Just borrowing.
Stadium of Dreams
Memorial Day a year prior:
Stephanie parked her dented and banged CRV in the small cemetery on the outskirts of town. Walking down the path and through the marble markers, she saw him planting the flowers as he did every year. Red geraniums and white petunias were being planted at the base of the granite grave markers of Rosa and Benardo Plum (Plumarilli).
"Hi, Daddy."
"Hi, Pumpkin."
"The flowers look nice."
Frank patted the dirt around the geranium on his mother's grave and gave it a big drink of water. "They do. Your Grandma loved her geraniums."
"You must miss them, Daddy."
He nodded, "I do. I always looked forward to taking in a few ballgames with you Grandpa. He always enjoyed going to the Thunder's Stadium. It was small and reminded him when he played for the 'Newark Bears'.
"Grandpa played minor league ball?'
"Yes, before he was married and I was born. He would help to maintain the field after he quit playing and even visited up until he died. I remember in high school him sitting in the bleachers watching me play if he could make it from the mill. He was so excited when a couple of scouts from the Sox and Pirates were interested in me, but the Army called first."
"You could have been a professional baseball player?"
"Maybe, I was a pretty good infielder and decent at the bat. What made me stand out were my good hands, but the odds are against you to make it to the big leagues. I got married and you and Valerie came along. The Post Office provided a steady pay to feed my family after the Army."
Stephanie was amazed; she never knew that about her father. It explained why he loved baseball so much. "Do you ever wonder if maybe you could have made it?"
"You always have your dream, but I think I made out, Pumpkin. I have you, your mother, sister, and granddaughters. I still hold out hope for a grandson. Rex is a little difficult to play catch with," he chuckled.
"And Grandma Mazur."
Frank grunted, "Don't spoil it."
XXXXXXXXXXX
For Father's Day, Stephanie bought tickets for her and Frank to see a double header of the Trenton Thunder. She was leafing through the program when something caught her eye. "The Thunder will be accepting applications starting October 1 for next year's Fantasy Baseball Camp. The players chosen will train with former major and minor league coaches and players to play in the Memorial Day tradition of a game against the Trenton Thunder All Stars before the regularly scheduled game in front of the home crowd. We look forward to all your applications."
Stephanie made sure she filled out the application for her father and got it in the first day. She saved skip money and put some of her Rangeman pay away to cover the entry fee if her father was chosen.
On Christmas Day, Stephanie handed her father a card when they were alone.
Opening it, he read a letter inside:
"Congratulations and Welcome, Frank, to the 2010 Trenton Thunder Fantasy Baseball Camp. Please report to Thunder Stadium at 9:00AM on April 1 and bring the consent and physician forms with you. Workouts and practice will be held at the stadium and the diamond behind Trenton Park. The Fantasy Camp team will play the Thunder All-Stars in a seven inning Memorial Day game. We look forward to seeing you at Fantasy Camp."
"Pumpkin, I can't do this. I'm retired and a lot out of shape."
"Daddy, they had a guys who were 73 and 76 last year. The equipment guy was 80! I'll help you. We can start doing a little jogging and walking. I paid for it, so you have to go!"
He read the letter again. "It sounds fun, but how about we not tell your mother. Ellen may question my sanity."
"OK, Daddy."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Ranger was sitting in his office thinking and a little dumbfounded. Since Stephanie and Morelli were in an off phase that went through Christmas and New Year's. She came to the Rangeman party the men held with Lula and Connie. They shared a kiss at Midnight but Ranger was unsure of the status of her and the cop and she him because he 'didn't do relationships'. It turned out Stephanie and Morelli were permanent with the help of his Grandma Bella, they wanted a Morelli heir and she bought Joe an ovulating Russian mail-order bride. They somehow got him drunk, had someone from city hall marry them, and she relentlessly jumped his bones in his drunken haze during the honeymoon weekend getting pregnant. He was married to a woman he couldn't understand. Ranger invited Stephanie to have dinner with him a few times but always said she was busy. He was stumped figuring out how to get closer until there was a knock at his door.
"Babe."
She leaned against his desk with those curls and big blue eyes, he was hooked as always. "Ranger, could you help me with something?"
"Anything, Babe," he told her tucking a stray curl behind her ear.
Stephanie began explaining her present she got her father. "You don't mind giving Daddy some strength training help to get him a little in shape for his Fantasy Baseball Camp? He and I have been walking and doing a little light jogging to build his endurance."
"No. I think that is a beautiful gift you gave your father. If he wants to come over to Rangeman this evening, I can do an assessment of where he's at if you have dinner with me?"
Stephanie gave him a wide eye girlish look, "With an Ella dessert?"
"I'll treat for a hot fudge sundae after."
Stephanie jumped at Ranger's temptation. "Deal!"
By the time Frank's baseball camp started, he was jogging almost two miles in the park or on a Rangeman treadmill building up his endurance, his arms were more toned, and he had to buy new pants like he had which Ella washed a few times so they felt old to avoid his wife discovering what he was doing. Ellen was used to him being in the cab or at the lodge as long as he was there for dinner so she wouldn't question him going out.
At the end of the fist day of practice, Bill, a former Thunder coach, who was heading the Fantasy Camp remarked how well Frank did for someone in his mid-fifties. Even better than a few in their thirties. The youngest participant was 22 and the oldest was 75. Clement was in a scooter. He was made the water boy.
