The Fourth Sunrise (5 page)

‘“
You can walk me home, Mr. Murphy. I’ll be right here at 2:00.’ She paused. ‘You might want to do something else. It’s only 10:30. You have three and a half hours before I get off.’

‘“
That’s 210 minutes more I have to get to know you.’

‘“
Pretty quick math,’ Christine laughed.

‘“
Not really. It’s just 60 times 3, plus 30.’

‘“
Your brain was able to just immediately come up with that.’

‘“
I was always good at basic math. Trigonometry was a whole other story.’

“
She said, ‘I never liked math. I’m more of a writer. English and composition were my strong suits in school.’

‘“
I can see that,’ I said.

‘“
How so?’

‘“
You have good communication skills. I can tell you are very smart.’

‘“
Thank you,’ she said shyly. ‘You’re a good guy, Joel.’

‘“
I try,’ I said laughing and trying not to be too conceited.

‘“
It’s refreshing seeing such a handsome man fumble around. It’s actually priceless.’

‘“
Handsome?’

‘“
Oh, stop it, you know you’re handsome. But you’re also a little goofy. I find it endearing.’

“‘
I do get smoother as the night goes on.’

“‘
You’re pretty smooth now, just a couple of minor hiccups.’”

Chapter Four

Present Day – Delta, Colorado - Coffee Shop, 10:00 p.m.

“
Hold on,” Sharee said to me. “Did you really do that for that dad and son?”

“
I sure did, ma’am.”

Sharee nodded her head. I wasn’t sure if she was impressed or if she didn’t believe me.

“I didn’t think about it,” I said. “I just reacted, and thank God, I knocked them all down. I thought about it many times. What if I would have missed? I would have been the jerk who tried to show off but wasn’t able to pull it off.”

“
You were a ‘Triple-A’ catcher.”

“
Okay, I was pretty reliable in those years with my arm.” I laughed.

“
What happened in later years?” Sharee asked.

“
I’ll get more into that later on the story,” I said. “Only if you still want to hear more of the story.”

“
Do I?” Sharee said. “I want to hear every detail until she arrives. Remember, this is right up my alley. I’m a romance writer and this story pulls at my heart strings.”

I looked outside but there was no sign of Christine. My heart sank, but I did enjoy sharing my story with the young lady, so the night wasn’t a total disappointment.

“I like that detail of the story a lot. It tells a lot about the man you are,” Sharee continued to me as if I was a character in her story and not a person.

I smiled and said as honestly as I could, “At the time, I thought I was able to knock the pins because I was invincible. I realized through the years that I got pretty lucky. I’m glad I did. I’m not sure if I would have impressed her as fast as I did if I would have thrown the softball high and missed the pins completely.”

“Do you think it was destiny?”

“
Possibly.”

“
Okay, so now you got her attention. What happened during the three hours that you waited?”

July, 1968 – Delta, Colorado - Deltarado Days, 11:00 p.m.

“Well, the next two hours, I basically helped Christine out. I was the go-to guy to show the others it was possible that the feat could be done. Whenever someone would say, ‘There is no way to beat this game,’ Christine would nod at me, and then I would pick up a ball and shred the pins completely off the table to show the patrons it could be done.

“
It was nearing midnight and I had been able to slip in some conversation here and there, but there was always a large group of people in line. So, I wasn’t able to really dig in and get to know her. Another hour dragged on, but I tried my best to ask her key questions. You know…the important ones. ‘What’s your favorite movie? What is your favorite color?’ And the all-important question, ‘Do you have pets?’

“
Her favorite movie impressed me. It was
From Here to Eternity
. Her favorite color was pink. I liked that. It meant she was pretty feminine to love that color. The pets answer did throw me. Apparently her house was like a farm. She had pigs, goats, chickens, cats, dogs. She practically had a regular zoo at her house.

“‘
Is that something you’re going to want later on?’ I asked, concerned. I liked animals, but her situation was a bit over the top.

“‘
Not at all. Maybe one cat or a dog.’

“‘
Good. I’m a dog guy. I love dogs.’

“
One after another, people paid their quarters to play, but didn’t win. Then something interesting happened. An older man walked up to Christine and he appeared to be the guy in charge of the fair. He was a tall, lanky man with gray hair.

“
He said, ‘Christine, why don’t you call it a night? I got Steve to finish this booth. Why don’t you and your friend enjoy the last hour of the fair?’

“
Christine seemed surprised as if this was different than the normal protocol. I thought the old man’s offer was great. ‘Are you sure, Mr. Banks?’ she asked.

“‘
Definitely, sweetheart. Have some fun,’ Mr. Banks answered.

“
Christine turned to me with a look that melted my heart. With her eyes, she was asking me if I wanted to spend time with her. That alone sent a shiver down my back, that not only would this phenomenal woman ask me for anything, yet desired to spend time with me.

“
I smiled and said, ‘I would love to walk around the fair with you.’

“‘
Christine handed Mr. Banks her money pouch where she had been keeping all the quarters that she had received all night.’

“
She ducked under the center module that separated the patrons from the worker’s stand and stuffed animals. As she stood straight up, she looked at me with just enough vulnerability that allowed me to know she was feeling something for me, too.

