Chapter 10

One day, the kids were moping around, so I decided to spend some time with them. I got out Darcy's convertible, found a basketball, and told Johnny and Mary that we were going to go play some ball at the park. It was a five-mile drive to a park that I passed sometimes, on the way to play cards, but I had seen kids playing there quite often.

When we arrived, there were some kids playing. Johnny was not in the mood, but I pushed him a bit, and we started by playing Horse. We gave Mary an advantage by getting 123Horse or three more letters before she was out. Mary surprised me because she could shoot. They both could, and I had to work hard to keep up. I had to do a reverse lay-up, and some hook shots to throw them off. They were both knocking down anything within fifteen feet of the basket.

As we were playing, a couple of other kids showed up, and we ended up playing a couple of games. The other kids played there most days, and they played well. There was a mixture of boys, and girls, but three of the girls playing, were around Mary's age. At the end of the last game, we were all tired, but had fun. It had also taken our minds off John for a brief time. I was walking over to the picnic table to get my shirt when I heard the girls talking to Mary to see if she'd come back, and play with them the next day.

Mary looked to me, and I said that we could. Johnny also had fun, and he liked the exercise as well. They said that they usually showed up around ten after their moms went to work, and then took a break for lunch before playing in the afternoon. I noticed that the ball that they had brought was pretty worn out, so I tossed them the one I'd brought, and told them to hold on to it for me, and that we'd see them in the morning.

Beth was happy to hear about the kid's day, and told me that Darcy had been a good friend to her while I was off with the kids. She said, "I miss John so much. I know that I'll never get over him or forget about him, but now, it's so raw. I try to act strong around the kids, but it's so hard. The time alone or with Darcy was nice. I could cry, scream, and cuss without worrying. It sounds like the kids had fun."

"I think they did. At least I know that it was a much-needed distraction for me. What surprised me most was how much better Johnny was since the last time I played with him, and Mary was great as well."

"John used to shoot with them after dinner. It was his time to talk with them without the pressure of it being about the talk. It was about relaxing, and spending time together. John also told me what a great natural shot both of them had. Mary also impressed him as well."

"I'm going to take them back to the park tomorrow to play with the kids they met today. They asked if I would."

"That would be great. Thanks for everything. I don't know what I'd do without you and Darcy."

"Beth you and the kids are family. Anything you need, just ask."

"I know. How are you holding up Britt? I know that this is hard on you as well."

"I'm holding up. Darcy lets me cry on her at night while you cry on your pillow. Are you getting enough sleep? Darcy wanted me to take some sleeping pills, but I told her that a few hours of sleep a night was my norm. My body will make me sleep when I absolutely need it."

"I do take some sleeping pills every other night, but I told the doctor when he prescribed them that I didn't want any refills. I wish that I didn't need them, but my mind is running full speed thinking about John and the kids. Sometimes I can't calm down enough to sleep. I'm glad that we're where we are financially or I'd be even worse with worry."

"You don't need to worry, and eventually the wounds will heal. There might be some scars left over, but time will help."

"I'm sure that you're right, and the grief counselor that Doug found for us has been a big help."

They all came over for dinner, and we had some of Lilly's great cooking. After dinner, we went swimming for a while. It was a big step to put on a smile, and try to enjoy ourselves, since we were still recovering from John's passing.

I grabbed another basketball from the garage before we drove to the park, and I checked to make sure it was inflated to the right pressure. Since the same kids were there again, we took the time to learn their names. There were three girls in the group. One was a taller black girl named Tonya. Since she was tall it was no coincidence that she played well around the basket. The next girl was Madeline Ramos; she was Hispanic and could dribble well. She was a natural point guard with her ball handling skills, and she made great passes to the open shooters on the court. The last girl named Rose Michaels was a pretty, blonde-haired girl that could dribble well, and shoot well. With Mary, as a shooting forward, they were only one girl short of a great basketball team.

Johnny was with us, as were a couple of other boys that were either a year or two older or younger than the girls were. We played all day again. When they took a break for lunch, I took Johnny and Mary to McDonalds for lunch. I mentioned about the girls, and that they'd be a good team. Johnny agreed, and Mary got quiet. We finished our lunch, and drove back to the court.

I saw Mary talking to the other girls while we were warming up. When everyone was back, we split up into teams, and we started playing. After the second game, when we were taking a break, Madeline asked, "If we could get another girl, could we really have a team?"

I wasn't ready for the question. I said, "I don't even know if there's a league or when it starts. I do think that you're all great players for your ages."

Rose said, "I know a couple of girls from school, and the summer league will be starting in a couple of weeks over at the Y. I think it costs too much to play, but wouldn't that be cool."

Tonya said, "How much do you think it would cost? Maybe my mom could ask my grandma to help pay for my fees."

"How far is the YMCA from here?" I asked.

"It's about six blocks, but none of us are members. They put stuff on the bulletin board at the end of the park, and sometimes they have free days. They know that many of the kids from around here can't afford the fees to join."

"If you think you can get a couple more girls, I'll drive over, check out the league, and see what you'll need."

