Broken Road (50 page)

“Mom, can I speak to you for a minute?”

“Sure. What’s up?” She found the keys and started walking toward the car. Jarrod gently held her back by grabbing her elbow and steering her the other way.

“Jarrod, what’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.

“I need to ask you something. Is everything okay with Alec? He seems…well, umm…different to me.”

“How do you mean ‘different’?”

“He just seems…I don’t know…not as easygoing or carefree. He seems bothered by something, but he doesn’t seem to want to talk about it.”

Nodding to indicate she understood, she said, “I’ve noticed a change as well. I think, or rather, I’m hoping that he’s just maturing and realizing that things change as you get older. Your dad and I have spoken about it, and we’re hoping he’s just going through a phase, a sort of ‘growing pains of the soul’ phase.”

“Have either of you spoken to him about it?”

“We’ve tried, but he just shuts us out. He tells us he’s fine and not to worry about him. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve even resorted to going through his private things—”

“Mom—” he interrupted.

“I know, I know. Invasion of privacy and all that crap. Well, let me tell you something, bud. When you have a teenager someday, and you notice a sudden dramatic change in his or her personality, I can guarantee you’ll be doing the same exact thing I did. I did it because I’m worried and I want to find a way to help him and—”

“Alright, alright, Mom. I got it. Did you find anything?”

“No. Not a thing. I ransacked his room and went through his backpack, but zilch. I’m at my wit’s end.”

“I’ll try talking to him to him again. I don’t know why you and Dad didn’t call me.”

“You have so much going on in your life, we didn’t want to add more to your plate. Besides, you have to witness and experience it, not just hear about it to fully comprehend the changes in him.”

“Have you noticed anything else that’s different about him, aside from his attitude?” he asked.

“Only that he spends a great deal of time at Cameron’s house.”

“He always spends a lot of time there. They’ve been best friends since the second grade.”

“I know, but he’s there more than he is at home. He doesn’t even come home straight from school anymore. He’s always there. He eats there, does his homework there…he might as well sleep there, with the amount of time he spends at Cam’s.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. We all know that Cam is a great kid.”

“I suppose you’re right. I guess I just miss seeing him and then with you gone…well, maybe I’m just suffering from a slight case of empty nest syndrome.” She sighed and then said, “Your dad says it’s all just a part of getting old.”

Jarrod wrapped his arm around her, giving her an encouraging squeeze, and said, “You’re not old. You’re perfect. You always have been.” Just then Alec called to them from outside the car, saying, “C’mon already. Let’s go.” Both Janet and Jarrod headed toward the car at a slow pace. Janet latched arms with Jarrod and said, “Let me know what he says when he talks to you, alright? Dad and I are both worried.”

“I will if he opens up to me and I think there’s something we can do to help. Otherwise, if there is absolutely nothing we can do and he forces me to promise not to say anything, I won’t.”

“Jarrod.”

“No, Mom. I won’t betray him that way. The only possible reason I would even consider doing something like that is if I feel that he’s in some sort of danger.”

They reached the car and she pulled him back a few steps.

“Fine. I won’t ask you to betray your brother. But just promise me you’ll do whatever you can to help him, if that’s what he needs.”

“I promise,” he said.

“Thank you,” Janet replied, then adding “Now, I have a quick question for you regarding you and Angel.”

“Sure. What?”

“Are you being safe?”

“Mom!”

“Don’t ‘Mom’ me. I need to know that you’re being safe and responsible. You’re too young to become a father, and I’m sure as hell way too young to be a grandmother.”

“Yes, yes, yes. We’re being extremely safe,” he said, flushed red with embarrassment.

“Good. Just remember that your father and I raised you to be a gentleman and to always be respectful. I’m not stupid and naïve. I know you’re a young man with needs, so I don’t mind you doing the dirty deed, as long as you are smart about it and practice safe sex.” She walked away from him to get inside the car. Jarrod stood there dumbfounded and completely mortified.

Chapter Forty-Seven

T
hey reached the ballpark in Jacksonville in just a few short hours. As they stepped out of the car, Jarrod took a moment to take in the sight. It was a beautiful ballpark. As far as minor league parks went, it was one of the most modern and impressive ones he had ever seen.

Jim put his hand on his eldest son’s shoulder and asked “Are you ready?”

“Since the day I was born.”

Angel removed her hat and tossed it into the open trunk, where Alec was removing Jarrod’s equipment bag. She smiled at Alec while doing so and he humbly returned her smile, turned his head away, and mumbled under his breath, “You looked silly in it anyway.” Angel wasn’t able to clearly make out what he had said, but based on the look he gave her, she felt it might be better not to know.

“Hey,” she said to Jarrod, beaming brightly.

“Hey back,” he said as he kissed her sweetly on the top of her head.
She was such a tiny little thing
, he thought. So small, delicate, and beautiful, reminding him of a dandelion puffball just as the seed heads would float away like thousands of graceful, gentle pixies on their way to making someone’s wish come true. He never tired of looking at her. With every day that passed, he found himself loving her more and more. He adored her gentleness and sensitivity. Admired her strength and profound ability to see past the negative. Regarded her tenacity and courage. Respected her ideals and morals. He marveled at her capacity to forgive and her strength to move forward. She wasn’t envious or resentful, ill-tempered, or hurtful. She truly saw the good in all and somehow had the capability of spreading the feeling of warmth and compassion into the hearts of those she met. He would forever be thankful God had placed her in his life and knew in his heart that in Angel, he had found his eternal soul mate.

“Let’s play some ball,” said Alec, grinning as he moved past them carrying two equipment bags, one over each shoulder. Now there was a smile he hadn’t seen in awhile, thought Jarrod happily.

