Lauren

My name is Mark Jones and two weeks before I graduated from high school my dad Brandon walked in from work and announced that he had been transferred to Tennessee. He was excited because the transfer was part of a promotion and with it came a substantial pay-raise. I knew it was a large one because when he handed the offer letter to my mom she read it and then sat down looking as though she had seen a ghost.

I was fine with the move, although leaving the house I had grown up in was going to be a little sad. I was l leaving for college in September and not coming home to the only home I had known was going to seem strange. Ironically, I had enrolled at a small college only sixty miles from dad's new job location. I had played football as an outside linebacker, but my overall GPA wasn't high enough to play at the college level. My plan was to go to college for a year and then try out as a walk on my sophomore year. I tried to keep an upbeat attitude about the move; my baby sister on the other hand? Let's just say that didn't go too smoothly for my parents.

Jennifer had just finished up her junior year in high school. She is a real beauty and a cheerleader who also played on the girls' soccer team. She is a social butterfly who has more friends than she knows what to do with. She also has more male admirers than she knows what to do with and the only thing that kept them at bay was her snarling six-foot four inch, two hundred and forty pound big brother. I didn't want to think about what she was going to have to put up with once I was gone but she had to grow up sometime.

First, she argued that she could stay with our mom's sister and finish school in Atlanta. When that didn't work, she pouted. When that failed, she pitched a fit. When that bombed, she screamed "You hate me!" and stomped out of the living room; slamming the door so hard that my mother immediately leapt to her feet and followed her to her bedroom.

Dad and I just sat there in the living room watching the Brave's game and listening to the screeching and shrieking that was coming from upstairs. It lasted all of two minutes before it suddenly went silent and Mom reappeared with a very subdued Jennifer in tow. Jennifer tossed her head, sending her blonde hair flying and then looked at my dad and said, "Daddy, I'm sorry for acting like a spoiled brat."

"Anything else?" my dad responded dryly.

"Yes sir. I don't have to like it, but I have no choice. You and Mom are the adults and you make the decisions." Jennifer said softly.

That mantra had been repeated to us since we were babies and when we really screwed the pooch, mom would make us say it back to them. It was humiliating but just the threat of it often worked wonders on our attitudes, especially when we were out in public. I found out later, from Dad, that Mom had threatened to take away her phone, tablet and then she told Jennifer that any chances she had of getting a car when she turned eighteen in August, were toast.

The day after I graduated we loaded up in mom's Tahoe and headed north up I-75 to meet with the realtor they had chosen and to look at a few houses. (A few being the first ten that mom had seen on the internet.) The town we were moving to was small by any standard, but when the realtor mentioned that the girls' soccer team had made it to the state semi-finals last year Jennifer's eyes got wide and she seemed to settle down a bit.

We were on house number eight on the second day of the trip when mom absolutely found the house of her dreams. It was a one hundred and ten year old Victorian home that had three stories, five bedrooms, three baths, a living room, formal dining room, a parlor and five fireplaces. It also had central heat and air conditioning and my dad groaned when he thought about what the electricity bill was going to look like in June, July, and August.

I had picked the bedroom on the top floor as mine because Jennifer thought that it was too creepy up there and had settled for a room on the second floor. As I looked around I noticed the view from my bedroom window looked down on the back yard of the house next door, it was huge and there was a pool. "Who knows?" I said aloud, not realizing that my dad had entered the room, "Maybe they have a hot daughter."

Dad walked up beside me and glancing out the window he added "Or two, or three."

"Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?" I said smiling at him.

"Absolutely son, absolutely." He said with a knowing grin. "Just be careful, I don't want you back here next summer raising a grandchild in the house next door."

"Won't happen." I said, meaning every word of it.

"Cool, now let's go back downstairs and figure out how close to bankruptcy your mother is going to drive me fixing this place up." he said, seeming to resign himself to the fact that he was about to open a huge line of credit at the nearest hardware store.

Dad's company paid the closing costs on the house so that sped the process up and moving day arrived a month later. On July 2^nd my family found ourselves standing in the font yard waiting on the movers to show up and Jennifer was in another huff because she had made plans with her friends to go to Stone Mountain and watch the fireworks display.

