Sundays are for doubleheaders.
After church, Harper and I practiced grounders and pop-ups in the parking lot down the street. I grabbed my first mitt, a 6-inch Wilson, to use just for fun until I noticed a lace in the webbing was busted. I ended up using Dad’s softball glove that I’m pretty sure is older than I am. It never felt comfortable. First responsibility of Monday is getting my glove re-laced.
I took a Sunday afternoon drive through the countryside to go play catch with Riley. Listening to the MSU Bears complete the weekend sweep, the light sprinkles didn’t really concern me as much as the predicted forecast of heavy downpours for the rest of the week. Over the hills and through the woods, past the alpacas and dormant fields, I quit counting the number of barns I saw as well as the variety of roadkill on the road.
I pulled up into the driveway after a lengthy gravel drive and was greeted by Buddy and Pi. They stared into the driver’s side window and wagged their tails while I grabbed glove and camera and notebook.
Riley is a huge fan of his Special Olympics teams. He’s a three-sport athlete: basketball, baseball, and track.
His favorite movie is the new Jumanji and he enjoys the musical stylings of the Glee songs. His favorite subjects at school are math and science and he does have a girlfriend, Gracie, who he’s known most of his life.
According to Riley, he only annoys his sister, “Sometimes.”
“All the time,” Gavynn says.
Wearing a camouflage jacket to stay warm in the sharp winds, we walked out front and immediately Riley put his game face on.
“I’m a pitcher,” he said, going into the stretch. Closing his eyes in concentration, he set his hands at his chest, then delivered a strike. With mom and dad watching, Riley and I settled into a solid rhythm of pitch and catch. On a couple of occasions, he stared hard, waiting for me to give him a sign.
Fastballs all day long. Riley smiled and kept pumping strikes.
Riley said he enjoyed playing catch and gave me a handshake and high five before I took my second Sunday drive of the day.
Only four more days until Opening Day!
