Chapter 63B

The changing room was on the way to the shower, so she decided to see who was calling. It probably wasn't her mother. She had seen her mother and baby sister the day before. It might be Evan, letting her know why he hadn't pitched the night before. She fumbled the cell phone out of her purse and accessed voicemail.

"What is it?" Emma asked moments later as she appeared in response to Devlin's shriek.

"It's Evan," Devlin bubbled happily. She waved the cell phone around the room. "He's going to pitch in the majors. He got called up last night. He's pitching in Chicago in..." She glanced at the clock and began pulling her clothes out of the closet. "He's pitching in three hours and he left a bunch of tickets for me at Will Call, and I've got to get dressed and..."

Emma put her hand on Devlin's shoulder. "Well, then we have to get you to Chicago, don't we?" Devlin was balancing on one foot and trying to pull on her panties at the same time. "Easy there, girl," Emma said. She grabbed Devlin's clothes out of her hand. "You need to get cleaned up, first. Tim will get your car, and Krissi or somebody will get you taken care of." She carefully pried the cell phone out of Devlin's hand and steered her towards the stairs.

"Marie, Krissi," she called when she saw the two gals. "Get Devlin cleaned up. Evan is pitching in the majors in Chicago this afternoon and she needs to get there so she can see him."

"I guess we'd better hurry," Krissi said. "Those afternoon games start at 1:00 or 1:30 or something like that, and it's just after 10 now."

"And we should stick some food in her," Marie added as she took Devlin's arm. "Poor thing would faint from lack of hunger about the time we got there, and she'd miss the whole thing."

"Good point," Krissi said. She spotted Rick. "Get some food for Devlin. We'll be downstairs in the shower."

"What's up?" he asked as he turned towards the kitchen.

"We're going to Chicago to see a ballgame. Evan's pitching in the Majors today." Rick nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

Marie and Krissi gave her a rough but effective shower, showing little mercy as they scrubbed her vigorously. Marie concentrated mostly on her hair, while Krissi soaped and scrubbed the rest of her. At first Devlin tried to help, then gave it when she realized she was just getting in the way.

Then Marie helped her turn on Krissi. Together they made her squeal as they lathered her hair into a rich froth. And then it was time to gang up on Marie. Devlin lathered the girl all over, squeezing and cleaning with the wash sponge. Marie's breasts felt no different than her own, she decided. She'd wondered about that.

Finally they got through with all the cleaning, scrubbing, and fun in the shower. Devlin dried off and helped Marie and Krissi with their hair just as they helped her with hers. Finally, wrapped in big fluffy towels, they went back upstairs to the changing room.

"Why do you wear a skirt all the time?" Devlin asked Marie as they got dressed. She had pulled on white shorts and an ISU tee-shirt. She'd tucked and pinned her hair back and was rummaging through her overnight case for her watch and earrings when she noticed Marie holding up a skirt.

"Blame it on my upbringing," Marie said. She pulled on a faded denim miniskirt and smoothed it down. "It's the way I was brought up. A girl always wears a skirt or dress—no exceptions, even if it's freezing outside—it's part of being a lady. Pants are for boys. I heard that from my mother, my aunts, my grandmothers, my sisters, my teachers, everyone." She waved her hand, taking in relatives she hadn't mentioned. "I even heard it from my Dad. All of us girls in the family did. I must have heard it every single day of my life, and I guess it stuck." She laughed as she pulled on a white tanktop. "I'm not exactly a lady, but it's still a habit." She brushed out her hair and pinned it in place with a silver clasp.

"Besides, when I wear a skirt or dress I look less like the public 'me' than I do in jeans or shorts. And that's kind of important. If I get recognized, guys start hitting on me. Just because I fuck guys in the movies, they think I'll put out for anyone at any time. After all, we're all sluts, aren't we? And a slut will fuck anyone, right?"

"Reminds me of the difference between a Bitch and a Slut," Krissi said. "A Slut will fuck anyone. A Bitch will fuck anyone but the guy calling her that."

"I've always told people they call me a bitch like it's a bad thing," Marie replied. "I've never dared quite say that about the word slut."

"That's a little too charged a word," Krissi said. She was wearing her long white sundress again. "Even if it does apply to me, at least around here."

"We could all claim that around here if we wanted to," Devlin said. "And, yeah, I heard that about skirts and dresses all the time from my relatives. That's one of the things that happens when you grow up in a family of all girls. My aunt was the most practical about it, though. She told me there are times when a skirt is a lot more comfortable than shorts. But I always thought dresses were dressed-up for some things."

"Which is why I don't wear that many," Marie said. "Oh, I do when I'm teaching, but that's different. That's work."

"It's just that people don't try to look up your jeans," Krissi said. She laughed. "I should talk. I'm wearing a sundress and no underwear, and if someone looked up my dress right now they'd see everything."

