Disclaimer: I own nothing but little Willie and Ruth.
Little Brothers
The sunlight poured into my room. I moaned, not remembering leaving the blinds open. I pulled the covers over my head, just in time to avoid the small tornado that stormed into my room.
"Benny!" my seven year old brother, Willie, screamed. "Benny! Wake up!"
I pulled the covers tight, so as to avoid having them ripped off me. Just in time too. Willie jumped on my bed and started tearing at the sheets.
"Get off, Willie!" I ordered, my voice muffled by the covers.
"Mom says to wake up!" Willie found a corner I hadn't tightened down and pulled. Caught by surprise, I let the covers go flying off the bed.
"Willie!" I whined. "What'd ya do that for?"
"It's time to wake up!" Willie cried, shaking me.
"Leave me alone." I yawned.
"Mom says if you don't get up, you don't go to the sandlot!" Willie jumped up and down, landing on me when he fell.
"Fine!" I sat up. "I'm up! I'm up!"
"Benny! Willie!" Mom's voice floated from the kitchen, "Breakfast is ready!"
Willie jumped off my bed and was out the door before I could stand up. I shook my head, laughing despite the fact that I should be annoyed with him. There was a five ½ year age difference between us, but people usually thought it was more because of the fact that I'm tall for my age, and Willie is short for his age. But what he lacks in size, he makes up for in energy. I would never admit it to the guys, but one of the reasons I was able to get up so early every day was because of Willie.
I could smells eggs cooking, so I hurried and got dressed and went downstairs. I almost stepped on Willie's cat, Ruth. The orange cat jumped up and rubbed against my legs, causing me to sneeze. I was allergic to cats, but we were able to keep Ruth because I usually had allergy medicine that would help me. I sneezed one more time as I sat down at the table beside Willie.
Mom turned to me and lightly smacked herself in the head.
"I completely forgot your allergy pills!" she exclaimed. "I'll have to add them to the list." She picked up a paper and pencil and scribbled my medicine onto the list.
"Thanks Mom." I said as I ate.
I was done in five minutes and I hurried to get my bat, glove, and a ball. I was about to walk out the door when Mom stopped.
"Benny, could you take Willie with you today?" She asked.
"But Mom!" I exclaimed, staring at her like she was insane. "I'll be playing ball! I won't have time to watch him. And you know him; he'll start running everywhere as soon as my backs turned!"
"Benny," Mom was begging, "please. You're father has to work, and I have errands to run. Please, Benny!"
I sighed, defeated.
"Fine. I'll take him."
"Thank you honey." Mom smiled, kissing my forehead. "I'll go get him."
I waited impatiently as Mom went and told Willie he would be coming with me today. I heard him shout "Yippee!" as he ran into the hallway and jumped into my arms, causing me drop my gear to catch him.
"Thanks Benny!" he exclaimed. "Can I play with you guys?"
"No!" I replide quickly. "You're too little. You'll get hurt."
"Benny." Mom had come back into the hallway. She was carrying Willie's small glove and bat. "Let him play. But go easy on him."
Willie ran out the door, knowing he was going to get to play.
"But Mom!" I started to argue.
"No buts, Benny." she cut me off and forced the glove and bat into my hands. "Now go. And if you don't let him play, you will not be going to the sandlot for the next two weeks!"
I sighed and followed Willie outside. He was on the sidewalk, with Ruth in his arms.
"No, Willie." I said. "You are not…" I sneezed as I got closer. "Taking Ruth."
"Please Benny!" his eyes started to fill with tears. "I'll keep her on her leash! And I'll tie her to the dugout when we're playing!"
"Fine!" I gave in, knowing it would do no good to argue, sneezing once more. "But keep her away from me!"
"Thanks Benny!" Willie smiled as he put Ruth down and took the rope he had fashioned into a leash.
We walked across the street to Smalls' house, with me walking farther back from Ruth and Willie.
"Hey Benny!" Smalls called as he ran out to join us. He looked at Willie before turning to me. "Who's he?"
"That's my little brother, Willie." I explained. "And his cat, Ruth. Mom's making me bring him today."
Smalls nodded in understanding.
"Come on slow pokes!" Willie exclaimed as he struggled to pull Ruth down the sidewalk toward the sandlot.
I rolled my eyes and me and Smalls followed my little brother to the sandlot. Even though Ruth was a few feet away, I still sneezed often as we walked to the sandlot.
"Are you ok?" Smalls asked.
"I'm fine." I said. "I'm just allergic to cats."
"Then why do you have Ruth?" Smalls asked.
"I…" I was interrupted by another sneeze, "I usually take allergy medicine, but Mom forgot to get more."
