Drew, also known as The General, joined the twilight game of catch with me and John and Kristin. Sophie tossed the ball a couple of times until she was distracted by the cat. John, the brother of Jeff from Day #24, is a football coach — I’m hoping to watch the Superbowl with him — and fantastic storyteller. Kristin is a hairstylist and sings in the worship band at church. I learned recently that they are both featured in Josh’s (Day #16) barbecue rap video.
I was given my first real glove, a Wilson Mike Flanagan autographed model, when I was Drew’s age. This was the glove I used when I first learned to play catch. Dad and I would toss the ball in the backyard or across the street in the church parking lot or on a dirt ball field that is no longer in existence. I don’t know how many times our games lasted well past the twilight hours. Dad stressed the importance of using two hands to catch the ball.
During this twilight game, I worked with Drew just like Dad used to work with me, watching the ball all the way into the glove, securing it with the bare hand. When we caught the ball, Drew smiled big, even giving me a high five when we got back to the house. He told me he’d like to play catch again in the future.
After dinner, I caught Drew reading Max Brooks’ book Minecraft: The Island. I have exactly one Max Brooks story, about the time he called me when I worked at Ozarks Literacy Council and donated an autographed copy of The Zombie Survival Guide to auction off. I told Drew my story and think he was much more impressed with my Max Brooks connection than my catch-playing prowess.
