Chapter 6

It was the next day that Peter decided to take his son around town and introduce him to his love of baseball. They started off at the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum and Peter was in the mode of tour guide when he heard.

"Peter Burke? Is that really you, boy?"

Peter and Neal turned simultaneously to see an older man with a young girl following. "Mr. Cooper? It's been a long time since I last saw you," greeted Peter as he shook the older gentlemen's hand.

"Yes, I remember the last game you pitched in during college before injury took you permanently away. I heard that you joined the FBI; how is that working out for you?" he asked as he looked Peter over before turning his gaze to Neal.

"I'm a special agent with the White Collar unit of the FBI and our solve rate is 97%," replied Peter proudly and then noticing Mr. Cooper's gazing at Neal added, "This is my son, Neal."

Mr. Tom Cooper looked confused and asked, "He seems a bit old to be your son Peter. This is my granddaughter, Sally; she is the daughter of my oldest son."

"Yeah, well even though El and I have only been married ten years when Neal came into our lives and he was so desperate a need for family that we adopted him," replied Peter just as proudly as he did earlier about his record at the FBI, "and we haven't regretted it in the least."

Cooper nodded in Neal's direction before turning to go and was unprepared when Neal leaped forward to say, "It's nice to meet you Sally. Maybe we can get together sometime during my stay here?"

Sally nodded as she smiled at him, "That would be nice. I'll be staying with my grandparents for the next week or so; why don't you give me a call."

Neal nodded as she walked away turning at the last minute to smile back at him, much to the dislike of her grandfather.

Peter waited until after Cooper and his granddaughter had left the area before saying, "I wouldn't get my hopes up son. Tom Cooper is an arrogant bastard; he feels that since the town shares his last name that he is more important than anyone else in town."

"Was the town named after his family?" Neal asked.

"Nope…his father came long after Cooperstown came into existence. But you wouldn't know it if you listen to him. In his eyes the moment I said that El and I adopted you he felt that you aren't good enough to date his granddaughter and he will do his best to keep you two apart," warned Peter.

Neal nodded but already started to plan on how he could meet up with Sally and only half listened to what Peter was saying until they came to the Museum store where Peter promptly bought him a Yankee jacket and ball. "This way we can play catch once we return home."

Neal nodded good naturally at the thought of him throwing the ball with Peter. "It might be fun," thought Neal as he wandered through the store looking around before coming to a stop before the cooking items and smiled when he saw an apron and cooking glove set he could tease his father with and promptly bought them; he would get it embroidered with his name once they returned home.

After leaving the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum Peter dragged Neal to the Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum. It was there that Neal ran into Sally outside the exhibit just after Peter entered to see who was there. Obviously Sally wasn't as great a baseball fan as her grandfather and had opted to wait for him instead of accompanying him inside.

Neal and Sally hit it off immediately. They exchanged cell phone numbers and were enjoying themselves when Tom Cooper hurried up and demanded, "You will leave my granddaughter alone. I know all about your past and do not want your kind anywhere near my granddaughter," he ordered viciously as he pulled his granddaughter away.

Peter came up minutes later to console him and decided that a return to his parent's home was needed. Peter tried to talk to Neal on the way home but Neal only stared out of the window trying hard not to cry at the brutal verbal attack of Tom Cooper.

"What's wrong with Neal?" asked El as she witnessed Neal running up to his room without returning her greeting.

"He met a pretty girl and they hit it off," replied Peter as he gazed up the stairs.

"What happened?"

"Her grandfather told him under no circumstances was he to continue their relationship. He had learned about his past and didn't want 'his kind' anywhere near his granddaughter," Peter hastened to add. "It was Tom Cooper."

"What about Tom?" asked Mike as he came upon their conversation.

"He hurt our son," replied El angrily as she hurried up the stairs to console their son.

Mike turned to his son and Peter told him all that had happened that morning.

"Tom is like that. He thinks he is the almighty and the only thing that matters is what he decrees. As much as it hurts, Neal had better heed his warnings or it could get worse. I've heard of other boys Sally has taken a shine to; they dumped her after a talk with Tom or they suffer the consequences of disobedience. I don't want that to happen to my grandson. I know that he has changed or you and El wouldn't give him your name but others don't feel the same. To them once a criminal always a criminal," Mike explained before adding, "Go to him and assure him that we love him and not to let the Tom Coopers of the world ruin his life."

