9. Ava

The college roommate chat has been going crazy this morning. Brooklyn and Meg are traveling and enjoying life. Meanwhile, my bank account says I can travel to my backyard and enjoy life there. At least I”ll get to go somewhere with the upcoming tournaments, but it would be nice to go on an actual vacation where my biggest responsibility is deciding where to eat.

The fees for each player include enough to take care of my hotel room and a car if we need it. Sometimes I wonder what would”ve happened if I”d followed through on my childhood dream of being a lawyer. I”d have money to travel, but would I have the time?

It”s early and I”ve already got everything set up for our itty bitty clinic for the parks and rec department. It’s for ages three through five and it’s my new favorite group because I never know what’s going to happen.

We”ve been working on baseball for the past two sessions, and while I had to change out a few drills to keep their attention, it”s going well for my first time holding this clinic.

”I”m so glad you”re doing this,” one mom says as she comes up to get a T-shirt we give out to all the kids when they come. Her boy missed the first two classes. ”My little one is so active and just needs an outlet like this.”

She points to the boy, who”s chewing on his tiny mitt while running around a group of kids.

”Yeah, hopefully it helps,” I say, trying to be kind.

”Can I just drop him off and come back later?” the woman asks.

I hold up a hand, alarm bells going off in my brain. ”Yes, but the class is only forty-five minutes long. That time goes by quickly.”

The woman waves her hand and says, ”I”ll be right around the corner. Good luck.”

As I turn back to look at the group, I can see that it”s going to be a high-energy day on all fronts.

Mitt boy trips another kid running by and then laughs about it. Breathing in, I try to do the best I can at keeping my cool.

I finally get the kids divided into groups for the drills. The teenagers who are supposed to be helping me are on their phones or are using this as their own personal chance to do the drills, even though the tee is set almost for their ankles.

”Chance and Aaron, focus. One of your kids is running across the field over there.”

Aaron sees the little girl and takes off to grab her before she hits the sidewalk next to the parking lot.

Surprisingly, things settle down from there and the drills go well. The kids get excited when they can go through the little water obstacle course we”ve set up in the far corner of the field.

As the class finishes and the parents pick up their children, I”m left with two whose parents haven”t shown up. Mitt boy and a little boy who”s been excited about every aspect of the sport.

”Will you two help me clean up the balls?” I ask, waving for them to follow me.

The one little boy walks next to me, gathering as many balls as will fit in his arms. Mitt boy has his finger stuck up his nose.

”I like boogers,” he says, taking his finger out and sticking it into his mouth.

I turn away and gag.

”Maybe you should go sit over there and wait for your mom,” I say, cringing at the thought of his booger and saliva covered hands touching any of the balls and equipment I”ll have to use for another group. I don’t have time to disinfect everything. I barely have enough time to go get myself some lunch.

”Sawyer!” someone calls. I turn to see it”s a dad who”s just pulled into the parking lot. The child helping me dumps all the balls on the ground and runs over.

”Dad! Dad! I got a home run in our game.”

That makes me smile. I love when they get so excited about the littlest things.

Sawyer”s dad takes him with a wave and I”m still left with the mitt chewer. I reset the drills and make sure everything is ready to go.

”So Stu, what”s your favorite thing to do?” I ask, taking a seat next to him. ”Aside from eating boogers.”

”I put gum in my sister”s hair the other day. There was a lot of screaming after that.”

Nodding, I say, ”I can imagine. How about we walk over to the building and call your mom?”

I”m hoping there”s a phone number for her or else I”ve been duped into babysitting. I could probably put a call into the police department, but I don”t need to start trouble. It”s best to just try to get hold of the mom before my brain spins with the possibilities.

Stu picks up the gravel that leads to the building and throws them at my legs as he walks a step or two behind me. It takes everything in me to keep calm.

I open the door to the rec center and say, ”Okay, let”s leave the rocks out here.”

”I”m thirsty,” Stu says.

I help him get a drink from the water fountain before I walk into the office area, looking for my sheet of parent info for the morning class.

”Who”s your shadow?” Brenda, the receptionist, asks.

