It was a good hour and a half later, before Jassa let them out of the corner, and Mary let Bosco out of his room. HM and Bosco looked at each other. HM was afraid that his new friend was mad at him. "Scooter are you mad at me because you got in trouble?"
Bosco shook his head, and he said, "Nah Man, Mama was right it was my fault too. We shouldn't have been fighting' an' I should have controlled my temper too."
"I guess, but I shouldn't have taken away your ball", answered HM.
Bosco smiled at HM. "No problem kid. If I had kept my promise. Well you know. Hey you want to go to the game?"
HM wanted to go but he was not too sure if he could. So he looked at his Grandma and waited for her to speak. Jassa looked at Jesper. Jesper looked back at Jassa.
"It's your call Jassa my love", answered Jesper. "Whatever you say goes."
Jassa looked sideways at her husband, she was making sure he wasn't saying that just so he wouldn't get in the corner again. Convinced he wasn't just being a goof ball, she turned to HM again. Jassa motion for him to come to her. He strolls over to her and waited for her answer.
"HM. If I let you go? Do you promise to be good and no more fighting?"
HM nodded his head. "I will try not to fight but I will not walked away from a fight either."
Jassa nodded. She knew it would be pointless to mother him too much, and besides, Jesper would only encourage HM in the exact opposite anyway. She turned from the two boys, and stood by Mary and Jesper. The three watched as the two boys left again, and Jassa started to speak. "What am I going to do with him Mary?"
Mary looked sympathetically at her, and patted her shoulders. Just let him grow up that all we can do. I know it's not easy but sometimes we just have to break the strings."
"I know, I know", sighed Jassa. "But it's so hard, when Anna came to first live with us after Harold and Irene died, and then Anna herself passed... Well I'm the only mother he's ever really known. It's so hard to break those apron strings." She then noticed what she was doing and said, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to ramble at you."
Mary took the older woman and hugs her. "Its okay .I understand. When Bart died in that planes crash. It wasn't easy for me not to baby him so much. But Jassa please believed me when I say this don't baby HM too much. He will resent it."
Jassa nodded, and took Mary's piece of advice to heart. She walked out the front door, and sat down on the porch. She knew that she needed to let HM grow up, but to her he was just a baby. Jesper followed her out and stood beside her.
He smiled at her. "Hey woman I love you." She glanced sideways at Jesper, and watched as he sat down next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"And I love you, you old goat. I was just thinking over Mary's advice. Do you think she's right? Do I mother HM too much?"
Jesper pause for a moment thinking of the right words to say, "Jassa. My pet. I know you missed Howard? I miss him too But HM needs to grow up and you need to let him."
Jassa sighed again. She knew that what Jesper was saying was the truth. "I know it's the right thing to do. "I know it, but I'll need a reminder every once in a while. Think you can help me out sometimes Jes?"
Jesper hug his wife. "You can count on it."
They sat on the porch for almost an hour, but it felt like a lifetime to Jassa. She loved snuggling with Jesper, and rarely got a chance to do so. Except when HM had been put to bed. She kissed his cheek again, and stood up. "Well I'd better help Mary with supper Jes. Think you can keep busy until HM gets back?"
He nodded his head.
Bosco and HM enter the park Stinky strolls over to them. "Hey Bosco why you
bring him again"
Bosco smiled "Wait until you see him pitch."
Stinky's eyes got really big. "You're not foolin' us are you Bosco?"
Bosco stared Stinky down, "One thing is Bosco Baracus don't lie. An' give HM a chance. I seen him pitch."
Stinky stared at HM. "Okay lets see you pitch." He turned around and called to someone. "Duke come here." A big boy ran over to them.
Stinky pointed to him. "This is Duke the slugger. No one can touch him if you strike him out. You're are in."
Getting on the pitcher's mound, HM stood there, he tried to focus on the Duke, but his vision blurred for a second. He rolled the ball around in his hand, just like he'd done the rocks, and blindly threw it. Duke hit the ball and the boys all laughed.
"I thought you said he could pitch. Boy my two month old baby sister could do better."
Bosco stared at Stinky. "Hey he just nervous. I saw him do it."
"Yeah sure."
"Hey like I said before, Bosco Baracus don' lie", snarled Bosco.
"Let him pitch again", sighed Stinky.
