Chapter Twenty-One
The next morning, after the first few rays of bright, desert sun sliced into the room, Natalie was up, rummaging through her luggage places by the closet. “Is it morning already?” Suella groaned. “I’m on vacation. Can’t I at least sleep in a little?”
When she turned the other way, toward Nathan, she saw him grinning impishly, holding up his head with his elbow. “Breakfast is at eight. We start right after that.”
After a meal of powdered scrambled eggs with Belgian waffles, one of the white-shirted camp workers directed Suella and Natalie toward a ballroom that served as a uniform shop. When they entered the room, Suella gasped. They’d filled every inch of the space with racks and racks of baseball uniforms: shirts, pants, caps, socks and stirrups. Men they’d seen since they’d arrived wandered among the stacks, choosing caps and baseball gloves. Gayle, the woman they’d met at dinner the night before, welcomed them. “Good morning! Now Natalie, I know that you’re anxious to get suited up and run out to the field to get started, but I just have to go over a couple of things. You probably know what you’ll need: a shirt and pants, a cap, socks and we can also get you some soccer style cleats.”
“Thank you, but I’ve got my own,” Natalie blurted out, as she started to wander among the uniform racks.
“We have every uniform in the majors, both the National and American leagues. Whatever you want to wear is fine.”
Suella wondered how much all the official-looking baseball uniforms must have cost. Nathan had told her the night before that the middle-aged-crazies spent over six thousand dollars for the privilege of playing baseball with a bunch of old timers.
So they could probably afford it, and they probably reused all of the uniforms many times over. Natalie glanced over at Suella “What should I wear, mom?”
Suella chuckled. The child was definitely asking the wrong person. “Whatever you want, sweetie.”
Natalie gazed out into space to ponder for a moment. “San Diego,” she said. “That’s the team daddy played with the most.”
“Good choice,” Gayle said. “They have nice uniforms.”
Even though there was a nice ladies room beside the ballroom uniform shop, Natalie wanted to get changed in the room. Suella didn’t mind, as it gave her extra time to smooth sunscreen onto her face. She would wear a sundress that day. According to the net forecast, the temperature would go over ninety degrees.
When Natalie finished dressing in her uniform, Suella looked her over from head to toe, touched at what an adorable little ball girl her daughter became. Natalie had tied off her hair into double ponytails, with colorful scrunchies. She was already starting to show a womanly hourglass figure, accented by the belt she’d worn, pulled all the way to the end eyelet. “You’re the prettiest tomboy I ever saw,” Suella said, as they stepped up to the elevator.
She rolled her eyes around in exasperation. “Mom!”
Suella had expected a claptrap ballpark, overgrown with weeds and sagebrush, and a worn-out, hard-packed diamond. Surprisingly, the tram stopped before a beige concrete structure with a roof. “This is where they’re playing?” she said to Kaitlyn, who sat beside her. “It looks like a real baseball park.”
Kaitlyn nodded. “Oh yeah. Seattle used to have spring training here.
Jeff says he used to play games during the Cactus league out here.” When the tram stopped, they entered the field through the clubhouse. Suella saw a professionally manicured, emerald green lawn. “The groundskeeper should get a medal,” she said. “It’s gotta be hard for them to keep anything green out here.”
Though the ladies could have sat up near the roof, and in the shade, they chose seats by the dugout instead. Seats under the roof would take them too far away from the action on the field, and Suella wanted to be close to Natalie. Though she was off her medication for now, this was exactly the type of setting that would lend itself well to melding with her.
When the both of them had settled into their seats, they scanned the field for their husbands. Suella found Nathan, who waved delicately back to her. He stood beside Greg, who held a clipboard and addressed the thirty men in their baseball uniforms standing near the on-deck circle. Greg was explaining what they hoped to accomplish that day: take some hitting practice and some fielding practice, and find out each player’s strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the day, he said, they hoped to find positions for all of the men.
That left Natalie out by the warning track in the outfield, playing with the bat boys and the other ball girl. They tossed a baseball amongst each other, smiling and talking to each other. Kaitlyn was still gazing at Natalie, this time from a distance. “I just can’t get over that,” she said. “How much you guys look alike. Do you happen to have any old pictures on you, of what you looked like when you were her age?”
“No,” she said. “I promised myself, and I promised Nathan and Natalie. No Zon this week, and no Netcenter. Just come out and enjoy the sun and the fun.”
Kaitlyn looked at the small pockets on Suella’s sundress and at her purse. “You didn’t even bring a projectible?” she said. “Hey, somebody take a picture! This has got to be a first. You don’t even have any wallet shots?”
“No. I know what I looked like when I was thirteen. I looked like Natalie.”
By lunchtime all the men on the field had shown their batting and fielding prowess and Natalie got some good practice chasing after foul balls that dribbled along the edges of the field. The mid-day sun had started to scorch the both of them, as they sipped on iced teas to cool themselves. “I’m ready for the pool,” Kaitlyn said. “They have one of those here, don’t they?”
