Chapter 11

I saw it too and didn't know what to do about it. "I think Vicky will latch onto Ben, or at least I hope she does. Sharon is just being Sharon. She flirted with me like that from the moment we met the first time. She was a very close friend before and I hope she can be again. We managed it without sex then. We should be able to now."

Beth suggested that we let people believe that I was in a committed relationship with Connie or Paula it would help but Tina said "you can't do that Matt. Even if it causes problems it just wouldn't be fair to the others, especially Connie. Until you get your feelings straightened out I think it would be unwise to single anyone out. Whether you realize it or not, I think you're in love with at least three girls right now if not more. Take your time and be sure of your feelings. I know you don't want to hurt anyone needlessly. Besides, what makes you think we won't add someone else?" I was still groaning at that thought as we went to bed. I groaned more when Beth whispered "did Sharon ever flirt with anyone else besides you like that?" She hadn't.

The morning was wonderful. I will never get tired of waking up next to a gorgeous woman. Two were even better. If I hadn't already been hard just the sight of Tina and Beth peacefully sleeping on either side of me would have been enough. The contrast between them was immense. Beth's tall, voluptuous body with the mane of red hair spread over the pillow was enough to make my mouth water but on the other side, Tina's slim, petite frame with her shoulder length light blond hair was just as attractive to me. The fact that they were as beautiful on the inside as they were on the exterior made them almost too perfect. I decided to start with Tina this morning and quietly eased my way down.

She finally woke up moaning and pulled me up by my ears to remove my face from between her thighs and panted "what a way to wake up!" I slid into her already well lubricated depths slowly with a moan of my own and made love to her tenderly until she came with a gasp and held me tight. Beth was awake by now and rolled us over so she could join in the fun. I liked this position even better.

Tina was too short for me to pay her body the attention it deserved when I was on top but with her riding me I could reach everything I needed. I had to feel my way though. My vision was blocked by a neatly trimmed red bush descending on my face. I could hardly decide what to fondle. When she Tina came again she gave her spot to Beth and helped me drive her red haired sister crazy. As I erupted deep within her I could feel her juices flowing over my cock in the opposite direction. She collapsed in my arms and held me tight.

"Matt?" Beth whispered "I've been thinking. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to get involved with Vicky but Sharon is different. I really like her and you said she was a close friend of yours right up to the end. I can see her being a part of this and if she is then we should invite her in all the way."

When I asked why all she could say was "I don't know, it's just a feeling I have that we need her." I promised to think about it and neither of us spoke for a while until I noticed the moisture in her eyes and asked what was wrong. She said "I've never been in love before. This is all new to me and I have all these feelings that I didn't know I was even capable of. When you came and I felt your sperm splash against my cervix I actually hoped that one would find a home in my womb. I've never wanted that before and it feels strange. I want to have your baby. I know we have to wait but someday I do. Not just one, either. Does that sound weird?"

I hugged her and told her that it sounded wonderful. "I would be overjoyed if we make as many babies as all of you want. There is one thing we should do first though. Will the two of you marry me?"

I was inundated with kisses for a while that I thought might indicate the answer was yes. Tina then added to my confusion by adding "we won't be your only wives though. Now we just have to find out a way to manage it."

After a long shower we made breakfast and I couldn't help but notice how well we worked together. The kitchen wasn't very big but not once did we get in each others way. It wasn't just that. It was like we were reading each others minds. We were all doing separate tasks and never found anyone attempting to do the same thing.

Finally I chuckled "this is bizarre. It's like we've been married for twenty years or something!"

I got a peck on both cheeks and Beth said "I noticed too. Some people were just meant to be together I guess."

After eating, we talked over coffee for a while before deciding to visit the folks. My game was still a couple of hours away and we HAD promised. They were happy to see us of course but Al was already gone. The football coach at the college had a conditioning program that he had to attend if he wanted to play.

My dad asked me if I had read the paper today and flipped the sports section at me. "Might be a few extra people there" he said.

It was folded back to page two. All I could say was "oh, shit. I screwed up." They had my picture there of me in my windup with a two paragraph article about the perfect game. The write up made me sound like Randy Johnson and Barry Bonds combined or something.

Tina was reading over my shoulder and commented that it might not be a bad thing. After all, I had wanted a name as an athlete. Why not start early? I reluctantly agreed but had intended to wait a while.

"Better to get used to it now son" dad said "it will only get worse." I told him it already was. I was supposed to pitch today and that probably meant they'd probably be there. The folks offered us a ride and we rode to the park with them. I was right about the newspaper people but it seems like the local television station was having a slow news day. They had somebody there who wanted to interview me for some filler piece.

It probably pissed them off but I told them that I had a game to get ready for and they'd have to wait until it was over before I'd have time to talk to them. "Besides" I said with a smile "I might screw up and then where would you be? No one would be interested."

The coach appreciated this and let me know before asking if it would bother me during the game. I told him it wouldn't and apologized for them being there. He laughed and said it was good PR for the league. He figured it might get more kids to try out next year.

