The Past Recedes

Chapter 32

Nika watched as Josh put on his blue Dodgers t-shirt and a matching Dodgers hat on his head. The shirt was a replica Dodgers baseball jersey that hung on his skinny frame like an overcoat, the Dodgers hat sloped slightly downwards that emphasized his long nose. "I got this at the team shop, it's a legit MLB jersey", he explained.

"It's too big on you", she said.

"I know, no matter how much I eat, I don't gain weight. It's good, when I get old then I get fat", he laughed.

Nika just shrugged and smoothed down the skirt of her dark blue dress with white piping. "And we're both wearing Dodger blue, Dodger Stadium is gorgeous but we have to leave now to beat the traffic", he said.

Nika was shocked at hos massive the stadium and parking lot were, the line of cars snaking towards the lot moving at the speed of a drunken snail. "I guess people came early to see batting practice, maybe catch a ball. It's hard to hit home runs at Chavez Ravine, but the view of the mountains and the palm trees is awesome. And there's going to be a lot of Mexicans here today, more than usual since Valdez is pitching. He's Mexican", he explained.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?", she asked.

"It's a good thing, the Mexicans love the Dodgers. They're really popular with the Mexican community, since there's so many Mexicans in LA", he explained.

Josh finally found a parking space in the mammoth lot. Nika clung tightly onto his hand as the mass of people swarmed around them heading towards the entrance. Josh gave her a reassuring smile as he led her towards the entrance, showing the box office people his tickets. They climbed the stairs and soon the field opened up before them, an expanse of manicured green with neatly raked dirt surrounding the infield. In the background the sun shone brightly over the San Gabriel Mountains, turning the dark blue rocks a vivid gold. Before the mountains was a grove of palm trees that swayed gently in the breeze.

"Dodger Stadium is the prettiest ballpark in the majors, but Yankee Stadium has the history. And luckily this is an afternoon game, since we leave for Big Sur tomorrow", said Josh.

"I know, I already packed my things. It is pretty, but where are the players?", she asked.

"They just came on the field for batting practice, the Dodgers are in blue and white and the Mariners are in gray and green. There's batting practice where the batters try to hit the balls into the stands and fielding where they practice defense. The game starts in two hours, batting practice is to chill and maybe catch a ball", said Josh.

Nika watched as a middle-aged coach threw softly from behind a wire cage and the hitter made contact with a hearty crack of the bat. Josh nodded in approval. "That's Raul Mondesi, one of our best hitters", he said.

"If a ball goes into the stands, is that good?", she asked.

"Yeah, that's called a home run. Depending on how many runners are on base, the team can score from one to four runs", he replied.

Nika watched as another hitter went up. She was impressed that he could hit the ball very far, since she was unathletic. "I'm the same way, I sucked at gym class. I was a fat kid and then I grew eight inches in one year, but stayed the same weight. I was 5'3 and 160 lbs, now I'm 5'11 and 165 lbs", he laughed.

"Is that normal?", she asked in shock.

"Yeah, for teenagers. I went from being a short fat kid to a tall skinny guy, it was awkward at first but I got used to it. You still got a couple of years to go before you hit puberty, that's when stuff gets weird", said Josh.

Nika saw that Josh perked up when the Dodgers left the field and the Mariners replaced them. "Wait until you see Griffey hit, he's the best left-handed hitter in the game", he said reverently.

She could see what he meant when Griffey hit several home runs into the bleachers as fans scrambled to catch them. "One day I should go up to Seattle, great bands come out of there. You ever hear of Nirvana and Pearl Jam?", he asked.

"Yeah, the Buddhist state of enlightenment. And is Pearl Jam a sort of jelly?", she asked.

"Uh, no. They're rock bands from Seattle, great bands. Your mom didn't listen to rock?", he asked.

"No, she said rock music is for dumb people. But Grandmere likes the Beatles", she said.

"The Beatles are one of my favorite bands, you should check out Blur and Oasis too. Oasis sometimes sound like the Beatles, but Noel Gallagher is a brilliant songwriter. So is Damon Albarn, there's so much great music in the UK that never got popular here. I'm going to play my British music mix tapes on the way to Big Sur", he said.

Josh bought two hot dogs from a vendor and handed one to her. "It's a hot dog, sort of like a sausage roll", he said.

Nika looked dubiously at the hot dog slathered in mustard. She wrapped her hands in paper napkin and took a tiny bite, a bit too salty for her tastes and wincing when the mustard smeared her hand. The accompanying Coke was too sweet but she drank it to balance the saltiness, not really liking either. "I don't like getting my hands dirty", she explained.

"Oh, is it a sensory thing? And you're not used to junk food either? I guess British people are like that", he said.

Nika tried not to frown when Josh took a big bite out of his hot dog. "Dodger Dogs are the best hot dogs in the world. In two years I'll be able to buy beer at the stadium as well", he chuckled.

Josh explained the game and pointed out the different players on both teams. "A few years ago, I would've pointed out Mike Piazza but he got traded to the Marlins and then the Mets. He was the best catcher but he got traded. We still have Karros and Mondesi, maybe one of the rookies will surprise us", he said.

Nika was concerned when Josh became visibly tense towards the end of the game, his knuckles white and his jaw tight with tension. "It's the top of the ninth inning, the Dodgers are ahead and they win if we get the last three outs", he explained.

Nika couldn't help but feel the excitement of the crowd as they cheered every strike and groaned at every ball. She let out the breath she'd been holding when the last Mariners batter struck out, the crowd cheering wildly. "Let's go to the team store, I don't want to get stuck in the parking lot", he said.

The store sold everything in the team's trademark blue and white as Josh eagerly looked through the replica jerseys on a rack. "Do you want me to get you a hat? It'll keep the sun off your face", he said.

"Okay, but it's boring that everything is in blue", she commented.

"Hah, the Dodgers have always worn blue and white, ever since they played in Brooklyn. Maybe one day I can visit the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown", he mused aloud.

Josh had her try on several caps before he found one that fit right. "This is the first your future hat collection", he teased as he paid for the hat.