Chapter 18: Emily

It had been great fun having Dave and Eddie down staying with us during the series with Potomac. Now, far too quickly, they were on the road again.

It was a quiet time for me. Work was winding down, and, in just another two weeks, I'd be giving up my summer internship and returning to school for the fall semester.

The job had been routine -- a little disappointing, considering my expectations going in -- and I was happy enough to be leaving. I'd been doing a lot of thinking about my future. I had become less interested in journalism and in broadcasting. I was thinking, more and more, that I'd like to try law school. If I got serious about that, it would mean, quite soon now, that I'd start having to apply for admission -- probably to several schools -- for the class beginning just one year from now. And I'd need to take the Law School Admissions Test.

Davey had said he wanted to go to law school. Wouldn't that be a blast? Both of us in law school? Maybe together. But then, I couldn't see Dave in Georgetown Law, or George Washington University. Too expensive. Unless he really aced the LSAT, and won a humongous scholarship, those schools seemed to be unlikely. And would they be amenable to taking a half-time scholar, like Dave wanted to be?

But, hey. George Mason University had a law school, right here in the neighborhood! It was part of the Commonwealth of Virginia's system. It would be far cheaper. Especially if Dave were to become a Virginia resident.

Thinking about my school soon starting up again, and about my (and Dave's) possible educational futures, I started wondering about Eddie's school plans. Were they going to enroll him again in Frederick? Would Dave take him back to Ohio for the winter?

I had no idea.

It became the topic of our next round of e-mails, while the Keys were on their road trip. When I first asked Dave about it, I found out that he'd been worrying over the question himself, and still hadn't reached any solid conclusions. He thought that, probably, they'd rent a place in or near Bowie, in the expectation of his playing there next season.

We batted the subject around, during the Kinston series.

Meanwhile, Dave's hot bat was still going strong, although Frederick lost two out of three of their games down in Kinston. The "damned Kinston Indians," Dave complained in his e-mails, were always winning. They were the New York Yankees of the Carolina League, he said. Why all those players didn't eventually filter up to Cleveland and produce consistent winners there, as well, Dave couldn't quite fathom.

Well, don't ask me!

While the Keys were playing in Myrtle Beach, I had an idea. A good one. I spent the whole next weekend working on it. It was fun! I visited a realtor. She was a fun lady. Why wouldn't she be? I was a fun customer. With excellent credit, and a ready down-payment.

I called Dave that Sunday -- the morning before their final game in Myrtle Beach. He was surprised to hear from me. We didn't do much telephone communicating while he was on the road. "How'd you know where to find me?" he asked.

"I called the Myrtle Beach Pelicans," I told him. "Said it was a family matter, and asked where the Keys were staying. When I got the motel, a woman answered, and I said I wanted to talk to the cutest, sexiest ball player she had in residence."

"And she connected you to my room?"

"On only the fourth try, yes!" I said, thoroughly enjoying delivering my well-rehearsed punch line. "How's Eddie?"

"Eddie's good. He's down having a second shot at the Continental Breakfast here. It's better than most."

"Listen, Dave... You still haven't decided what to do about Eddie's enrollment in school, right?"

"Well. Bowie seems like the best bet."

"And when you go to Florida in February? What then?"

"I guess we'll, y'know, hire somebody in Bowie, to stay with him."

"Why not move to Arlington?" I said. "For the winter, and after that, too!"

"Arlington?"

"Yes! With me! With us -- Patsy, too! I could get a bigger place, maybe a detached house. And Eddie could go to school here, in Arlington! And I could give Patsy a break on her rent, in exchange for helping us to take care of Eddie, and for being in the house for him, when you -- or I -- wasn't there, and..."

"Wait a minute. You're talking about us... living together?"

"Would that be so awful?"

"No! No, it would be great -- for me. And for Eddie, too. But what do you get? Instant motherhood? And where's the money coming from? Eddie and I can't pull our weight, financially, for such a deal as that."

"Dave! You've gotta make a decision, about where Eddie's going to enroll in school! Why not here? Arlington schools are good! Listen, I've been out looking. Friday night. And again yesterday, all day -- wall-to-wall! I've found a couple of great places! I mean, they're just boxy old red-brick houses, like they have all over Arlington; but they're nice, Davey! Wait'll you see! Rooms are small, but one of the houses has two and a half baths, and three bedrooms, and an almost-new kitchen, and even a teeny little ramshackle garage in the back!"