Chapter 13 - Conclusion
Eddie’s dad continued to come to his games but left it up to Eddie whether or not they spoke with each other after the game.  His mom told him that she would support whatever Eddie decided to do with regard to his father.  She fully understood the resentment and fear he was feeling because she felt that way too sometimes.   Eventually, Eddie admitted to himself that if he was told one day he no longer could play baseball, the sport he loves, he doesn’t know how he would take it either.  Over time he and his dad started meeting up around once a week which allowed them to get to know each other better.   He was thrilled when he found out that he was going to have a little brother or sister.  Eddie was looking forward to the opportunity to teach his sibling how to play baseball the way he had always hoped his dad would come back to do with him.  He was also determined to make sure his father stayed away from drinking so that this time around he could be the type of dad he should have been for Eddie.

Chapter 12
His mom and grandmother gave Eddie and big hug and congratulated him on his win.   Then his mom introduced him to his dad, Edward.  Edward had been watching the game from the far side of the field so as not to be a distraction.  Eddie’s dad congratulated him and told him how impressed he was with his baseball skills.  He told him about how he also was once a great baseball player in high school but an injury that he could not come back from changed all that.   He apologized to Eddie for leaving them and told him he wished he could have been a better dad.   He asked Eddie to please give him a second chance and let him make up for all the years he missed.  Even though he was filled with anger and resentment, Eddie could not help but feel sorry for the man in front of him.  He could tell that his dad was a broken man who seemed genuinely sorry for what he had done.  Eddie told his dad that while he thinks he can eventually forgive him, he was not sure whether he wants to have a relationship with him.  Eddie was happy with his life; he had a great mom and grandmother, he was doing well in school and playing the sport he loves.  He did not want the chance of his father abandoning him once again to change all that.   

Chapter 11
Eddie told himself he was glad his father didn’t show up.  Now he could focus on the game like he needed to.  This would not be an easy team to beat.  Even though he was still a bit distracted, Eddie played well defensively and had a few good hits.  The game was tied coming into the ninth inning.  Eddie’s team was able to prevent the other team from scoring any runs that inning.  When Eddie came up to bat he hit a double with a man on second and third and his team won the game 9 to 7.  All of Eddie’s teammates were jumping on him to congratulate him on his winning hit.   Eventually he was able to free himself from his teammates grasp and went to find his mom and grandmother.  As he was walking over to the stands he stopped dead in his tracks.  There they were talking to a man he had never seen before but who somehow looked familiar.   It had to be him Eddie realized.   He could see his own resemblance to the man just a few feet away from him.  His mom saw Eddie standing there and waved for him to come over to them.  Eddie did not know whether to walk over to them or run in the other direction.  He mustered all the courage he had and began to walk towards them.     

Chapter 10
It was a big home game for the Sailors against their rival team, the Rams.  Eddie was already feeling the pressure to win and the thought that his father may be somewhere in the stands made him even more stressed.  How was he supposed to focus on the game when the man who abandoned him as a baby could be there watching his every move.  He wondered how he ever let his mom talk him into allowing his dad to come to the game.   When it was time for his team to take the field, he jogged out to the shortstop position as he had done many times before.   While he knew he should be focusing on the batter, he could not help but search the stands to see if he could find his dad.  Would he even be able to recognize him?  He had seen pictures of him but they were around 15 years old.  Who knows if he even looks the same!   As he scanned the stands, he saw his mom and grandmother there smiling and waving to him like they always did.  No one else was with them.  Eddie couldn’t believe it.  His father was once a no show after all these years.   Eddie didn’t know if he should feel disappointed or relieved.

Chapter 6

Having no place else to go and unable to get a job with a young baby, Roberta had moved in with her mother.  Things were tough for Roberta at first caring for a young child, but her mom helped her whenever she could.   Her mom eventually retired and was able to watch Eddie while Roberta went out and found a job.  She got a job as a waitress. While the pay itself was not great, the tips were good and her boss was very nice.  Once Eddie started school, Roberta was able to take on more hours but she still made sure she was available to take Eddie to his little league games.  She could see, even at the age of 5, that Eddie had the same passion for baseball as his father did.           

