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  “I’m glad you made it,” he said, looking over at me.

  “I am too,” I said, softly, as our date began.

  13

  Wes

  Waking up in my own bed felt wonderful and odd at the same time. When I woke up, I half-expected there to be sun peering through the window of a hotel room. Instead, I had awoken to the abrupt sound of a text message coming to my smartphone. It took me a few moments to clear my head and reach over and grab the phone to see who it was from, and it was then I realized I had a few messages there.

  A couple were from reporters still trying to get a hold of me for comments. I had put them off and planned to continue to do so, figuring Randy would take care of them on my behalf. One message there was from Izzy, simply wishing me both a good morning and day before she left for school. The final message, which had just come in, was from Randy. His message was simple and straightforward:

  Just because you are unemployed doesn’t mean you can sleep all day. It’s 10 AM, get up and call me!

  I can’t remember the last time I slept until 10 AM. Even during the offseason I always up early, getting my morning routine and workout going. This morning didn’t have that same motivation. I sat up in bed and pressed Randy’s number on my phone. It only rang once before he picked it up.

  “Hey there, it’s Rip Van Winkle,” he said to me. “Did I rouse you out of your beauty sleep?”

  “You’re hysterical Randy,” I said to him as I stretched a bit. “How about taking care of these reporters who keep messaging me, asking me for comments?” I said grumpily.

  “Forward the texts to me; I’ll take care of them for you, no problem,” Randy assured me. “Anyway, I do have some news for you. I’ve been sending some feelers out to see what might be out there right now. There’s still a couple of teams that haven’t made any final decisions yet, so there’s nothing imminent. I’ve talked to some GMs, and they know you’re out there and they have interest, they just don’t want to commit to anything until they see their final rosters. You know how it goes.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I said to him. I was a little disappointed no one had jumped right away to make an offer.

  “Don’t let it get to you buddy,” Randy said. “I think we’ll have something soon, but it might not be until after Opening Day. Are you okay with that?”

  “Sure, that’s fine,” I said, glad he was confident about the prospects. That left me with a few days of waiting around for answers.

  “At least it gives you some time to be with the family,” Randy said to me. “Don’t just sit around moping; get out and do some stuff to stay busy.”

  “I will… I mean, I have,” I told him. “I… I even have a date tonight,” I said to him.

  “Really?” Randy said, sounding very surprised.

  “Yes, really. Why are you so shocked?”

  “I’m not shocked, Wes. It’s just that I’ve known you for a long time. Since Rachel left, you’ve kind of been a bit of a loner. I know you’ve seen some women along the way, but I’ve never heard you say you have a date. ‘Date’ makes it sounds more serious. Anyone I know?”

  “No, I just met her myself yesterday.”

  “Wow, well great. So go out and have a good time. A few days with someone else will help you get your mind off things. Have a good time.”

  Thanks, Randy,” I told him. “Let me know if you hear anything.”

  “Will do, buddy. Take care,” Randy said as he hung up.

  I wasn’t sure why I had even bothered to tell Randy about the date with Kristin, but I guess I didn’t really have anyone else to talk to about it around here other than my parents. I didn’t spend enough time here in Chandler over the last fifteen years to be able to say I had any friends in town. Sure, plenty of people knew who I was, but I didn’t think I could say any of them were friends. I had some guys that I had played with over the years that I considered friends, but they were either still playing right now, or retired and living in other states.

  I spent the rest of my morning and afternoon occupying myself, taking the time to work out in the exercise room I had in the house. I had gone to the expense of having an indoor batting cage installed just out behind the house and beyond the pool area, but I didn’t feel up to swinging a bat today, so I just worked out instead. I did some stretching, time with weights and ran on the treadmill for a while, getting in a respectable workout that brought on some good sweat. I watched TV while I worked out, and there was a passing mention of me on the sports news, stating that I was exploring my options and there were several teams showing interest. I could see Randy kept his word and was taking care of things.

  I showered and shaved after my workout and slipped into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. I then set about making some calls to set things up with the house, like turning the house phone back on, letting the security company know I was here and talking to the house care service. I told them I was here and arranged for a food delivery so they could bring stuff to stock the fridge for about a week for now. I also gave Angelo’s a call to make a reservation for seven. I had known Angelo for years and when I spoke to him I asked for a table in the back room so I wouldn’t have people coming up to me all during dinner and disrupting things. He said he would be glad to take care of it and looked forward to seeing me.

  I then spent some time looking through the stack of mail the service left for me in the kitchen. I still get quite a bit of fan mail each day, and since I had some time, I thought I would go through it and answer some of it. It was always nice to read letters from fans young and old, and I signed some cards and baseballs and packaged everything up to get returned in the mail.

