“Sure. I signed up for an MLB account that gives access to all the games so we can stream every minute live.”
She snakes an arm around my waist while I use the remote to navigate the onscreen menu. Last night Danny called with the news that he was being called up to the major leagues since an injury sidelined the third baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks. After playing in a number of spring training games and producing outstanding results, the bigshots were willing to give Danny another look. He immediately flew out to Atlanta to join the team on their current road trip and he’s going to be in the lineup for this afternoon’s game. If there’d been more notice we would have traveled down there to cheer him on but Danny said not to worry about that because he was already feeling the pressure.
“That’s not Uncle Danny,” Caitlin complains when a sportscaster in a red tie appears on the screen.
“Did we miss him?” Mara worries.
“Not at all,” I reassure them. “The game hasn’t even started yet.”
Since lunch, the two of them have been waiting on the couch with an army of their favorite dolls and stuffed animals.
“This is it,” I tell everyone as the sportscaster begins discussing the stats on both teams. It’s only the second week of the regular season so there’s not much to say yet.
“Arizona dropped their last two games,” says the sportscaster, sounding like he should be narrating a car commercial. “On third base we’ve got newcomer Danny Aaronson, eighth in the lineup. Aaronson played forty three games with the Red Sox three seasons back before a knee injury and he’s been in the minors ever since. He put up a lot of impressive numbers in spring training so let’s see if a new team and a new season can make some magic happen.”
Danny’s picture flashes on the screen and the twins cheer. Gretchen persuades them to relocate their toy menagerie to an armchair so that we’ll have room to sit down. I put my arm around Gretch when she nestles beside me. She plants a quick kiss on my cheek.
The girls know we’re together. After I began staying over every night there was no point in denying anything. I haven’t moved in, not exactly, but I spend less and less time at the house down the street, primarily going there only during business hours when there’s work that needs to be taken care of.
Speaking of business, my plans to assume control of the brewery are at something of a standstill. The remaining partner has become skittish about selling and I don’t know if Liam is holding something over his head or what, but for now these efforts are stuck in place. I could push harder but I’ve been more cautious ever since that unwelcome visit from my shithead brother.
“Be careful about picking fights when you’ve got something to lose.”
Gretchen isn’t under his thumb in any way and he has no leverage over her. Liam likes to talk big, yet I know better than anyone what he’s capable of and that moment in the driveway keeps sticking in my head.
As for Liam, he’s stayed out of sight since that day. We’re two mortal enemies living in the same small town and stewing over who’s going to make the next move. It’s not a great feeling.
There’s a part of me that just wants to say ‘fuck it’ to the whole plan, take a loss selling off the pieces of the brewery I’ve acquired, and watch Liam drown himself from afar while keeping my focus on what’s right in front of me. Revenge has become a lot less tempting now that I have Gretchen.
Plus, I keep thinking of my mother. Both my parents have been on my mind, but especially her. My mother loved everyone and she was genuinely kindhearted. She wasn’t born into an easy life, raised by poor grandparents who died when she was still in high school. But she always looked ahead with hope. She believed in the contentment of ordinary days with the family she adored and didn’t make room for any bitterness. My mother would be disappointed to know I’ve gone to great lengths to fulfill a vindictive plot. The fact that Liam deserves much worse is beside the point. She would be disappointed anyway.
Gretchen doesn’t approve either.
She hasn’t said so in as many words but when I finally disclosed my intentions with Liam and the brewery she grew quiet.
She’s worried.
Given what she knows of Liam, she doesn’t trust him not to retaliate. She’s right.
The first two innings of the game move quickly and it looks like it’s going to be a pitching duel with two of the best in the league on the mound for each team. By the third inning when Danny finally steps up to the plate, no one on either side has even managed to get a base hit.
The girls bounce with excitement when they see a closeup of their uncle as he takes some practice swings and then fixates on the waiting pitcher. Gretchen takes a deep, nervous breath as she watches her brother and I lean forward on the couch.
In the batter’s determined stance I see endless boyhood games of catch, thousands of team practice hours, and the cocky aspirations of youth. I see my best friend and make a quick plea to the universe not to stand in his way.
You got this, Danny. You got this.
The pitcher releases the ball.
Gretchen grips my hand.
Danny swings for the fences. The hollow crack of the bat hitting the ball is sweet music.
The announcer knows it too and gets excited.
“And this one is high in the air! It’s going a long way folks and IT IS GONE! Danny Aaronson in his first time at the plate has hit a single homer and Arizona gets a good look at their new third baseman.”
Danny trots around the bases with no conceit and returns to the dugout to accept the grateful backslaps of his teammates.
Mara waves at the television. “Uncle Danny!”
Caitlin stands up on the couch. “He won!”
Gretchen exhales with relief and I steal a kiss from her. She laughs and explains to the girls that the game isn’t over but their uncle did hit a home run.
Caitlin stubbornly insists that “Uncle Danny won” and I have to agree with her. Danny just won something big.
The next time he’s up at bat, Danny smacks a double into the left field corner. In a later inning he also completes a diving catch on a line drive, turning what would have been a base hit for the opposition into an out.
No other runs are scored in the entire game and Arizona wins, one run to zero. After the game, Danny is briefly interviewed and though he’s got a hundred watt smile planted on his face, he’s humble and grateful in his responses, crediting the pitcher and the rest of his teammates with playing a fantastic game.
An hour later he calls Gretchen’s cell and the twins insist on talking to him before allowing their aunt to have her phone back. Danny actually doesn’t have much time to chat. The team is traveling again tonight. But I do get to have a word with him when the phone is passed to me.
“Well done, buddy.”
He snorts out a laugh. “I think they might keep me around for a little while.”
“They’d be damned fools not to. Now go get your pro athlete self some rest. You’ve got another game tomorrow.”
Nobody could have asked for a better outcome and the twins are hyper with excitement, which is nice to see. They ask to have dinner at Sea Escape, that overcrowded family place where you can watch fish swim by and shit inside their water tank as you eat. Gretchen lifts an eyebrow and leaves the dinner choice in my hands.