A Thousand Paper Cranes
By Reiko Anne Nguyen
Original Publish Date: October 14, 2005
Summary: Benny never thought he'd find another adventure quite like pickling the beast. Little did he know that freshman year would prove to be anything but ordinary. Varsity hazing trials, dead bodies, and town secrets are bound to be revealed.
Chapter 2: Benjamin Rodriguez
"It was just another ordinary winning from a seemingly ordinary boy—
a boy who wasn't so much of an underdog as he was a pure natural."
August 20, 1962—1 Year Ago
Monday
The year was 1962 and, although the long summer vacation was already coming to a close, a drowsy heat still lay over the town of San Fernando Valley, California. The men washed their cars, occasionally spraying children as they playfully ran around the lawns, while the women stayed under the shades of their air-conditioned homes, sipping cool lemonade with a new issue of "Vogue" at hand.
No one in their right minds wanted to leave the perimeter of their residences. No one wanted to face the scorching heat. No one, that is, except for the sandlot boys, who were known for playing baseball through rain, sleet, hail—whatever the seasonal case may be.
Now here they were—Scotty Smalls, Hamilton Porter, Michael "Squints" Palledorous, Alan "Yeah-Yeah" McClennan, Kenny DeNunez, Bertram Grover Weeks, Timmy Simmons, and Tommy Simmons—all spread out over the expanse of the sandlot. And what a sight they were, with their clothes wrinkled, dirty, and sweat-stained, their hairs powered with dust, and their faces smudged with oil and dirt.
Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez was no exception to this messy, disheveled group as he took his place on the batter's box and positioned himself for a swing.
"Heads up, everyone!" Squints yelled from the outfield. "Benny's gonna bust the guts out of this ball again. I can feel it."
"Yeah, yeah, seriously," Yeah-Yeah panted as he tiredly dragged himself next to Bertram. "You think Benny even knows how to sweat?"
"I don't think that even matters," Bertram snorted. "You could probably pitch a ten-pound rock at him and he still wouldn't flinch."
The two of them laughed as they imagined a giant boulder hurling towards an unwavering Benny. It was just like him to take baseball to the next level.
Just then, a crack emitted through the air, and both Yeah-Yeah and Bertram watched as the ball went flying over Mr. Mertle's roof.
"There goes another Moon Shot," Yeah-Yeah mused to himself as Benny sprinted towards home base.
It was just another ordinary winning from a seemingly ordinary boy—a boy who wasn't so much of an underdog as he was a pure natural. With long legs and an athletic build, Benny had the innate ability to get through any sport. But this was baseball, and that actually meant something to him. To Benny, baseball was life—and he was good. Real good.
Later that evening, Benny watched as the boys departed from the sandlot—surprisingly eager for the summer to end. Benny couldn't blame them. He knew they were excited about telling their own rendition of how they helped tame The Beast, as the story seemed to benefit anyone involved in the affair.
In fact, about a week ago, Benny, Ham, Kenny, and Squints stepped into restricted farm territory on the outskirts of town. The owners had phoned the police and, within minutes, the four of them were being chased down a field of wheat by Chief McClennan and his deputy officers. For some reason, the air didn't agree with Squints, who suddenly collapsed from an allergic reaction. Doctor Palledorous took care of him—both in health and in punishment. Benny, Ham, and Kenny, on the other hand, were forced into the back of Chief McClennan's police cruiser.
"Did you know Benny bust the guts out of a baseball?" Ham nervously told Chief McClennan as they rode back to town.
Chief McClennan adjusted his front mirror and glanced at Benny, who sat fidgeting in his place. "You pullin' my leg here, Porter?"
"No, sir!" Ham fervently shook his head. "Saw it with my own eyes!"
To their surprise, Chief McClennan chuckled and smiled. They spent the entire car ride talking about baseball and The Beast, and by the time they had arrived in The Valley, Chief McClennan simply slapped them on the wrist and dropped them off at the sandlot. It was probably easiest he had ever gone on them.
Just one more week till school.Benny thought as he lied on the grass and stared at the purple sky. He would have stayed there all night, content with sleeping under the stars and over the soil of his sacred sandlot. To him, baseball was everything. He lived for it; breathed for it. There was nothing he wanted more in the world than to play baseball for the rest of human existence.
