Ana was done with her homework for the weekend, so she decided to spend the rest of her Sunday afternoon reading at the park. Usually the park was quiet, but when she arrived today she heard commotion. As she approached, she saw three people in a big clearing . . . playing softball!
Ana watched as two girls her age, plus an older man, ran some kind of drill. The man would throw the softball so that it stayed low and bounced or rolled on the ground.
One girl, short with dark brown hair, would crouch, dive, or bend over to catch it, and then quickly swivel to throw it overhand to the second girl who was waiting far behind her. That girl, who was much taller, threw it to the man, and then it started again.
Ana settled on a bench that kept her near the action without being too close. She watched as the girl caught every single one of the man’s throws, no matter how much he tried to trick her by throwing it in a different direction or lower to the ground. She zipped around so fast and with such precision that Ana was astonished.
The other girl was good too. She didn’t seem as comfortable as the brown-haired girl, but she caught most of the balls and had a good throw.
Ana looked closely. The dark-haired girl and the man looked familiar.
They’re the ones I keep seeing at practices! she realized.
They were always sitting in the front row of the bleachers when Ana would walk past them to meet Caitlin and Niran in the dugout. No wonder the girl was so good. She must have been really into softball.
Soon the man yelled, “Great, girls! Now switch places.” The two girls ran past each other, giving each other a high five as they went.
They went two rounds before the girl in back threw the ball way over the man’s head. It landed just to the left of Ana’s bench.
All three turned to look at her. She stared back for a moment, confused. The ball! she thought to herself. She scrambled to get up, but by then the tall girl was already at the bench with her, retrieving the softball.
“Got it!” she shouted. She raised her arm to throw it back, but the man stopped her.
“Let’s take a quick break and get some water,” he suggested.
The girls grabbed water bottles and chugged large gulps. The man gestured to Ana. “Come on over,” he called to her. She hesitated for a moment, then got up and walked over.
“I’m Kiet Kunchai,” he said. “This is my daughter Mali and her friend Laura.” Laura smiled.
Before Ana could introduce herself, Mali jumped in. “Daaaaad,” she whined. “We’ve seen her at SU practices. She’s always in the dugout.”
Mr. Kunchai peered more closely at Ana. “That’s right! We have. And your name is?”
“Ana,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”
“So you must play softball,” he said.
“Umm . . . ,” Ana started to say.
“You should play with us!” he said. “Do you live nearby? Run get your glove, then join us.”
“Really?” Ana said hesitantly.
The man grinned. “Sure! We’ll be here. Go on and get your stuff so you can join in.”
“It’ll be fun!” said Laura.
“Um . . . OK,” Ana said. “I’ll be right back.”
* * *
Walking back to the park, Ana suddenly felt awkward. Watching softball was one thing. Playing was another. But this is my chance to try, she thought.
“Hey, Ana,” Laura called as Ana approached. “We decided just to play catch for a while.” She tossed the ball underhand to Ana.
Ana couldn’t get her glove on in time. She tried to catch the ball with her bare hand but missed it.
“Sorry!” Laura giggled. “I didn’t realize you didn’t have your glove on yet.”
“It’s OK,” Ana said. She picked up the ball and tossed it back, then put her glove on her left hand. She hadn’t worn it much, so it was very stiff.
Ana stepped into the circle. Laura threw the ball to Mali, who threw it to her dad. Mr. Kunchai lobbed it at Ana. She held her glove out like a scoop. The ball bounced out.
She picked it up from the ground and threw it overhand to Laura. Leaping forward, Laura tried to catch it before it landed a few feet short.
“Sorry,” Ana said quietly.
“No problem!” Laura said. “It happens.”
Around in a circle they went, tossing the ball to the person next to them. Then Mr. Kunchai reversed the direction. Mali wound up and pitched the ball to Ana, hard. Instinctively, Ana jumped out of the way. The ball rolled past her.
“Nice,” Mali said sarcastically.
“Mali!” Mr. Kunchai said. “Better luck next time, Ana.”
Ana sighed. Mali didn’t seem to want her there, but at least Laura and Mr. Kunchai were nice to her.
Mr. Kunchai gave Ana tips on how to hold her glove when a ball was coming from high or low. A half hour later, Ana was catching most of the balls thrown her way.
After a bit longer, Mr. Kunchai looked at his watch. “That’s long enough. We gotta pack it in.”
“Aww,” Ana said. She hadn’t realized she was having so much fun.
Laura jogged over to her. “Good job, Ana. You go to City Junior High, right? You looked familiar.”
“Yeah!” Ana said.
“Are you going to try out for the softball team?” Laura asked.
“There’s a softball team?” Ana asked. Her old school had lost money for sports, so the last time she had played was first grade, which really didn’t count.
“Of course! Tryouts are tomorrow after school. See you there, I hope!” Laura ran off to join Mali and Mr. Kunchai. He waved at her kindly, while Mali waved with an expression that was neither a smile nor a frown.
Hmm, Ana thought to herself. Maybe I should go for it.