Once the truck showed up we all went to work with mom pointing and yelling like a tiny German Field Marshall at anyone moving anything into her new nest. Dad and I had wrestled the washer and dryer off the truck and they were sitting by the front porch. Around eleven or so we were discussing how to best move them into the house when a black Camaro pulled into the driveway of the house next door.

The driver's door opened, and a tall, lithesome brunette slid out. She was wearing a tight cream-colored pencil skirt, a black short sleeved blouse that was stretched to its limit across her chest, dark sunglasses and black stiletto heels. Two boys looking to be between nine and eleven hopped out of the passenger side door and raced into the house laughing. She stared at us for a minute and then smiled, waved and walked toward her front door.

"Damn!" I muttered softly as dad and I stood there gawking at her.

"Umm, yup. I do believe that is what they call a MILF." Dad said almost whispering.

"No hot daughter though." I said, feigning sadness and praying to God above that MILF I was gawking at loved her pool. Who needed a hot daughter with a woman like that living next door?

"Good thing too, at least I don't have to worry about the grandkids living next door now."

I didn't plan it, but it couldn't have worked out better if I had. Dad had gone inside to ask mom if she was ready to bring the washer and dryer in, when the lady next door came out and walked toward her mailbox. Dad yelled out for me to bring the dryer in, so I squatted and getting a good grip on it, I picked it up carried it up the steps.

Walking back to the washer I did the same thing and when I stopped to grab the dolly to finish the move from the porch to the laundry room, I looked over to see her standing in her driveway staring at me. She had pulled her sunglasses down her nose and was standing completely still. I waved and as I started to turn my attention back to the task at hand, she pushed her glasses back up, spun on her heels and walked quickly into her house; leaving me with a great view of her ass moving under the tight confines of her skirt while she scurried away.

Twenty minutes later there was a knock on the front door and when Dad opened it our new neighbor was standing there. She had changed and was wearing a white t-shirt, cutoff blue jean shorts that showed off her long legs and tennis shoes. She smiled and said brightly, "Hi! I'm your new neighbor and I just wanted to drop in for a minute to introduce myself."

Mom walked over and holding out her hand said "Michelle Jones; this is my husband Brandon. Please come in but the place is a chaotic wreck right now."

"That ok, I understand." She said laughing and stepping across the threshold, "my name is Lauren, Lauren North, it is nice to meet you Michelle."

Jennifer had popped into the room to see what was going on and mom introduced both of us. Lauren looked at me and smiling said, "That was quiet the display you put on in the yard a little while ago."

Smiling and probably blushing a little, I said, "Thank you, but it was just a washer and dryer."

Mom looked at us perplexed and then Lauren said "Your son carried a washer up the steps by himself. When I got my new one last month, it took all the delivery guys could manage to get it onto the porch without hurting themselves."

"Oh, that." Dad said laughing, "Yeah he is a tank alright. He benched twenty-five reps of two twenty-five at a combine this past spring."

"Very impressive!" she said glancing toward me.

I stood there silently and eventually sat down on the couch as her and mom started talking about things that women talk about. Where the nearest grocery store was, the salons in town, where to get a mani-pedi and then Lauren asked Jennifer, who was listening intently, "Do you babysit?"

"Sometimes. I'm good with kids."

"I go out occasionally and I might need a babysitter soon. Mine just got married and her new husband is in the Navy. They are moving to Guam in at the middle of the month. I'll pay you ten dollars an hour."

"Ten bucks an hour?" I piped up. "Who does your lawn?"

Laughing she said, "I have a service that comes over twice a month to do that."

"It never hurts to ask." I said.

"Do you know how to take care of a swimming pool?" she asked me.

"No, but I can Google it!" I said laughing.

"That's not exactly what I meant Mark." she said laughing, "I don't need mine done, my brother sends guys over to do it for me. He owns a pool service company and I don't know what he pays but I can call him to see if he needs any help. I know his guys make a ton of money during the season; and it is pool season. I'm out by mine every afternoon that it isn't raining."

"Please do ma'am. I would love to make some extra money before I go to school." I said, then praying silently I thought, "Please God, if you've never heard a single prayer I've uttered before, listen to this one. Let there be a drought this summer. Please? Can You do that for me?"