Hotel employees served hot dogs and cold cut hero sandwiches at the concession stand. They also provided avocado salads and veggie pitas for people like Kaitlyn. Once they settled back into watching the men play and the girls field foul balls, Kaitlyn again watched Natalie. “I just can’t get over that,” she repeated. “It’s got to be a first. You could be identical twins, thirty-whatever-it-is years apart. They should do a photo shoot of you two. Maybe later, when Nat hits seventeen or eighteen.”
Suella shrugged. “I’m not anorexic enough. No offense.” She wanted to steer the subject away from Natalie, as it was making her uncomfortable. At the same time, it occurred to her that Kaitlyn already knew, and that she was baiting Suella with all of the comments about how much the mother and daughter resembled each other. She was leading her on to eventually come out with it herself. Yet, the only one of the baseball wives who might possible know was Carolyn Concannon. She was the one who’d told her about the Lifewind center. Had Carolyn blurted out the news about Natalie?
Probably not. Word traveled fast, and if Carolyn had told somebody, anybody, word would have gotten out to the paparazzi, and Natalie would have appeared on the Today show. For the rest of that afternoon, she tried to chase the thought from her mind.
Kaitlyn helped by telling her all about her sons and daughter while they watched the men practice grounders and fly balls.
Around dinner time the camp officials called it a day and all of the men, the wives and the support staff crowded onto the trams for the ride back to the hotel. “My skin feels hot,” Suella told Kaitlyn while they rode along. “I used enough sunscreen, didn’t I? My back is not red, is it?”
Dinner that night was more casual, so Suella stayed in her sundress and she allowed Natalie to change into a casual jumper. Nathan put on a polo shirt version of his uniform and slacks and joined them in the dining room. When everyone had been through the buffet line and they sat at their tables relaxing with dessert or coffee, Greg Matarocci took to the podium on the dais. “We have something fun and unusual planned for this evening. I hope you enjoy it!”
The hotel used an old-fashioned fabric-and-glass screen for their video presentations. It unrolled slowly at the front of the room. For the next h
our-and-a-half, the event management team showed images of all of the stars during highlights from their careers. Suella watched huge videos of the younger versions of these men as they belted homeruns out of ballparks, turned balletic double plays, ran down fly balls in the outfield, and struck out hopelessly overmatched hitters. The relaxed crowd clapped and cheered at some of the more spectacular athletic feats.
A young Nathan Worthy’s face filled the screen. He held a paint brush.
It was the famous “painting the black” photo shoot picture from the early days in his career. The next series of images showed him in a progression of different uniforms in different cities, dropping a looped curve ball on the outside for a called strike, tossing a throw to first base to pick off a runner, and getting a batter to popup to close out the world series game he appeared it. The last image showed him in Chicago, steam coming out in his breath as he stared the catcher down. Rather than throw the ball to the plate, he shifted his feet and threw hard to first base, running toward the base after he threw the ball. The first baseman tagged out the runner, used his glove like a j’ai alai mitt and tossed him back the ball. Nathan caught the ball in his bare left hand and threw hard to home plate, where the catcher tagged out the runner trying to steal home. Nathan’s teammates jumped for joy and mobbed him at the mound as they all ran to their dugout.
Suella felt cold all over again just from watching the images. Everyone in the roomed clapped and cheered, some of them standing. Greg took the podium. “I don’t know about you,” he said, “but that was the best baseball play I ever saw.” Some more of the men and the wives stood up, and everyone looked in Nathan’s direction. A few of the men walked up behind Nathan and patted him on the back. People started to chant “Na-than! Na-than!” Eventually he stood up, his cheeks tinged red, as a wore a wide, bright smile, beaming at all the kind people in the dining hall. When they quieted down for him, he spoke: “Shucks, folks. I’m speechless.” He even looked down and shifted his weight like the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz.
There were just a few more videos to show, and when they all ended, people gradually filed out of the dining room to continue the rest of the evening. “I want to get to bed early,” Nathan said. “Tomorrow they’re going to start to play for real.
And I’m pitching.”
The next morning, while she put on sunscreen and another sleeveless dress, Suella resolved that she would make herself receptive to a melding experience with Natalie. Efforts in the past to force the experiences had gotten her nowhere. Whenever it had happened, she realized, she was enjoying the day casually, the way she had at the soccer game, the brilliant morning when she hugged her daughter, and then again while they went to the beach.
So it would be during that sunny, warm March morning in Arizona. She wore her wide brimmed hat and large sunglasses, causing Kaitlyn to remark “You look like an O.C. trophy wife.” The both of them had expected a casual game, possibly one where there would be lots of laughing, yelling and cussing, like during the beer league softball games she’d seen during her youth. There was a public address announcer, just like at a real major league baseball park. His voice was full of vigor and enthusiasm and he reminded Suella of the unseen game show announcers she’d seen on television when she was a kid. All of the players received a full introduction, as they ran out to the field one by one and took their place on the base line. The announcer would say “And now, from Keokuk, Iowa, number 22, second baseman and tax accountant, Michael Collins!”
They even played the national anthem, sung by a young woman who was introduced as a music major at one of the nearby colleges. It reminded Suella of the All-Star game, with all the players wearing different uniforms from the various cities. Unlike yesterday, the players on the team Nathan would pitch for wore white baseball caps embroidered with an “A” and the other team wore black baseball caps embroidered with a “B.” After they’d all been introduced, the players ran off the field and into the dugout.