It was a somber Neal who joined the others for lunch that day. He wasn't his talkative or cheerful self and Sarah noticed it right away and asked,

"What happened this morning to upset my grandson so?" as she directed her question to her son.

After glancing at Neal, Peter replied, "We ran into Tom and Sally Cooper twice this morning."

"You remember meeting Sally the last time we were here, honey? She was about eighteen," Peter added as Elizabeth nodded.

"She is such a lovely and well-mannered girl. We met her when she was running errands with her grandmother," El remembered out loud.

"She hasn't changed…just as friendly as before and she and Neal hit it off right away. I think that Neal would have asked her out if her grandfather hadn't been with her. Anyhow the first meeting was quite civil but by the time we met the second time Tom was downright brutal to Neal. He told Neal that he didn't want Neal's kind anywhere near his granddaughter and ordered him away."

"Oh, Neal I'm so sorry. Tom can be so intense when he thinks he has to protect his granddaughter," consoled Sarah. "So you and Sally like each other?"

"Yes, ma'am. Sally is nice and I like her a lot and she liked me. We were having a good time when her grandfather came up and put me down as he dragged her away," Neal replied angrily.

Sarah had heard enough and she turned to her husband and said, "Mike go and talk to him. Explain that our grandson isn't going to do anything to hurt Sally. They only want to have a good time."

Mike, to his son's surprise, got up and did just what his wife asked and soon was out in the hall talking to Tom Cooper. When Neal saw that he brightened up and began to eat. He even started smiling again…that is until his grandfather came back shaking his head. "Sorry Neal…I couldn't convince him. He knows that you are an ex-con and he doesn't want you anywhere near his granddaughter. I would recommend that you do as he says. He can get downright mean if he catches the two of you together unless you are with a family member."

"You mean if I want to take Sally out I have to have a chaperon with me or face Mr. Cooper's wrath?" Neal asked incredulously.

Mike looked around the table before replying, "Yes that sums it up nicely. But it doesn't mean that you won't face his wrath only that he won't be able to physically hurt you."

Neal suddenly got up and headed outside; he was too angry to speak and only wanted peace and quiet to thinks things over. His family decided to let him be for the time being and finished their lunch, sorry that one cankerous old man was the cause of all the trouble to their boy.

As he walked about the garden Neal did start to calm down as he planned how to get around Mr. Cooper's demands when his cell phone rang and Neal was delighted to hear that it was Sally Cooper on the other end. "Hi Sally," greeted Neal as they began to talk and soon he was laughing as Sally told him something funny and that she was just as angry at the way her grandfather was treating her. She was the one to invite him to meet her at an art museum not far from Cooperstown and he agreed at once. "I'll be with my Grandmother, who is a good friend of Mama Sarah. I thought they could visit while we hung out for a while," Sally said before hanging up.

It was a much happier Neal who came back in time for dessert and suggested that they check out the art museums in the area. "I'll be happy to show you around dear. I have a favorite one but it isn't in Cooperstown; in fact some of my watercolors are hanging there. They have a lot of paintings from local artists," explained Sarah as she told him the name and Neal had to hide a smile.

That was probably one of the reasons Sally suggested that museum in the first place that and it was out of town and maybe out of Tom's spy range. He had several friends who would only be so quick to tell him what his granddaughter was doing or who she was seeing to curry favor with him. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case this time.

As soon as El heard that this museum had some of her mother-in-law's works hanging she was quick to ask, "Do you mind if I tag along? I would love to see more of your work Sarah."

"Not at all…the more the merrier," replied Sarah. "Would one o'clock be too early to go Neal?"

"No ma'am that would be perfect," he replied as he left the table and went upstairs to change in something more suitable for an afternoon outing with Sally.

El and Sarah had to hide their laughter until after Neal had left.

"What's so funny honey?" asked a perplexed Peter who looked at his father

to see if he understood what had just happened.

"And you call yourself a detective?" replied El who added, "Neal has a date with Sally…they are only using going to the museum as a front to see each other. I don't know who called who about this but obviously they have something worked out and we are going along as backup if Tom shows up to cause a stink."

Peter let out an "Oh" before jumping to defend himself. "I am a good detective on catching criminals not this love stuff."

Sarah and El only exchanged a glance as they smiled at his remarks. They got up and started clearing the table so they too could get ready for Neal's date.