16. Blake
Blake
I t took Mina a couple of weeks to calm down and get over her excitement after seeing the big reveal at the COTA raceway, which is why I’m perplexed by the level of exuberance she’s expressing as she runs toward me at full tilt. “Step on the brakes!” I shout before she crashes into me.
Huffing and puffing, she tries to catch her breath as she continues to bounce on her toes. “I just overheard Louise talking with Ryder about how Play It Forward plans to spend the five-million-dollar donation! We’re getting a karting track! Wahoo! ”
I smile to hide my grimace. My father may not have tied any strings to me, but he did tie a few to the donation and how it was used. Thankfully, the cost to build a track is less than 20 percent of the total annual amount. I’d be more upset about it, but I’m aware that most donations from large corporations come with stipulations related to the sport they support or sponsor.
“Yes, that was one of the conditions for how the money should be used. Over the course of the next two decades, at least one track needs to be built each year at a Play It Forward location. The rest of the funds are to be used as the organization sees fit.”
“It’s so exciting! I’ll get to practice all the time! You’re going to drive with me, right?” she asks.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Mina. Now go and enjoy the event. It only happens once a year.”
Attendance can hit upwards of a thousand people because it’s a family event and open to the local community. However, we have nearly five times that number since word got out that Joelle Summers would be here and singing a few songs from her latest tour. I missed her concert in Houston this Saturday, not only because the tickets were sold out, but because I was going head-to-head with Ryder and Teague in Portland two days ago. None of us won the race, but the three of us placed well. I’ve continued to drive under the name Reggie Buchanon, but next year I'll be racing under my own name now that the word is out.
I meander around the event and search for Ryder, only to find that he and Trevor have been roped into manning the cotton-candy booth. There’s a long line, so I simply wave and blow Ryder a kiss. Trevor puts his hand in front of Ryder’s face and pretends to catch it, placing it on his own cheek instead. As Trevor winks at me with a sly smile, Ryder bops him over the head with one of the cardboard funnels, causing them both to laugh. For someone who didn’t think they’d be good with kids, Ryder has shown that he’s not only big brother material, but father material as well.
My next stop is the cornhole station, where Ace and Elise are teaching the art of throwing the bags. I always thought you kind of lobbed them, but depending on the situation, that’s not the case. There’s a finesse and art to it that takes plenty of practice, but it’s a game that anyone can do.
When Elise notices me standing nearby, she hurries over. “This is such a wonderful organization!” she exclaims. “We didn’t have anything quite like this in Baggersville, but we had people who mentored us using acts of service as a guide. We built cornhole boards to raise funds for our community. Our program isn’t in every state like yours, but we’re getting there.”
Wanting to learn more about Cornhole for a Cause than the few snippets I’d heard, I did a little more online digging. The town of Baggersville has become a well-known hotspot for charitable causes. The money raised helps kids attend college or trade schools, supports small business owners with grants, provides assistance to families in times of need, and so much more.
“Your organization is equally as wonderful,” I say as a child in a wheelchair rolls up to one of the cornhole lanes.
Elise grins when the kid asks Ace, “Can I play? There aren’t many sports for people like me.”
Ace hands him one of the bags. “There are plenty of sports you can do. A wheelchair doesn’t have to stop you. I’m Ace. What’s your name?”
“Benji.”
Ace lifts up his pant leg to show a prosthetic limb. “If I can do it, so can you. Let me see what you got!”
I glance over at Elise with wide eyes, having no idea that Ace was an amputee. Ryder never mentioned it to me. She answers my unspoken question. “He was wounded in the Army. It’s been an ongoing journey, but he’s finally healing.”
She doesn’t need to say more. I get the picture. Not all wounds are visible. Changing the subject, I ask the burning question in my mind. “Ryder once mentioned getting pulled over with you in his car. Were you two ever….”
“Together?” she says, finishing my sentence. “Not really. I was trying to get over Ace because he was being a stubborn fool. Mabel enlisted Ryder’s help to prompt Ace to step up, and it worked. Ace has been the only one for me. Believe it or not, Ryder is a romantic at heart and wanted to see me get my happy ending with the love of my life. He only played his role. You, on the other hand, are the real deal for him, Blake. The hollowness in his eyes has disappeared since you came into his life.”
I clear my throat. “I’m head over heels for Ryder.”
Elise laughs. “Dare I say that you love him? I’ve seen the way the two of you look at each other. I think you bring out the best in him.”
“He brings out the best in me.” Being with Ryder has given me the courage to stop hiding and stand up for myself.
Still grinning with a ten-mile smile, Elise says, “You bring out the best in each other, and that’s the way it should be.”
I play a few rounds with Elise and learn a few techniques to up my game, but I eventually say my goodbyes when Louise gets up on stage to make her announcement.
“Thank you all for attending the Play It Forward’s annual event! Yeehaw!” Louise pumps her arms up and down to excite the crowd. They whoop and holler their enthusiastic response.
“We’d like to thank all of the donors and volunteers who have helped make this event happen. Without your support, we’d still be playing dodgeball in a high school gymnasium! We’d also like to thank the kids for being such good sports !”
I chuckle at Louise’s pun. Comedy has never been her strong suit, but bless her heart; she tries.
