Bo and Nora Forever Soulmates MESSAGE BOARD FAN FICTION VIDEOS & PICTURES FAVE SCENES ARTICLES HBS and NORA BIO RSW and BO BIO CHAT ROOM FAVE LINKS BO and NORA HOME PAGE E-MAIL US

The Education of Matthew Buchanan - Chapter 6   Rex had circled the third public parking lot looking for a parking space before frustration set in. He finally squeezed his car onto the grass area between the sidewalk and a tree, sliding out of the car and clicking his keychain to lock the doors. The park was big, with multiple baseball field complexes for the little leagues and the bigger fields for the older kids' leagues. There were concession stands placed strategically throughout the area, one large one near the parking lot. The football and soccer fields were on the opposite side of the baseball fields and then bike trails and other unknown stuff lay beyond the darkness behind the football field.   The city of Llanview had pulled out all of the stoppers when they built this sports and recreation complex, thanks mostly to Asa Buchanan’s enormous donation. When he had died, the complex had been dedicated to the old man, the main field known as ‘The Asa Buchanan Memorial Field’. Every sports league in the city played on these fields but Friday nights in the spring were for the big boys; American Legion Baseball. At least that’s what the large marquee stated at the main entrance. The stands were filled at all three fields and Rex would be hard pressed to find Matthew but he had a hunch, call it a gut feeling, if the kid wasn’t at his regular hangouts, his love of baseball and Asa would draw him here.   Rex walked casually around to each field, stopping to take in the action. There was a lot of noise and tons of people, old and young, clusters of families, twosies and threesies of fathers and sons, fathers and daughters. The aroma of popcorn, soda and cotton candy filled him. Underneath the sugar, he could smell the game; the cut of the grass, the dirt, the sweat, the leather, the wooden bats. His eyes scanned the bleachers, back and forth, up and down. He moved field to field, performing the same scan of the bleachers, hoping his gut was leading him in the right direction.   Everywhere he walked, everyone he passed seemed to be dressed the same; jeans, some type of baseball jersey, be it the Phillies or a school team jersey and baseball caps. He stopped at one of the concession stands and picked up a cherry icee, eyeing the baseball caps before settling on a red one. He liked the color red. He held the brim and pulled the folded back out before tugging it on his head, adjusting it before moving around again. “Good to blend in,” he thought.   After about an hour of walking field to field, he abandoned his search of the park and headed back to his car. As he walked in between the parked cars, he caught sight of the lights on the opposite side of the parking lot. More out of curiosity than any hope of finding Matthew, he headed to the source of the lights. Once again, he found a huge domed field area. The cracking sounds of bat hitting ball caught his ear and he headed into the complex. The first sight he had was of numerous baseballs, seeming to be heading straight at him.   “Ahhh!” he yelled, ducking down, lifting his arms to cover his head. Two young boys wearing baseball jerseys with the numbers 3 and 8 stared at him. “You all right, Mister?” Number 3 asked.   Rex peaked through his arms. “What?” He dropped his arms quickly, standing up straight. “Yeah, sure, I’m good. Bees flying around my head, that’s all. Allergic.” Rex did his best imitation of swatting away imaginary bees.   The two boys exchanged looks. “You covered your head like you thought you would get hit,” replied number 8.   “Yeah, well, you never know,” Rex said quickly.   Number 3 pointed to the fence. “It’s a batting cage,” he explained. “That’s a fence. You’re safe unless you’re in there.”   “A little ‘heads up’ never hurt anyone, did it?” Rex answered, giving them a look between a smile and a grimace.   The two boys rolled their eyes. “You only say that if the ball is hit into a crowd, not IN the batting cage. The ball can’t get out of the there.”   “I like to play it safe, if that’s all right with you two.” Rex looked around the batting cages, hoping if he ignored the two rug rats, they would go away.   “You’re not a baseball kind of guy, are you?” said number 8   Rex stared at the two boys. “Not my game, no.”   “Then what are you doing in here?”   “I’m looking for someone.”   “Who?” asked number 3.   Rex looked at the two kids for a second. What could it hurt? He gave it a try and asked. “Matthew Buchanan; know him?”   “He in trouble?” number 8 asked suspiciously.   “No, no, nothing like that. He said he might be here if I wanted to pick up some, you know,” Rex made an imaginary swing of bat with his arm, “pointers.”   Number 3 eyed him suspiciously. “You said baseball wasn’t your thing.”   “It isn’t. I mean, I’m not that good at it, that’s why I need pointers. You seen him or not?” Rex asked exasperated.   “Sure,” said number 3 after a second of contemplation. He pointed towards the right. “He’s in batting cage 27, around the other side.”   “Thanks,” Rex said with a smile.   “You just follow the sidewalk around to the other side, OUTSIDE the fences and you won’t get hit,” number 8 added.   Rex gave a sarcastic smile at them and he walked in the direction they pointed. He stayed on the concrete walkway, checking each gate for the number 27. He flinched a few times as bats met balls, impulsively covering his head with his arms just as he happened to past an older boy swinging away, not missing one pitch. CRACK! He ducked again, checking his bearings after lowering his arms from around his head. Cage 20.   