"Give me your number and I'll have him call you."

"Yes ma'am." I said as I rattled it off to her. "Thank you, Missus North." I added.

"Lauren, please." She said smiling at me.

Turning to mom she said, "It has been nice meeting you, all of you, but I've got to get back and start making lunch for my boys, I have them this week and they get cranky if they don't eat."

Laughing and nodding toward me mom replied, "You should see this one when he goes at it. Sometimes I think his stomach starts in his feet."

"I bet! Bye for now. I'll be in touch Jennifer!" she said waving back at us as she walked out of the door.

"Well, she certainly seems nice." Mom said; then turning to me and Jennifer and noticing that we weren't actively engaged in putting the house in order, she began to snap off commands that sent us running all over the house.

About an hour later I had managed to escape the evil clutches of the little dictator and had retreated to my room. Setting the last box of my clothes down I glanced out the window and saw Lauren sitting in a chaise lounge by the pool while her boys splashed around in the shallow end. She was wearing a white bikini; dark sunglasses and her hair was held up in a loose bun. To say that she was stunning was an understatement and I felt my shorts start to tighten as I continued to watch.

I felt like a world class pervert standing in my room spying on a neighbor that I had just met. I knew it was wrong and I knew that I shouldn't be standing here watching her, so I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed a chair and sat down to watch.

After about a half an hour she stood up and said something to the boys and they climbed out of the pool and headed into the house. The show was over, and I had just locked my door and laid down on the bed to relieve the swelling in my shorts when my phone chimed with a text message. I glanced down at UNKNOWN NAME and slid the screen only to have my heart stop and the hardon I had been sporting deflate like I had been kicked in the balls.

"Did you like what you saw Mark?" ~ Lauren

"Aww shit! I'm busted! So much for the job!", then I thought, "Why try to deny it or lie to her?"

"Yes, I did. You really do that suit justice."

A minute later I read, "Thank you. It is nice to be appreciated."

"Every afternoon huh?" I replied.

"When it isn't raining." ;o) Came an immediate reply.

"I'll pray for a drought." I responded.

"LOL!!"

Then I got a picture of the most marvelous set of boobs that had ever come across my phone covered in the white bikini top. The material was stretched tight over them and I couldn't help but notice that her nipples were pierced. The caption said "So you can see them up close. What do you think?"

"Those are awesome!" I typed as my hand began to tremble.

"Thank you! I'll call my brother John in a bit to see about getting you a job for the summer. Maybe you can be the one who comes by and takes care of things for me." ;o)

I lay back on my pillow thinking "I'm really going to need a box of tissues in here."

"Fifteen dollars an hour!" mom exclaimed the next afternoon as I told her what the job offer was.

"Forty hours a week guaranteed plus at least ten hours in overtime. I did the math, that is over eight hundred a week between now and when school starts. He also said I could work after Labor Day if I wanted to drive home on the weekends. If it weren't for football season, I could make some serious cash working part time and sleep in my bed on Friday and Saturday nights."

"Cool," Dad said laughing, "you can pay for your own classes now!"

"Brandon!" mom said in a tone that caused dad to throw both hands in the air.

"I was kidding! Besides, I'm kind of jealous of the lad. He is making good money to get to stare at bikini clad beauties all summer long. That's a dream job for a guy his age."

"Yes sir!" I said smiling at him.

"MEN!" mom said in a huff as she stormed out of the room.

I climbed the stairs to my room and looking out the window I saw the boys playing in the pool, but Lauren wasn't present. Then I glanced at her house and just about passed out. She was standing in the master bedroom, on the ground floor and she was completely nude! She was looking down at the bed as if she was trying to decide something; then I saw her lift a red and blue bikini top up and look at them both side by side.

Grinning, I fished my phone out of my pocket and quickly typed one word.

"Red."

I hit Send and then stepped away from the window; a full minute passed before my phone chimed.

"LOL! Where the hell are you, Stalker!"

"Watching a goddess getting dressed in front of an open window."

"Goddess huh? You win. Red it is. I hope you enjoyed the show; did you ninja any pics to remember it by?"

