Let's Play Ball (5 page)

“
I never would have guessed
that.” She mocked me with her beautiful full lips.

I was a little nervous around Kari. It
wasn’t nervousness as much as it was I had so many things to say.
But I knew our time was limited. So I stumbled over what to say
next. What was first in my list of questions, thoughts and
words?

“
Where do you
work?”

“
Fed-Ex. I have been with
them for sixteen years.”

“
Why haven’t you been
married?”

“
I have no idea. I don’t
know. Mr. Right never rode up on his white horse…Is that an
adequate answer?”

“
Yeah I guess. You’re just
so…” How do I phrase it?

“
So what?”

“
Pretty. Seems like someone
would marry you just to look at you.”

“
Do you have any single
friends that date black women? Hook me up. I see you’re very
concerned with my marital status.”

She had lost her mind if she thinks I
would ever give her away to another guy when she made it clear to
me that I have a shot.

“
I don’t have any single
friends.” I barked and changed the subject. “Where’s Trey’s
father?”

“
He’s M.I.A.” She delivered
that answer completely deadpan.

“
Really, Trey’s such a cool
kid.”

“
Don’t I know it? Any man
should be happy to have a son like Trey.”

“
Yeah, he’s a great kid.
He’s has the best manners on the team. I’m sure you didn’t teach
him that. You’re pretty rude.”

Kari frowned and flexed one of her feet
out to kick me. I quickly dodged her foot.

“
I’m rude?” She placed her
hand on her chest.

“
Yeah. Next practice, you
won’t talk to me unless I talk to you.”

“
I’m talking to you now,
Coach Rizza.” Kari hit me with one of her killer smiles. I’m
dead.

Time flew by and before I noticed it,
two hours had passed. We talked about our lives before kids,
hilarious things that happened in high school, our jobs, politics,
religion, our childhood and any and everything that came to mind.
She was easy to talk to, brutally honest and genuine. We had a lot
of similarities although she was black and I was white. We liked
the same movies, action, horror and sci-fi, in that order. We liked
the same music, pop and classic rock and vintage MTV. It was almost
unreal.

I learned that Kari was thirty-four
years old. I was off by eight years. I guess black really doesn’t
crack. She was born in Chicago and she moved to California with her
family when she was in the second grade because her father was in
the military. She moved back to Illinois in the sixth grade. She
told me her parents had divorced when she was fifteen and she had a
younger brother that was a pharmaceutical sales representative and
an MMA fighter.

I learned her favorite color was pink
and her favorite food was pizza. She told me she used to be an
extra in movies and how she loved to dance at clubs when she was in
her early twenties. She told me she loved chocolate cake. She
shared that she lost her virginity at the age of nineteen and it
was terrible. I discovered she was allergic to coconuts and
Hawaiian Punch made her break out in hives. She told me she was
single and her last boyfriend was fourteen months ago. I asked her
the last time she had sex and she reluctantly told me it was ten
months ago with an ex-boyfriend. She said she devoted all her time
to Trey and didn’t have time to date, mostly because she didn’t
make time for it.

Kari told her life tales with so much
enthusiasm, humor and optimism that you felt like you had
experienced the deeds yourself. She wasn’t full of herself. She was
a good person, a good mother with a kind heart. She was funny as
hell and could impersonate Kermit the Frog better than Jim Henson.
If I were single this would have been the best date I ever
had.

I shared a bit about myself with her
but I preferred to hear her speak. Her voice was like candy, sweet,
tasty, sticky and addictive. Her animation amused me. Her wit
provoked me to think with reason and logic. Her charm was
infectious. With all those things being said, by me and only me, it
was Kari’s body that forced me to masturbate as soon as I got home.
Why is this happening to me?

