part 1

i crouched out in center field. if i had been a fan of the other team, i would have been pretty excited to get to watch them win so effortlessly that day. but i wasn't a fan of the other team. not even close. i had been standing there way too long. hardly moving because batter after batter was being walked and walked. runs were being walked in one after another. their lead became more and more insurmountable with every score. it felt a little like driving in reverse down the highway and watching the distance from your destination get farther and farther and farther away. our pitcher was… having a bad day. he couldn't seem to throw a strike for anything. other than my stash of sunflower seeds in my pocket slowly disappearing, nothing was happening out there in center field any time soon, so i let my mind wander.