A full umpiring crew took their stations at home plate, the foul lines, and second base. “Wow, they really went all out for this,” Kaitlyn said.
“Getting them their money’s worth,” Suella observed.
The home plate umpire yelled “Play ball!” and the players from the home designated team sprinted out onto the field, taking their positions. The game progressed at a snappy, orderly pace, governed by an umpire who shouted “ball” and “strike” calls the way Suella had heard it so many times during Nathan’s playing years. Nathan pitched, for one of the teams. Some of the other old time pro players took the positions they’d played during their careers. Jeff Vogel played catcher for the other team, which caused Kaitlyn’s mouth to drop open, a bewildered look crossing her face. “He never caught before. What are they doing?” she said.
“None of those fantasy campers can catch, most likely,” Suella said.
“His knees aren’t that good,” Kaitlyn went on. “I hope he can still walk at the end of the day.”
Natalie stayed at her perch for ball girl throughout the game. That morning, Suella had coated her with extra sunscreen on her arms and around her neck.
“The sun is a thief,” she’d said. “It takes away your youth, and your beauty.”
Between innings, Suella would stroll over to the part of the fence where Natalie perched on her stool, trying to remain alert while the men batted. “One of those foul balls came over her pretty quick,” Suella said. She’d watched her daughter dance over it while the ball caromed against the fence and ricocheted out onto the field. The shortstop picked it up and tossed it back to the umpire.
“Yeah,” Natalie said. “I want to try to catch the next one like that.”
Suella tried to smile. “Well if one of them comes over too hard, just get out of the way. Don’t be a hero. There’s no major league scouts here, ready to sign the first girl baseball player. There’s no one to impress.”
“Okay, mom.”
Suella also watched her husband. He had worked out for a month beforehand.
His workouts included runs around the neighborhood and lifting weights in his home gym in the spare bedroom. He said that he even pitched a simulated game with Tom, one of his golfing buddies who’d been a catcher. That day, while Nathan pitched, he seemed to be taking it easy, pacing himself. Some of his pitches snapped and rolled, though, almost the same way they did during his playing days. He wasn’t just going to lob the ball up there for all the middle-aged crazies to smash all over the baseball stadium. They would have to work to get whatever hits came their way.
Throughout the next few innings, Suella tried to keep an eye on Natalie, who worked from the third base line. Another man came out to pitch for the fifth inning, which made her feel glad that Nathan would get a rest. Awhile later, one of the men on Nathan’s team, a powerful looking black guy with big arms, hit a line drive foul ball straight toward Natalie. Suella and Kaitlyn both gasped, but Natalie simply reached up and snared the rocketing ball out of the air, causing a loud smack into her glove.
“What happened?” Kaitlyn said. “I couldn’t even look.”
“She caught it,” Suella told her. “Quite an athlete, that little girl.”
When the game ended after nine innings, with a 5-3 score, they all took a break for lunch. The same as the day before, all the players, the wives and the fantasy camp staff received sandwich lunches at the concession stand. Suella and Kaitlyn took salads.
Promptly after the break ended, the next game began, with the announcer calling out the names and positions of the players just as he’d done at the beginning. “What, again?” Kaitlyn said.
Suella noticed that it was a completely different set of players from the ones who’d started the first game. “I guess if they failed to give these guys the red carpet treatment, they’d feel left out.”
Kaitlyn shook her head. “Men. Such egos.”
During
the second game, Nathan didn’t pitch, but he pinch-hit for one of the other players and later took a position in the outfield. “They better not hit one out there,” Suella said. “He has never played outfield in his whole life.”
A batter did send a ball through the infield on a line toward Nathan. He ran over to field it and threw the ball hard to second base, looking every bit the position player. Another batter stroked a ground ball past the third base line. Natalie ran up to it, bent over, let it dribble into her glove and she tossed it back to the umpire. “She’s good in sports, beautiful, and you say she does well in school,” Kaitlyn observed. “Is there anything that kid can’t do?”
“Ballet,” Suella said, laughing.
At the end of that game, Kaitlyn and Suella met their husbands and Natalie. Both Nathan and Jeff groaned during the tram ride back to the hotel. “Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve done that,” Jeff said. “I hope I can still walk tomorrow.”
Both Nathan and Natalie showered to help freshen themselves up for that night’s dinner. The entertainment after the dinner was a couple of first run movies the camp staff had acquired, both macho action flicks that bored Suella. “We’re going back upstairs.”
She got up and motioned to Natalie, who stayed put, sitting beside her father.
Natalie pleaded “Do I have to, mom? Derek Way is in this movie. He’s full.”
Suella said “He’s what?” and then caught herself. “Okay. You can watch the movie. I’ll see you upstairs later.” She’d forgotten the younger generation’s new synonym for “hot” or “gorgeous,” the word “full.”
When she reached the room, she flopped her body down on the bed and vacantly watched programs on the hotel network. She wondered if she would get to meld with Natalie the next day, or at all during this trip.