Swing by Philip Beard

Author:Philip Beard [Beard, Philip]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Pittsburgh, Pirates, handicapped, disabilities, heroes, baseball, veterans
Publisher: Philip Beard
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

9

At dismissal, we burst from the building as if there had been a loss of cabin pressure. Nellie Briles had been doing an unlikely but pretty fair Steve Blass imitation for four innings, and we rushed to the buses in the hopes that our own energy might inspire our drivers to whisk us quickly home, as if the lumbering pace of the bright yellow beasts was a daily choice they could unmake for us, just this once. Ruthie had her transistor radio for the ride home, and the only voice that could be heard over the chuffing of the bus engine the whole way home was The Gunner’s.

When Ruthie and I bolted into the living room, Sam was sitting on the couch with a boy I’d never seen before. He was smiling at her with red, sleepy eyes and only looked away for an instant when we appeared. The stereo was blaring and the television was off.

“What about the game?!” I yelled over the music.

Sam swung the leg that had been over the new guy’s knee back to her side of the cushion. “Mom’s watching it over at The Missing Link’s house. He closed the office early.”

I turned the stereo down. “No. I mean here.”

“We’re not into it.” It was the new guy talking but he was still looking at Sam.

“Stop staring, Gino. You’re creeping me out,” she said to him. “We’re not into it,” she said to us.

“Does Mom know you have a boyfriend here?” I ventured.

“Gino’s not my boyfriend.”

“I’m not?”

“No.”

“Then go up to your room and let us have the couch,” I said. “We won’t tell.”

“Yeah,” Ruthie chimed in.

“We’re listening to music.”

“We could go up to your room,” Gino said. “I’m cool with that.”

“Yeah, you wish.”

I grabbed Ruthie’s hand and pulled her out of the living room and toward the front door.

“Wherever it is, do your homework!” Sam called.

Gino thought that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard, and he was still laughing as I pulled the door closed behind us.

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