So the ball was handed back to HM, and he threw again. This time causing Duke to get a strike, "strike one", Bosco. yelled
HM smiled and licked his lips and threw the ball again.
Duke missed it; "strike two" replied Bosco.
HM looked at Duke and studied him then let the ball rip across the sky.
"Strike three!" yelled Daisy.
He did it he struck Duke out. Stepping off the pitcher's mound, HM stepped into a group of high fives, and a couple of hugs.
"You did it HM, you did it", said Bosco.
"You struck Duke out", said the awed voice of Stinky. Even Bo was impressed.
HM shying smiled and looked at them. "Can I play?"
"Are you kidding kid?" said Bo "welcome to the team."
"Thanks", said HM. He was still a little shy, but if he got to play, he'd be really happy. He glanced over at Duke, and Duke's little tomboy sister Daisy. He noticed that Duke didn't join in the celebration. He decided that if they were going to be on the same team, he'd better start on the right foot. HM step up to Duke and held out his hand "Hi my name is HM Murdock."
Duke stared at him for a moment; "No ones ever struck me out kid. You are the first one to do it." He held out his hand too. "Sure am glad you are on our team. Duke Hunnicut, and this is my little sister, Daisy", continued Duke.
"Nice to meet you two", answered HM. Daisy smiled, and said, "Good to meet you too." HM smiled again, and rejoined the team for practice. For once he felt he belonged. He'd found a lot of friends, and now he was on a stickball team. Life was great. All afternoon they practiced. The Silver Bullets were now ready to face the Wild Cats with their secret weapon a new pitcher named HM Murdock.
The sun was going down, and the Silver Bullets dispersed in all ways possible. HM and Bosco went back to Bosco's apartment, but they'd all promised to meet back in the morning to practice a little bit more before their game. HM's eyes were shining and Bosco noticed the look.
He too smiled and said, "Ya know what HM? I think the guys were impressed."
"Really?" asked HM. His eyes getting wide. "Thanks for teaching me how to play, and I'm glad Bo let me on the team."
"Hey didn't really teach you much. You had it in you all along."
HM nodded his head. They walked into the apartment where Jesper and Jassa were waiting.
"HM my meeting had been cancelled we are going home tomorrow."
HM looked at his grandparents. Stunned was the word for the look on his face. And he looked ready to do something. Not cry, not yell, just... something.
"But Grandpa, the stickball game, Silver Bullets against the Wildcats is tomorrow. "I'm the pitcher. I can't just leave. Please can't we stay until after the game at least?"
"I'm sorry HM but the farm will not run itself someone got to be there. I am sorry boy. There will be other games."
HM nodded his head holding back the tears. Mary looked at them. "Jassa why don't you let HM stay here I promise I will get him back."
Jassa looked at her husband. "How he asked I don't have enough money for Howard to stay. I'm sorry Howard."
HM said nothing but ran into the bedroom.
Jassa looked at Jesper. "Perhaps if I stay as well? I could help out Mary more, and I'm sure I could call a neighbor friend of mine, to watch the house, and make sure you're fed on time. Besides I've got money, and I've got a little more left over."
Jesper looked at Jassa and said, "My Love we've got to get back, I stand firm when I say that we all must leave tomorrow."
"Jesper Murdock! You listened to me. That boy is heartbroken. He will go tomorrow because you said so but, he will always be sad and I for one will not let that child be sad. This game means a lot to him. We will leave tomorrow after the game. I don't want to hear another word from you. You stuffy old shirt."
"Stuffy old shirt?", muttered Jesper to himself. He shook his head, if it wasn't one thing it was another. He caught sight of Mary Baracus trying to hold back a smile of her own.
"You'd better listen to her Jesper", said Mary. "She knows exactly what she's talking about", Mary finished.
Jesper sighed again, and went to the bedroom to see if he could talk to HM again.
HM was laying on the bed crying. He felt someone sit down and turned around to face his grandfather rubbing his eye. "I got something in my eye."
Jesper smiled. "Howard is this game really important to you?"
HM looked at him. "No not really."
"Don't lie to me boy. Is it or not?"
"Yes Grampa I am really good. You should see me."
"Okay Howard we will stay for the game but then we got to go home okay?"
HM turned his body around, so that he too was sitting on the bed, and facing his grandfather. "Okay Gran'pa. You and Gramma wanna come too?"
Jesper nested HM head. "We would not miss it for the world."
End of Part 6