"No." :o(

"Better luck next time Hun!" ;o)

"Yeah." I thought sadly and then I walked downstairs to grab lunch and mow the lawn.

After dinner Jennifer and I got dressed to go for a run. We both tried to do three to four miles a day to stay ready in the off season; occasionally we would do five if the weather was right. Tonight, the heat and humidity dictated a nice slow three. We were returning to the house about twenty-six minutes later when I saw a red Ford pick-up parked in Lauren's driveway.

The driver, who I assumed was Lauren's ex, was standing by the passenger door talking to her. Their boys were already in the truck and I could see them bouncing around excitedly. Lauren was looking down at the ground as her ex was talking and suddenly her head snapped up and we both clearly heard her say "Screw you!" Then she turned and stormed off toward the house.

The asshole was laughing as he shut the door and walked around the truck. He was still smiling as he climbed in it and drove away, but not before lowering his sunglasses and lewdly staring at Jennifer as he drove past our yard. She is only seventeen, but her body is very well developed. She was wearing a pair of running shorts and a sports bra and if you hadn't known how hold she was, you would have never guessed it.

"Perv!" Jennifer exclaimed as he drove away.

"Yeah, I'm kind of glad he isn't living there. I'd hate to go to prison before I went to college."

Smiling she looked up at me and said "I love you Mark. You've got to be the best big brother ever."

"I try Jen." I said honestly as I looked at Lauren's front door wondering what he had said that had caused the outburst.

After I showered I walked to my room and when I glanced down at my phone, I saw a missed text.

"I'm sorry you guys saw that. He was being a real jerk tonight."

"That's ok. I've seen worse." I replied, thinking back on some of the altercations I had seen between my friend's parents when they had divorced.

"You really are a sweet guy Mark. Some girl is going to be very lucky when she meets you."

"Thank you."

I glanced out the window and couldn't see her anywhere. Laying back on the bed I waited for her response. When I didn't get one I took a guess and sent another message.

"Hey." I typed.

"What?"

"Stop crying."

"LOL! Where are you now Stalker?"

"In my room."

"How did you know I was crying?"

"You were just in an argument with your ex. I took a shot."

"I was in an argument with my husband. The divorce isn't final yet."

"I hate semantics."

"I'm a paralegal, semantics pay my bills."

"Still hate them!"

"Ok you're right. No more crying."

"Good. You're far too pretty to be crying."

"Aww, Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So..."

"So..."

"Want to play a game?"

"Sure, what's it called?"

"Help the Neighbor."

Jumping to my feet I looked out my window and saw Lauren striding across her yard toward our house. It took all my self-control to walk downstairs instead of running. I timed it perfectly and had just gotten to the living room when the doorbell rang.

"I got it." I said, looking at mom, who was entranced in a new book.

"Thanks Mark." she said without even looking up.

Opening the door, I looked at Lauren and smiling said, "Hi!"

"Hi yourself Mark! Do you know anything about garage door openers?"

"Um, not really, why?"

"Mine stopped working and I'm clueless about anything with a motor on it. I was wondering if you or your dad could come take a look at it for me?"

I glanced over at mom, who had put her book down and was walking toward the door. She looked at me and said, "Mark! Where are your manners? Invite her inside!"

Looking at Lauren she added, "I'm so sorry Lauren, I raised him better than this."

Lauren laughed and said, "It's okay Michelle, I'm raising two of them, believe me, I know how boys are!"

"I am so glad those days are behind me." Mom said smiling at her, then added, "In a few years, they will both be gone, and I'll be looking forward to grandchildren."

"Gee Mom. Thanks." I said dryly.

Curveball

"Sorry. Do you mind if I squeeze in here?" he asked.

"Oh, no," she replied scooting over to make room. "I've never seen this many people at a Little League game before, have you?"

"No. But this actually the first time I've watched one in years so I really don't have anything to compare it to," he told her.

"Is your son playing?" she asked, sure he was old enough to have a son that age.

The man sort of raised his eyebrows then said, "No. I...I was just driving by and decided to stop and watch. I used to love baseball. In fact, I pretty much lived for it until high school."