I left Johnny and Mary to play after Tonya gave me directions to the Y.

I met with the director of the YMCA, whose name was Trevor. He seemed like a nice guy, and spent some time telling me about the league. I also found out what I'd need to accomplish to enter the league with a team. Although we were kind of late in signing up there was still a spot for one more team in the 12-13 year old girls league, and that he'd be happy to redo the schedules if we could get a team together by the end of the week. The league would consist of ten teams. Since it was YMCA sponsored, at the end of the season, the top two teams would go on to the state tournament played here in Las Vegas. There was also a Southwest tournament for those that qualified, but for now, we should just worry about getting seven to ten girls for the team, and getting a coach. We'd also need uniforms, but he knew about the girls at the park, and if they wanted to wear just matching t-shirts with numbers drawn on then, he'd be fine with it.

I drove back, and told them about my conversation at the Y. They became so excited. Mary was right in there with them. They were jumping and screaming. I told them to calm down, told them that it would be $20 each, and they'd need a coach. Everything went quiet, and the girls looked at the ground. I didn't realize that what I had just said had popped their balloon.

Madeline said, "Oh well let's go play some ball."

"What?" I asked.

Tonya said, "We can't afford that, and they'd probably want more for uniforms."

"I think that I can find a sponsor for your team to pay the fees, and get uniforms. Can you find a coach?"

Mary said, "Don't you realize Britt, that you're our coach. The question is can we find at least three more girls. I don't know anyone that I can get unless Johnny wants to wear a dress."

Johnny quickly came back with, "I'm not wearing a dress, and I'm too old anyways."

"I know four girls that I can call. They may need a ride. Their moms don't like them walking over here from where they live."

I looked at Mary, and all of a sudden, she looked very happy. I looked at Johnny, and he looked happy for her. I caved in, and said, "Here are the forms. If you can bring me six other forms besides the one from Mary, signed by a parent or guardian, we can start practice tomorrow. Oh, and Johnny's the assistant coach."

"What?" Johnny said. "I don't know how to coach. I don't even own a whistle."

"Neither do I, but to remedy that, we need to go shopping."

Mary was on cloud nine, and kept going on and on when she got home. Darcy gave me her hero look, and I could see Beth torn between that, and thinking how much John would have loved the thought of being in my shoes, coaching his daughter.

The next day we showed up at the court after a stop at the sporting goods store. I had a clipboard, and a small chalkboard. Johnny and I each had a whistle, and we had ten more basketballs in two large mesh bags. There were three other girls and two moms waiting for us.

Tonya came right up and handed me the forms. I looked at them, found them all filled out, and signed. I then met two of the moms. The first was Madeline's mom Elana. She was a pretty lady who introduced herself, told me that she worked at a local hotel cleaning rooms, and wanted to make sure that her daughter would be safe. She also wanted to find out about the money.

The other mother was Rose's mom Emma. She introduced herself, and told me that she was a dancer in one of the shows at a casino. She also introduced the other girls. The first was a black girl named Darby the other two were twin sisters Emilia, and Grace Soto. Their mom also worked at the casino, but worked in the laundry. Darby was also in a family with a single mom at home. She worked as a secretary at a place that offered rentals for conventions. Her father was serving overseas.

Rose's mom Emma asked about the money, and wanted to meet the mystery man who the girls had referred to when they spoke about the new basketball team. Elana was right there with her. There had been many phone calls going back and forth. I had Johnny and the girls start some drills, while I took the two moms over to the picnic table to talk.

After we sat down I said, "My name is Britt. I live about five miles south of here. Mary and Johnny are my next-door neighbors, and I have known them both since they were babies. Their mom and dad both worked for my company or me when we all decided to move out here from Orlando. A couple of weeks ago, Mary's father passed away. I took the kids to the park to get their minds off the loss of their dad, and that's how we all met Tonya, Madeline, and Rose. All four girls impressed me with how well they played the game. I mentioned that their skills complimented each other, and they could have a good team if they had one more girl.

"One of them mentioned the summer league at the Y, and the rest is history. I know that it sounds like money can be an issue, so I told them that I'd find a sponsor. My company gives money to the community, as part of its business plan, and I think that sponsoring a girls' basketball team fits the category just fine."

Elana asked, "So it won't cost anything?"

"Elana this team has been a great tool to help heal Johnny, Mary, and myself from the loss of their dad. I'd pay much more than the cost of a couple of entry fees and uniforms for that. I'll never ask for a penny from you or any of the girls. I'd ask that you come to as many of the games that you can to cheer them on, but other than that, I can handle it."

"I have spoken to all the moms, and they've all approved their girls playing. It looks like you have a team," Emma said.

I got the girls to start a scrimmage with Johnny playing the last position. I went over to the YMCA, and took care of everything with Trevor. He took the paperwork, and my check, and gave me a list of names that the other teams had already taken. To make sure that he could print the schedule, he'd listed us as 'Team Ten'. The inclusion of our team made him very happy. He said, "Britt, I see those girls and boys at the park when I drive in, and I want to get them in here, but I know that they can't afford the small fees that we charge. I'm glad that you came along to let them play in our league."