As Louise rattles off a list of mentors in attendance and the sports they play, Ryder sidles up next to me. “I thought Milo would be here.”
“He is. I last saw him in the kitchen with the Biddies arguing over who makes the best chocolate chip cookies. I’ve had Mabel’s chocolates and sampled Lettie’s brownies, but Milo’s cookies are perfection. He could be there a while if the Biddies have decided to hold him hostage to get his secret recipe.”
“But he’s missing all the fun,” Ryder says.
“Milo hasn’t missed anything other than a lesson on how to color coordinate.” Milo has a style and charisma that’s all his own.
“That’s because I’m colorblind,” Milo says, popping his head between us and scaring the beejeezus out of me. With flower-decorated potholders covering his hands, he holds up a tray. “Cookie?”
I hold a hand over my heart and take a moment to let it return to its normal rhythm. “Milo, you scared me!”
“Apologies. I should have used my whistle to announce my arrival. I keep one in my ab-pack because one never knows when you might need to use one,” he retorts.
Ryder glances down at Milo’s ab-pack, formerly known as a “fanny pack.” “What do you keep in there?”
“Oh, a little of this and a little of that. Wanna see?” he asks. Without waiting for an answer, he hands the tray to Ryder, who braces himself to take the hot pan. Milo then gives me his potholders. Luckily, the cookie tray has cooled enough that Ryder doesn’t get burned.
Milo unzips his pack, removes a sanitary wipe, and then opens the package. As he wipes his hands, he says, “Cleanliness is next to godliness. Want one? I have plenty.”
I shake my head, but he doesn’t notice as he gives me one anyway and then rummages around in his pack. “Let’s see, I’ve got my handy-dandy pocket-sized Sun-Tzu’s Art of War because one never knows when they’ll need to strategize and battle zombies during an apocalypse. More importantly, I have breath mints and toothpicks for post-meal hygiene, and a roll of quarters for laundry and vending machines. You know what they say, “Always have clean undies and a full belly.”
Ryder snickers. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that.”
Milo looks up with raised eyebrows. “Well, they should. It’s good advice. Did I ever tell you about the time that I….”
A voice yelling in the distance interrupts Milo before he can share the story. “Milo! The Kettle Corn machine stopped working!”
Milo removes a screwdriver from his pack and waves it in the air. “I’ll pop on over and be there in a Jiffy ! Did you know that popcorn is the official snack of Illinois?”
Left holding the tray, Ryder takes one of the cookies and bites into it. His eyes roll back in his head as he savors the gooey treat. “Don’t tell the Biddies, but this really is the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever tasted.”
“Don’t tell the Biddies, what?” Mabel asks, standing behind him with folded arms and a tapping foot. Lettie and Alma are right beside her, both waiting for Ryder to dig himself out of the hole he’s in.
Ryder’s scared expression and pleading eyes prompt me to step in and save him. “Milo’s chocolate chip cookies might be the best he’s ever had, but they don’t compare to Lettie’s brownies or your homemade peppermint bark, Mabel.”
Ryder mouths, “Nice save. Thank you.”
“You owe me one,” I whisper in his ear before handing him the wet-nap and potholders. I escort the Biddies toward the stage where Louise is still monologuing, giving Ryder the time to disseminate the cookies. He’ll probably end up stowing them somewhere safe and take them home to keep for himself.
Louise claps her hands. “And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, let’s welcome pop-star sensation, Joelle Summers!”
Connie Jo comes out on stage wearing a Play It Forward T-shirt and ballcap to show her support for our cause. Merdy is off to the side, recording the crowd’s cheers and screams. She’s been interviewing mentors and mentees about the program all afternoon, and I can’t wait to see what she does with it on her YouTube channel.
“When I learned about Play It Forward, I knew that this organization was something special,” Connie Jo says as she adjusts her guitar and leans into the microphone. “So much so, I wrote a special song just for all of you! Let’s rock the house and get this party started!”
The gaggle of people surrounding the stage raise their hands up in the air, the teenagers pulling out their phones as Connie Jo strums the first chord and opens her mouth to sing.
A spark begins when someone cares, When time is given, when hope is shared. It only takes a steady guide, To walk with pride and head held high.
Through every challenge, with every play, Courage is found day by day. Learning to lead, to fall then rise, Finding the strength to reach the skies. Let’s Play It Forward — teach and inspire, Fuel the flame and ignite the fire.
On every field, in every place, Lessons unfold at a steady pace. With guidance close and goals in view, Each step reveals what we can do.
A spark ignites with one kind act, A guiding hand to stay on track. In every challenge, there’s room to grow, A journey begins with each new throw.
Through every challenge, with every play, Courage is found day by day. Learning to lead, to fall then rise, Finding the strength to reach the skies. Let’s Play It Forward — teach and inspire, Fuel the flame and ignite the fire.
Every moment leaves a trace, Shaping lives through grit and grace. With every action, change begins, Turning small starts into lasting wins.
Milo walks up on stage the moment the song finishes, clapping his hands and giving everyone a toothy grin. He tries to hug Connie Jo, but with her guitar in the way, he ends up patting her shoulder and blushing. Turning and speaking into the mic, he chuckles, “Let’s Play it Forward, baby! We’re changing lives, one awkward hug at a time!”