"And this is bad in what way?" Devlin asked, bending down and lifting the hem of Krissi's dress. Fortunately Rick appeared with the food right then, so Krissi didn't have to answer.

"Who all is going?" Devlin asked when she'd finished the ham and cheese croissant Rick had handed her. She wasn't feeling quite so light and fluttery as she had a few minutes before. She felt like she could do most anything, but she also felt a little tired. She hadn't slept much the night before, and was feeling it. She'd planned on getting a nap after she got back to Bloomington, but obviously that wasn't going to happen today. Instead she finished brushing out her hair, gave her face one last inspection, and decided she was ready.

"I just called Steve," Krissi said, "and he'll meet us there. "Are you and Rick coming, Marie?"

"Maybe," Marie said after a hesitation. "I've never really been to a baseball game before. Football, sure; we'd go down and watch the Chargers in San Diego, and I've been to a lot of basketball games. We were sort of expected to show up at Lakers games. I think we were supposed to go to a Dodgers game once, but something came up and we didn't. Let me check with Rick."

A couple of minutes later she was back. "Sure. Neither of us has to be anywhere until tomorrow morning. Rick doesn't have to be back in LA until next week, and I don't have any classes starting until Tuesday evening."

"Good," Krissi said. "Let's see. Emma, Tim, Steve, me, Marie, Rick." She counted slowly, looking at people. "I think that makes six of us, and Devlin. Have I got that right? How many tickets did he say he was leaving, Devlin?"

"He didn't say," she replied. "He just said he was leaving a bunch of tickets at Will Call."

"Count us out," Tim said. "We have to clean the place up. We'll have to catch some other game, okay? I may watch it on TV it I get a chance."

Krissi looked around. "Amnita? Up for a baseball game in Chicago? White Sox, not Cubs. Evan is pitching today."

Amnita glanced at her husband, and after a moment nodded. "Sure. We haven't been to a ballgame in ages. We'll have to go get the kids, though."

"Don't forget to get plenty of sunscreen," Emma warned. "It's supposed to be in the 80s today, and you might burn if you're not careful."

"I've got it," several gals said at once.

"Who's riding where?" Krissi asked.

"We could take our van," Marie said. "It has room for everyone."

"We'll go separately," Amnita said. "We'll pick up our kids and meet everyone at Will Call, okay?"

"Works for me," Devlin said. Krissi nodded. "Let me get some stuff." She threw a few essentials in her overnight bag. She didn't know if she'd spend the night in Chicago, or not. Summer school didn't start for another week, so right now she was free.

They'd just gotten on to the interstate when her phone began chirping. She dug through her purse, glanced at where they were, and pulled out the antenna.

"Devlin, it's Evan."

"Where are you?" she asked excitedly. "I got your message, talked to a few friends, and we're on our way to the game. What happened?"

He laughed. "First, how many tickets should I leave?"

"Six adults, two kids and me."

"Nine. If you want you can sit with the team wives."

"No, maybe next time. I-I'll want to meet them socially, first."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. That may be a bit. I'm just up for a cup of coffee."

"Okay," she said. She'd heard him use that phrase before. "What happened?"

"The big club played back to back extra-inning games. Last night's game went 17 innings. The night before it went 14. They were down to using a reserve shortstop as a pitcher last night. Their pitching is all shot, and so they dipped into Triple-A. I was next in the rotation, so I got the call-up. They said I'm only going to be up for this one start. The big club is flying back to Oakland after this game. I'll accompany them there, and then catch a commuter flight to Sacramento."

"I wish you could stay with them permanently."

"Well, yeah, me, too. Anyway, we can't stay long after the game. I have about an hour before the bus leaves for the airport."

"Just enough for a hello-good-bye kiss," she said. She remembered something Bo's wife Trish had said. "Evan?"

"Yeah?"

"Trust your stuff, Evan, and throw what the catcher calls."

He chuckled. "You sound like my manager before I got on the plane last night."

"Well, he's right. Work fast, throw strikes, and keep the ball down."

He laughed. "Yeah, and fear is not an option. I remember."

"I'm serious about this, Evan. When you get to Des Moines in two weeks I'll drive over and we can have some time together."

"Sounds good to me. See you right after the game."

"See you. Love you."

"Love you," he replied, and hung up.

"Details," Krissi said at once. "What did he say?"

Devlin explained it briefly, and everyone nodded. "Makes sense," Rick added.

The parking lot wasn't that full, and Will Call had all the tickets. Steve was waiting for them, and folded Krissi into a hug and kiss. Devlin identified herself and got the tickets. She had just started distributing them when Amnita and Jack appeared with their kids in tow.

"Paul, Mary and John," Amnita said, putting her hands on them in turn. Paul, if she remembered, was 11, Mary 9 and John 8. Paul had his baseball glove with him and was wearing a Little League baseball cap. Mary had a smaller glove and was looking around uncertainly.