"Did you get tired of playing or something?" she asked before hollering, "Come on, Teddy! Strike him out!"

"No, not really," he told her. "I was a pitcher and my elbow started hurting my junior year, but the real reason was discovering how much more I liked girls than baseball."

The girl, or maybe young woman sitting next to him, laughed in an understanding way.

"Ah. I see. So girls were your downfall, huh?" she said in a humorous way.

"It was...an equitable trade," the older man said with a faint smile. "As much as I loved playing baseball, I found that I liked girls a whole lot more."

"And you couldn't do both?" she asked still being very nice.

"I tend to be a bit obsessive about the things I like. Baseballs, girls, work, exercise. When I commit to something I kind of go hog wild."

"Strike three!" the umpire called loudly.

"Atta boy, Teddy! Keep mowin' 'em down!" she yelled.

He wasn't sure how old the girl next to him was, but he was very sure she couldn't possibly be the mother of a Little Leaguer. These boys (and two girls) looked be around 10 or 12 although he wasn't sure about that, either. Regardless, it seemed very unlikely she could have even a ten-year old child.

"I take it you know the pitcher," he said not wanting to ask if she could somehow be his mother.

"Yeah, that's my little brother, Teddy," she told him.

"He's got a smooth motion and a pretty good fastball," the man told her.

"I guess in at least one sense, my brother is like you used to be. He lives for baseball. In fact, it's about the only thing he enjoys these days."

The man squinted and looked at the boy on the mound and could tell he was fairly overweight as he once was, and he also was pretty sure the boy's teeth protruded the way his once had.

He noticed the girl was glaring at the kids on the other team's bench. They were chanting something, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. It sounded like 'huck, huck, huck,' or maybe 'yuck' but he couldn't quite understand.

"Kids can be so cruel," he heard her say. "I can't understand why their coach let's them get away with that."

"What are they saying?" he asked.

"They're making fun of my brother because of his teeth. They're calling him 'buck' for bucked teeth, and it kills me because he's so sensitive about it now," she said still glaring at the other team. "There's no way we can afford braces, but if I could, I'd get them for him tomorrow."

"Then he and I have something else in common. My teeth were even worse when I was his age," he told her. "I was nicknamed 'Bucky Beaver' from elementary school on and got razzed about it pretty much every day until the start of my senior year."

She turned and looked at him then said, "Your teeth are perfect. You had to have had braces."

"I did. I wore them for two years," he told her. "I was also um...pretty heavy...and I took a lot of ribbing for that, too. You know. Fatty, fatty, two by four and a whole lot worse."

She looked at him again then said, "That's really hard to believe. I mean, you're well...you're a very nice-looking man who doesn't seem to have an ounce of fat anywhere."

"Oh, thanks," he said modestly. "I owe a lot to my my parents, my orthodontist, and a wrestling coach who took a personal interest in me. I guess I owe the Navy the rest of the credit."

His comment about the Navy went right past her.

"I wish I knew what to do for Teddy," the girl said. "It just breaks my heart to see him hurting like this. He's such a nice kid, but the teasing is relentless. This was the one place where he could come and forget about it, and now we're getting this...crap...here, too. It just makes me so...angry."

"I take it your parents aren't here?" he asked.

"Um...no," she said quietly. "They were both killed in a drunk-driving accident last year."

"I'm so sorry," the man said with utter sincerity. "I really am."

"Thank you. I'm handling it okay now, but Teddy is still really struggling with it and then this...mess...gets piled on top of it. It's just so unfair, you know?"

"Would you save my place?" he asked politely.

"You gotta use the restroom already?" she teased.

"I'll be right back," he said after smiling at her comment.

Lloyd Mullens was 43, and although that might seem ancient to a girl her age, he wasn't old enough to need to take Flo Max or anything like it. Still, it made him chuckle to think he was old enough for someone to even joke about it. She was obviously teasing, and that was fine, but more importantly she'd made him laugh, and he honestly couldn't remember the last time he had.

