Jolene leans over and giggles into my shoulder. “You’re way cooler of a dad than mine ever was.”
“Well, yours did have a good ear for Christian folk music,” I tease and kiss the top of her head. “I spent an entire morning listening to this song, giving the coaches the exact twelve seconds that would pack the biggest punch.”
As we take our seats, I glance over at her again, and this twinkle in her beautiful brown eyes takes my breath away. I lift her hand to my mouth and kiss the top, firmly holding it in mine and looking back onto the field.
Luke turns and waves with a cheesy grin on his face. “Hi, Dad!” he yells.
“Hey, buddy. Hit me a far one!”
He gives us a thumbs-up before entering the batter’s box and getting in his stance, taking a few practice swings before holding the bat up high, moving it slightly to stay loose.
He’s tall for his age, so his strike zone is pretty big. With a bend to his knees, he curls his body over the plate, giving the pitcher less to work with.
First pitch, and he hits one deep into center field. To my surprise, Jolene jumps up before I do, screaming for Luke to run. He does, making it all the way to third base, sliding in to beat the tag.
We both cheer at the top of our lungs as Luke claps his hands together like he’s seen the pros do on TV after they got a great hit. Seeing him on the field, the way he looks at the stands to see if I saw his great play, it makes my chest expand with the swell of pride.
After the game, Jolene and I walk down to the dugout and wait while Luke’s coaches gives them an after-game speech. When they break their huddle, Luke is the first one charging out the gate.
“Did you see, Dad? I got two hits and made that awesome play at second. The coaches said I did really good, and they can’t wait to see me when I’m older.”
His small body bolts toward me, and I scoop him up in a big hug as he talks a mile a minute.
“I did! I was here the entire game. You looked awesome out there.” I release him and stand.
“Uh, Dad?” Luke looks over my shoulder and then curiously back to me.
I lean down to get closer to his height. “Yeah, bud?”
“There’s a lady behind you, and she’s kinda staring at me.”
I put on a serious expression. “What does she look like?”
He squints his face as he looks over at Jolene, who’s standing behind me. “Brown hair. Kinda long. And she has pretty eyes. She’s what you would call a babe.”
I hear Jolene giggle behind me.
“A babe, huh?” I ask him as I rub my chin. “Do you think we should talk to her?”
He raises his shoulders. “I don’t know. Mom says never to talk to strangers.”
I purse my lips and nod in agreement. “That’s very wise. Well, what if I told you she’s not a stranger?”
His brows fly high, almost to his forehead. “She’s your friend?”
With a slow nod, I reply, “My friend since I was your age.”
“How come I’ve never met her before?”
“Why are you asking so many questions?” I ask him.
“Is she your girlfriend?” He waggles his brows like the tiny devil he is.
I take off his ball cap, rub his mop of hair, and then slap the cap back on his head.
Getting up, I stand behind Luke, put my hands on his shoulders, and introduce them, “Jolene, this little ball-buster is my son, Luke.”
Luke waves. “Hi.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” She gives a wave back. “Hey, great game. It was really exciting to watch.”
“Thanks. You should come to my Little League games. They’re a little more intense than this was. They like to play around a lot here and make jokes,” he tells her.
“Isn’t that the fun of it?” Jolene asks.
Luke shrugs. “Yeah, when it’s not competitive, then I guess.”
I remove his hat and mess up his hair again. “I guess? Come on, don’t be so serious.”
He laughs as I grab his bag, and we make our way to the truck.
Luke climbs in as I place his bag in the backseat. Jolene slides into the passenger seat.
“Are you hungry?” I ask Luke when I hop in.
Luke widens his eyes and lowers his voice, so he is talking out his throat, “What do you think?”
I shake my head and chuckle under my breath. If there’s one thing that makes him my son, it’s the amount of food we can both put down. He’s been like that since he was born, and for his first birthday, he housed half of a super burrito with no problem. Natalie complains that she can’t keep food in the house, and I just tell her to be prepared because it’s only going to get worse when he’s in high school.
“What sounds good?” I ask as I turn the key, bringing the truck to life.
“Burrito!” He bounces in the backseat.
I laugh out loud. “Of course it does. Any particular place?”
“Whatever you guys want. Where’s your favorite spot?” he asks Jolene, tapping her on the shoulder.
She shrugs. “I’m not sure. I’ve never eaten at a Mexican restaurant here.”
Luke’s mouth drops open. “Seriously? You’ve never had Tacos Jalisco?”
“She’s not from here. She’s just visiting, and she’ll fly out tomorrow. She lives in New York,” I explain.
My eyes meet Jolene’s, and there is it, laid out there for it to sink in with both of us. She leaves tomorrow to go back to her life, and I’ll be back to my life here.
Luke jumps up, falling back when the seat belt pulls him tightly. “No way. Can you see the Statue of Liberty from your place?”
I see the way her lips tilt to the side as she pauses before speaking again. It’s as if she just remembered she lives on the other side of the country, and it makes me wonder if she’s as unsure about what will happen to us after today.
She inhales like she, too, is pushing it out of her mind and turns to Luke. “No. I live in Queens, and it’s really only visible from parts of Manhattan and Staten Island. But if you’re sitting on the left side of the plane when you fly in from the West Coast, you get the most amazing view of it in the New York Harbor. If it’s a night flight, it’s even better because she’s illuminated, and everything around her is dark. It’s absolutely stunning.”
“You get to fly?” Luke face lights up with excitement.
She grins. “I do. I’m a flight attendant. Maybe, one day, we can get you on my flight, and I can take you in the cockpit.”
My head snaps to hers, shaking slightly, and I narrow my eyes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned with kids is, don’t make suggestions unless you know you can follow through. After tomorrow, I’ll probably never see her again, so she shouldn’t be making promises to my son that she can’t keep.
She sees my hesitation and sits back in her seat.
“That would be so cool! I’ve only been on a flight once when Mom took me to Oregon to meet some of our family that doesn’t live here. We’re going to Disneyland, but we’re driving,” he says.
“Luke and his mom are going to Disney for a few days, and when he gets back, he has robotics camp,” I explain.
“You’re a busy guy.” Jolene looks at him, impressed.