Curveball

She has no idea who I am. I immediately like that about her. The gorgeous woman who sat down at the blackjack table beside me and asked me to teach her to play doesn’t recognize me as the third baseman who played pro baseball for seven years. I tell her I’m in town for a job offer when the truth is my buddy just asked me to leave my quiet existence in San Diego and unretire so I can lead the new Vegas Heat expansion team to the championship. She simplifies my career dilemma down to doing what will bring me the most joy, and as I spend the weekend with her, I realize she is bringing me more joy than I’ve experienced in years. Twelve years stand between us, but we agree it doesn’t matter as much as our feelings do. And as she takes me out to the middle of the desert to stare up at the stars, I know this is the place I’m meant to be. I agree to play. I agree to move to Vegas so I can explore whatever this is with her. But life is about to throw me a curveball I never saw coming.