The girl wasn't model-beautiful, but she was very cute with a lean, lithe body and short, dark hair, with the brightest blue eyes he could ever remember seeing. Adding to her appeal she seemed like a genuinely pleasant person. If she was raising her little brother on her own she was also more than likely very responsible, as well. The fact that she could maintain a sense of humor through the tragedy of losing her parents on top of all that was one more huge plus in her favor.

He stood up then slowly walked around the back of the bleachers then made his way to the other side of the field. He opened the metal gate then walked right into the other team's dugout and stood next to their coach.

"Can I help you with something, buddy?" the younger man said with a heavy dose of attitude when he saw Mullens standing next to him.

"Yes, you could. I'd like to ask you to tell your players not to pick on the other team's pitcher for something he can't help."

"If you don't get the hell out of my dugout on your own, you're going to need help getting out," the coach hissed.

Lloyd ignored the threat then said just as calmly, "I'm asking you nicely, coach. It's okay to pick on something he can control, but his teeth aren't one of them. So please ask your kids to stop, okay?"

The coach, who looked to be around 30 or so, and who was rather well built, turned toward the visitor who was a couple of inches taller and obviously quite a few years older than him, but at least equally well built if not more so.

He put his finger in Lloyd's chest and began pushing as he spat, "Are you fucking hard of hearing, asshole?"

"Please don't swear around these kids," Lloyd said quietly and calmly.

"And what are you gonna fucking do it about it, asshole? Huh? That little buck-toothed-fat fuck out there pitching for the other team needs to toughen up. It's snowflakes like you trying to coddle him that are chickifying this country I spent four years in the Army protecting—something pissants like you wouldn't understand!"

"The Army? I see. That explains a lot. I only spent a few years in the Navy so...."

"Oh, okay. A fucking squid. That fits. Too afraid to join the real military, huh?" the coach spat.

Teddy's sister was watching intently, and along with everyone else, heard every word the coach said as it gradually grew quieter by the second. Her body tensed up when the coach pulled his finger back and went to jab Lloyd in the chest.

As he did he said, "So squid boy—take a hike!"

"Um, I'm also asking you nicely not to touch me again, okay?" Lloyd said with utter calm.

"You are one dumbass squid. Get lost, shit for brains!" the coach said as he drew his hand back to jab Lloyd in the chest again.

Before she could figure out what was going on, the coach's hand went from Lloyd's chest down to his side, and his face was screwed up in sheer agony.

It looked like his hand was pinned against leg, but if it was she couldn't see how as Lloyd appeared to be standing there doing nothing.

In fact, the coach's wrist was indeed being held in place and bent back to the point where it was very close to breaking, and Lloyd was doing the holding.

He held it there and said very quietly, "Don't cry out like a little girl or I'll break it. Nod if you understand."

The coach nodded 2-3 times quickly and kept quiet.

"Very good. Now tell your kids to stop calling him names. Please."

The coach had never been in that kind of pain before in his life, and although he wanted to say or do something else, all he did was grit his teeth and holler out, "Okay. Knock off the comments about their pitcher."

Every eye in the dugout was now on them, but even the kids sitting right next to them couldn't tell what was going on or figure out why their coach looked like he was about to cry.

"Thank you," Lloyd said. "And please don't let me hear you use profanity around these kids again, okay?"

He waited until the coach nodded then said, "Give me your word."

"Okay! Okay!" he said as Lloyd increased the pressure ever so slightly.

"Well, that was easy," he said with a smile. "Thank you for doing the right thing, and you have yourself a nice day—coach."

He released the pressure, tipped his hat to the younger man, smiled, then walked away.

As Lloyd did so, the coach stood there massaging his wrist which was obviously still in pain as he stared at the man who'd just humiliated him in public although no one else really knew what had happened. The other side of the field erupted in applause as Lloyd made his way back to where he'd been sitting. He didn't acknowledge the clapping or even look at anyone as he took his seat.

"What in the world did you just do?" the boy's sister asked, her eyes opened wide in disbelief.

"I politely asked him to stop the name calling, but he needed a little...persuasion," he told her calmly.

"That guy is the biggest...." she leaned in close then said quietly, "dick...in this entire league. No one can stand him. I don't know what you just did, but thank you."

"My pleasure," he replied. "We all need a little help now then, right?"