Please Note: The stories presented here are fictional stories and are not based on any real persons or events.

Story 1

second chances

Chapter 9
The minute Roberta walked in the door, Eddie was asking her a million questions.  What did he want?  Was he looking for money?  Is he still drinking?  Does he look the same? Is he remotely sorry for what he did to us?  Why didn’t you answer my calls!?!  Roberta apologized and told Eddie to sit down and she would tell him all about their conversation.  Apparently after Edward left, things continued to get worse for him.  He moved in with his brother but that only lasted two years since he was still drinking and didn’t have a job.  When his brother threatened to kick him out, one of Eddie’s friends let him move into his apartment and got him a job in a warehouse.  Somehow he was able to manage to hold on to that job for quite a few years but after missing numerous days of work because of his drinking, he eventually got fired from there as well.   The friend kicked him out of the apartment and he had no place to go.  He called his brother who he had not spoken to in years and the brother agreed to let him come back but only under the condition that he gave up drinking and got help to which Edward agreed because he had no other choice.  Although it was tough at first, he was able to give up the drinking and has been sober for over 5 years now.  He works at the same construction company as his brother.  He moved into his own apartment and got married a few years ago.   “So why did he contact you now?”  Eddie asked.  “He contacted me because he wants to make up for his past mistakes.  He wanted to apologize for leaving me and to have a chance to get to know you.”   Roberta replied.   “Do you think you would like to meet him this weekend?”  Roberta asked.   Eddie didn’t know what to do.


Chapter 8 Eddie could not concentrate in school at all that day.  He just kept thinking about his dad.   He kept thinking that maybe he should have told his mom he was going with her no matter what.  Who knows what his father wanted.  Maybe he was still drinking and needed money.  He knew his mom did not have any money to give him with her being a single mom and a waitress.  What if he threatened her or worse yet hurt her.   Edward was obviously a person who only thought about himself and who cared little about his family.  As soon as Eddie got home, he called his mom and told her he was worried.  Roberta reassured Eddie that they were meeting in a public place and that she would be fine.  That evening Eddie was going out of his mind.  Roberta was not answering her phone and Eddie figured she should have been home already.  A half hour later, he heard the key in the door.  


Chapter 7 Roberta decided it was best for her to meet with Edward on her own first to see what he wanted.  Although many years had past, she still did not trust Edward after what he did.  For all she knew, he could just be looking for money.  Eddie was both disappointed and relieved at the same time that she did not want him to go with her.  He had always wanted to meet his father and see what he was like.  He wondered if he looked like him, if they have the same personality traits, if they still shared a passion for baseball, was his father a good person deep down who just made a terrible mistake.  On the other hand, he was still so angry about his father abandoning him and his mom.  How could someone be so selfish! He wasn’t sure if he could even look at his father or hold back all the angry things he wanted to say to him if he did meet him.  Eddie’s mom told him that she arranged to meet with Edward after work the next day.   Eddie knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep that night.  

Chapter 5
“What did he say” Eddie asked desperately hoping his father at least asked about him.  “He said he is in town and would like to see us” his mother replied.  “Why now?” was all Eddie could think to ask.   Eddie’s mom replied that there was something she did not tell him when she had told him about his dad.  Apparently Eddie’s dad had turned to alcohol when he had become depressed.  He would go to the bar after work and sometimes would not come home until the middle of the night.  He would be so loud when he came home, it would wake Eddie up and Roberta would spend half the night trying to rock him back to sleep.  Things continually got worse.  Any money he got went towards his drinking habit.  Eventually Edward lost his job and they could no longer pay the rent. Roberta gave Edward an ultimatum.  You choose either your family or the alcohol.   Eddie knew which option his dad had chosen.       

