Heart of Gold (Anthony Rizzo)

Two

Anthony

I pull on my batting gloves and grab a bat to warm up with. I was at the friendly confines extra extra early for batting practice today to get some swings in. It was only my second game in the big leagues with the Cubs and I wanted to make a good impression.

I head out to the cage and a few guys gather around. I unload balls into the bleachers and the guys try to pump my head up. I was 22 and already played some games in the majors but this is still technically my rookie season. I was defiantly feeling a lot more confident this time around though. The guys in the minors were great mentors and they were patient with me. They let me know that I didn't have to carry the weight of the team on my shoulders so that helped for when I got called up yesterday.

It also helped having three hits including the game winning hit in my first game ever with this team. I really wanted to stay here so I was hoping to make a good first impression. I think I was doing a pretty good job with it.

I take a few more hacks and send a ball onto the street behind the baseball field.

"Wow" Soriano says and I smile.

"Thanks" I reply and he laughs.

"You don't have to say thanks after every compliment you get. You're going to lose your breath with this team if you do that" he teases and I laugh. What better veteran could I have than him?

I step out of the box and watch Starlin take some swings. I talk with Soriano about anything and everything until I hear someone calling my name. I see the little kid, Nicky I think, from yesterday running down the steps waving at me. I wave back and he waits for me by the dugout. I make my way over there and he jumps up and down just so happy to see me, it made me feel great. He couldn't have been older than five or six years old at this point.

"Hi Anthony! Do you remember me" he asks.

"Yeah, Nicky right" I question and he smiles big.

"That's me" he nods.

"So big guy, how do you think I did yesterday" I ask trying to make a conversation. I lean against the dugout as he stares back at me with those blue eyes. Man those things are so pretty.

"You did amazing. You're batting like .667" he claims and I laugh.

"Well don't get used to it" I chuckle. This is a long season and unforgivably I don't get judged for 4 at bats.

We talk for a little and I kept looking around for his sister but I never do find her. Eventually he noticed my confusion and calls me out.

"Are you looking for my sister" he asks and I chuckle.

"That obvious huh" I blush.

"Not really, but you need to work on your game some" he claims and I smirk. I really like this kid.

"What do you suggest I do" I wonder.

"First off, "you have pretty eyes" is so predictable. She knows her eyes are pretty, guys tell her all the time" he claims.

"How do those guys fare with her" I wonder.

"Not very well. They usually choke before the first date. No guy ever gets to her... because they can't get through me" he says poking his chest and I laugh. This kid is a riot.

"Okay, so what's my next move" I wonder.

"Talk about her favorite thing" he claims.

"And what's that?"

"Me!"

"Of course, what was I thinking?"

"You weren't" he claims and I laugh so hard. This is the funniest dude I have ever met and I don't even know if he knows it.

"Okay, what about you do I need to know" I ask and he taps his chin.

"My sister is kind of my mom. My mom died when she was giving birth to me and my dad just recently passed away from heart disease. My sister had one semester of school left before she got her degree but she put it off to take care of me. I keep telling her I can take care of myself, but apparently a six year old isn't capable of raising himself, but I think she just wants to be around me all the time. Anyway, we were born in raised in Chicago, in fact we still live here. My mom had Cubs season tickets here for ten years, she got then when I was born so there's still four years left on those. Right now it's just me and my sister running around the city but I start kindergarten next year so she's going to be clueless without me. That's where you come in" he says.

"Me" I ask.

"Yes you. You can make her happy" he claims.

"She's not happy right now" I question.

"She says she is, but I know she's not. There's something she's not telling me but I'm not sure I want to know. She cries every night and she says it's because she misses mom and dad but she's 22, she is more than capable of going on without them. But I don't ask because I don't want to make her upset" he shrugs.

"So what I'm supposed to do" I ask.

"Marry her" he scoffs and my eyes go big.

"Well don't you think we should hang out some first" I try.

"Why do you need to do that" he asks and I smile. He speaks well for a six year old... but he's still only six.

"I would like to be with your sister, but I would like to get to know her better first" I admit.

"Good, because she's coming down right now" he says and I freeze. She comes down and hands Nicholas a drink and a hot dog. She had a bag on her arm from the merchandise store and still looked as beautiful as ever. Her long brown hair in a pony tail casacading down her back like a waterfall. Those glass eyeballs surrounded by forever long eye lashes. Those big pink lips framing her perfect smile. She was so incredible and I was so screwed.

"Hi Anthony, how are you" she asks and I smile.

"I'm good now" I say and she starts to blush. She readjusts now that she had gotten rid of some of the things she had before turning to Nicky.

"I trust that you've been behaving yourself" she says poking his side and he giggles.

"I'm always a good boy" he claims.

"And modest" she mumbles causing me to laugh.

"What did you get" I ask pointing to the bag.

"Two Anthony Rizzo jerseys upon request" she announces.

"Yes" Nicholas yells and I nod my head. I knew I liked that kid.

"Two" I ask and she blushes again.

"I can spoil myself some, can't I" she asks.

"Of course, a lovely lady such as yourself should be able to spoil herself" I say and she giggles.

"Smooth" Nicky whispers and I smile. I kinda want this kid.

We talk around for a little before it was time to go. Before I have time to react Isabella turns around and heads to her seat. I was going to stop her to ask her for her number but I choke and she struts away. I watch her climb the stairs and as much as it sucked, I loved watching her go.

"Tough break" Nicky says and I turn to him.

"You know, I really like you" I admit.

"Thanks, I get that a lot" he shrugs and I laugh.

He takes off and I let out a long sigh. This is not going to be easy.