  The day went by pretty quickly, much to my surprise. Before I knew it, it was nearly five-thirty.

  I guess I should get ready for my date, I said to myself.

  Even just hearing it in my head sounded unfamiliar to me. I walked over to my walk-in closet and looked at the rack of suits I had to choose from. I picked out a nice black one I had made last year from a shop in Pittsburgh that a bunch of the other players used as well. A simple white dress shirt,black tie and black shoes seem to round the outfit out for me. I splashed on some cologne and brushed my teeth and got dressed for the night.

  It was still just barely after six when I was ready, so I went out, got in the SUV, and drove down to my parents’ house to see them before I went out. I walked in the front door and heard Mom, dad and Izzy all in the kitchen, having dinner.

  I strode into the kitchen in my suit, and all eyes turned to me right away. No one said anything and just looked at me.

  “So, “ I asked, “Do I look okay?”

  All three of them looked back and forth at each other before Izzy spoke up.

  “Don’t take this wrong way, Dad,” she said to me, “but you look like you’re going to a funeral instead of a date.”

  “What are you talking about?” I said, defending myself. “This is my best suit.”

  “The suit is fine son,” Mom said to me as she put her forkful of meatloaf down. “You just need a little color is all. Wyatt, help your son.”

  Dad got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen. A moment later he reappeared with a tie in his hand.

  “Take the black tie off and try this one,” he said, handing me a muted gray silk tie. I sighed and dutifully took off the black tie and then tied the gray one on. Dad reached over and straightened it for me to make sure it looked its best.

  “Better?” I asked the ladies at the table.

  Izzy gave me a thumbs up while she ate mashed potatoes. “Looks good, Dad,” she said with her mouth full.”

  “What time is your reservation?” Mom asked as she took a sip of iced tea.

  “It’s at seven,” I said as I reflexively looked down at my watch to see it was nearly six-thirty now.

  “You better get going then,”Mom said to me.

  “Mom, Angelo’s is five minutes away,” I responded.

  “I know, but you want to m
ake sure you get there before her so you can get settled, have some wine at the table, make things nice for her. Tell him, Wyatt,” Mom said, nodding to my father.

  Dad put his arm around me and led me towards the door.

  “Have fun Dad!” Izzy yelled from the table as we walked out of the kitchen.

  “Don’t mind your mother, Wes,” Dad said to me. “She just wants to make sure you have a good time, treat the young lady right, and so on. Maybe it’s all those romance novels she reads, I don’t know.”

  We reached the front door and Dad fixed my jacket for me like I was a teenager going to the prom.

  “Do you have cash?” Dad said to me, reaching for his wallet.

  “Seriously, Dad? You’re getting cash for me? I think I’ve got it covered,” I said incredulously.

  “Well I don’t know if you have anything in your wallet,” he answered, putting his wallet away. “Enjoy your night out, Wes. Have a good time.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” I said to him as I went out the door to my car.

  The drive down to Angelo’s was uneventful, as expected. I parked in the side lot of the restaurant and walked in. Angelo was there at the podium to greet me. He was the epitome of the classic Italian restaurant owner. He had his roots in Italy and ended up in Chandler after having a restaurant in New York for years and then deciding he wanted a quieter life for himself and his wife. It had been a while since I had been here, and Angelo looked a little grayer, but he was still fit, eager, and smiling as he extended his hand to me.

  “Always nice to see you, Mr. Martin,” he said as he gave me a firm handshake.

  “Hello Angelo,” I replied. “I hope the family is well.”

  “Oh yes, they are great,” he told me as he began to lead me towards the back room. “Grandson number three was just born a month ago. He is beautiful.”

  We walked past a few patrons in the dining room that looked up as we went by. I saw a few sparks of recognition from people as I went, but that was it.

  Angelo seated me at a table towards the back of the room, a table set especially for two.

  “A special guest tonight, Mr. Martin?” Angelo said with a smile as a busboy came over and poured some water into a glass for me.

  “Yes, Angelo,” I answered. “ A young lady. Kristin Arthur. She’s the librarian in town. I don’t know if you know her. She’s blonde, petite, very nice…”

  “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet,” Angelo replied as he handed a napkin to me, “but I will keep an eye out for her and bring her over when she arrives. Can I get you a drink while you wait? A vodka martini on the rocks perhaps?”

  “Your memory is impeccable, Angelo,” I said with a smile. “A martini would be perfect. Could you bring a bottle of red wine to the table as well for when she arrives?”

  “I’d be glad to pick something out for you,” he told me and was off to find something appropriate for dinner.