"Ever been to a major league baseball game?" Steve asked them as they went through the ticket turnstiles.

Mary shook her head. "We've seen them on TV," Paul added.

"Well, let's do what my Dad did for me when I went to my first game," Steve said. He led them up the main stairs and across the concourse. The field opened out in front of them.

"It's so green," Mary said in awe, taking in the field.

"It's like a temple to baseball," Steve said as everyone drank in the scene. Oakland was on the field taking batting practice. Balls were flying through the air, and guys were fielding them everywhere.

"Hey, kids, let's go to the outfield and see if we can get a souvenir," Jack said. He glanced back at Devlin and Krissi. "Shall we meet you guys at the team store?"

"Meet us at our seats," Devlin said. "I want to get a couple of those disposable cameras." Her regular camera had plenty of film in it, but that was back in their apartment and there hadn't been time go get it.

She bought six of the disposable cameras, with 24 shots each. She also bought a scorecard. She wanted a complete record of Evan's debut. The other gals were looking at the clothes. She glanced over everything, and decided that was for later.

"I'm going to go find our seats," she told Krissi. "I'll see you guys there."

"Sure," Krissi said, examining a tee-shirt. "See you later."

Devlin slowly worked her way along the concourse, looking at the food, looking at the people, and watching to see what was happening on the field. Finally, on the third base side, she saw her section. She glanced at the row numbers as she started down the steps.

"Hey! Devlin! Over here!"

She looked around, and saw Trish waving at her. She waved back and hurried down the steps. "Hi, Trish!"

"Good to see you," Trish said. Her hair was longer and she was balancing a baby on her hip. "I heard Evan was starting, so I was pretty sure I'd see you here today."

"So, how's Bo doing?" They edged out of the way of several kids who were running down the steps.

"He had a tough April, but his bat's coming around," Trish said. "I think he's going to stick, even if he is batting eighth."

"I hope so," Devlin said. "Evan says he has this one start and then he's going back to Sacramento."

"Um, well, if he does well, he'll get called up again," Trish said. "After a couple of trips he'll probably stay. Everybody needs good left-handed pitching. Have you two set a date?"

"After the season," Devlin said at once. "At first we thought it might be November, but I was thinking of some time in January, before Spring Training. He hasn't asked me yet, though."

"He will. When do you graduate?"

"December," Devlin said. "I just got the notice from my adviser." She grimaced. "Summer school starts next week."

Trish nodded. "Where are you sitting?"

Devlin looked at her ticket and then showed it to Trish. "Just a couple more rows down," she said. "There are 9 of us."

"Just behind the Team Wives Section," Trish said, pointing. She looked around. "It's a pretty sparse crowd today. Tell you what, after an inning or two, why don't you all come down and join us."

"Are we supposed to?" Devlin asked.

"Well, no, but they cut a lot of slack for the Team Wives and the guests, especially when there isn't much turnout." She looked around. "And it looks like there aren't going to be too many people here today, which is a shame. Chicago's playing pretty well right now."

"So are the A's," Devlin said. "They aren't that far behind Seattle."

Trish sighed. "I don't know if we'll catch Seattle," she said. She looked around. "But don't tell anyone that. Bo thinks they'll catch 'em, and so do most of the guys on the team. Me, I'm not so sure." She sighed. "And then they'll have to beat the Yankees. That's a mighty tall order."

Devlin blinked, trying to shift gears. This was a whole different world. Trish was actually worrying about the performance of a team that everyone had heard about. The Yankees! She smiled uncertainly, and Trish laughed. "This is the big leagues, Devlin," she said, "and it takes some getting used to."

Someone called something and Trish glanced over her shoulder. "I've got to go," she said as she turned back. "We'll talk again in a few innings, okay?"

"Sure," Devlin said.

She found her seat, just a few rows behind Trish and the other wives. She settled in it uncertainly, looking around. The sheer size of the stadium was intimidating. She'd been in smaller ballparks, ones that seated 8-9,000. This place could hold nearly 50,000 people. There was a second deck, and another one above that. The field looked bigger, though she knew it wasn't. Everything about this place just seemed on a bigger scale.

Before she could feel dwarfed by things, the others began trickling in, Krissi first, with Marie and Rick. After a bit Amnita, Jack, Steve and Amnita's kids came down the steps, everyone carrying buckets of food. Amnita got them all settled. Devlin nervously checked her cameras, and then tried to balance her scorecard with the cameras. Finally Steve took the scorecard.

"I'll take care of scoring the game," he said.

"Bless you," she said. "I may be too nervous to do that."

"Are you going to take pictures of every pitch?" Krissi asked from beyond Steve.

"Well..."

She laughed. "How many to you have? Pictures, that is."

"144, I think." She thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, that many."

"That should be enough," Steve said.