But time—and his father—wouldn't allow it.
Once Benny had begun nodding to sleep, he knew it was time to go home. He ran down the main street, past Mr. and Mrs. Porter's bakery, and took a shortcut behind Reverend DeNunez' church before finally making it down Telfair Avenue. By the time he had reached his house, he knew he was already late. His mother, Gabriella Rodrigeuz, stood on the porch, fumbling with the handle of their front door.
Shaking his head in mixed exasperation and endearment, Benny ran towards his mother and lightly tugged on her black curls. She quickly spun around with a start, but instantly sighed in relief as she recognized her youngest son.
"Mama," Benny said as he gently nudged his mother to the side. "Necesita ayuda?"
"Ah, m'hijo! Por favor?"
Benny approached the door knob and rattled it gently before reaching behind his mother's head and picking out a random bobby pin. He then stuck it into the key hole and began picking the lock, waiting for a light click to sound off.
This wouldn't be the first time that Gabriella Rodriguez, or Gabby as she was casually nicknamed, had locked herself out of the house. She was a bit absentminded and, at one point, had bought a book on how to improve her memory only to realize that she already owned a copy.
She was unusually unlucky, as well. Bizarre string of events always seemed to follow Gabby Rodriguez—the most notable being the afternoon she had been randomly chased by crows before being led away from the supermarket in handcuffs. Granted, she was falsely accused for a robbery she didn't commit, but the fact did nothing to soothe the scandal of being tackled by police officers for resisting arrest.
"There you go, mama," Benny said in English as he pocketed the bobby pin and opened the door. "Seriously, it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep a spare key under the mat. Not like we got anything worth stealing, you know."
True to his words, there really wasn't anything in the house worth taking. Most of the furniture had aged horribly, primarily as a result of the golden retriever that had once chewed through everything it could find. Any other valuable decorations the family owned had been pawned in order to pay for Susan and Adam's college tuitions. Sad to say, the Rodriguez family was not faring well with their current financial troubles, but that was nothing new to them.
"Thank you for saving me again, m'hijo," Gabriella said as she entered the kitchen with her groceries. "You're such a good child. Did I tell you you're my favorite child?"
Benny snickered. "Yeah, fifteen minutes after you got off the phone with Adam and told him the exact same thing."
"Well then you're my favorite third child. I will never have a third child quite like you."
"I'm honored," Benny bowed jokingly before he reached for the light switch. He flicked it on, expecting the kitchen to illuminate. But when he found himself still standing in the dark, he knew at once that they had missed their electricity bills.
"I'm sorry, m'hijo, but money's been a bit tight, again. You wouldn't mind working free labor at my shop this week, would you? I'm sure the sandlot won't cry if you don't show up."
Benny laughed and rolled his eyes. "Course not, mama." He knew that both of his parents were working very hard to pay off old debts, overdue bills, and some of Susan and Adam's tuition fees. As a jobless teenager, he didn't have the right to complain. He didn't want to.
"We'll make it through, m'hijo. We always do. When I married your father, we knew we were going to be leading a hard life. But we also knew we were going to be happy, and that's all that really matters. Right?"
Benny nodded his head, although he really couldn't understand if his parents' fragile relationship was truly a "happy" one.
"Besides," Gabriella continued. "We still have running water. And you stink. Why don't you take advantage of that before seeing the Reynolds family?"
Benny perked at the mention of his next door neighbors' name.
"They're home? Already? Bitchin'!"
"Yes," Gabriella perched happily as she turned around to finish stocking her groceries. "But please, Benjamin. Don't curse. Did you know that a millimeter of your weenie shrinks every time you say a bad word under my roof? Don't ask me how, but—"
She paused, hearing the front door slam shut. Turning around, her son was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, goodness," Gabriela laughed to herself as she continued with her chore. "So much for being a good child."
Disclaimer: "The Sandlot" was written and directed by David M. Evans. I do not own anything related to the movie other than this fan written fiction and the original characters I have created through my own imagination. I assure you that this piece of work does not make any profits, nor will it be published in the future. Copyright infringement is not intended.