I could tell some of the guys were nervous and got the team together. "We must have shown off a little too much" I told them "Just concentrate on what you're doing and try to ignore them. We've got a game to win and if you want to see yourselves on the news tonight don't let them think it was a fluke. We're too damn good to end the year looking like idiots."

I don't know how much it helped. The team we were playing was pretty good and they didn't want to look bad either. The game was still scoreless in the fourth before we got to their pitcher. The two guys who batted ahead of me both got singles. I figured I wouldn't get walked this time. I was wrong of course. They tried to make it look like it wasn't intentional but everything was so far outside that I'd have been a fool to swing at it.

Pete came up with the bases loaded and did a good job laying off bad pitches until he worked the count to 3-1. He finally got a decent pitch to hit and was waiting for it. I started to jog as soon as he made contact. I knew it wouldn't be an out but wasn't sure it would carry far enough. It was a little windy today and blowing the same direction the ball was headed. Either it helped or I misjudged how hard he hit it because it cleared the fence by at least thirty feet. 4-0 was the final score.

I didn't have a perfect game. The strangest thing happened in the seventh. I was about to throw a curveball and was in the middle of my delivery when I farted.

Somehow that struck me as funny and I began to laugh. The ball didn't break and ended up being a single. Jeff came out when he saw me laughing and asked what was up. When I told him he lost it too and motioned for the coach.

He ran out looking concerned "are you o.k. Matt?" Jeff stopped laughing long enough to point and gasp "HE FARTED!" The infielders had just arrived in time to hear the announcement.

Pete blurted I can see the headlines now "PERFECT GAME BLOWN BY ILL WIND!" The Umpire came out to break up the party.

Coach managed to caution him with a straight face "watch out back there Ump. My pitcher's throwin' gas!"

The interviews weren't as bad as I'd feared. I remained calm and respectful as I answered all the inane questions like "doesn't it bother you when you get intentionally walked?"

I expected that one and said "I think a team is making a big mistake when they do that. Look what happened today. This isn't the first time that Pete, Jeff, Alan, Ben, or someone else made another team regret doing that. As a matter of fact, it's happened every single time. We're a good team and we play like one. We've got the best coach and the best players in the league."

When they asked about the perfect game and what happened this time I replied "The team we were playing when I got lucky enough to do that kind of made us angry. We were a little pumped up for them. Today I had a little "technical difficulty" and made a mistake. The team we were playing is good and if you make a mistake they'll hit it. I did, and he did."

I wouldn't elaborate on what my "technical difficulty" was when asked. The print part went well also and they even talked to the coach and some of the other guys, I was happy to see. On the way home dad complimented me on the interview (he had been by my side) and asked about the technical difficulty.

We were the only two who laughed but dad laughed so hard I was glad mom was driving. I could have sworn Beth was choking back a chuckle though. Mom shook her head while Tina just said "men".

After we got home I asked Al if he'd give me a ride to another game so I could do some scouting and he agreed. Beth, Tina and Paula asked if they could go along.

I took a quick shower and set the VCR to record the news before we headed out. Setting this recorder to start at a specific time had taken a bit of ingenuity. It had required making my own timer to apply power at a specific time with the record button pushed in. Automatic timers didn't exist yet on the unit.

This particular VCR wasn't actually a VCR, it was a VTR. Beta and VHS were years away but I had wanted something to record with since I watched a few things on television and many times wasn't home when they were on. This was a Sony U-Matic (VO-1600) video tape recorder. It was the first cassette type recorder and was actually in color. While it never caught on in the home market due to the price (and size?) there wasn't any other alternative worth having.

With 3/4" tape the quality was better than VHS also. It had taken a while to get this one because they had just started shipping and I ended up ordering it, one for the folks, and 5 cases of blank tapes from Japan. I was glad I'd made the effort. While it was a bit more of a hassle than I was used to it was still the best thing on the market at the time. The main companies were still fighting over the cassette standards.I told Al about the fart before we left in order to avoid any accidents on the way.

The game was in the second inning when Al dropped us off. I noticed the first base (man?) had longer than usual hair and a narrow waist. I looked closer and nudged Tina "I know her" I knew she was a tomboy but this was news. This wasn't a pick-up game. This was a league like the one I was in.

Rhonda was someone else from my past. We had worked together for years and I had a crush on her the whole time. I filled Tina in as we watched and she was adamant that this time I should do something about it.

When I asked what she meant Tina told me that one of the perks of coming back was that we could correct our mistakes "and we already found out that it could be important didn't we? Look, I'm confident in the fact that we'll always be together. Until then, and probably after, we need to correct the things we did wrong the first time. You do what you need to and I promise no one will get mad. We'll be with you all the way. Besides that, we're not silly enough to think there won't be more females in your life. We can see the handwriting on the wall. One other thing, how coincidental is it that she happened to be playing on this particular team?"

I shook my head in wonder at the incredible women I had found as I watched Rhonda play. She was pretty damn good! She fielded well and had a good arm and a long reach. When she came up to bat in the eighth inning she hit a line-drive double that she turned into a triple because the right fielder missed the cut-off man. She then proceeded to score on a suicide squeeze play.

