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The Bickfords could hit line drives. They could also hit home runs, sacrifice flies, and grounders up the third base line. It took Sandra a few innings to figure out that they were actually placing their hits on purpose. It took Faith Community the same amount of time to try a different pitcher, but that didn’t slow New Hope down an iota.
At the end of the third inning, the score was twelve to two. The two runs that New Hope had given up were home runs that went over the fence—hence, the Bickfords couldn’t field them. Sandra had a feeling that if Ton Truck had been pitching, they’d be on their way to a shutout. But, the situation was what it was, and she had no skin in the game. It was just fun watching the Bickfords play. It was like a real sport.
During the bottom of the fourth, a giant black Toyota Sequoia pulled into the parking lot. The tinted windows prevented Sandra from knowing exactly who was inside, but she would know that vehicle anywhere. The vanity plates read: CATVAC2. Though there was hardly enough room, the driver nosed the giant vehicle in directly behind the bleachers. Sandra wondered if a Bickford could aim a pop fly to smash that windshield. The new angle allowed her to see that Brendan was driving, and soon they all spilled out of the vehicle. The kids ran ahead of Daphne and scampered up into the bleachers. Daphne was moving more slowly, and her smudged eye makeup suggested she’d been crying. Sandra’s heart ached for her. She couldn’t imagine what she was going through. What do you tell your children when their grandfather has been arrested for killing a stranger? She vowed to reach out to Daphne, no matter what weird staring contest they’d had on Sunday.
Brendan strode up to Pastor Cliff and made no effort to avoid being overheard. “I thought you said these guys couldn’t play.”
Pastor Cliff gave him a grave look and then walked away.
“Hey!” Brendan cried, looking appalled. “I’m talking to you!”
Nate went over and put a hand on Brendan’s shoulder, which he promptly shook off. “Don’t touch me. You’re the one who invited this trash.”
Nate was still talking when Brendan walked away from him, as Pastor Cliff had just done to him, and chased after his pastor. “Put me in the game,” he demanded.
Pastor turned only his head to look at Brendan. His body stayed facing away. “I will, next inning.”
“No.” Brendan stepped closer. “Now.”
Shocking Sandra, Cliff laughed at him. For a second, Sandra was certain Brendan was going to hit the pastor, but then he seemed to get control of himself and came into the dugout. Sandra held her breath. She could feel the anger rolling off him in waves of heat, and she pulled the stroller closer to her. Now she was really glad the Bickfords had shown up, so that Peter wasn’t allowed to go out onto the field with this man. Also because if Brendan got violent and decided to go after somebody else with an old bat, she was certain the Bickfords could take him.
As promised, Pastor Cliff put Brendan into the game when New Hope took the field again, and it didn’t take long for Faith Community to figure out that the third base line was now the spot to shoot for. They fouled off a lot of pitches, leaving Pastor Cliff holding his lower back between offerings, but the ones that stayed fair promised them base runners. Though the short fielder played directly behind Brendan, it was still too much of a throw to first base.
And so, slowly but surely, Faith Community crept back into the game. At the bottom of the sixth, Ton Truck again pleaded for reason. “Come on, man. I can end this.”
Pastor Cliff pretended not to hear him. “This game is just for fun. It’s not about winning and losing.”
Of course it’s not about winning if you insist on throwing every pitch. Sandra was a little embarrassed at how annoyed she was with the whole thing, and hoped no one could tell. Peter had taken Joanna to the playground, and she was grateful—her kids always knew when she was annoyed.
“Is it always this dramatic?” Ethel asked.
“No. The drama has definitely picked up since the Bickfords came aboard.”
Lewis barked for the lineup, which was extra ridiculous this time since he wasn’t in it. Maybe he thought Pastor had put him in the game without telling him.
Nevertheless, Sandra dutifully called out the lineup, taking a silent thrill in the fact that the next four batters were Bickfords.