They entered the south gate and walked toward the field through the interior of the stadium. As they approached the field, Jarrod stopped to revel in the sight, smell, and sensation of the field that lay before him. There was nothing like the smell and look of the freshly cut grass cut in the form of a curved diamond, with the dirt in the infield helping to sketch its design. The field was a place of hopes and dreams for all who were fortunate enough to grace the hallowed diamond as they ran the bases.

He took a deep breath, smelling a combination of the grass, spilled beer on the concrete, the lingering aroma of hot dogs, pine tar, and the sense that summer was right around the corner. If he closed his eyes, he could almost hear the whistling sound of the ball as it approached the plate, the crack of the bat as it made contact, and the earsplitting roar of the crowd. He suddenly thought of Dante and how he would rip him to shreds for thinking in such a sappy manner. He smiled as he thought of his best friend calling him a “cornball, dewy-eyed mush.”

Jarrod noticed a few other players practicing on the field. He couldn’t help but wonder if they were there for the same reason. Perhaps these men, at this very moment, were sharing the same fears, thoughts, and hopes as he. But then again, there was also the possibility that these men were professional players for the Jacksonville Suns and had already been where he is now and were well on their way making it to the show. He took a deep breath and turned to Alec.

“Want to help me warm up?”

“Didn’t bring my equipment bag for nothing, y’know,” Alec replied. He seemed to be in a lighter, more jovial mood. Jarrod smiled, thinking that not even Alec’s existing disagreeable disposition was immune to Angel’s pleasant demeanor. She’d spread that good-natured amicability once again, just like the sun had the ability to find its way through dark clouds on a stormy day.

They walked out onto the field and began throwing the ball back and forth. With every toss, they would both take a few steps back, forcing them both to throw harder and farther each time. They did that for awhile and then moved on to pitching. Alec donned a catcher’s mask, chest protector, and leg guards. His gear was mostly red with dark blue scattered within the foam crevices, making him look like Spiderman on the attack when he would squat to catch one of Jarrod’s pitches. Angel was amazed at how hard and fast Jarrod pitched. Jim was standing behind Alec and would call out “strike” or “ball” after every hurl. She was also impressed with how easy Alec made it appear to catch the balls.

They soon moved on to hitting, but weren’t at it for long. Angel noticed a man approach and stop. He watched Jarrod intently and would continuously write things down on a clipboard he carried with him. Angel looked over to Janet and tapped her on the shoulder. When Janet turned toward her, Angel motioned with her head toward the man. Janet looked at the man, leaned her head toward Angel, and whispered, “That’s him. That’s Griffin Wyatt.”

Angel closed her eyes and said a quick prayer. The man began to walk onto the field and stopped when he reached Jarrod. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries while Jim left his position behind Alec and joined them on the mound. Alec stood up, removed his mask, and came to join Angel and Janet.

“How’d he do?” said Janet to her youngest son.

“Pretty good. He’s not throwing as hard as he used to, but still hard enough for me to feel the sting under the glove.”

“Accuracy?”

“Not bad. A few balls, but mostly strikes.”

“Consistency?” she asked. Angel was impressed with Janet’s knowledge of what sort of things one needed to look for. As far as she was concerned, if one didn’t hit the batter with the ball, it was a good pitch.

“Getting better. I just wish he’d practiced more this week. I can tell his arm was tiring already, and this was just a warm-up.” He glanced at Angel and realized he might have said the wrong thing in front of her. “I’m sorry, Angel. I didn’t mean—”

She stopped him from completing his sentence. “It’s alright. Don’t worry about it. I know Jarrod says if he doesn’t do well, it’s not my fault, but I know the truth. It will be. If I had listened to him and stayed in my room, the abduction wouldn’t have happened that night, and he would have had the week to practice.”

Janet looked at her sadly. “Angel, if it didn’t happen that night, it would have happened eventually. You heard what Jarrod said about how it was well planned out. For all any of us know, it would have happened later in the week or maybe even this weekend. Then we would have had to cancel the entire appointment. So you see, it was more convenient for us that you were kidnapped last weekend.”

Alec and Angel stared at her temporarily speechless, both equally dumbstruck. Janet, on the other hand, continued watching the interaction between the scout, Jarrod, and her husband as if what she had just said was as trivial as discussing the weather.

Hours passed as they silently watched Jarrod pitch, field, and hit. Jim had joined them on the bleachers and was nervously biting his nails the entire time. One of the men who had been warming up on the field assisted Jarrod as a pitcher and catcher whenever necessary. Mr. Wyatt kept a stopwatch with him and would time Jarrod in just about everything. He also stood nearby with a radar gun to record the speed of his pitches. Once again he would continually jot things down on his clipboard. Angel noticed on a few occasions, Alec would express his thoughts aloud by either saying “Yes!” when pleased with what Jarrod had done, or by letting out a profanity when not pleased. His mother and father did the same.

Finally Mr. Wyatt said, “Alright, Jarrod. That’s enough for now.” Angel, Alec, Jim, and Janet all stood up simultaneously, trying to read Griffin Wyatt’s expression while he wrote down a few more things. They couldn’t tell whether he was pleased or not. He walked over to Jarrod and spoke with him for a brief moment, and then they both walked toward the visitor’s dugout. They sat there speaking for what seemed a lifetime, not just a quarter hour. Suddenly they both stood. Jarrod climbed the steps back onto the field and headed toward his family and Angel.

“I can’t tell if he’s happy or sad,” said Janet.

“Neither can I,” responded Alec.

Angel and Jim said nothing. Their nerves were beyond fried, and Angel noted that Jim began to rub his face.
So that’s where Jarrod got the habit from
, she thought.

When Jarrod reached them, no one dared to speak. There was a veiled cloud of doom hanging over them, and each one was afraid to say anything for fear of it fissuring and soaking them in disappointment.