My time in the Midwest is coming to an end soon. I will be leaving on Saturday for an unknown period of time and make an appearance at home. According to dad and Tink, everything is great..nothing is wrong...flowers and plants are alive and thriving...no worries. OK, so I will walk into a home that was the same way as when I left a few weeks ago. This should be very interesting.
Since I have been living away from home, I have gotten to know the big kid from a different perspective. He is still the moody, funny, and intelligent teenager that I have always known, but he has been evolving a bit too. He still takes the punches as they come in from the coaches. He had a very very bad outing on Sunday night at midnight when he could not get anyone out. His coach told him last night that he was not going to play until he works out his technique. The question is...how do you work out the technique if you do not pitch? He sits on the bench for hours and hours and then is thrown into a game and is expected without warm up to strike the next three batters out. Further, the pitching coach never played above the high school level, so how does he guide someone who is more advanced than he is? Who knows, but I am now becoming annoyed with this summer and process.
Why? Well, I'll tell you...we moved 8 hours away from home and found an apartment. We wanted a 2 month lease, but they did not offer it, so we have to pay for three months rent. We bought a bed, furniture, television, pots and pans, etc. We left the comfort of home with the promise of a job and plenty of playing action. Since the season started three weeks ago, the job has not come through AND he has pitched 5 innings (maybe).
The goal was plenty of innings if not a start or two. Nothing...this town and team are one big money pit. Before I know it, my wallet is empty. Based on the promises, we would have made the same decision to move here, however, the promises were empty and now we are stuck (we never quit).
So, I am leaving at a time where he could use some support. With the frustrations offered by the team, he is despondent. He has followed through as a team player. The players are mandated to run baseball camps all summer one morning a week (they are not being paid). They have had to show up at autograph signing sessions as team representatives. Further, they take care of the field and mound. They were promised meals after the game and once had a steak sandwich and pizza.
The promise of the summer has melted like an ice cream cone in the hot sun. What do you do? The answer is that you adapt. To that end, Buddy has applied for a job at a local supermarket. It would be great if he could work in the mornings. The benefits would be twofold. First, it would get him out of bed before 1 pm. Second, he could earn some spending money for college. Perhaps there would be fewer "Hi Mom, how are you? I need money in my account....see ya..."
Is everything here bad? Nope...as I sit at the table typing this note, I had a Maltese sighting (Diva dog is a Maltese and I really miss her). One of my slightly obese neighbors was walking his little Maltese in his too-tight, stained undershirt, slippers, and Superman boxers....You definitely do not see this at home. I would have run out to pet the dog, but the guy in the boxers was a bit odd and unaware of his appearance. Did he not think that someone like me would see him? If he doesn't care, then "NASA, we have a problem..."
Some other positives include the awesome library, YMCA, amazing food store across the highway, and simple nature of our lives. We are enjoying each others company and fallen into a rhythm. There are a few things that I would like to change such as the wet towels on the floor and inability to find the trash can. Aside from that, it is a summer that I will never forget....probably the last one with my son living full time under my roof. It is a nice way to say 'see you later'...'good by'...'remember to walk in the light and be true to who you are' and lastly...'lighten up...things always work out for good...'
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