”His mom forgot to pick him up. I”m just trying to get her phone number and see if she’s close.”

”Poor kid,” a deeper voice says, and I turn my head to see Charlie there.

“Showing up at my work? This is getting seriously creepy,” I say, folding my arms across my chest.

Charlie raises his hands in surrender and says, “I didn’t realize this is where you still work, I promise.”

Brenda is practically fanning herself while trying to speak to him, so I go back to checking the sheet. As I dial the phone number to Stu’s mom, I try to overhear why he”s here.

”I”d like to get a membership to the gym.”

I frown, trying to keep from laughing at his request. I”m pretty sure this guy gave a healthy chunk of change to our lacrosse program. That should mean he can afford a gym in his own house, right? Because even just one piece of equipment that works is better than what”s in the little gym in this building.

The last time I was in there, it felt like that part in the Lord of the Rings where the main character was basically wrapped up in the web from a giant spider.

Boogers and spiders. Not my normal thinking pattern, but that’s how today is going.

”Hello?” a voice says on the other line of my phone.

”Hi. Susan? This is Ava with the Oakhaven Parks Department. I have Stu here waiting to be picked up.”

”I”m still about ten minutes out. Can he stay there?”

”I can wait ten minutes, but then I”ve got to run to lunch before the afternoon class.”

Instead of words, the lady hangs up. I”m not sure what to make of it.

Charlie is filling out the paper to sign up for the gym while Brenda is on the phone with someone.

”Are you sure you don”t want to join a gym somewhere else?” I’m not sure if I’m just taking pity on him or if I don’t want him to be this close to my job regularly.

Charlie looks confused. ”What do you mean?”

I glance at Brenda to make sure she isn”t listening to this conversation. She and her husband were the ones who came up with the idea of a gym in the rec building and ended up donating several of their old pieces of equipment.

I lean closer, surprised at how good this guy smells again. And here I am just an ad for sunscreen and grass.

”Have you actually seen inside the gym? Most of it is falling apart.”

Charlie stops filling out the paper and says, ”Maybe we should take a look.”

I”m not sure what he means by we. I”ve got a four-year-old to monitor. And he”s got his finger up his nose again. Yuck.

”Down the hall to the right. I think the lock is broken, so you can get right in.”

He disappears just as Brenda ends her phone call. ”Where did he go?”

”To look at the gym.”

Brenda looks distraught. ”Why did you let him do that before I ran his card?”

”Some people need to know what they”re getting into before they commit.”

I hurry and lead Stu back outside, hoping his mom will be outside already. She”s not.

We take a seat on the bench facing the road and the parking lot.

”So, do you live far from here?” I ask the little boy. Not that he”ll know how to answer that.

”It takes forever to get here.”

Great. My stomach growls and I”m wishing I”d packed a lunch today instead of assuming I”d be able to go out and get something. It’s a splurge, but I’m kind of burned out on peanut butter and jam or turkey sandwiches.

”What are you two doing out here?” Charlie says, taking a seat on the other side of Stu.

”My mom is late,” Stu says.

Charlie looks over at me. ”I didn”t realize you still work at the parks department.”

I nod and turn to look at a car coming our way. Instead of pulling into the parking lot, it continues on the road.

”They gave me my job again when I moved back.” Nothing like feeling I haven”t grown up in the last ten years.

”That’s cool. You’ve always been great with kids.” Charlie asks. His cheeks color a bit, but I’m not sure why.

”I don’t know. One of my old roommates works at a summer camp. She’s got to be a saint for that.” Sadie is working at a camp north of my small town, but they don’t get to leave very often. Part of me wonders if that”s the route I should”ve gone. Then again, I”d have to put up with the crazy kids for weeks on end instead of a couple of hours per week.

I don”t know why I”ve divulged all this information, but it’s nice to talk to someone closer to my age.

Stu”s mom finally arrives and I don”t think I”ve ever been so grateful for an interruption.

”I”m so sorry. I got going on things and didn”t look at the time. Let”s go, Stu.” She waves for him to get into the vehicle, but he doesn”t move.

