Stranger in Right Field by Matt Christopher & Bert Dodson

Author:Matt Christopher & Bert Dodson [CHRISTOPHER, MATTHEW F]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780316094931
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2009-12-19T05:00:00+00:00

Roberti grinned at Alfie. “How did I do?”

“That was just right,” Alfie said. “You catch on quickly.” Almost too quickly, he added worriedly to himself. And what an arm!

7

The next morning, Alfie woke up to the sound of rain pounding on the window. He knew practice would be cancelled, so he rolled out of bed and padded downstairs in his pajamas. He was just finishing a bowl of cereal when the phone rang. His mother picked it up, then called out that it was for him.

“Hello?”

“Alfie! I hope I am not calling you too early in the morning?” It was Roberti.

Alfie told him he wasn’t.

“Oh,” said Roberti. “I was thinking to myself, do you know how to swim?”

“Swim?” Alfie echoed. “Yeah, I know how to swim.”

“Good!” Roberti said happily. “Then would you like to go swimming with me today?”

“But it’s raining!”

“There is a place we can go where we will not get wet.”

Alfie started to laugh. “Okay, but it’s going to be pretty tough to stay dry while we’re swimming!”

Roberti laughed, too. Alfie ran to ask his mother if it was okay for him to go.

“Let me talk to Roberti’s guardian,” she said. Alfie relayed the message to Roberti.

A moment later, Mrs. Maples was talking with someone on the other line. Alfie hung around, waiting for her to finish. Suddenly Mrs. Maples glanced at him, then turned around in her chair and continued speaking in a low voice.

Alfie thought that was strange, but forgot all about it when Mrs. Maples called out that Roberti would be by in fifteen minutes to pick him up.

Alfie raced up the stairs to find his suit and a towel. He packed both into his knapsack, then changed into shorts, a T-shirt, and a sweatshirt before going back downstairs carrying the pack.

As he passed the living room door, he paused, then went in. He pulled a few geography magazines from his pile to take with him. Maybe I can ask Roberti if he’s from one of these places, he thought.

A little later, the doorbell rang. “Mom, Roberti’s here! I’m leaving now!” Alfie called.

“Well, hold on one second. I’d like to meet your new friend.” She came around the corner just as Alfie opened the door for Roberti.

“My goodness!” Mrs. Maples exclaimed. For a moment, Alfie didn’t know what was wrong. Then he realized that Roberti had been driven over in the limousine. It idled at the curb.

“Mom, this is Roberti. Roberti, this is my mom. Can we go now?”

Roberti smiled at Mrs. Maples and held out his hand. “It is very nice to meet Alfie’s mother,” he said. “My guardian said you had a nice talk earlier. Are you ready to go swimming, Alfie?”

His mother nodded that it was okay for him to go. Alfie thought he heard her mumble something about “a car big enough to swim in” just as the front door closed.

Awed, Alfie sat down in the huge backseat of the limo. Roberti flopped next to him and pointed to the magazines Alfie held tightly.

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