By the time we got to the sandlot, the rest of the guys were already there. Willie picked a struggling Ruth up and held her in his arms as he smiled widely.
"It's about time, Benny man!" Ham exclaimed as we walked over to the dugout.
"What's your brother doing here?" Kenny asked.
I started to answer, but I sneezed.
"Mom made him bring me." Willie answered cheerfuly.
"All right then, little Willie." Ham said in aslow baby voice. "Why don't you go on over to the dugout and sit down like a good little boy while us big boys play baseball."
Willie shook his head dramatically, scaring the struggling cat in his arms.
"Mom says I get to play or Benny won't get to come and play no more!"
"She did not! She said for two weeks!" I said, before sneezing again. "But he does have to play. I promised guys!"
"Come on Benny man!" Squints whined in disapproval.
"Yeah, yeah! He's too little!" Yeah-Yeah agreed.
"Benny!" Willie interrupted their complaints. "Ruth won't be still! Will you hold her for me?"
Before I could object, he had forced the struggling cat into my arms.
"Willie!" I exclaimed.
As Ruth struggled, I started sneezing uncontrollably. I dropped the cat, who immediately took off running toward Mr. Myrtle's house.
"Ruth!" Willie yelled, running after his cat.
"You all right, Benny?" Kenny asked as my sneezing slowed down some.
"Fine." I replied. I looked for Willie and groaned when I saw that he was trying to climb the fence. "Willie! Get down now!"
"But Ruth went over there!" Willie cried as I ran up to him and forced him down. He looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. "Please get her Benny!"
I sighed. I never could turn him down when he looked at me like that.
"Stay here!" I ordered and turned to Smalls. "Watch him, please."
Smalls nodded and grabbed Willie's hand. I sighed and jumped over the fence, despite the guys yelling at me to leave the cat. When I hit the ground, I didn't see Ruth anywhere. I did see the dog, Hercules, though.
"Hey boy." I said, patting him on the head. "You haven't seen a cat by any chance, have you?"
Hercules barked and I laughed. I looked around the yard before spotting a little orange fur ball.
"Stay." I ordered Hercules, who obeyed.
I walked over and, sure enough, there sat Ruth beside a deflated basketball. I picked her up quickly and ran over to the fence. It was hard climbing up the fence with the cat in my arms, and it didn't help that I was sneezing a lot. But I made it over and gave the cat to Willie.
"Now tie her up at the dugout!" I ordered, sneezing once more.
Willie nodded and ran to the dugout, a struggling Ruth in his arms. I was still sneezing when he met us at the pitchers mound.
"You all right, Benny?" Timmy asked.
"All right, Benny?" Tommy repeated.
"Fine." I sneezed.
"Why do you keep sneezing?" Ham asked.
"He's allergic to cats." Willie spoke up for me.
I nodded in agreement.
"You going to be ok?" Smalls asked.
"Just keep Ruth away from me." I said looking at Willie.
"Why do you call her Ruth?" Kenny asked glancing at the cat who was fighting to tear free from the leash.
"She's named after Babe Ruth!" Willie explained happily.
"We got her when Willie was little," I told them when everyone looked at me wonderingly; "He couldn't understand that her name was Babe Ruth, so he just called her Ruth."
"Are we going to play ball or what?" Ham asked, looking more then a little annoyed.
We all agreed and quickly went to our positions.
"What do I do, Benny?" Willie asked.
I bit my lip as I thought for a moment.
"Wait a little while," I told him, "and then you can bat."
Though a little put out, Willie stood slightly behind Ham and waited.
"Yeah-Yeah!" I shouted, "Get two!"
It went on like that for about thirty minutes. I would hit the balls to different people and they would throw the make believe runner out. I had almost forgotten about Willie when he started whining.
"Can I play now, Benny?"
I sighed.
"All right Willie. Can you toss the ball up and hit it?"
He nodded eagerly and I unwillingly gave him his bat and the ball.
"Hit it to Kenny, all right." I figured he could hit it to the pitchers mound at least.
He nodded eagerly and threw the ball in the air right when I turned my back.
"Kenny!" I started to yell before I was hit in the leg with the bat.
"Sorry Benny!" Willie dropped the bat, right on my foot.
"Willie!" I bit back a cry of pain as I started jumpign on one foot, rubbing my leg and foot in the process.
"I'm sorry!" His eyes were wide and he looked like he was about to cry. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"It's all right." I replied, wishing I could just learn to say no. One thing I was definatly happy for, though, was the fact that Willie was to little to have put much power in his swing.
"Can I try again?" Willie asked eagerly, no more trace of tears in his eyes.
"Come on Benny!" Squints shouted. "We're growing old here."