“I can understand that. But in the future, I’d advise you to stay at the park. This is just a short clinic for the kids to learn skills. We aren’t a babysitting service.” It’s the best I can do without raising my voice.

Susan looks like I just slapped her. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. I had some errands to run.”

Nodding, I say, “I get that, but next time he isn’t picked up on time, we’ll have to call the police or social services.”

The woman is furious and waves her son over again.

”Do you want me to walk over with you, Stu?” I ask. He”s been stuck to my side since all the kids left, so maybe that will help him.

”No!” he yells.

”We”ve got to go home and get lunch,” the woman says. As if on cue, my stomach growls.

Stu slides back against the bench and folds his arms, giving all of us a scowl.

”I have to go help another group of kids soon. If you go home now, you”ll be able to come back for the next practice.” I”m pleading at this point, doing my best to avoid eye contact with Charlie. I”m not sure what it is about that guy, but he makes me feel uncomfortable. Not in a creepy way where I”m going to wake up to him staring in my window, but he asks questions that go way too deep for someone I don”t know that well. It took me months to open up to my roommates.

And yet he’s been so different, aside from the pickleball incident. Maybe he’s just great at covering up his true personality? Or what if this is the real him?

The mom finally comes and kneels down in front of Stu, trying to bribe him with everything under the sun.

Part of me wants to yell at her to pick him up and carry him football style back to her car. But with how stubborn he”s been during our classes, I”m sure that wouldn”t go well.

I give the two of them a small smile and say, ”I have to go prep for the kids that are getting here now. I”ll see you next time, Stu.”

I stand up and have only taken a couple of steps away when the boy latches onto my leg, making me slow to a shuffle.

”Stay.”

”I can”t, buddy. I”ve got to help other boys and girls.”

”Look at this,” Charlie says. I turn to look at him and see he”s holding out a dollar bill.

If he”s going to bribe this kid with money, I”m silently praying it works.

”I”ll give you this dollar if you can find it,” Charlie says. With a flick of his hand, the dollar bill is gone. The tension around my ankle eases up and Stu is lunging for Charlie”s arm. I should probably stay and make sure Stu goes with his mom, but I”m free and I need to get out of here before I”m pinned down again.

I jog over to the field and hide behind a post for a moment, checking to see if Stu follows. He”s not there, which means Charlie is his new victim, or his mom finally wrangled him.

Kids arrive at the field and I go through the same stations as this morning, only this time my teenage helpers are a little more attentive.

By the time the end of class rolls around, my stomach is growling and pretty much crying at the lack of food I”ve given it. I don’t do well skipping meals.

With everything cleaned up and put into the equipment room, I walk in to write up the game plan for the next clinic. I usually keep things from other clinics, but since this is the first time we’ve done this one, I still have some things to work through.

”Oh, I was supposed to give you this,” Brenda says with a big grin. She hands me a white paper bag, which can only mean that it’s from my favorite Chinese place here in town.

”Who bought this?” I ask, opening the bag and breathing in the sweet and sour chicken with a side of broccoli and rice. ”Thank you. Did the boss buy everyone lunch today?”

That only happened once upon a time, like five years ago.

Brenda”s grin looks almost like a clown, ?and she shakes her head. ”Charlie bought it for you.”

I frown, looking from the bag to Brenda and then to the door, like there was some random detail I”d be able to pick up in the process that would make it all make sense.

”Why would Charlie do that? And how did he know what I”d like?” My stomach should not be flip-flopping right now. Sure, this is the first time a guy has ever brought me food before, but there’s no way he could know what I like, right? Then again, my palate hasn’t changed much over the years. It’s possible he remembers from way back then, but that’s hard to believe.

”Oh, there”s this note too.”

In an all-caps handwriting that is definitely not the swoops and hoops Brenda usually makes, it says:

Thought you could use a pick me up. Hopefully this gets you through the day.

And I think I”ve just melted a little inside. I”ll give myself a few minutes to revel in this and then move on, knowing I can”t date or get serious with him. Guys with more money than I make in ten years at this job will move on right as I fall for them.

But I could really get used to this kind of attention.

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