Page 16 of Reserved for Him
“Are you into baseball?” It may have sounded like a dumb question, but I wasn’t sure if she put it on because she thought I wanted to watch it, or if she was generally interested in it.
“I do. I’m a Stingers fan, and I go to their games when I can.”
It was refreshing to meet a woman who liked the sport as opposed to someone pretending to like it for my benefit.
“That’s what’s up. How did you get into baseball? Do you watch other sports?”
She turned to face me but kept looking at the television. It was cute that she was all into it but still occupied me. I shook my head at myself because how was someone watching television cute?
“My father and grandfather are huge baseball fans, and being an only child, my dad took me to games when I was little. It was his way of doing what he loved and still bonding with me. He even got me a mitt one year for my birthday when I turned six, and we used to practice in the yard. I played softball in high school and college.”
“That’s dope. You might have to show me your arm one day.”
She giggled, and it was the cutest fucking thing.There was that cute word again.
“It’s been a while, but I still got it.” She swung her arms like she was hitting a ball.
We both laughed, then she turned to focus on the game again. I watched her as she got into the game, yelling and clapping at the TV.
“I’m sorry if I’m being too loud.”
“It’s all good.”
I was glad she was comfortable enough to be herself around me. It also helped that she didn’t pay me too much mind, because I didn’t even know what to say to her. It was like I forgot how to have a conversation when she was around. I wasn’t much of a talker anyway, but still, I could have asked her some questions or something.
I smiled whenever she got mad at one of the players. The Stingers were the local team from Spring Oaks, and they had a pretty decent roster. I’d gone to a game or two before.
“Are you from here?” Junicia asked when a commercial came on.
“No. Why do you ask?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I could just tell. Plus, I never saw you before you moved in.”
“I’m from New Jersey, but I moved here when I was a teenager, then I left as soon as I could for college.”
It was weird that we never ran into each other when we were younger, but I went to a private high school. My parents thought a private school would be better, but those kids weren’t any different than the kids in public school. The only difference was they had money to get into more shit. They did harder drugs and other bullshit. I stayed under the radar because I was quiet. I made a couple of friends there, but when I left, I left them behind as well. They weren’t my cup of tea, just something to pass the time. My folks probably would have sent me away if they knew the shit them kids were doing.
“What school did you go to? I’m sure if we went to the same high school we would have met.”
“I went to St. Mary’s.”
“Oh, private school. No wonder I never saw you.”
I wish I had met her before I met my ex and before she met hers. If I would have seen her back then, I probably would have tried to holler at her. But then again, back then I was a little more insecure because my parents tended to make me feel like I wasn’t good enough.
“Yeah. And I left to go to school in South Carolina because they had the best program for what I wanted to do.”
“That’s cool. What do you do?”
“I’m a biomedical engineer. What about you?”
“I’m a regional manager for the Joint Commission.”
Damn, knowing she had a college degree and a good paying job made me want to ask her how she ended up with her dude, but I didn’t. Every time I saw him, he looked like he was up to no good. She was smart and beautiful. Yeah, buddy definitely fucked up unless she was crazy underneath her beauty. I guess it would come out at some point if that were the case.
“What a coincidence. We are both in the medical field in some type of way.”
“It is. Originally, I was a floor nurse, but bedside wasn’t for me. I applied for the Joint Commission and made my way up. It’s demanding at times, and sometimes I have to travel, but I enjoy it.”