"Winners are not people who never fail, but people who never quit"

- Edwin Louis Cole

for the love of  baseball


Chapter 1

“Your dad abandoned us.” Those are the words that have been etched in Eddie’s brain since he was 5 years old. It was then that Eddie asked his mom Roberta where his dad was. Eddie never gave it much thought before then because he had his mom and his grandmother who were always there for him. They were a constant source of love and support. It was not until he started playing little league that it started to bother him. Other boys would be at the games having a catch with their dads before the game started. During the games, the dads would be there giving their sons advice and encouraging them. Eddie knew his mom tried to do all those things for him. She would take Eddie to the park on the weekends to throw the ball with him. She and her mom were also at every game cheering Eddie on. But to Eddie, it just wasn’t the same as having a dad around.    


Chapter 2

Here it is 10 years later and the pain of knowing his father abandoned him was still so raw. How could there be a man out there who could walk out on his family and never look back. There were no birthday cards, no graduation gifts, not even a phone call asking how Eddie was doing. Did his father really love his family that little? Did he even think about Eddie? Eddie tried to learn more about his dad over the years from his mom but she never gave him much information. She did not like to talk about him. However, right before Eddie started high school, she sat him down and told him about his father. His name was Edward as well and she met him in high school. He was a great baseball player who was supposed to go to college on an athletic scholarship. However, he got injured in a game his senior year and was told he could never play again. His grades were bad so he wound up having to get a job right out of high school. She and Edward got married soon after they graduated and she became pregnant. At first Edward seemed happy about the baby but then he got depressed and within a year of Eddie’s birth he was gone. “I guess he never quite got over the end of his baseball career” his mom said to him. Eddie soon realized that his mom told him all this because she did not want Eddie to make the same mistakes his dad made. Thinking about all the heart ache his dad caused him and his mom, Eddie was sure that he did not want to make those mistakes either.    


Chapter 3

Eddie knew he had a lot to be thankful for. With the support of his mom and grandmother, he was a straight A student and a star baseball player. He was the short stop for his high school team and his coaches were already talking about what colleges would be scouting him next year. Although he loved baseball and wanted to play it every chance he had, he knew that his grades had to be his number one priority. He did not want to chance getting injured and not being able to go to college like his dad. Eddie would come home from school after baseball practice and begin working on his homework. There were days that Eddie would rather just eat dinner and go to bed but he knew that he would regret it later on. Although he did not always like school, Eddie understood that doing well in school also helped him with his baseball. He was able to apply his math and physics to the game and that made it all the more interesting. Also, through reading, he learned a lot about the rules of the game and what the professional players did to make it to the majors. This particular day Eddie had a lot of homework. He turned on the music and began to work on his social studies essay. When his mom walked in the door from work she looked pale and her eyes were puffy and red.    "Grandma" Eddie thought to himself.   


Chapter 4

“What’s wrong mom” Eddie asked but she gave no reply. She went into her bedroom, locked the door, laid down on the bed and began to cry. Eddie did not know what to do. He tried knocking on the bedroom door but she did not answer. He could still hear her crying. He sat back at the table and tried doing his homework but his mind was racing with all the bad things that could have happened. Is grandma sick? Worse yet, is she dead? Did his mom lose her job? After about 20 minutes Roberta came out of her bedroom and sat down at the table where Eddie was doing his homework. "Is grandma ok?" Eddie asked with a look of fear in his eyes. “Yes, honey she is fine, everyone is fine” his mom answered. “So why are you crying?” he asked confused. His mom replied “I got a phone call today from someone I have not seen in many years. This person hurt me very badly and now he is saying he wants to talk. I know I should at least hear what he has to say but I am so afraid of getting hurt again. I am happy with the way our lives are right now and I don’t want anything to change it.” Although he already knew the answer, Eddie asked “Who is this person?” “It’s your dad” she answered.