  I took a quick sip of my water and tried to calm myself down a bit before Kristin arrived. Perhaps it had been too long since I was on a date, but I wasn’t accustomed to feeling this nervous around anyone. Confidence was always the one trait I thought helped me the most in my career, and I tried to carry it over into my personal life. But, for the first time in years, I found myself fidgeting around trying to get comfortable.

  A young waiter dressed in a white shirt and dark trousers came over with my drink and placed it on the table in front of me. Angelo quickly followed with the bottle of wine he had retrieved from the wine cellar, a Cabernet Sauvignon that he highly recommended. Angelo opened the bottle expertly, poured some for me, and placed the bottle down on the table. I took a sip and saw it was a smooth and sweet wine and tasted great.

  “Thank you, Angelo,” I replied. “It’s very nice.”

  “You’re welcome, “ he said with a smile and walked away.

  I took a sip of my martini, savoring the flavor of it when I heard steps coming up behind me.

  “Mr. Martin,” Angelo offered, “your guest has arrived.”

  I stood up from the table and turned to see Kristin standing there with Angelo. She looked stunning in a red dress with a black shawl over her shoulders. I smiled as Angelo led her over to the other side of the table and pulled the chair out for her. Kristin sat as Angelo handed her a napkin.

  “I’m glad you made it,” I said to her.

  “I am too,” she replied to me.

  We looked at each other across the table for a moment before Angelo presented us with the menus.

  “Angelo, this is Kristin Arthur,” I said to him.

  “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Arthur,” Angelo said politely.

  “Nice to meet you too, Angelo,” she said as she took the menu from him.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” Angelo offered.

  “A glass of this red wine is perfect,” she indicated to Angelo, pointing to the bottle.

  “Excellent,” he answered as he poured a glass for her.

  “I’ll let you two look at the menus and be back to tell you the specials and answer any questions.” Angelo walked away from the table, leaving us alone.

  I scanned the menu, not really paying much attention to what was on it. I was more captivated by the way Kristin looked tonight. She was beautiful and the light from single candle lit on the table danced light across her. I tried not to stare , but I found it difficult to take my eyes off her. She glanced up from her menu and saw me looking at her and smiled.

  “What?” she asked me as I looked at her.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to her. “ I didn’t mean to stare like that; that was rude. You just look… you look lovely.”

  She looked down and smiled and then looked back up at me. “Thank you,” she said shyly.

  We sat quietly for a minute, looking at the menus, as I wracked my brain trying to think of something to say. Before I could, Angelo arrived back at the table to let us know about the specials, including a stuffed branzino that sounded great to me.

  He turned to Kristin to see what she would like.

  “I think I’ll go with the linguine in clam sauce,” she said, offering the menu back to Angelo.

  “Wonderful choice,” he told her. “All our pasta is made in-house, and the clams are very fresh; you will love it. And for you, Mr. Martin?”

  “I’ll have the branzino special, Angelo,” I said as I handed him the menu.

  “Very nice,” Angelo offered. He backed away from the table, leaving us in our awkward silence again.

  “This place is nice,” Kristin remarked, looking around the room.

  “Oh yes,” I answered. “I’ve been coming here for years. Angelo’s is the best place in town.”

  “So you’ve brought a lot of dates here?” Kristin stated as she took a sip of red wine.

  I could feel my face turning red. “Oh, no, that’s not what I meant at all. I just meant…”

  “Relax, Wes,” Kristin said with a giggle. “I’m just teasing you.”

  I tried to laugh a little, and then let out a sigh. “I’m sorry,” I said to Kristin as I took a sip of my martini. “I don’t mean to seem so tense. I… I don’t go out like this very often. It might take me a bit to get into the swing of things.”

  “It’s okay,” Kristin said to me. “I haven’t dated since I got to Chandler, so I’m a bit rusty too. Let’s just try to get to know each other. Tell me a little about yourself.”

  “Well, I’ve lived in Chandler all my life, even if I’m not here much. I grew up here, went to high school here and played baseball here before the Pirates drafted me. I worked my way up through their minor leagues in a few years and then played with them ever since, up until a few days ago, that is.”

  “I heard about that,” Kristin said. “I’m sorry. It must be hard after being with them for so long.”

  “It is hard,” I said to her honestly. “It hurt when they told me, but I guess it was time for both of us to move on to something else.”

  We s
at for another quiet moment before Kristin stated, “Your daughter seems very nice.”

  “Thank you,” I offered. “Though you can actually thank my parents for most of that. They have pretty much raised her since… well since my divorce. They stepped in and took care of Izzy when I wasn’t here. She has turned into a wonderful young lady.”

  “It must be difficult,” Kristin said as she took another sip of wine, “Raising a child on your own with the kind of work you do.”