think she’s inherited her mother’s talent.”

“I think she has. I think Maggie’s a natural. Maybe she ought to think about going out for softball.”

“If she wants to, why not? But I don’t think the school has a team right now.”

“That’s because they don’t have a coach,” said Doris. “I can fix that.”

“How?” said Will. “Are you planning on being coach?”

“Why not?” said Doris. “The school needs a coach, and I have the time. I think I can handle it.”

“Well, they couldn’t do better, honey. You were one terrific player back in the day.”

“You say that like I’m ready to be put out to pasture.”

“That’s not what I meant,” said Will. “It’s just that you don’t exactly meet the age requirements to play grade-school softball. But I’ll tell you what, those girls will be mighty lucky to have you coach them.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Not a doubt in the world.”

The conversation went on until they pulled in at the cottage. As they went in they could smell the aroma of fish being fried. Big Bill was cooking.

“Looks like you were lucky today, Pop,” said Will, eying up the fish and potatoes Bill was fixing.

"Well, I managed to catch a couple. And from what I heard on the radio, somebody else made a lucky catch. By Saam said that a little red-haired girl caught the winning run. That wouldn’t be out little kitten Maggie now, would it?”

Maggie grinned ear to ear. “It was me, Pop-pop! I caught it! I caught it!’

“Good for you, Maggie. Maybe the Phillies ought to sign you up.”

“Actually,” said Doris, “Will and I think she might be able to go out for softball next Spring.”

“Not a bad idea,” said Bill. “I wonder how well she bats? Anyway, I fried up my catch and some potatoes as well, and I have a pot of string beans cooking. Who’s hungry?”

"I am!” said Maggie and Kim in unison.

“Okay then. Kim, set the table for us.”

“I will, Pop-pop,” said Kim, who started setting plates on the table.

“And Maggie, I want to see that home run ball you caught after dinner.”

“Okay, Pop-pop. Mommy has it in her bag.”

“Good. Now everybody sit down and we’ll say grace.”

The family sat at the table. They bowed their heads and gave thanks for their meal, and then tore in to Big Bill’s fish.

(End of Part 4)

 © 2005 Valentina Michelle Smith

Notes:

Historical Note: The game described in this story was completely fictitious, but the players were all real, and played for the Phillies and the Pirates in 1968.
Connie Mack Stadium (formerly Shibe Park) was home to the Philadelphia Athletics (1909 to 1953) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1938 to 1970). The park closed when the Phillies moved to their new home, Veteran’s Stadium. In June 1976, while the All Star game was being played at Veteran’s Stadium, this venerable piece of baseball history that had hosted nine World Series, and had seen the play of such luminaries as Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ted Williams, and Ty Cobb, was demolished. The site is now home for the Deliverance Evangelistic Church.

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