Neither of them spoke for several minutes then Lloyd leaned over and said, "You know, your brother is doing really well, but if he could throw a curveball, no one could touch him."

"And if bullfrogs had wings...." she said with a smile. "I don't know much about baseball and I certainly can't teach him anything like that. If I could, I'd be happy to show him how, but...."

"I could have him throwing curve balls for strikes in half an hour," he told her.

It was obvious to her he wasn't bragging, he was just making a statement of fact.

"Would you...do that?" she asked not sure if he was really serious.

"Sure. I'd be happy to," he told her.

"I know Teddy would love to learn how to throw a curveball. There's one other Little League pitcher who's a year older who can, and Teddy thinks he walks on water. If he could do that, too...."

"It's not that hard. Really. I learned how in just a few minutes, and the next game I pitched, I threw a no-hitter."

That too, was just a statement of fact.

Lloyd smiled as he remembered one kid after another chopping at the first curve balls any of them had ever seen and striking out one after the other. Seventeen out the 18 opposing batters struck out while one lucky player had weakly grounded a ball to short. Since then a pitch count had been instituted, and no one Teddy's age could throw more than 75 in one day. It was still hypothetically possible to throw a complete game if the pitcher threw four or less balls to each batter during the six-inning game, but that was a very tough thing to do.

"I'd give anything to see my brother's face after something like that. He's such a sweet boy and he's smart, too. He does really well in school, but this bullying and teasing stuff is killing him there, and it's affecting him here now, too. So if you would do that for him, I'd be very grateful."

"I will. Just let me know when and where," Lloyd told her.

She sat there for a few seconds then looked back over at him and said, "Listen. Um...well, since I don't know how else to pay you back for what you just did, we all...I mean, some of us parents or whatever....we go out for pizza after the game with the kids. You probably don't want to hang out with a bunch of kids or with me...but I'd be happy to buy you a slice."

The look on her face and the tone of her voice told him she was genuinely thankful, and Lloyd was touched by her kindness and generosity as well as her obvious level of maturity. He had nowhere to go and nothing to do and thought it might be kind of nice to be around other people for a change. After all, he'd stopped to watch as a way to try and begin reintegrating himself back into society so...why not?

"I like kids so that's not the issue," he told her.

He smiled at her then said, "I'm just wondering if an attractive young woman your age wants to hang out with a guy who, you know, has to run to the restroom all the time."

The girl laughed loudly and apologized for her previous comment.

"I was totally kidding. You know that, right?" she said.

"I was pretty sure," he told her. "But I am getting up there in years so...."

The girl laughed again then said, "I'm Shelby, by the way. Shelby Claypool."

She offered him her hand so he shook it and replied, "Lloyd Mullens."

"Nice to meet you, Lloyd," she said as she shook his hand firmly.

She was smiling happily then glanced down and saw a wedding ring.

"Oh, I um...I didn't know you were married. I wasn't, you know, flirting or asking you out or anything. I just wanted to...."

Lloyd laughed politely then told her, "I knew exactly what you meant, Shelby. Besides, no cute girl your age is gonna flirt or ask a guy my age out on a date so...no problem."

Shelby sighed loudly then said, "It has nothing to do with age. The truth is I don't ask anyone out."

She paused for a moment then said, "Or...get asked out for that matter. I'm not complaining, mind you. I just don't have time to date. It's hard enough just finding the time to get to Teddy's games let alone have any kind of meaningful relationship."

She smiled at him then said, "Maybe someday, right?"

"He's lucky to have a sister who cares about him so much," Lloyd told her.

"Yeah, I really do love that kid. I'd do anything to take away his pain," she said forlornly.

Neither of them said much the rest of the game, but Lloyd found himself cheering for Teddy and his team and each time he struck a batter out, he and Shelby gave each other a high five.

When it ended, the score was 4-1 with Teddy's team, the Lions, winning the game. The only run the other team scored was after a walk and then two errors in a row. Teddy only gave up two hits during the five innings he pitched and only walked two batters.

"I'll just wait here, okay?" Lloyd said when Shelby went to collect her brother.

"Nice game, stud muffin!" she said offering him a high five.