I had never met a black woman like
Kari. I had never met any woman like Kari. I met her at the track
every morning at seven-fifteen a.m. I counted the mornings. It was
three times the first week, four the next week, five times the
third week. I saw her every weekday the third week. We would trade
iPod’s and listen to the others music. She had a vast and more
eclectic taste in music than me. Kari was probably the only person
that had Lil Wayne on the same playlist as Beethoven, Marvin Gaye,
Queen, Justin Bieber and The Black Eyed Peas. She introduced me to
the jazzy voice of Nina Simone. We would sit inside her car and
just talk and listen to music. I hated to leave her. I downloaded
Nina’s Simone’s song I Put A Spell on You into my iPod. I played it
over and over as I drove to the park to see her. That was how Kari
made me feel, like she had put a spell on me.

The days without her would be long and
empty. My kids were my comfort. Tess was so different from Kari
that she was a constant reminder of what I was missing. I would
find myself staring at Tess and trying to find flaws in her. I knew
it was to justify my behavior but I didn’t care. I was cheating on
Tess even though I hadn’t had sex with Kari. Yet.

I longed to see Kari just to get a
glance of her, a whiff of her natural intoxicating aroma. She
didn’t wear perfume. I had studied this woman like she was the ACT
test. I knew her walk, her laugh, her very distinct eye roll. I had
even counted the freckles in her lips and nose. I never even
realized some black people had freckles.

I knew where she lived and I wanted to
show up at her house. I refrained from outright stalking. I had to
wait until the time was suitable. I had to make up my mind. I had
to get my balls together before I threw them to the
wall.

I waited until Saturday to see Kari
again. The Braves had a baseball game. It was so hard to focus on
the game. It was difficult having her near and not be able to
communicate with her. I didn’t have much of a choice. My wife, my
mother-in-law and father-in-law were at this game. My brother is my
assistant coach so I had I watch my step. Mike is such a
tattle-tale. I wish I could talk to someone about this inner
turmoil. The only person I can talk to is Kari and there’s no way I
can convey my true unrest.

The weird thing is Kari’s son Trey and
my daughter Hannah had become fast friends. Every game they sit
next to each other in the dugout and talk. Our kids have no
interest in the game until they are up at bat. Hannah even asked me
if she could go to Trey’s house and play video games. As much as I
wanted to say yes I knew that was a bad idea.

I watched my wife sitting on one end of
the bleachers and my Kari sitting up high at the other end of the
bleachers. Did I just call her my Kari? My life is getting
complicated. I need to concentrate on the baseball game.

I was really fidgety when I was in the
outfield. I wanted the game to be over even though we were winning.
Watching Kari on the bleachers was maddening. I couldn’t focus. I
keep checking my cell phone for the time even though I had on a
watch.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I
took it out my pocket while there were no prying eyes on me. It was
a text from Kari. I read it. [R U OK? Ur acting strange out there.
Chill out!]

I locked and placed my cell back in my
pocket. I removed my sunglasses from the top of my baseball cap and
placed them on my eyes. I purposely wore the mirrored sunglasses so
that I could see out but no one could see my eyes through the
lenses. I looked over at Tess. She was completely distracted with
our sons Matt and Tim. I looked through the fence at Kari. I looked
down at the grass and smiled. She always makes me smile. I want
her.

That night I sent out my customary
email stating that there was a game on Monday. I sent Kari a
separate text message as well. I was too chicken shit to call her.
[I will come over and pick you up in the morning to go to the
track. What’s your address?] I hit the send button and held my
breath.

Sure it was a stupid idea for me to
pick her up when she lives in a different direction and Lemington
Lakes Park is in between our homes. Sure I already had her address
but she didn’t have to know that. I know that Trey had spent the
night at his grandmother’s because she was at the game yesterday
and he went home with her. I had my eyes on Kari and she went to
her car alone and Trey went with Kari’s mother. Damn, I am really a
stalker. I am really quite pathetic.

I waited with baited breath for a
response to my text message. When my cell vibrated I thought my
face would crack from smiling. I checked the text message. [269
Somerset Ct.] Short, simply and sweet. I slept like a baby that
night. I had a definite plan in the morning and I felt like a huge
weight had been lifted.

