Summer of 1962

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Scotty Smalls

There is one all-time greatest moment in the history of sports, and it happened in the 1932 World Series. The story goes that in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, a full count and the trying run on the base, Babe Ruth raised his arm and pointed to the center field bleachers.

No one believed it, because nobody had done it before. But The Babe was calling his shot. On the next pitch, the Great Bambino hit a towering home run. And even although he'd been a hero before that, that's pretty much how he became a legend.

Thirty years later, a kid named Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez. . . became a neighborhood legend. It was the greatest summer of my sister and I's life. . . When he taught me to play baseball, and he became my best friend. And he got me out of the biggest pickle I'd ever been in.

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Riley Smalls

The car slowly pulled up to the new house, Riley let out a quiet sigh as her brother, Scotty rested his head on her shoulder. The two of them already missed their friends back home and they weren't sure how they would make new friends with only two weeks before summer break. Riley rested her head on the window looking up at the house as Bill, the siblings new stepfather, pulled into the driveway. The Smalls siblings looked at each other before climbing out of the car, Scotty made his way over to his sister as she adjusted her jacket.

Riley looked over to her brother, "It's not too bad, I guess." Scotty shrugged as the Uhaul truck pulled up to the house. The Smalls siblings began unloading the boxes into the house, Riley had decided on taking the bedroom next to Scotty's rather than away from him. She made her way outside to grab another box when she spotted Scotty waving slightly to one of their neighbors, the mystery boy looked from Scotty to Riley as he smiled kindly to them before he continued walking away. Riley lightly poked her brother and the two continued unloading the truck's contents.

Once they had all their boxes in their separate rooms, Riley started with making her bed above all else knowing that was the most important thing. After that, she hung up her fairy lights on her wall and began hanging up some of her posters which included some of her favourite baseball stars. She set up her desk, placing her favourite novels in a neat pile with her little decor pieces. Majority of the color theme in her room was a light blue, she folded her clothes and put them into her drawers before hanging up her dresses and jackets.

She folded the boxes as she went and fairly soon, she had unpacked all of the boxes and set up her room exactly the same as it was back home. Riley sat down on her bed and let out a slow steady breath before making her way towards Scotty's room, knocking on the door before opening it. "Hey Scotty, need any help?" Riley offered her younger brother. "Thanks Lee, but I'm almost done now," Scotty answered as he adjusted his own desk decor to his own liking. "Okay! I'm gonna go help mom," Riley tells him before closing the door.

Riley went to bed later that night completely drained from the trip and the unpacking of the entire house. She wasn't sure how to feel about the new life she and Scotty have now and on top of that, she wasn't sure how they'd make friends in such a short amount of time before the summer begins. But Riley was sure of one thing, with her little brother Scotty by her side, she was invincible in her own eyes and the two of them would make sure they enjoyed their summer going to the pool, hanging out and playing ball.

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Scotty Smalls

My sister and I moved to the neighborhood two weeks before school let out. It was the same summer that Dodger Maury Wills would break the stolen bases record. And my sister believed that with something that incredible going on, it should've started off with loads of great things happening for us, but it wasn't. We were from another state, and we didn't have a single friend in a thousand miles. Except each other.

It was a lousy way to end up the fifth grade for me and the seventh grade for my sister, 'cause we had zip time to make friends before summer. And that's about where it all started. Our real dad died when I was just a little kid. Our mom had married Bill about a year before we moved to The Valley. At the time, he and I were still getting used to each other, Riley too.

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Riley Smalls

Riley walked down the school corridor with her hands gripping her backpack straps as she ignored the occasional stare as she approached her locker where a group of boys stood around. She took a breath before clearing her throat, "Excuse me, my lockers there." The boys all looked over to her before one of them stepped forward, "Sorry babe. Aren't you a pretty little thang." Riley rolled her eyes as she tried walk around the blond boy who simply stepped in her way again. "Oh, come on. You're new, let's get to know each other," The boy said with a wink causing the boys to chuckle behind him.

Riley finally had enough, "Listen here, ape. I just want to get to my locker before class starts, so if you don't mind." Riley shoved past the boy and opened her locker. The boy went to close the locker but Riley quickly grabbed his wrist and turned to look at him, "Take your bruised baby ego somewhere else or. . . You'll regret it." She let go of his wrist and turned back to her locker as the boy glared at her. "By the way, it isn't easy playing ball with a broken wrist so I'd advise against pissing me off," Riley warned as she closed her locker before winking at the boy and walking away.

