Author Information
Flash Fiction
The Best Ever
Pops has always been my number one fan. He´s always encouraged me to follow my dreams, and my big dream this year is to make it to the middle school baseball team. I´ve never made it to a team in my life, sports and I don’t get along, but Pops is the biggest baseball fan and I know that seeing me running the bases will make him happy.
So here I am, the day before the tryouts, Pops cheering from the park bench while I stand alone with my ball and bat. He has advised me to envision myself on the 1932 world series, I don’t even know who played there or what happened but he seems to remember that day more than his wedding. All summer we´ve been here, day in and day out, two hours a day. I don´t think I´m good at all, I may have hit 20 or 30 balls all summer, but Pops tells me I’m the best player he´s ever seen. He calls me the next Great Bambino, so I must really have it going for me. Usually he pitches and I bat, but this time I feel like doing it all by myself. I wish you could see the look on his face, the old man lights up like New York on new years eve.
So, there I stand, the game is on the line, the whole crowd is cheering, If I hit a homerun my team will be the world champions. I adjust my stance and up goes the ball, I see it coming down, close my eyes and swing as hard as I can. Everything is quiet now, so much that I can hear the sound of the baseball hitting the ground. Pops shouts from the bench “Come on son, even the very best fail at times.” This time it´s on. I pick the baseball up, throw it up real nice, adjust my grip and swing again. Woosh, it´s that sound again, the sound of failure. “Thirds time´s the charm son!” Pops cheers from the distance. He´s right, I still have one strike left, glory is a minute away. So, I lean over to pick the baseball again, stand up, wipe the sweat of my forehead and take a look at Pops. He truly has faith in me. I can hear the entire stadium roar, they are all counting on me. Up goes the ball, one last time, it is as if time went by slower than ever. I can see the ball slowly coming down, I got this. Swoosh. The baseball falls to the ground.
I pick up my ball and bat, I head towards Pops so we can go home. I am extremely embarrassed I have let him down like this. He comes over as well, we meet and he puts his hand on my shoulder. “Damn son, I knew you were good, but who the heck thought you to pitch like that?” Pops says as he grins.
