Page 3 of Without Bound
This little spitfire just turned this gloomy day around.
“Hells yeah, Day,” I tell her once I’ve stopped coughing, and hold my fist out to her.
She sits up straight and her eyes light with pride and satisfaction as she bumps me back.
“Hells yeah,” she whispers.
“Day,” Vaughan scolds from beside her.
“What? Uncle Bishop said it.” She holds up her hands with that innocent smile.
“Okay. Why don’t you tell Uncle Bishop what kind of trouble you got into for your little stunt.” Vaughan scoops up a forkful of momma’s chicken casserole and pops it in his mouth.
“Ugh,” she fumes, but before she can tell me about the unjust punishment she received, the shrill of my phone breaks the moment.
I pull my phone from my back pocket and look at the caller id.
“Sorry y’all. It’s my agent. I better see if it’s important. Be right back.” I stand and walk into the living room, then swipe the screen to answer and hold it up to my ear. “Hey Randy. Is everything okay?”
It’s odd that he would be calling me since all of the big decisions and little details have been handled.
“Nothing’s wrong. In fact, everything is just right. How’d you like to go back home?” He asks me.
“Back home? Like, for a visit?”
“No. Back home for a job.” I freeze and my heart skips a beat. “Seems that Rice University is looking for an assistant baseball coach, and your name came up.”
“Hold up. Isn’t O’Toole the head coach?”
“Yup. Your old coach from LSU is the head coach at Rice, and he called me and asked specifically for you. So, what’d you think?”
My jaw hits the floor as my eyes look over at everyone seated at the table. They watch with rapt attention, curiously.
I thought endlessly about what I would do after may pro career was over. I figured I’d go back home and maybe work with my dad at the mortgage company he owns. I have my degree in finance, so it was just assumed that would be the next step.
While that doesn’t seem like the most exciting job after playing in the MLB, it was the one I could see myself being good at, and it would allow me to be the kind of dad I had.
Always present. Always cheering for me.
But never in my wildest dreams did I once think about being a baseball coach. I assumed that once my career was over, that would be the end of baseball unless I was watching it as an outsider.
Standing here, looking at the faces of the family I love most, a whole newer world feels like it has opened up.
I look at my dad who scrunches his brows and mouthes, “what is it?”
On a deep exhale, like the one that started my day, I tell Randy, “What do I think? I think I’m coming home.”
2
Anais
Present day
“Anais Maria De La Cruz.”
My name is called and I make my way across the stage, stopping when I reach my principal. He hugs me, hands me my diploma, and we pose for a picture. I move to shake hands with the superintendent then make a quick detour to hug my favorite teacher, Mrs. LaSalle.
“You’re going to be someone amazing,” she whispers in my ear, and tears spring to my eyes.