Where the hell was batting cage 27? Did those two squirts send him the long way, just to see him squirm? He glanced over his shoulder quickly to make sure the two ankle biters hadn’t followed him or witnessed his cowering each time a bat met ball. He quickened his pace as he passed batting cage 25. Cage 26 was empty and he could see through it to cage 27, where Matthew was in his stance, bat in hand, staring down the opposite end of the batting cage at the machine firing baseballs at him with canon like speed.   Matthew’s back was to him so Rex was able to observe him covertly. Matthew didn’t miss many of the balls hurled at him as he swung at pitch after pitch. The few times he did miss, he slammed the bat down onto the ground before hoisting the bat back onto his shoulder and preparing himself for the next pitch.   “Gotta hand it to the kid,” Rex thought. He had guts standing inside a cage as baseballs came flying at him at a hundred MPH. Okay, maybe not a hundred but still, they were flying fast. Wouldn’t catch Rex in there. After about ten minutes, Matthew lifted the protective helmet from his head, wiped his brow with his forearm and walked towards the gate to lead him out. Rex moved towards him.   “Fancy meeting you here,” Rex said cheerfully.   Matthew stopped in his tracks, catching sight of Rex and staring at him through the chain link fence. He didn’t respond, just took some quarters from a stack piled on top of the coin meter, fed them into the slot and turned back to the firing machine. Rex had moved to stand directly behind Matthew’s cage, watching him work.   “Thrump” went the pitching machine and the ball was sailing straight at Rex’s face. He stepped back, turning from the zooming ball and heard the CRACK. He turned back to see the ball flying off into the distance. Matthew stood at the ready.   “Wow. Nice one,” Rex said.   Matthew still didn’t respond and Rex continued to watch. He got to the point where he didn’t flinch as the ball was hit and was able to fully appreciate Matthew’s talent. Once or twice the ball would get by him and Matthew would swear, slamming the bat onto the rubber plate at his feet.   “Don’t let your Mom hear you say that,” Rex said with a smile.   Matthew glanced back at Rex for a quick second before turning to meet the next pitch. “You gonna tell her?” he asked, slamming the ball into the sky.   “Not me,” Rex answered. “I’m no tattle-tale.”   “You’re here, aren’t you?”   “Meaning?”   “You gonna tell me you came here for batting practice.”   “Hey, I need practice as much as the next guy.”   Matthew gave a snort. “You don’t even know which end of the bat to hold.”   “I’m a beginner. Gotta start sometime.”   “And you flinch every time the ball comes out of the machine.”   “Who wouldn’t? It’s like an incoming cannon ball coming straight for your head.”   “Chicken-sh,”   “Hey, hey, hey,” Rex said, cutting Matthew off. “Crossing a line, there, pal.”   The machine stopped again and Matthew turned to look at Rex. “Wanna tell me why you’re really here, all up in my business?”   Rex looked into boy’s eyes and beyond the anger and pain; he saw something that scared him. He saw hate. He decided on honesty. “Your Mom called. She’s worried about you.”   Matthew gave another snort and headed for the coins again. “More like she’s worried about herself and the former Commissioner.” He grabbed the coins and started to fill the machine.   “Do you think you could come out of there and we can go somewhere to talk?”   Matthew hesitated at the coin slot. “Why?”   “Cause you look like you need to talk.”   “Do I?” he said, dropping the coins into the slot. “Then you should ask for your money back from that PI school you went to because you’re not a very good one.”   “Okay. You don’t wanna talk. You wanna bash something in. I get that.”   “Wow. You’re not as dumb as you look in that hat.”   “Hey,” Rex said, feigning hurt, pulling the cap off his head. “I’m a big fan.”   “Really? Then tell me; whose team logo is on your hat?”   Rex stared at the logo before looking back at Matthew sheepishly. “You got me. I bought it to blend in.”   Matthew raised one eyebrow before turning to swing at an incoming pitch. He missed. “Damn it!”   “Aren’t you standing on the wrong side?” Rex asked, noticing Matthew’s stance was opposite of what he had been when he found him.   Matthew shook his head, partly in disbelief at Rex’s ignorance, partly in frustration. “It’s called switch hitting. I’m taking my swings on the opposite side of the plate.”   “Right, right, I knew that,” Rex said nodding, not getting it at all. Rex stood in silence as Matthew took his swings, commenting where he thought appropriate. “Nice one,” he muttered.   “It was foul,” Matthew said tartly.   “Looked good.”   Matthew stopped again. “Why are you still here?”   “Not going anywhere until you’re ready to go. That’s what friends are for.”   “You’re no friend. You’re here because the parents called you.” Matthew shook his head. “Another liar,” he mumbled.   “Hey,” Rex said, stepping closer to the batting cage. “I’m a lot of things but liar isn’t one of them. I am your friend. Hell, I think of you like my little bro. And what are brothers for, then to have each other’s backs and all.”   Matthew glanced back at him. Another ball from the pitching machine flew past him into the fence where Rex stood. This time, Rex barely moved.   “Okay. You wanna talk? Grab a bat and a helmet and step in the cage. Otherwise, step along and leave me a lone.”   Matthew turned back to the pitching machine, swinging at air again as the ball flew past him. He heard the cage door hinges squeak as Rex stepped in, helmet tilted lopsided, a bat resting on his shoulder. “Tell me what to do, Coach.”   To be continued…