She Swings Her Own Bat

She Swings Her Own Bat
My life revolved around baseball for over twenty years. As a kid growing up in western Indiana I couldn’t wait for the spring thaw so I could get outside and play with my friends. I would spend hours working on my swing mechanics, fielding techniques, and just passing the ball with my older brothers. In my early teens the religious training I had been doing for years started to pay off as I became a stand out player in high school and earned a full scholarship to college.
I found the transition to collegiate baseball a little difficult at first but by the end of my freshman year I was starting to get my mojo back. Over the course of my college career the team really began to gel with our coach and my junior year we perservered and won the College World Series. I was suddenly faced with a difficult decision. Would I return to college for my senior year or choose to enter into professional baseball? I struggled with the decision but my parents were adament about me finishing school and earning my degree. In the end I decided to stay and although we did not make it to the World Series, I had a breakout year individually.
After graduation I reported to Salem, VA to begin my professionaly baseball career. I bounced around in the Class A Advanced system for a few seasons and then I earned a spot in the Double A league. I played two seasons in the Double A league and I realized quickly that I didn’t have the skill set to advance further in baseball.
It was a brutal blow in some regards but in other ways I was somewhat relieved. I had lived in six different cities in the past five years. Minor league baseball provided a decent salary but I wasn’t getting rich by any means and the travel was rough sometimes. If you have ever seen the movie Slapshot starring Paul Newman, just think back to the scenes of the team on the bus and you will have a good idea of the travel arrangements we had.
I landed a job in Chicago and once I had my affairs in order, I loaded up my Dodge Durango with what I could haul, and hit the road. It took me a few weeks to get settled in my new apartment and my new career. I am thankful that I stayed in school and obtained my degree because if I had left before earning it I am not sure where life would have taken me.
I had been in Chicago for about five months when I officially met Amber. We had crossed paths several times coming and going from the train station and around the neighborhood but we had never introduced ourselves, even though we had exchanged a few hellos here and there. She was a petite Asian girl, with almond skin, long black hair, and the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. Her eyes were a mesmerizing blend of brown and gold. She was always dressed in very professional skirt suits but she would always wear sexy platform heels and stockings with a garter belt. She was the perfect blend of professionalism and erotica and my eyes couldn’t get enough of her. I found myself finding a seat on the train where I could check her out without fear of her finding my excessive staring creepy.
One evening as I was coming home on the train an enormous rainstorm opened up right before we reached my stop. I got off the train I popped my umbrella and started walking down the steps from the platform when I spotted Amber in front of me getting drenched. I sprinted up beside her and put my umbrella over the both of us. “You look like you could use some cover” I said to her. “Oh thank you so much. This was the wrong day to walk off without my umbrella” Amber replied. “It’s no problem…glad I could help” I said with a little tremor in my voice. All I could think that this was the chance I needed!
“I’m Josh by the way” I spoke and immediately felt like an idiot. “I’m Amber. Thanks again for sharing your umbrella with me Josh” she said calmly. “Well my Momma raised me right. She would be disappointed if I didn’t do the gentlemanly thing” I stammered. I felt like a huge dork at the comment but surprisingly Amber whipped her head around and said “so chivalry isn’t dead after all!” At that we both laughed.
I walked Amber the additional two blocks to her apartment building so she wouldn’t get soaked. We stepped on the stoop and she thanked me again for being a gentleman. “I’m glad I could help” I replied and we awkwardly stood there for a few seconds. At that point I figured it was now or never so I went for it. “Hey…would you like to grab a coffee sometime?” I nervously stuttered. “Oh wow Josh…I don’t know” she whispered. “Ah okay. I guess you probably have a boyfriend or something” I said while blushing. “Actually I don’t but I just never have very good luck with dating” she said nervously. I chuckled lightly and said “Yeah I know what you mean but look its just coffee.” “Ah ok. Well, how about tomorrow after work?” she said as she looked at me with those amazing eyes. I accepted and we worked out the arrangements before I walked back to my apartment building.
The next day at work was agoninizingly slow as I eagerly anticipated meeting Amber that evening. Finally work was over and I rode the train home hoping she would be on board but she wasn’t. I went home and showered, pulled out a pair of khakis, and a button up shirt and headed out the door about ten minutes til seven and walked a few blocks over to the coffee shop. Amber wasn’t there so I grabbed a table and pulled my phone out to pass the time. I tried not to pay attention to the time but at 7:10 I started to think maybe she wasn’t going to show up. No sooner had the thought ran through my mind that she walked in. She looked amazing in a pair of black knee high boots, black miniskirt, and a light blue blouse. My heart raced!
I grabbed coffee for us and sat back down at the table. Convesation was pressed at first but we began to loosen up a bit and relax. Time slipped by unnoticed while we were there and before we knew it three and a half hours had passed.