"I have a letter from Madame Athalena sir."
My secretary places an envelope on my desk. I stare at the envelope with my name. Pain. Anger. Disgust. I am flooded with mixed emotions that are hard to keep contained.
"I shall take my leave then sir."
W...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
ALENA
Batting fourth, Third Baseman, Williams.
My hold on the flaglet tightens. You can do it baby.
It's the fourth out of six innings and both teams are tied with three runs. With all bases loaded, the crowd is buzzing with anticipation.
"Go Lei go! Go Lei go! Wooooo!" Laila cheers at the top of her lungs. Accompanying her cheers is the waving of her No.1 finger foam.
"Go Leiiii!" Leo shouts.
Lucca, sensing my nervousness, squezes my arm and says "Don't worry Mom, he's lazy at home but Lei's a good player."
I giggle at Lucca's statement and pat his head. "Thank you baby."
Lei takes his stance inside the batter's box, with a determined look.
Strike. Strike. Ball.
Please Lord. I say a silent prayer. From my peripheral, I notice Laila squeezing Leo's arm who was beside her. Leo, on the other hand, is patting Laila's hand while looking intently at Lei.
This bonding time seems to be working.
PINGGG!
Distracted, I missed the moment of contact. Quickly turning to the field, I see the ball flying to the outfield. When the outfielder misses to catch the ball, the crowd's thundering cheers intensifies.
All players in the bases quickly run towards the next base.
Safe. Safe.
"Yes! Fourth run!" Lucca cheers loudly.
Lei touches second base but continues to sprint towards the third base. The crowd shout their encouragement for the two athletes aiming for a run. The ball is thrown, traveling quickly towards the home plate. The little athlete quickly dives as we hear the catcher's mitt pop. The whole field quiets down, anticipating the umpire's verdict.
SAFE! SAFE!
The crowd cheers wildly at the verdict.
"YESSS!" Laila jumps enthusiastically, giving Leo a high five then a hug. Lucca doesn't seem to notice this as he cheers wildly then hugs me with excitement. From the third base, Lei looks towards the audience seemingly looks for us. I wave my arm, and then give him a thumbs up when he notices me. Lei replies with a bright smile on his sweaty face. This is replaced with a determined look to the home base as soon as the announcer calls the next batter.
The team then performs a squeeze play which as Lei rushing towards the home plate. The crowd cheers wildly, encouraging Lei to run faster. Lei successfully runs home half a second before the ball reaches the catcher.