He returned it but didn't say anything. He did hug her back when she put her arm around him, and Lloyd heard someone call out, "Look at the little mama's boy!"

Shelby shot the kid a dirty look but didn't address the comment. Instead she told him she had someone she wanted him to meet.

"Who is it?" he asked as she led toward a rather large man in a ball cap sitting in the bleachers.

"Teddy? This is my new friend, Mr. Mullens. Lloyd, this is my brother, Teddy."

Lloyd offered his hand and Teddy shook it but didn't look at him.

"Is he your boyfriend or something?" the boy asked looking up as his sister.

"What? No! He's just a nice man who's going to go have pizza with us—if that's okay," she said her arm around his shoulders.

"I guess," Teddy replied.

Shelby leaned down then said, "Lloyd used to be a pitcher, and he wants to show you how to throw a curve."

Suddenly the boy's eyes lit up, and he looked at the man now standing in front of him and said, "For reals?"

Lloyd smiled but didn't laugh as he said, "Yep. For reals."

"Cool!" Teddy said smiling for the first time revealing a set of protruding teeth that reminded Lloyd of his when he was that age.

His parents hadn't had much money, and he'd put up with an ungodly amount of teasing for as long as he could remember. And like Teddy, he'd been more than a few pounds overweight. And also just like the boy standing in front of him, Lloyd had been a decent pitcher and a very good student, his two redeeming graces. The connection he felt was both strong and immediate.

"So I guess I'll just follow you then?" Lloyd suggested.

"Sounds good. I've got the little blue car right over there," she said pointing to a Ford Fiesta that looked like it might have been blue in the distant past.

"Okay. I'm in the black truck over there," he said pointing to a 2016 Toyota Tundra with a V8 engine and four-wheel drive he'd rarely driven until retiring from the Navy two months ago.

Teddy looked over and saw the rig with tinted windows and the extended cab and said, "That is so beast! Can I ride with Mr. Mullens, Shell? Please???"

"It's okay with me," Lloyd said as he saw the boy forget about his teeth and smile happily again.

"Oh, I don't know," she said. "I mean, I do know him, but I don't really....know him, know him."

"I understand. I wouldn't let my son ride with a stranger, either," Lloyd said as Teddy's smile disappeared. "But...I could give you both a ride."

"Can we? Can we, Shell? His truck is so cool!"

She looked over at her own car then said, "I don't suppose anyone is going to try and steal that piece of junk."

She turned to Lloyd and said, "Well, if you really don't mind...I guess we could do that."

Teddy immediately hollered, "Shotgun!" causing the adults to laugh.

Lloyd opened the passenger doors then helped Shelby step up—way up—into the back but let Teddy pull himself into the front leather seats.

"Awesome!" he said as he checked out the entire cab while Lloyd walked around.

"I've had it for almost two years now but don't even have 5,000 miles on it," he said as he started it up.

"Gee, I drive that much in 2-3 months," Shelby said.

"Do you just sit home all day and let your wife take care of you?" she teased politely.

She was smiling happily as she said it so Lloyd smiled back. He didn't feel like explaining why that wasn't case.

"Naw. I just retired from the military and I was gone quite a bit," he told her instead. "Now I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up."

Shelby laughed politely while Teddy got even more excited.

"Cool! What were you in? Did you drive a tank or fly jets or anything?" Teddy asked as he fastened his seat belt.

"No, nothing that cool," Lloyd told him. "I was in the Navy and I was an enlisted guy so no jets. But I did ride on a lot of helicopters. Does that count?"

"You did?" the boy said no in awe of the man sitting next to him.

"Yes, I did. I even parachuted out of a few planes but never flew one."

As they pulled out of the parking lot Teddy asked, "Have you every seen the movie Navy SEALS?"

"I have," Lloyd told him. What he didn't say was that he'd been a Navy SEAL for 25 years and that the movie was hard to watch because it was so far from the truth in too many areas. It was great for anyone who didn't know how a SEAL team functioned, but it was too nothing but cheap entertainment for anyone who did.

"That movie was awesome! It was better than Predator or any Terminator movie or Top Gun or...."

"Teddy's watched pretty much every action movie ever made—several times," Shelby explained.