The Hitting Zone

Just as the crowd around Jeremy started to thin out, the third game must have ended. Players rushed here like they would lose their chance to meet with Jeremy. I didn't mind too much, but after awhile Jeremy made his way down the bleachers, motioning that he was done with the meet & greet.

He came over to us. "Hey. Sorry about that. Thanks for waiting with Jake."

"We don't mind." Zeke got up first and held out his hand. Jeremy shook it. "See ya around."

"Yea." Jeremy looked to Noah. "Nice running out there today. You're looking like Ricky Henderson out there."

"Thanks. I hope I can play for the A's too." Noah grinned.

"Well, maybe we'll be teammates then." Jeremy grinned. "If you get lucky."

Noah started to get restless. "Did you finally sign your long-term contract with the A's?? For how long? For how much?"

"Noah." Zeke said with warning.

Jeremy laughed. "It's fine. He can ask. It'll be public tomorrow morning anyways." He grinned. "The bay is my home. I'll be staying for as long as I can. The new contract is for 8 years."

"For how much??" Noah pressed him.

"200 million." He said with pride.

Noah's jaw dropped. He wasn't the only one. I was also stunned.

"They really think you're worth that much??" Noah asked. "You're only in your second season!"

"Hey, I'm in the running for MVP this year." Jeremy told him. He grinned. "It feels like I've finally made it. Of course, that pay doesn't start until next season, but it's nice to look forward to."

"You look more relaxed." I noted.

"I am." He told me. He looked at Noah. "Hey, you think I can borrow your glove?"

Noah was thrown off. "What? Why?"

Jeremy glanced at me. "I want to play catch with Jake for a few minutes..?"

I blinked. "Okay."

Noah looked between us then up at Zeke. Zeke nodded at him. Noah opened up his bag and gave his glove to Jeremy with an old baseball inside. "Don't forget to put it in Jake's bag."

"I won't." Jeremy looked at me. "Let's see if we can throw the ball in the outfield here?"

"Okay..." I waved at Noah and Zeke as we started to move away from them. "I'll see you guys at home."

"Yep!" Noah waved back. "I'll have my phone on me too in case of emergencies. Later!"

Zeke also lifted a hand to wave.

Jeremy and I walked to the entrance of the varsity field. No one was around so we had the field to ourselves.

"Mr. Miller will probably come back to take care of the field." I told Jeremy as I put my bag down. "So we don't have very long."

"That's fine." He tossed the baseball up and caught it, repeating the action. "I just wanted a few minutes with you on the field."

"I'll go out." I started to jog towards center field, choosing a comfortable distance. I can't throw very far to begin with, plus Jeremy was in jeans and a t-shirt.

As soon as I was ready, he threw the ball to me perfectly. I made the catch and threw it back. It wasn't completely accurate like his, but still at him. He caught it without commenting and threw it back. Then, that's it. That's all we did. Threw the ball back and forth until Mr. Miller showed up on his golf cart.

I quickly jogged back to my bag and to Jeremy as Mr. Miller came over. I put my glove away, along with Noah's. We exchanged a few words with Mr. Miller before leaving the field. By now everyone had left the fields, either going home or waiting for a ride.

"That was nice." Jeremy said to me as we walked to his car. He glanced down at me. "What did you think?"

Of playing catch..? I shrugged. "It was nice, I guess. Just like playing with Noah."

He sighed and chuckled. "I was hoping we could play catch a little more often. But if you don't want to, then you don't have to force yourself."

I shook my head. "I don't mind." I glanced up at him. "I just thought it was strange that you suddenly wanted to play catch."

We reached his car. He put my bag in his trunk and we both got in. He started the car. "When I went to see Dr. Moore today, we talked about...a lot of things. One of which, is my guilt."

I frowned. "I said it was fine." I thought we had gotten pass this.

"No, not that kind of guilt. Which I mean, I still have." He ran his fingers through his hair. "It's a different kind of guilt. You...didn't know Dad. You didn't get to play catch with him. He didn't get to teach you anything about baseball. You guys...just missed out on a lot. And I know how that feels." He held the steering wheel with both hands. "I still think about Dad. The things he has missed and will miss. He didn't see me play in high school, graduate high school, the draft, or my rookie season. He won't see me play in the majors, get married, or have kids."

I hesitated before reaching out. I patted Jeremy on the arm. "I'm okay. I think...it's very different for us. You knew him. I have...a very small memory. Mr. Atkins is my Dad now. He didn't see all my 'firsts' either, but he also got to see a lot. I'm sorry you missed out."

He chuckled-sighed again. "Dr. Moore said we would have two different perspectives, but I just wanted to get the chance to do the things I did with Dad, with you. If that makes sense?"

I cracked a smile. "You don't have to be my dad, Jeremy. You're my brother. And I liked playing catch with you. A little strange and out of the blue, but I still appreciate it. Just like how I enjoy playing catch with Noah or any of the Atkins. I didn't get to play catch a whole lot when I lived with...her."

The car was absolutely silent as we both thought of the woman who gave birth to us.

Jeremy started to shake his head. "Let's not dwell on her too much. She's out of our lives for good. We both have to move on."

I thought about it. At one point Mr. Duncan had told me that she was trying to get out of her charges by pleading insane or something. I wonder what happened. Not that I cared...I just-

I tapped my finger on my leg. "Do you know...if she's really out of our lives for good?" I asked Jeremy.

Jeremy was surprised. "You don't know?"

I shook my head. "At one point...my social worker kept me in the loop."

Jeremy reached over and patted me on the head. "Jake, you don't have to worry ever again. You have the Atkins and you have me. That woman is locked up for the foreseeable future. If something were to change, I would be the first to know. I have my own lawyer, watching over her just in case."

I sighed with relief. "Thanks."

"I do this for me as much as I do it for you." He said.