Finding Ti Ming & Tem Po by Mark Button

Author:Mark Button [Button, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781468501483
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Published: 2012-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

Part III

Judgment

Chapter 23

Front Row

Rodney Aransas had collected knick-knacks for more than 50 years. Inside his modest, one-bedroom home on Washington Street, he had several cabinets of treasures he’d found over the years. Wooden nickels, glass dolphins, ceramic dogs, and plastic sports figures like Michael Jordan and Mickey Mantle, candlestick holders, ashtrays, you name it.

If Rodney saw something he liked, he usually bought it. He didn’t like to call it his hobby, but it was. He didn’t have many other past times, other than reading the daily sports page and watching the evening news.

The rest of the time, Rodney kept his keepsakes dust-free, always keeping his eye out for a new diamond in the rough. He especially liked sports figures. He’d always loved sports. In his younger days, Rodney was a decent athlete. He played baseball in high school and took up tennis and golf later.

After college and a short stint in the army, he stopped playing golf. He liked the game, but his lifelong friend, Garran, preferred tennis. Throughout the years, Rodney found himself playing more tennis than golf. When Garran passed away, Rodney stopped playing tennis, too.

He lived in a tiny Pennsylvania town called Gap, which was little more than a glorified rest stop off the highway. At age 73, Rodney kept in shape by trying to walk at least five miles, three days a week.

Though not a recluse, Rodney had few friends. He never married and had lost track of his family over the years. Rodney was sociable with his neighbors, especially Tommy Houser, who lived next door.

Rodney saw a lot of himself in Tommy, a talented young golfer. Tommy was one of the best in the country as a college freshman, but some friends talked him into turning professional when he was just 19 years old. Tommy had the talent, but he lacked the maturity. It was almost like he lost his swing right after he turned pro. He missed several cuts, got frustrated and stopped playing.

He didn’t leave the game completely, though. Tommy worked at a lighted driving range two towns over. He didn’t see Rodney often, but he liked the old man. What Rodney didn’t know was that Tommy had been stealing money from the driving range’s cash register—a little at a time—for months. Not exactly grand larceny, but Rodney would not approve.

Tommy had so much promise, but his life was headed in the wrong direction.

Rodney and Tommy saw each other in their front lawns a couple times a week. They took time to chat and genuinely formed a friendship. Every once in a while, when Tommy was in a good mood, he would ask Rodney about his younger days as an athlete. Rodney’s face would light up, and he’d entertain Tommy for as long as Tommy would allow about marathon tennis matches against Garran, or how Rodney won MVP honors at the state high school baseball tournament back in 1953.

Tommy didn’t have many friends, either. The “friends” who talked him into turning pro were all still in college.

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