It’s been a while since I told you anything about my other pupils. Well…my other pupil. I stopped working with Noah a few months ago. His heart just wasn’t in it, and there’s no sense in spending money on a baseball tutor for your kid when your kid doesn’t care that much about playing ball. Of course, I was useful for Noah during the quarantine because I at least got him outside and active. Now that things are opening up, he doesn’t need me for that, either. It wasn’t a bad parting by any means; it was just time to move on. And his dad’s still not my number in case he ever wants me back.
Cody is another story: we’re still working together twice a week, and, since Chuy reopened the batting cage back in March, we’ve been down there a lot. It means Cody can take serious BP, and it means that I can get away from the Sharpmans’ for a few hours a week, which I reckon is good for me. A change of scene every now and then is healthy.
Cody’s doing great now that he’s able to socialize with other kids and play sports with them. I haven’t mentioned it yet, but little league’s been in business in Southern California for a few months already, and Cody is playing on a team that’s lost only one game all season long. He’s kind of the star of his team, which is partly because of natural talent, and (like Joyce keeps reminding me) partly because of my coaching. He’s gotten a hit in every game he’s been in. I went to one to see how he was doing, and I was dang proud to see him in action.
Speaking of pupils I’m proud of, Lucas is back from school for the summer. He got mostly Bs and B+s in his classes, which is pretty good for freshman year, especially a freshman year that was as crazy as his was. Things on campus were opened up almost to the point of normalcy by the end of the year, Lucas told me, but, well, if y’all can think back to how it was when he first went away to school, you can realize that his college experience hasn’t exactly been normal thus far.
The one thing that’s gonna suck for him over the summer is that Rosalind, his girlfriend, is gonna be back East with her parents, so he’s not gonna get to see her for almost three months. If y’all remember, I broke up with my freshman year girlfriend at the end of the year…we decided we were going to want our freedom over the summer, and it worked out just fine. But then she wasn’t my first girlfriend and our relationship was never super serious. Lucas and Rosalind are another story…and they promised each other that they’d FaceTime twice a day. I know Lucas wants the long distance thing to work, so I hope it does.
In addition to having his first girlfriend and getting ok grades, Lucas got to play ball this year. He was only a freshman, but he actually made the team, albeit as a bench player. I’ll admit that I think I’m responsible for some of Lucas’ success. He was only an ok ball player who ran funny when I first got him as a pupil. But the combination of me, his determination, baseball camp, and genetics that got him to shoot up (he grew some more while he was away; now he’s a little taller than I am) turned him into a dang good ball player. Denison had a good season (they went 27-13) and Lucas got some playing time in quite a few games, although he played a little bit of everything and not just 2nd. (Hey…every ball player could do with a little Chris Taylor in their baseball DNA.) Denison’s starting 2nd baseman just graduated, though…so there’s just a chance that Lucas will get the job next year. In the meantime, I’m back on the Andrews’ payroll for the summer. Lucas isn’t going to baseball camp, partly because the Andrews’ don’t want him to for some reason, and partly because I think he’s been missing home. He should take some of the summer just to chill with his friends. I know he and Eric have all kinds of plans now that they’re getting their freedom back. It even looks like he’s gonna have a part-time job at the car wash. Not sure what Mrs. Andrews thinks about that, but it’ll get him out of the house, give him some pocket money, and give him and Eric a chance to hang out. And, hey, it’s more job than Carter is gonna have this summer.
Brookside is dragging its feet when it comes to getting softball teams back out on the field, but the league in which Chuy’s baseball team – Los Cervezeros – play has been in business since April, albeit with no spectators allowed. I played a couple games with them – I’m kind of like the official backup shortstop now, but what the team needs most is a steady starter at 2nd, now that their usual starter has moved out of the area. I talked Chuy into letting Lucas have a shot, and so he’s gonna play in this coming Saturday’s game. Chuy remembers what Lucas looked like when we first showed up at his batting cage, so maybe he’s not as convinced of his abilities as I am. Los Cervezeros are a dang good team with some really good players, and I don’t they’re entirely sold on the idea of Chuy’s son’s best buddy as a regular starter. Wait ‘til they see him play.
There’s even gonna be spectators at that game since the state will officially (and fuckin finally) be open by then. I’m gonna be playing in the game, too…so I’m gonna bring the boys and we’ll have a nice day out in the park. It’ll be their first chance to see me play, so I’d better look good out there lol.
It’ll also be a chance for the boys to meet Lucas. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna like him. The boys certainly couldn’t have liked Keaton more if they’d tried, although I guess Lucas doesn’t exactly have Keaton’s cool factor lol. Maya even said that Lucas could come over and use the tennis court batting cage sometime…as well as the pool, which pretty much nobody but me uses anyway. Robert sometimes swims a few laps before breakfast, but that’s about it, although I understand that there are a few pool parties scheduled for the summer that’ll involve some interesting guests for the show.
So it looks like I’m going into the summer with four pupils. That’s not a whole heck of a lot, it’s true, but it’s one more than I had last year at this time…so I’m moving in the right direction. Joyce keeps telling me that’s the important part, and that more pupils will come if I’ll just be patient a little longer.
So I’m gonna be patient. What’s the thing Meemaw says? Good things come to those who wait…or something like that. And who am I to argue with one of Meemaw’s sayings lol?
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