Frank introduced his personnel trainer and daughter's boyfriend to him and the team. Ranger and his Merry Men as Stephanie affectionately called them met the Trenton Thunder Fantasy Baseball team at the downtown 'Y' for two nights of strength training. The Thunder made arrangements with the 'YMCA' for the team
to have exclusive use of the back weight room. Stephanie tried to make as many of her father's practices around her Rangeman work schedule, the boss usually accompanied her so it wasn't a problem. Ranger got them running the bases and around the field for extra training.
XXXXXXXXXXX
The afternoon of the game, Stephanie asked her mother and grandmother to go somewhere with her and Ranger saying Frank would meet up with them.
"Stephanie, what are we doing at Waterfront Stadium?" Ellen asked.
"You'll see, Mom. Please, just go with it."
Frank looked down at his cleated baseball shoes, white pants, and the special white and blue Thunder baseball shirts with the lightning bolt logo. He was wearing '22' on his back like he did in high school and 'PLUM' embroidered above it.
"Look, Dad, I made it to the minors," he said watching the stadium fill on the sunny Memorial Day. He glanced over to the section behind first base where Ranger bought tickets, practically the whole section. He saw Ellen, Edna, Valerie, Albert, his granddaughters, Mary Lou and her family, Tank, Bobby, and Lester, and a few other Rangeman employees. His crazy, wonderful daughter was sitting with her head on Ranger's shoulder. He blinked rubbing his eyes and looked again. It couldn't be right. In the empty seat behind Stephanie an old man was waving his baseball cap at him. His father was watching. He looked up again and the seat was empty.
"Good Afternoon, Trenton. Welcome to our Memorial Day double header!" the announcer came over the sound system. "Up first is the Trenton Thunder Fantasy Baseball Team versus the Trenton Thunder All Stars! Let's meet our players." He began announcing the line-up. "Batting third and playing first base, Number 22, Retired Trenton Post Master Frank Plum!"
"Go, Daddy!" he heard Stephanie yelling as he ran out waving his baseball cap. His family had stunned looks upon their faces, except for Stephanie and the old man behind her waving his ball cap.
"Stephanie, that's your father!" Ellen said shocked because she had no idea.
"Go, Daddy!" Stephanie cheered. "It is, Mom. Daddy deserves to live out his dream."
All during the game, Frank kept glancing at his family. Stephanie, Ranger, and his whole section cheered and waved including the form of his smiling father gesturing with his baseball cap from the seat behind his younger daughter.
The All-Stars were leading by one run going into the seventh inning. The was one out and 66-year old Luigi who owned the sno-cone stand two blocks from the stadium was on first base and Frank was up to bat.
"Go, Daddy!" "Go, Frank" "Hit one for these babies." Edna yelled lifting her shirt.
He had to step out of the batter's box when he witnessed that. His team was laughing because he pointed out his crazy old bat of a mother-in-law in a straw hat. Something made him glance up before he stepped up to the plate. His father was pointing to the outfield and nodding at his granddaughter in front of him.
"Go, Daddy!"
Frank blew Stephanie a kiss before he took his stance. "Strike!" The next was a ball. On the third pitch, Frank swung and "SMACK!"
"It's going!" The announcer shouted. "Out of here! The Fantasy Team takes the lead 7 to 5."
Frank tossed the bat and ran to first. Touching the base, he noticed small footprints in the dirt running with him. By the time he reached second base, a dark haired curly little boy was running with him with small blue sneakers. "We got a hit, Grandpa! We got to run!"
Without realizing it, Frank said, "Let's go, Ben!"
"Gotta run!" the little boy said jumping on third base and running for home with Frank. "We scored!" A black baseball shoe and a little blue sneaker touched home plate together.
The Fantasy Baseball Team was congratulating Frank. Looking down, the little boy was gone and he looked up to his family, they were cheering for him and the figure of his father waved his ball cap going up the aisle.
"Bye, Dad," he whispered amongst his teammates.
After a quick shower in the locker room and changing after the game, Frank went to join his family. The Fantasy team won 7 to 5 getting the All-Stars to pop-up with three fly balls ending the game. He took a seat next between Stephanie and Ellen.
"Frank, you won the game!" Ellen congratulated him with a kiss.
"Thank you, Pumpkin. I lived out my dream today," he hugged his daughter.
Stephanie hugged him back, "That's what I wanted."
He reached back on the empty seat behind her, there was an old worn 'Newark Bears' baseball cap. He slipped it on his head and put his 'Trenton Thunder' one over Stephanie's curls.
Ranger treated his family and friends to pizza and beer at Pino's after the games. He was watching Stephanie nuzzling into her Cuban boyfriend. "Pumpkin, I like the name Ben."
"Ben?" His daughter was confused not sure what her father was referring to, but Ranger understood nodding at Mr. Plum.
"Got it, Frank."
"Daddy!"
XXXXXXXXXXX
A few years later, Frank was running bases again. "We got a hit, Grandpa! Run!
He was running beside a curly haired little boy with dark eyes. "Let's go, Ben!"
"Run, Grandpa!"
Looking over at a tree in the shade, a thin form of a man leaning against it was waving a baseball cap watching the grandfather and grandson running in the park. Frank had his minor league dream in a stadium a few years ago, but this was his major league dream.
The End