20090716

Watching

by Cynthia Newberry Martin

The eleven-year-old runner was caught off second base, caught watching the play, a parent said, his father actually. “If you’re going to watch, buy a ticket!” his father yelled into the air. Now the boy was kicking dirt as he made his way to the dugout, his head hanging, his shoulders hunched. The kids on the field were looking into the crowd. The other parents shifted in their portable chairs, moved the pine straw around with their feet, reached for bottles of water. The boy’s mother, who was staring at her husband, hung her head and looked as if she wished she could go to the dugout too.

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Cynthia Newberry Martin lives in Columbus, Georgia. Please visit her blog and be sure to leave a word (or six) to let her know you were there.