“
We were now standing next to one another for the first time. I was a lot taller than her. I was 6’2” and she was probably 5’3”. She was adorable. She seemed so petite next to me. I must have weighed twice as much as her. Her long black hair flowed down the middle of her back. She had a natural beauty that reminded me of what was wonderful about certain women who didn’t need a drop of makeup to look beautiful. She did have on a little eyeliner and a tiny bit of lipstick. But it was almost unnoticeable.

“
I, on the other hand, was still a bumbling idiot! ‘Would you like to eat a soda?’ I said, trying to get the right words out of my mouth. ‘I mean would you like to get a bite to eat or possibly get a soda pop?’

“
She said, ‘Yes, please. I’m starving.’

‘“
Well, what’s good?’ I asked. This was her town after all.

‘“
At the fair? Everything. There’s a strict rule about Deltarado Days—if it can ooze cheese or butter, then it’s fair game for a snack.’

‘
Is there pizza?’ I asked, because butter didn’t seem appetizing, but a cheese pizza with some pepperoni certainly did.

“‘
I’m sure we can find pizza,’ Christine said.

“‘
Then I would love a slice of pizza.’ I stuck my right arm out for her to take hold of it. She smiled at me and was a tad hesitant to be so affectionate, too familiar so fast, but she gave in to it and took my arm and held it with her two hands. It was the first time we touched. Just having her arms around my left biceps made me feel twenty feet tall. We took our time walking around the fair.

“‘
So what does a girl like you do in a town like this?’ I asked, as we made our way to the food row.

“‘
I do a little of everything. I graduated last year from high school. I was working for a hot dog stand, but that got tiresome, so now, I’m basically a community organizer for the city.’

‘“
I graduated in May, also,’ I said.

“‘
And you’re already a pro baseball player?’ Christine asked, impressed.

“‘
They snatched me up quick.’ I spotted a pizza booth.

“‘
You must be pretty good?’

“
I led Christine to the booth that was serving hot pizza, and answered my favorite question: ‘Am I any good? I love baseball and some days, I can hit the tar out of the ball.’

“‘
And the other days?’ Christine asked.

“‘
It’s like trying to hit a BB with a toothpick. The truth was, I thought at the time it would only be a matter of days until I’d be called up to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. I truly believed I was that good. But my bum shoulder had other plans for me. I’m hoping the Dodgers pick me up soon.’

“‘
Wow. The Dodgers. Are you a Dodger fan?’

“‘
It doesn’t matter. They took a chance and signed me. But yes, I’m a die-hard Dodger fan, ever since they came over from Brooklyn. I hate the Yankees, but if they would have signed me, I’d be playing for them.’

“‘
I guess, so much for childhood loyalty,’ Christine laughed.

“‘
I’m a Dodger fan, tried and true. And the fact that Dodger Stadium is only thirty minutes from my parents’ house back in California helps. But if the Yankees or the Cubs would have signed me, I would be all about them.’

“‘
Just because they pay you?’

“
It’s more than that. It’s like you’re taking a chance on each other. They take a chance on signing me and I take a chance of playing for them. Although I’m a huge fan of the Dodgers, I would have signed with the Yankees in a heartbeat if they were interested.’

“‘
They passed me over and the Dodgers grabbed me with the 22
nd
pick in the first round. But if the Yankees would have grabbed me with their 18
th
pick, I’d be playing in the footsteps of the great Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. No one says no to playing for the pinstripes. It’s baseball royalty.’

“
Christine stared at me while we waited in line for our pizza. ‘I never met anyone like you,’ Christine said. ‘I envy someone who can just be what they want to be.’

“‘
What do you want to be?’ I asked inquisitively.

“‘
Well, right now I’m a jack of all trades and a master of
absolutely nothing
.’

“
I highly doubt that that you’re a master of
absolutely nothing?
You could master whatever you want.’

“‘
How do you know that?’

“‘
I see strength in you. I see a woman who can be whatever she wants to be.’ Christine’s eyes sparkled as the words left my lips. It took me by surprise and made me excited and incredibly nervous at the same moment. This woman did something to me that no woman had ever done before. I awkwardly smiled and then took a moment to catch my breath. Then I continued the conversation at hand. ‘If you could be whatever you wanted to be, what would you want to do?’

“‘
The thing is what I like most is helping people. I would love to be a nurse or possibly a doctor.’

“‘
A doctor. That’s an impressive goal. I think what you’re a master of is
your
goals. Don’t sell yourself short. Goals are how we see our world. I was just lucky to get a chance early on. Your goal requires a lot more years of training. Frankly, I admire what you want to do a hell of a lot more than I admire what I do. I get to hit a ball and call some pitches for a living. You are choosing to save lives.’

“
Christine smiled at me. ‘You’re an old soul.’

“‘
How so?’ I asked, trying to wrap my mind around what she meant.

“‘
You see things most boys our age couldn’t even begin to comprehend. You take the time to see the world. I like that a lot.’

“‘
I’m just letting you know that you’re still in the caterpillar phase. You’ll be a butterfly soon enough. Heck, I’m still not a butterfly yet.’

“‘
Yet? You already know, when will that be?’

“‘
Yup, when I put on the Dodger blue.’

“‘
I know you’re athletic and talented, and I have no doubts you’ll make it, but, let’s say something happened?’