Chapter 13
Joe stood to the left of the home plate, bat in hand and ready, his eyes pinned on McGregor.
“Slugger, I got to go,” Joe said as he stood with his bat.
“Don’t hurry on my account,” Slugger said as he sat on his haunches behind the plate.
“It’s been a pleasure, but I’m going to have to move on.”
“McGregor’s gonna get you this time.”
“Not in a million years,” Joe said.
As the pitcher launched the ball at him, as expected it was a curveball, but Joe’s accuracy was impeccable, he hit a fly ball at deep center field, another home run. The deafening outburst of cheers shook the stadium as Joe jogged his way around the bases. But for the first time in his career he didn’t feel even close as excited as he usually did. It was as if the game itself no longer had the appeal it had before. His life was suddenly dull, and without cause. Right now he just wanted to get this game over and done with.
When the game finally came to an end, and the team all gathered to head out to the local bar, Joe opted to head on home.
“You leavin already?” his teammate Johnson asked.
“Yeah, I’m gonna head on home, I’m bushed,” he said dragging his hands through his spiked hair.
“You’re blue man!”
“Maybe, anyway, good game.”
He patted Johnson on the back, slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out. He didn’t feel like company at all, he just wanted to get home and wallow in whatever pity it was that consumed him.
On his way out, he passed a few spectators who were eager to get his autograph so he stopped and signed a few. But when a little boy with black hair and brown eyes stood in front of him he sucked in a breath. The kid looked so much like Jacob that Joe had to take a second look. He was slowly losing his mind.
Every day he wakes up half expecting to have Jacob launch himself onto his bed, and every day he didn’t get to see him he fell more and more into a deep dark hole. Not only did he miss Jacob, he missed Lucy. Regardless of the fact that she felt the need to keep the truth from him for so many years, he knew she only did it because of his callous pretense about kids all those years ago.
It was slowly starting to become very apparent that he needed them both in his life, but at what cost? Was this simply his guilt causing him to feel that he needed to be there with them, supporting them? Or was this it, that moment in life when you realize that you’ve missed the plot all along, and the people that should have mattered most, were the ones you left behind.
He cracked open a Red Bull and flopped down on his sofa, flicking aimlessly through the channels. Eventually he got over it and picked up his phone and scrolled down his contact list. Darla. That’s it; he needed some good old fashion sex to distract him.
“Hey baby,” she cooed huskily on the other end.
“Hey sexy,” he responded and smirked, “Want to head on over to my place?”
“You’re not at the bar?”
“Nope, didn’t feel like it.”
“Be there in ten.”
He had this nagging feeling that he was making a mistake, but he chose to ignore it, and by the time Darla arrived he was ready as ever to numb his mind and his emotions. She flew into his house like devastating whirlwind, and with the door barely closed behind her she pinned him down on the sofa and started to tug at his shirt.
“I have twenty minutes before I have to go, so make it quick.”
What the fuck, he thought as she pulled his shirt off and dragged her long dragon nails over his chest. A few weeks ago, this was exactly what got him going, but now it seemed so superfluous. She was not like Lucy at all, in fact none of the women that ever trampled through this door could be compared to her and suddenly he no longer wanted to go through with it.
He shoved her aside and got up, reached for his shirt and pulled it back on.
“I have to go,” he said blankly and opened the door.
“I can stay longer if that’s what you want, I didn’t mean that I had to go in twenty minutes exactly,” Darla said as she rubbed herself up against him. He took her wrist and tore her from him.
“I’m sorry Darla, I just remembered I had to be somewhere, I’ll give you a call tomorrow okay?”
She sighed and reached for her purse, “Oh well, you have my number.”
She leaned in the kiss him but he turned his cheek instead. I felt sick, how could he even have considered this crap in the first place. As he closed the door behind Darla, he cursed and punched it. He wanted to be with Lucy and Jacob, more than he wanted baseball and one night stands.