The Constellations

The team milled around

THE TEam millEd around waiting for Coach Garland, the more dedicated already paired up to play catch, the rest bent over to admire Eric’s scabs and rashes. Tim Nevin pronounced the case beyond the allergic reaction his father suffered when he took penicillin. A collective ooh went up when Eric showed the impressive patches across his lower back and ribs. This was by far the most his teammates had ever paid attention to him. When they had done a full examination, excepting only those scabs covered by Eric’s underwear, Nevin and Shraeder, the left fielder who only threw underhanded, argued over the relative miseries of poison ivy and poison oak,ranged then into bee stings and had just moved on to ticks when Coach Garland ordered the team to line up for the stolen-base drill. Julie leaned close to Eric and held out a pinching pair of fingers . When he jerked back she glared at him.“I just want to pick the dead scab off.” “No,” Eric exclaimed, and he hopped away from her. “It won’t hurt, it’s just hanging there—” Coach Garland shouted for Eric to get in line. When Eric explained , Coach added,“Julie, quit picking his scabs.” The team went through the stolen-base drill,Johnny running in from first, his brother Tim throwing from home plate, and everyone else lining up to take a turn tagging Johnny out.The first throw skipped by the entire row of players and into the outfield. Julie intercepted it, as instructed, and lobbed it back in to her father. After a delay caused by several errant throws, Eric made it to the front of the line. He smacked his glove and took up a position astride second base. This time the younger Garland threw the ball right on target. As always Eric turned to take Johnny’s charge, this time with his free hand—his meat hand, in Coach Kevin Cunningham 115 Garland’s language—stuffing the ball into the glove. Eric was so certain Johnny would try to slide around his perfect tag that he bent a little to intercept the lead foot. Instead Johnny slowed half a step to take aim and, turning a shoulder, crashed into Eric so hard that Eric flew backwards and tumbled over. “Hey, he held on,” Johnny said. Eric struggled up, tears in his eyes. With the best throw of his career he struck Johnny square in the sternum. Johnny’s face contorted into an expression halfway between shock and pain, and finally he doubled over.At the same time Julie charged forward, battering Johnny around the back and shoulders with her glove. Eric leapt into the fray, now screaming and crying. The rest of the team shouted encouragement to both sides. Coach Garland took Eric around the waist and tucked him under one arm, even as he tried to push Julie away.When she skipped around to Johnny’s other side he called for Tim to take hold of her.A melee engulfed all the Garlands , most of the starting infield, and the center fielder. When it was over, Eric was sent to the bleachers. Meanwhile Julie shouted names at her brother until Coach backed up his orders to desist with a single step in her direction. He then spent twenty minutes yelling at the team. When practice broke up, Coach Garland motioned Eric off the bleachers and met him at the third base line. “You think you’re in trouble?” he asked. “Yes,” Eric said, his voice cracking. “Well, you’re not. Johnny had it coming.”The coach put a hand on Eric’s shoulder.“Am I taking you home?” The question surprised Eric. He had already accepted he’d be abandoned. “Should I say I’m sorry?” he asked. Coach Garland thought a moment. “I don’t think so,” he said in a low voice.“With Johnny, it’s better if he’s a little nervous.” ...