The Hitting Zone

"He's so awkward." Kyle snorted as we watch him leave.

"He really is Jake's brother after all." Dave laughed.

"Boys, give him a break." Mrs. Atkins sighed. "He just doesn't know what to do or say. I'm sure he's trying. You should be nicer considering what he's done for us today."

"I think they're fine." Noah said. "They're only speaking the truth." He nudged me. "I do see some similarities between the two of you. I wonder if it's the way you genetically are or if your mother had the same effect on the both of you." He said thoughtfully.

Everyone seemed to quiet down at the mention of my birth mom.

Noah looked apologetic.

I shrugged. "Who knows." I looked around. "Are we going to stay here a little longer?" It felt weird being the only ones not yelling for an autograph from the players.

"There are only Astro's nearby." Noah rolled his eyes. "Let's go see where our seats are." He looked at his Dad. "Can we go up?"

Mr. Atkins furrowed his brows. "Well..."

"I'll go with them." Zeke volunteered. "You and Mom can stay with the twins and make sure they don't go running out onto the field."

"Hey!"

"We know better than to do that!"

"Alright. Make sure they don't go to the bathrooms alone." Mrs. Atkins advised. "Stay in groups. Be wary." She looked at Noah. "You better listen to Zeke, young man."

"Yea, I will, Mom." Noah headed back the way we came, tickets in hand. He waved for me to follow him. "C'mon Jake. I want to show you the team store before we go to our seats."

I hurried to catch up.

Zeke stayed a stride behind as Noah took me around the team store on the first level. It was filled to the brim with A's gear...which made sense considering it was an A's game. I was shocked though with how many items they could put their logo on. It was more than just shirts, jerseys, sweatshirts, and baseball gear. There was pajamas, dresses, cups, and plates. Flags, pens, a flower pot, and pet collars. The list was endless. I was amazed as Noah showed me even more absurd items.

After successfully looking at every available item, we decided to go find our seats. The stadium was filling up and becoming more crowded. Zeke took charge, leading the way. He glanced back occasionally to make sure we were still following him.

We went up to the second level, had our tickets checked and then the man in uniform gave us directions. Zeke led us along, passing food stands that made my mouth water.

"Man, I'm getting hungry." Noah groaned. "Zeke, did Mom and Dad give you any money for hot dogs?"

Zeke glanced back at the two of us and saw that we both were holding our stomachs pathetically. "Let's find our seats first and then I'll go get some hot dogs."

"Yes! Thanks, Zeke!" Noah looked at me. "At least we have the reliable older brother with us. The twins would probably make us starve."

I nodded in agreement.

Zeke found our section, and paused.

We stepped up next to him. And, just, wow. What a view. Our section may have been on the second level, but it was right behind home plate. We had an outstanding view of the whole field. The biggest baseball field I've ever seen. It was hard to take it all in when we were on the actual field since there were so many of us crowded in a small space. But now...I could only let my jaw drop and be overwhelmed.

"Hello. Are you lost?" Another person in a uniform approached us. He was older, wearing a bright pink polo. He held out his hand. "Tickets?"

I wordlessly handed mine over. Noah and Zeke followed suit. The man accepted the tickets and looked them over. "Alright. Follow me." He took us down the steps to the very first row of the section, bringing us even closer to the field. "Here we are." He gestured to the three seats.

We obediently sat down.

"This section does have in-seat service, meaning those in a bright polo like mine are also waiters." He tugged at his polo. "Can I get you young men any drinks or snacks?"

"I want a hotdog with ketchup! Oh and a coke! And peanuts!" Noah said, happily. I tugged his sleeve and gestured. "Oh and he'll want the same thing."

"No problem." The man looked to Zeke. "And for you?"

Zeke hesitated with a frown, but then also put his order in. "Just make it three of everything please."

"No problem." The man left the way we came, climbing back up the stairs.

"These seats are amazing." Noah said, eyes on the field.

I also looked out and watched as pro players were in the outfield, playing catch, jogging, or stretching. It had a completely different feel than the high school games I played in. The grounds crew came out and started to clean up and do work.

"Hi there." A soft, and slightly pleasant, voice said from the end of the aisle. A short Asian girl sauntered down our row, lifting a hand in greeting. She was decked out in khakis and a black polo with the A's logo on it. "I'm Rose Shimizu. Are you three part of the Atkins family?" Before we replied, she narrowed in on me. "You must be Jake!" She held out her hand.

I just stared.

"Oops. I forgot. Jeremy said you were a little shy." She looked to Zeke. "I work in the public relations department for the A's." She lifted the lanyard on her neck that had a badge on it, looking like an id.

"I'm Zeke. This is Noah. And you were right to guess that this is Jake." Zeke answered politely. "Did Jeremy send you to check on us?"

"Yes!" She said enthusiastically. "He had me help him arrange this so I just wanted to come down and introduce myself. And just to make sure you all were comfortable. If you have any questions, just tell any usher my name and I'll do my best to help."

The man in the bright polo came down with a helper, both of them carrying food and drinks. The two quickly passed it out and Zeke pulled out his wallet to prepare to pay the man.

"Oh! Don't worry about food costs." The woman, Rose, waved at Zeke. "Jeremy already said he would settle the bill at the end of the night." She shot a look to the men and they smiled and left. "So please take advantage of the wait service." She looked around. "Are the rest of your party going to show soon?"

"They stayed a bit longer on the field." Noah answered, unwrapping his hotdog. "They should be here soon."

"Okay! Fantastic." She was the happiest woman I had ever seen. "Do you mind if I wait for them here?"

"If you want." Zeke said, slightly confused. He wasn't the only one. Me and Noah were also surprised with this woman's presence. It definitely didn't feel like the normal baseball experience.

As the three of us ate the hotdogs and slurped our drinks, she waited patiently for the rest of the Atkins to show up. When they finally did, she explained herself again talking about her job and how Jeremy was settling the food bill.

Mr. Atkins tried to persuade her otherwise, but she wasn't having any of it. She motioned for that one usher to come back down and as he started to take the twins orders, the woman left.

"Jeremy is definitely trying." Dave mumbled. "I've never been waited on at a baseball game before."

"It's a first for me as well." Mr. Atkins scratched his cheek. "Maybe all pros are like this?"

No one had an answer for him.