It turned out to be the winning run. When the game was over we waited for her to head out. I was relieved to see that she was alone. I caught up to her and stopped her. She still had her hat on and with the loose uniform could have been mistaken for a guy. I knew different and started with "I've never seen anybody play a prettier first base. That was a really sexy job at the plate too!"

She looked at me like I was an alien and said "do I know you?" When I introduced my companions and then myself her eyes opened wide and she stopped in her tracks. She took a couple of deep breaths to compose herself before she asked me if I was the Matt Sussmann in the paper.

I tried to ignore her reaction and admitted to it. She was still looking at me strangely when she asked if I really thought she was any good. I smiled as I told her "I wasn't talking about baseball. I was talking about you. But you played really well too"

I thought Rhonda never blushed but I saw her do it now. I also got a re-introduction to her irresistible dimples. "Get outta town!" she said. "Even if I was pretty or sexy you'd never know it when I was wearing this! Most people think I'm a boy."

We all told her we could tell the difference right away. I had to add "even though you most definitely don't throw like a girl."

She looked more pleased by that compliment than the others until she said "that's because I don't have any tits to get in the way."

I knew Rhonda would never be what anyone would call big-breasted, but she had been perfectly proportioned. I would guess she was 34b-22-33 fully grown, and had a beautiful heart shaped ass that I couldn't keep my eyes off of.

I asked what was wrong with that and said I didn't understand the obsession people had with huge hooters. "Besides", I added "I'm sure they've got a way to go before they stop growing just like the rest of you. Hell, you're perfect now and believe me you'll only get prettier as you get older."

Rhonda blushed fiercely but gave me a really intense but strange stare when she asked us to drop it because it was a sore subject with her. Paula told her that if she asked nicely I'd kiss it and make it feel better for her but didn't get a response.

Instead she asked what I was doing way over here. "Wellll..." I said "I heard there was this hot first base player on the other side of town and I was hoping to get some pointers from her and".

she cut me off "hold it right there. Even if I was that good according to the paper you're a pitcher. You're also either very good or damn lucky. Come up with another one."

I admitted I was a pitcher but added "I play first, too. I've only been pitching for the last half of the season and I still play first sometimes when I'm not."

She still wanted to know why we were here. Tina saved the day by saying "we came to scout your team and when Matt saw you he just had to meet you. He spotted you for a girl from a block away. In fact I think I heard him say you have the cutest butt he's ever seen in a baseball uniform. After that he was mixing how pretty you were with how good you were."

We got to her house and she stopped and turned (still beet red) and said that she needed to change and would invite us in but as she put it "it's embarrassing in there. My parents are strange people. They're HIPPIES, if you can believe that. I lived in a commune in Oregon until I was ten years old. They own a "head shop" in town." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder and finished with "in there, the sixties are still alive. They're nice people and great parents but very, very strange."

Beth said "cool!" before taking her by the arm and leading her to the door. She shook her head but showed us in.

She wasn't kidding. There were beads in the doorways, a bong on the table, and the place was decorated with Lovin' Spoonful, Grateful Dead, and other posters (including a giant peace symbol). The furniture was pillows, beanbags, and papa-san chairs. There was a smell of incense in the air and two people in tie-dyed t-shirts and cut-offs were sitting in a lotus position on the floor. It reminded me of my first apartment in my past life. Rhonda got their attention and told them she had company.

They both sprang up immediately and her mother hugged her "you mean you finally let somebody in?"

Rhonda introduced us to her mom (Jane) and dad (Dee) who informed us that Mr. and Mrs. were not allowed. They were either very young or very well preserved. I would swear that neither had seen their thirtieth birthday. They offered to keep us occupied while Rhonda changed out of her uniform.

They were really nice folks and we got along great while she was gone. We found out that we were the first friends Rhonda had brought home since they moved here. Dee told us that the neighbors weren't too friendly either. "This place is so square" he said. "People are all hung up about money and possessions. They don't know how to enjoy LIFE."

We found out they were both twenty-six years old and had found the commune when Jane got pregnant. Her parents had kicked her out and together they had hitch-hiked to Oregon where they had joined. They settled here because they wanted to make sure Rhonda "had the total experience".

She finally reappeared and I couldn't help but whistle and comment "if you wore that playing first I can guarantee that no male in their right mind would steal second."

She had on a cut off t-shirt that ended above her navel and a tiny pair of blue jean shorts. It was obvious that a brassiere wasn't part of the outfit.

Paula added "Matt was right again! He said she was a knockout."

Jane said "we keep trying to tell her but it never sinks in!"

Rhonda responded with "mom, besides you two the only other people who have said that are in this room. To everybody else I'm one of the guys. I think you've been passing the bong while I was changing."

Dee said calmly "babe, you know we wouldn't do that unless their parents gave permission" and Rhonda apologized and told him she was kidding. When they kissed her goodbye it was on the lips. They invited us back anytime.

We got outside and I said "I don't know why they would embarrass you. We think they're great! They ARE nice people just like you said. I'm glad that I met them."