First Base

By: The Rookie

“YOU’RE A FAILURE.” 

Eddie Fox, is a seven foot six inch beast. He was twenty six years old and still living in his dad’s basement. He had been practicing baseball since he was five years old, and part of his dream had finally come true. He made it to pro baseball. He was an outfielder so he doesn’t make money yet. He needed to support his dad and try to make him proud of his son again. With his mom bills piling up especially with the bills that his mom had put on them, this was his darkest time. He felt as if he had died or was going to die.

 He had been trying to make them pick him for first base. That was his other part of his dream. He had not been able to practice much because of his mom. So the first day of baseball Coach Brian said that Eddie was in the outfield. Then the dad said unencouraging things. It went like this.

“Eddie, you are outfield,” said Coach Brian.

“Of course you are. You always are. How did I have this big of a failure,” said dad.

Then in the outfield he met his soon to be best friend, Blake. He is 4 foot 9 inches and he is 24 years old. He had already accomplished his dream of being a catcher. Eventually a ball got hit toward him, and it did not end so well.

“I got it, I got it,” said Eddie. Cluck! “That is not good. What are my teammates and especially my dad?”

Then his practice is over and Blake went over and talked to Eddie. 

“Hey if you would have put your glove up higher and tilted it more to the side you would have caught it,” said Blake.

“Thanks for the tips and looking out for me, that is the first thing anyone nice has done for me,” said Eddie.

“What do you mean by that,” said Blake.

“Well my dad thinks I am a failure, disappointment, and did I mention a failure. My mom died in a car accident and the last thing she said to him was something like you were a failure and you will never be a pro baseball player,” said Eddie.

“That is pretty rough. Dad died from cancer when I was little and my mom has been the best mom I could have ever asked for,” said Blake.

Then after they were done talking Coach Brian pulled him to the side. That did not go too well for Eddie.

“Eddie, if you keep playing like this, I am going to have to kick you off the team,” said Coach Brian.

“Coach Brian you know how much I need this,” said Eddie.

“I know but the team would be better off if you were just gone. Unless somehow you improve in a month. It will be hard for you to improve because you are bad at baseball,” said Coach Brian.

“Can’t you see that I am trying, I have been trying since I was five years old. Trying to make everyone proud of me but it seems that no one cares about me except for one person, Blake,” said Eddie.

 Eddie walked away wiping his tears from his face with Blake slowly recognizing and coming to comfort him. Then Eddie thought of what his dad said, what his coach said, and what his mom said before the car accident. He never forgot what she said.

“You are such a failure,” said Mom.

 That is when his dad saw him. It was brutal to watch for Blake. Blake saw exactly how his dad treated him. Blake then knew that his dad thought Eddie was a nobody. So did everyone else except for him. Blake felt so bad for him. For a second when Eddie’s dad  looked at Blake and then back at Eddie he thought that he was going to kill the kid. Then all of a sudden Eddie’s dad raised his arm ready to strike him. Right as he was about to, Coach Brian caught his hand and punched Eddie’s dad right in the nose, breaking it.

“Thank you so much Coach Brian. You don’t know how much that meant to me. But now when he wakes up and comes to our house he is going to kill me.” said Eddie.

Then Blake ran over.

“He won’t because you are going to stay with me for a while,” said Blake.

“Are you sure you don’t have to,” said Eddie.

“Like you said earlier he would kill you,” said Blake.

“Okay, I will as long as it is not too much trouble for you mom,” said Eddie

“I think she will understand,” said Blake.

So Eddie started living with Blake and his mom. It turned out that Blake lived right by a baseball field so they practiced every morning. Eventually in a month he had practiced fives hours a day. Eventually, they both became really good at baseball.Then came the final day before Coach Brian said he could not do that. He ended up impressing Coach Brian so much that he got put on second base. Eventually, the next month he got put on first base. He was also making money now. A lot of it too. Then his dad came three months later. 

“Son, I am so proud of you. Do you think you could give me some cash,” said Dad.

“What do you mean? My entire life you said I was a disappointment or a failure. Now since you did not need me when I was at my lowest then I do not need you now,” said Eddie.

So in the end Eddie realized that he did not need his dad in the end because all he wanted was money. He also paid off all of the debt and with the rest of his money he spent on more important things. Something that matters to him like Blake. So Eddie also treated Blake with all the nice things in the world like watches, TVs, cars, boats, a house, and he gave them ten thousand dollars. Eddie was really proud of himself. Blake and Eddie were having so much fun at their fun job that they loved so much. From that day on they lived the happiest they had ever been.