The Sandlot (Yeah-Yeah x reader) (completed)

part ten - The Sandlot

me and Benny walk up the porch steps, me holding the dog by it's collar, since Benny refused. when i get to the final step, i knock on the door. i look down at the pup and smile, then when i look back up at the door, Mr. Mertle is coming to open the door. or at least i think it's Mr. Mertle. whoever it is, he's blind. "hello?" he questions. "this is bad. this is very bad." Squints says. "um, we- we- we brought your dog home." i tell the man. "Hercules? how'd he get out?" he asks.

so 'The Beast's' name is Hercules.

"i'm tellin' you guys, we should've just turned it loose." Squints continues. "um, uh, well, uh- we, uh-" i completely stutter to get words out and answer the poor man. "what happened was, we hit a baseball into your yard. and we tried to get it back." Benny saves me, and i turn around to watch him talk. dad taught me,

"look at someone while their talking. it shows they have your respect."

"so you're the ones that've been making all that racket." the man concludes. "yes sir." i confirm.  he opens the door, "did you get it?" he asks, holding out his hand. i look back at Benny, because he has the ball, and he hands it to me, me passing it to the man. "y-yeah." i answer, placing it in his hand. "well, first time anybody ever got the best of ol' Hercules." he states, feeling the ball.

"why didn't you just knock on the door? i would have gotten it for you."

me and Benny snap our heads around to Squints, same with the rest of the boys.

"SQUINTS!!"

"YOU IDIOT!!"

"COME ON!!"

and other insults were chattered among them, while slapping and punching him. "we got the ball back, didn't we?!" Squints defends himself. "WELL WE ALMOST GOT KILLED!!" Ham exclaims, punching his shoulder. "didn't we get the ball back?!" Squints repeats, pushing them off. he straightens his shirt, "we got the ball back."

the man bursts out chuckling at the seven boys behind me and Benny, while getting a cup full of dog food and dumping it in a bowl. "thanks for bringing him home. come on in, we'll talk about this baseball." he invites. i'm not sure if he's talking to us, or the dog, so i let go of Hercules' collar, him going inside to eat. but then the man starts walking into the house, making an arm/hand movement for us to follow. i turn my head and shoot a glare at Benny, questioning/asking if he wants to follow, to which he shrugs, so i walk in and follow the man, Benny behind me, and he leads us into a room.

"you're in trouble aren't you, young lady." he asks, still holding Bill's baseball. "well, yeah. that ball is my step-dads. i took it without asking. it's sighed by Babe Ruth." i explain. his face turns to shock, "George sighed this?" he asks. "George Herman Ruth? yeah." i answer. he chuckles a bit, "i take it back, you're not in trouble. you're dead where you stand." he teases. he walks over to a cabinet and opens it, grabbing something, closing it, then walking back to the table and sitting down in a chair. "here. i'll trade ya." he offers me, holding out another baseball. i stand there, not knowing what to do. "that's really nice of you, but that ball really IS sighed by Babe Ruth." Benny says, what i'm not able too.

"so is this one! along with all of the other 1927 Yankees." the man tells. my eyes widen and i grab the ball, Benny grabbing it as well. we both turn it in sync, "woah! Murderers' Row! Lou Gehrig!" Benny reads. "Babe Ruth!" i spot. "but why would you trade? that one's all chewed up." i question. "i've got a lot of good stuff. look at that stuff!" he answers, pointing to the cabinet he had just came from. "besides, you need it more than i do." he adds. i walk over, closer to the cabinet, and luckily there were clear doors. and i see a picture. i slowly turn around to face him again, "you knew Babe Ruth?!" i ask, stunned. "George?! i sure did! and he knew me. he was almost as great as a hitter as i was. i would've broken his record, too, but-..." he explains.

"you went blind." i finish.

"yep. i used to crowd the plate so the strike zone almost disappeared." he laughs. "pitchers hate that!" he adds. "that's the way i played, 100%, all the time. baseball was life. and i was good at it. real good."

he reminds me of Benny, yet when he's older. he tells this story to us two, like Benny would tell his daughter and son, about his life when he was their age and his life at The Sandlot. telling them about his first homer, and all of us. me, Ham, Yeah-Yeah, Squints, Bertram, Kenny, Timmy, and Tommy, and how we were all best friends. and how me and Yeah-Yeah ended up dating. the whole thing Squints caused at the pool, the fourth of July, the game with Phillips, the carnival, all the times we tried getting the ball back, and how all our attempts failed, Benny pickling 'The Beast', the chase of Benny from 'The Beast', and all of our precious memories at all of our second home, with our second family.

the man's words snap me out of my thoughts, "and then, one day, a high, fast one, and pow! lights went out." he explains, pointing to his head. me and Benny look down, not knowing what to do or say to that. "i don't think we can take this ball." Benny breaks the silence. "i'll tell you what, you guys come here once a week, and talk baseball with me, and we'll call it a fair trade." he offers. sounds like fun, to be honest. me and Benny look at each other, and both nod. i take the mans hand, and shake it, confirming the trade.

"deal."