CHAPTER 5

_______________________

I arrived at Kari’s house at 7:11 a.m.
I was early, anxious and eager. The garage door was up. I had
texted her to let it up for me. I had to hide my Nissan Maxima
inside her garage. You never know who may be watching. I was
slightly paranoid without reason probably. Kari texted me that the
adjoining door to the house from the garage would be
unlocked.

I pulled my car in beside her Camry. I
stepped out into the garage and it was exceedingly vacant of
clutter. My garage was a hoarder’s paradise compared to hers. The
garage door descended downward behind me as I walked to the pure
white door that led to the house. I twisted the knob and it was
open. I stepped into a neat orderly living space with light
hardwood floor and beige painted walls.

The furniture was off white. It looked
to be suede or something similar. It definitely didn’t look like a
seven year old lived here even though there were pictures of him
throughout the room in silver picture frames. All the picture
frames were silver. There were real oil paintings on the walls. I
counted four. I don’t know why I didn’t suspect this. The entire
room was impressively neat and artsy.

I closed the door behind me and Kari
came walking in from the hall that probably led to the kitchen or
the dining room. I saw a small crystal chandelier hanging in the
room she came from.

“
Hey,” She was smiling. She
was happy to see me. She seemed always happy to see me.

“
Hey Kari.” I had to return
her smile. Smiling back at her was a nasty addictive
habit.

Kari was wearing a pale gray fitted
workout tank and matching gray running shorts. Her curves were
deadly.

She was wearing brand new fluorescent
green Nike running shoes with gray shoe strings. Kari was hot in
everything she wore. She had the perfect body, head to toe, a
lovely big curvy round ass but not sloppy, nice tits, not too big,
not too small. She had a Bond girl body.

I had no intention of going to the
track but she didn’t know that. Maybe she might have an inkling
that I’m here for other reasons but I’m glad she didn’t assume. I’m
the coach. I call the plays in this game.

After endless minutes of us lustfully
scrutinizing each other I decided to make a move or just open my
mouth and form words.

“
Are you going to show me
around your place?” I smiled or smiled harder. I’m sure I hadn’t
stopped grinning since I stepped inside her house. I was interested
to see the rest of the house but most of all I wanted to see her
bedroom. I was here. I had worked up the nerve and there was no
turning back now.

We walked the stairs to the second
floor. I watched as her ass trotted up the stairs in front of me. I
wanted to spank her on the ass, tap that bodacious booty. I wanted
to grab her by the waist, pull her shorts down and lick her butt
cheeks one at a time. My hand involuntarily rose to swat her on her
ass and then I just willed my ardent hand back to my side. Calm
down Mason. Be patient. Be cool.

We made it upstairs. We rounded the
corner.

“
This is the bathroom.” She
pointed.

I peeked in. “I want to see your
bedroom.”

Kari turned to me and stopped. “I
really want you to see my bedroom. Are you sure you want to see it?
It’s where all the magic happens.”

How did she make everything sound so
sexy? “Yes, I’m very sure I want to see your bedroom.” Yes and I
wanted to see you naked, four weeks ago. So Kari, let’s play ball.
Wish I could say what was actually on my mind.

Kari shrugged. “Okay, follow
me.”

She led me to the French double doors
at the end of the hall. She opened one of the French doors. I
followed her inside the master bedroom. I guess I expected
something overtly feminine but the decor was warmed in natural
colors, earth tones, browns and tans with a hint of vanilla. The
Queen Size bed was neat and tidy with an excessive amount of
pillows. Not sure why women like all those pillows. It didn’t
matter. They will all probably end up on the floor after what I had
in mind. I wanted to taste her more than I wanted to breathe. I had
waited so long. I knew she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.
She had said as much. It was up to me to make a move. I had so many
moves I want to make.