Love at the Right Time

20 years for Ry

20 years still

Ry

Another Saturday afternoon, more of the same. I grade some papers and look over some lesson plans. Then I watch game films and start coming up with some plays and strategies for our home game this week. I’ve been teaching and coaching baseball for eleven years after retiring from the Rangers. It was a last ditch effort to save my marriage. I won’t pretend like I wasn’t already considering it. Playing for Major League Baseball was absolutely amazing, but I was getting tired of always being on the road. My shoulder was also starting to tell me more and more every day that it didn’t appreciate the abuse I was putting it through. So when Lisa, my now ex-wife, told me she wasn’t happy anymore and that it was too hard with me being gone all the time, it was a pretty easy decision to hang up my MLB mitt. Lisa was ecstatic at first, thinking the same as me, that we just needed to be under the same roof again spending more time together. However, as the following year came and went we both realized that we had grown apart too much and mutually came to the decision to get a divorce. I told her to keep the house because it would be easier for me to just rent an apartment and the divorce was finalized as soon as it was started. We still talk and maintain a cordial acquaintance since we have so many mutual friends. She’s now engaged to a surgeon and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this happy, not even with me, so I’m honestly thrilled for her.

I throw a piece of crust back into the pizza box sitting on my dining table behind my laptop. Then, my phone starts ringing. It’s Taylor, one of my good friends from high school and the only one in our friend’s circle growing up that I’ve actually kept in contact with on a regular basis.

“Hey T, what’s up friend?” I answer.

“Hey Ry. So, I know you didn’t get the invite since you deleted f*******: like a loser,” he said baiting the hook like he always does.

“What invite?”

“Our twenty year reunion, bro. We are officially old.”

“Damn…really, it’s already been another ten years? Where the f**k have I been?” I asked in a little bit of shock.

“Well, you tell me all the time how much you’re loving teaching and coaching since you made the switch. And you know they say time flies when you’re having fun.”

“That’s true…well I guess send me the info so I can RSVP. Is there a list of who has said they are going so far?” I asked trying to sound as casual as possible. The truth is I just wanted to know if one person in particular was going to be there. Ella Josephine Malone…known as Jo…my truest best friend growing up, and honestly my soul mate. Ever since the divorce I’ve started thinking about her again nonstop. Plus, my mother is no help. She and Dad hang out with Jo’s parents all the time. Next thing I know, I’m hearing all about how Jo is and what she’s been up to lately. I swear Mom is Jo’s biggest fan. Well, second to me.

“Yeah, are you looking for anyone in particular? Perhaps a cute spitfire brunette we all know?” he asked bringing me out of my Jo trance.

“Just tell me if she’s going or not, asshole,” I replied joking. I always know he means well with his jabs.

“Oh not only is she going, but she and the ’04 band are playing that night. Double whammy for you my friend. You get to see the love of your life again after ten years, AND hear her sing for hours.”

“f**k,” I replied in a whisper.

“Does she know you’re divorced?”

“No clue, but it doesn’t matter because she’s still married, I’m sure,” I said now feeling a little crushed.

“What? You didn’t hear about Johnathan?” Johnathan, being Jo’s husband and father to their son, Lander. For a little while after the ten year reunion I had created some anonymous accounts on f*******: and i********: so I could cyber stalk her some. It was hard not knowing if she was ok or not, so I convinced myself that was my only reason for doing it. Of course, we all know that’s a lie. I stopped a few years ago, realizing I was just making myself miserable by wishing I could be in Johnathan’s shoes and then feeling guilty of basically wishing for Jo to go through yet another traumatic experience in order for that to happen. Jo had already been through hell. But she was always proving to me just how strong she was over the years so I pushed some of that fear down as I deleted those accounts and resolved to just stay off indefinitely.

“What do you mean? What happened with Johnathan?” I asked growing concerned.

“He died suddenly in his sleep about two months ago. They think it was an aneurysm.”

“Holy s**t…have you talked to her? Is she doing ok, you know, considering?”

“I went to the visitation. Ella said she texted the number she had for you, but didn’t get a reply. She assumed you weren’t comfortable being there.” s**t…I had changed my number last year after having such a hard time with MLB recruiters begging me to come out of retirement. Taylor was the only person I had shared my new number with outside of family.

“She must’ve still had my old number. I’ll be completely honest, I don’t know if I could’ve gone or not. Part of me wants to say of course I would’ve been there, but the other part of me knows I would’ve just wanted to hold her the whole time…probably wouldn’t have been appropriate especially with Lander being present.” I started imagining my poor Jo in all black, mourning the loss. Johnathan loved and cared for her and Lander unconditionally. I was beyond happy at the time for her to have found such a great guy to marry and have a family with.

“Damn, I didn’t even think to compare numbers with Ella to make sure you knew. Well, I haven’t talked to Jo since then, but I do hear from Ella pretty regularly… obviously.” Ella and Taylor being twins and always keeping things interesting when they were around. “She hangs out with Jo all the time still you know. She says Jo and Lander seem to be handling things really well.”

I relaxed a bit after hearing that. At that moment I started mentally berating myself for cutting myself off from Jo like that. What kind of a friend does that? I wonder if I can change that at the reunion. I’m not going to begin getting hopeful that maybe this is finally our chance. She could still be mourning, or just not ready to be in another relationship. But it’s high time I truly get reconnected with my best friend again. I resolve to wait until the reunion though. This needed to happen in person.

“Well, I will definitely be sure to go then. It’ll be nice to see everybody anyway,” I tell Taylor.

“Good…we miss you down here. You really should think about moving back, yah know? Coach Jackson is retiring after this year.” Taylor and I were both on the baseball team in high school, I was pitcher and he was my catcher. Being already close friends gave us a perfect working chemistry to setting up a lot of strike outs with our opponents. And Coach Jackson was the one who helped really tune in to one another and perfect it.

“Really? That’s a thought. You know my parents would be thrilled,” I reply with a chuckle.

“Oh definitely. Well hey I gotta go…the baby is crying and I’m giving Layla the day off to sleep. Talk soon, though!”

“Yeah, sure thing. Later T!”

I put the phone down and decide to put work on the back burner for a while. I’ve just learned a lot of intense information in the past ten minutes and the only thing I can seem to focus on now is Jo. I allow myself to escape as I begin to reminisce about the day we met in seventh grade.