It was a sticky, humid July night, the sort of night that makes it difficult to sleep. As he looked out his bedroom window, off in the distance, he could see the lights from the boats on the Ohio River. Tommy Winters was eleven and dreamed about becoming a big league baseball player. He glanced at his baseball card of Mickey Mantle that was taped to his dresser mirror.
Realizing how hot he felt, he kicked off the covers, jumped out of bed and put on his jeans. He walked slowly to his dresser to get his baseball glove and ball. He tip-toed down the hall to his Mom and Dads room to make sure they were still sleeping. Confident that the coast was clear, Tommy headed down the stairway, remembering every sound the stairs made on the way down.
Finally, he made it to the living room and turned on the television. The nightly news station came on. The reporters were talking about President John F. Kennedys State of the Union Address that had aired earlier that afternoon. Tommy watched for a few minutes before getting bored and he turned the channel until he saw what really caught his eye. The sports report of the day was on and the reporters were talking about the great game Mickey Mantle had played that day.
As Tommy dreamed about becoming a big league ball player, he realized that he was tossing his ball around and he remembered how many times his Mom had reminded him not to throw his ball in the house. He quietly switched the television off and headed for the front door to sit on the porch. As he watched the boats on the Ohio River, he dreamed of the day that he would be as good as The Mick. The soft breeze that blew and the relaxing sounds of the night helped Tommy to become sleepy. Quietly, he went back to his room and dozed off to sleep with his dreams of Mickey Mantle.
The next morning was a normal one at Tommys house. His Mom, Norma Winters, was a natural beauty, inside and out. In her high school years, she was the head cheerleader. Although she was approaching the age of thirty, she still held all of her beauty. These days, she was the cheerleader of her home. She had already been up for hours, getting breakfast for her husband, Frank, and had sent him off to work with the smile that her family cherished so much.
Tommys sister, Wilma, was helping to set the table for the three of them, when she couldnt resist reminding Norma that Tommy had overslept again. Wilma was older than Tommy by two years and loved getting over on him. Wilma looked more like her father, although, she was following in her mothers footsteps, as a cheerleader in Junior High School. She would be entering High School in the fall and she dreaded telling her mother that she didnt want to try out for the cheerleading squad. She dreaded, even more, the lecture that she knew would follow, because Wilma seemed to never complete anything she started.
Wilma, will you finish setting the table for me so I can go and wake Tommy up? Wilma rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath but she did as her mother had asked her. Norma started up the stairs, thinking to herself, That boy is getting too old for me to have to wake him up each morning. When she reached Tommys room, Tommy heard the sternness in his mothers voice and he started crawling of out bed to get dressed. He heard her footsteps in the hall, as Norma called out, Tommy, I want you downstairs and at the kitchen table in five minutes!
Tommy had fallen asleep with his ball glove. As he reached for it, he remembered that he had ball practice at noon. He rushed downstairs with his ball glove under his arm. He quickly ate his breakfast, as he reminded his Mom that he had ball practice. Norma looked up at the clock above the kitchen sink and said, Then, youd better hurry up. Tommy was a bundle of energy now and he quickly finished his breakfast. As he jumped up from the table, his ball glove flew to the floor.
Always thinking about helping out, Tommy started putting his breakfast dishes in the sink. Norma and Wilma knew that Tommy would be out the door in a flash. As he headed for the back door, they asked him if he would mind doing a few things for them before he left. Tommy thought to himself, Im going to be late for practice again. He drudgingly turned around and placed his ball glove on the kitchen counter. What do you guys want me to do?
Precious minutes passed as Tommy finished the chores. I have to go now. Im going to be late again. Ill see you both after practice. he said, as he glanced back at them, on his way out the door. Norma waved and smiled at him, lovingly. Then he noticed the smirk on Wilmas face. That smirk was so familiar to him. He realized, as he ran down the street that his sister had gotten over on him again. He thought about how stupid he felt to let Wilma manipulate him into doing her chores so often. The thought enraged him. He started running faster down the street. Two neighbor men that lived a few houses down from Tommy saw him running like the wind toward them. They yelled to him that their sons were already at practice. Their words provoked a passion in Tommy that he, himself, could not control.
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