Page 84 of For The Ring

“I will hear no blasphemy about this song.”

“I marathoned this show once.”

“Really?”

“When Javy and I were in the minors, we had no money, there wasn’t anything to do, so one season we just mainlinedThe O.C.from beginning to end.”

“Okay, moment of truth then, Marissa . . . better dead or alive?”

“Alive. It was so fucked up when they killed her.”

“Right? I remember being enraged. Like, was she annoying, sure, but that was the point. It never worked right again after they killed her off.”

“So which one were you?”

“What?”

“Ryan or Seth?”

“Ryan Atwood is one of the greatest male characters ever written. Second maybe only to Pacey Witter. Teenage me was absolutely ruined for real-life teenage boys.”

“Wait, who, Paste??”

“Stop, if you watchedThe O.C.then you watchedDawson’s Creektoo. That’s more your era than mine.”

“You are not that much younger than me.”

“I’m enough younger that I didn’t watch that show when it was airing.”

“It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“You’re what? Five years younger than me and you’re just on the upswing of your career, meanwhile mine is pretty much over?”

“I’m sorry, did you check into the nearest old-age home?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I do. I always imagined it’d be pretty surreal, to not even be forty and to be retired, and you managed to play longer than most guys.”

“It was . . . it is. Like, this is technically my retirement job.”

“Technically. Don’t pretend like you’re a greeter at Wal-Mart now.”

“Okay, so it’s a pretty good retirement job.”

“One of thirty guys in the whole world who are able to doit. Less than the amount of catchers in the league. If you think about it, it’s even more rare than what you were doing before.”

“Doesn’t pay as well, though.”

“Yeah, you’re really hurting for money.”

“Just saying, and it’s not like you’re doing too badly yourself. I know what that neighborhood you live in costs.”

“Have you started looking for a place?”

“I have, just you know, scrolling Zillow a bunch to see what’s around. Somewhere near the ballpark, for sure. Something that makes me feel like I’m getting the whole Brooklyn experience, you know? If I’m gonna do it, I might as well really do it, become a part of the place.”

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