She finally got to class and was welcomed by the teacher who pointed her to a seat. Riley made her way to her seat and sat down, she felt someone's eyes behind her watching her every move until the teacher began talking. She was already eager to finish school for the day and hang out with her brother and knowing Scotty, she may not have as much fun. Though she planned on teaching Scotty how to play baseball so that she could continue her game from back home, maybe even ask Bill to help her teach Scotty considering he loved baseball too.

In the sixties, it wasn't natural nor common for a girl to be into sports or wearing more "masculine" clothes but times were changing and more girls were enjoying sports and wearing pants rather than dresses, and Riley wasn't going to let stereotypes hold her back. She wore her dresses to school, purely due to the fact her mother spent quite a bit of money on them and Riley doesn't mind wearing them on occasion. But she was excited to get home and change into her favourite torn jeans, New York yankies shirt and her favourite cap.

After the last day of school for the year, Scotty practically dragged his older sister with him from the school and past Vincent's Drugstore and through an alleyway where they arrived at a sandlot. Riley smiled as she joined Scotty watching the eight boys on the sandlot play what seemed like an ongoing game of baseball. She was impressed by how well they all played as a team but most of all, the batter had caught her attention as he hit the ball before rushing the bases and getting home. She was beyond amazed with the skill someone their age had and a part of her wanted to know his name.

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Scotty Smalls

I'd followed them to the sandlot once after school. I'd never seen any place like it. It was like their own little baseball kingdom or something. It was the greatest place I'd ever seen anyway. I knew I had to show Riley, I knew she'd be as interested as me in the little hideaway they had. But they were good, and all I had was a plastic toy mitt that my grandmother gave me. . . For my birthday when I was six. Riley was amazed as she watched those boys play, and the look on her face made me smile.

But when I finally got up enough guts to go out there and try and make friends, I found out that they never kept score, they never chose sides, they never even really stopped playing the game. It just went on forever. Every day they picked up where they left off the day before. It was like an endless dream game. Riley could relate to that, she and her friends back in our old town would play endlessly with no true score and it was the best fun she ever had.

There was only eight of them, so they didn't have a whole team. So even though I didn't know how to play, I figured I could be the ninth man. . . And maybe just stand in the outfield somewhere and take up space. And though Riley was "just a girl", Riley could be an extra player. Of course, if I'd known what was gonna happen when I got there, I probably never would've gone.

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Riley Smalls

Riley watched as Scotty began walking out from behind the bushes they were watching from. He was startled slightly when he heard growling come from the other side of a tall green fence. "Watch out!" A voice called as the ball was heading straight for Scotty who immediately held out his glove and moved backwards to try and catch the ball, unfortunately, he fell on his butt. The boys on the sandlot began laughing at Scotty who quickly got up, "Okay, I'll get it!" Riley sighed.

Scotty made eye contact with Riley who smiled sweetly to encourage him to at least try. "Don't be a goofus. Don't be a goofus!" Scotty spoke to himself before grabbing the ball as the boys impatiently yelled out for him to hurry up. Riley rolled her eyes but brushed it off as they were both male and kids, they aren't meant to be patient nor kind to everyone, she knew that for certain. Scotty walked forward and took a deep breath before attempting to throw the ball, but it only landed a few feet in front of him.

The boy's broke into laughter on the sandlot and Riley was not happy about it. "My life is over!" Scotty whined before rushing off out of the sandlot without any further hesitation. Riley, unimpressed, stepped out from behind the bush and picked up the ball from the ground. "Hey!" Riley shouted, the boys all shut up and looked to the girl. "Give us our ball," The pitcher shouted sharply making Riley roll her eyes. "Bullies!" Riley said before she threw the ball as hard as she could, the catcher caught the ball and stumbled back slightly.

The boys all stared wide eyed at the girl while the boy holding the bat smiled impressed by her pitch, she smiled slightly at him. Riley then turned on her heel and walked out of the sandlot with her head high until she was out of sight to the sandlot, then she ran home to find her brother. She got inside and rushed up to Scotty's room, knocking on the door before opening it. Scotty looked up at his sister teary-eyed making her sigh and walk over to him, she wrapped her arms around Scotty and let him cry into her shoulder until he calmed down, reassuring him as she did.

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Author Note
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-Rose <3
{2024}