Page 57 of The Battery
The emotional side of it lay completely beyond my ability.
Did you see a therapist?
Is that why you are angry all the time?
Do you still talk to your family like they’re still here?
What is it like losing a twin?
I kept my silence. Leo had shifted during his story and locked me to him by putting his right arm around my shoulders, pressing me closer. I had both hands on his thigh, holding onto him like he was about to drift away into the deep. He didn’t look at me once when he spoke, just kept his eyes on the window. When he finished, he lowered his head a fraction.
I spoke first. I had weeded through all the stupid things one could say to find the core of how I felt. “You’re… you’re Superman, Leo.” That got me a curious look. “You’ve been through unimaginable heartbreak… and youusedit. It didn’t claim you. You claimedit. Turned it into, I dunno,a superpower? Your past is your strength, and you built an incredible future from it.”
“Didn’t feel like that for years.”
“Yeah, but from everything you told me, Uncle Andy knew how it had to be. He never stopped pushing you, did he? I imagine he threw you right back into baseball the moment the spring came.” Leo nodded slowly. “And you didn’t want to play anymore without your brother. But Andy didn’t care. He gave you no choice.”
“I tried to punch him once because of it,” Leo said. The faint hint of a smile caressed his lips. “All wild and uncontrolled.” He shrugged. “But then six months passed… a year… two years… then I was drafted my junior year of college. The hurt, it never left. I just got used to it. If that makes sense.” It didn’t—not for me at least, but I nodded like I understood. “That’s when I began my mission.”
“Mission?”
He shifted, withdrawing his right arm a bit from my shoulders so that his hand had a solid grip. Then he extended his left arm and rotated so I could see the underside of his forearm. I saw the swirling patterns and mosaic of his tattoos and tried to find whatever icon I knew he wanted to show me.
“I made it my life’s mission to win three pennants. One for each of them.”
I refreshed my view. I knew Leo made it to the World Series with the Ann Arbor Lions and lost. Then, when he was with the Brawlers, he made it to the World Series twice and won once. That made three pennant wins. One with the Lions, two with the Brawlers.
My eyes scanned for the white and blue stripes of the Lions, the blood red of the Brawlers.
There.
Three triangles interwoven in those tattoos. Three pennants.
Leo was a consummate professional and a star athlete. Someone of his caliber vied for the World Series. Always. So I had to ask, “Why league championship?”
“And why not a World Series win for each of them? I don’t know if this will make sense to you or not, but my father always encouraged Archie and me to find a challenge in facing our peers. He said competition with friends and peers would always make us stronger than facing down an enemy. He also hated the pomp of the World Series and always thought the thrill of a league championship was more fun to watch. A battle for one of two places at the top.” Another shrug. “So I said I’d win him a pennant. Then thought, fuck it, I’ll win for my mother and Archie, too.”
My hand had been tracing the pennants as he spoke. “And so you did.”
“When Uncle Andy got cancer the first time, I promised him I would win my fourth for him.”
My eyes widened and I shot a look at Leo.
Everything connected. Pieces fell into place that I didn’t even know were there or missing. I saw the puzzle that had been Leonidas Papadopoulos and now it all made sense.
“You manufactured the trade,” I said. “There were rumors…”
At that, he nodded. “The Brawlers lost their way, especially after last season. I had to get out and the Riders just so happened to lose their catcher. It was perfect.” His right hand slid back a fraction so that his thumb ran along the nape of my neck. “Then I met you and was conflicted. Professionally, you could help bring us to the league championship. Personally?” He snickered and I melted at the sound. “You’d be the death of me.”
“You’re driven to win this pennant. And you’re pushing aside any obstacle that gets in the way.”
“Correct. And wewillmake it. I know we will.”
Which begged another question. “So where ya puttin’ Riders blue and bronze on your body?”
Another light chuckle. Two smiles in a row? How lucky was I?
“Haven’t found a spot yet.”