"How about you go play with Ruth instead?" I suggested.
"But Mom said," Willie stated, "that I have to play."
"Fine," I sighed. "But I pitch!"
I grabbed my glove and the ball and started to walk to pitchers mound, when Ham stopped me.
"You've got to be kidding me, Benny!" he exclaimed, "You're not seriously going to let him play are you?"
"I have to, Ham!" I replied, "At least I do if I want to come here for the next two weeks."
"Would you're mom seriously not let you come play ball?"
"You bet she would." I remembered once when she had made me stay home for skipping my chores the previous day.
Ham sighed, but went back to be catcher, though I noticed he was further back then normal.
"I'm going to pitch to him." I told Kenny.
He started to get off the mound, but I shook my head and stopped half-way between pitchers mound and home.
"All right Willie," I called, ignoring the guys yells of disapproval. "Keep your eye on the ball and swing. When you hit it, run to first."
Willie nodded and brought the bat back. I sighed and pitched the ball softly; he swung too early and missed.
"That's all right," I called to him as Ham threw me the ball, "Try again."
He nodded and got ready again. I tossed the ball even slower and this time Willie hit it. I was surprised at how far he hit it. He barely hit it to second base, but for a seven year old, that was far. Bertram quickly scooped the ball up and threw it to first, but we all were surprised to find that Willie was already there.
"How did you?" Timmy started to ask before shaking his head.
"He's defiantly your brother." Kenny said from behind me. "He's fast."
I nodded in agreement. I tossed the ball to Kenny and walked back to home and picked up my bat. I nodded at Kenny. He wound up, threw his heater, and the bat cracked as it hit the ball, sending shock waves up my arms. I noticed where the ball went before running to first. But when I got their, Willie was standing there, watching the ball as Smalls hurried to get the it from where it landed beside the fence.
"Run!" I said to Willie, pushing him gently to get him to run to second.
He ran and was at second by the time Smalls picked the ball up. I ran after my brother, and rounded second as he rounded third.
"I did it! I did it!" he shouted excitedly as he crossed home plate. "I did it Benny!"
I would have congratulated him, but I still had to cross home and the ball was already at third.
"Pickle!" Ham shouted.
He threw his catcher's helmet off and took several steps near me. I back up, watching his arm carefully. He threw it and I took off toward home, but Yeah-Yeah had it back to Ham quickly. I took another step back. Ham prepared to throw the ball and I got ready to run across homeplate when...
"BENNY! Ruth got free!"
"Ahh crap." I muttered as Ham through the ball and I took off for homeplate.
I was a foot away when I suddenly sneezed and tripped over a little orange furball. I struggled to get to my feet and touch home, but a sneezing fit overtook me and I felt Ham tag me.
"Out!" He shouted, wonder in his voice.
"Wi...Willy!" I shouted, sneezing.
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Willie exclaimed quickly as he picked Ruth up and hurried to dugout, all the while going, "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"
After a few more sneezes, I finally managed to stand up. My eyes felt watery so I rubbed them before looking back at the guys.
"You all right, Benny man? You don't look so good." Squints announced.
"Yeah, yeah! Your eyes are all red and puffed up!" Yeah-Yeah added.
I groaned. No wonder everything was blurry and hard to see.
"I hate cats." I mummbled, rubbing my eyes again.
"Maybe you should go home." Smalls said nervously.
"I'm fine, really." I argued, but I could tell they didn't believe me. I sighed. "I'm going to go and see if Mom's back with my medicine yet. Be back later."
I grabbed my bat and glove and yelled for Willie to come on.
"I don't wanna go!" he whined, but I grabbed his hand and forced him to follow me.
I sneezed again as I said bye to the guys. Echoes of "See ya! Hope ya get better!" followed me.
"Leave the kid at home next time!" Ham shouted.
I planned to do just that. We hurried home, me sneezing the whole way. To my horror, Mom wasn't home yet.
"Go play in your room." I ordered. "And take Ruth with you!"
Willie heard the anger in my voice and hurried to do as I said. I sneezed a few more times before finally stopping. Everything was still blurry and I hoped Mom would get home soon. I went to my room and laid on my bed, tossing a ball up and down for two hours until Mom finally got home.
"What happened to you, sweetie?" she asked when I walked out of my room.
"Ruth." I simply said as she handed me my medicine. "I'll be at the sandlot."
I could see again, though my eyes were still red. I grabbed my bat and glove and hurried to the door.
"How was your day, Willie?" I heard Mom ask as I walked out the door.
"It was great!" Willie pratically yelled. "Can I go with Benny tomorrow too?"
I groaned as I shut the door and hurried to the Sandlot, free of cats and little brothers.