Published: 10 Feb 2022

From Previous Chapter:

Miriam gave Mark a kiss on his cheek, turned the computer off, then the lights and closed the bedroom door as she went down to her bedroom at the back of the house on the first floor.

Miriam and Levi talked some about their son’s desire to learn to pitch and Miriam told her husband that he better spend some time with Mark as he promised, or he’ll be sleeping up in one of the spare bedrooms.

The husband and wife shared a few kisses before climbing under the covers and going to sleep themselves.

Mark woke with a smile on his face. He had another great dream about him and his new foster ‘big brother’. He saw his ‘big brother’ helping him learn to pitch, and he was enjoying the closeness he was having with his new ‘big brother’.

After taking care of his morning business, Mark went down to the kitchen for breakfast. He asked were his dad was, but then remembered he was working that Saturday because, as the boss, he needed to make sure his employees were taken care of and had the time off to be with their families.

Mark didn’t understand that. His dad had a family, too, and he should be home, he figured. Mark was upset that he and his dad couldn’t use the time to teach him how to pitch. He hoped that during the picnic tomorrow they would make the time to do that.

“Mom, when will they call?” asked Mark.

“Oh, honey … they will call us when they have someone they need to place. Remember … we gave them some specifics on who we wanted. So, until they have a twelve or thirteen-year-old, they won’t call us. I hope you won’t get your hopes up too high, son. And I promise, I’ll call you when they call us. OK?” Miriam said, as she tried to comfort her son.

“I understand mom. I … I just wish they’d hurry up and find someone they needed to place,” replied a smiling Mark.

After eating his breakfast, the young boy hugged his mom for making it for him. He told her he was heading off to the playground to wait for his friends to show so they could play some baseball.

Miriam asked her son whatever happened to his skateboard, and why he hasn’t been riding that. Mark told his mom that right now they were focused on baseball, and since it would be over in two weeks that he’d probably start riding his skateboard some more, then.

Miriam smiled at her son as he went out to the garage to get his bike. The boy grabbed his ball and glove and then mounted his bike and then pedaled over to the playground. When he arrived, he put his bike on the ground and then began throwing his ball into the air and catching it.

Mark’s friends slowly began to arrive at the park. Being a Saturday, all the boys arrived to play some baseball. Corey, Spencer, Tanner, Taylor, Reese, Briggs, Dana, Darren, Drew, Patrick, Glenn, Jerry, and Carter were all at the ball field by 10 a.m.

“Where’s Kieran?” Mark asked Reese, Kieran’s older brother.

“Oh, our dad … when he learned last night that Kierry wanted to be a catcher and start practicing with you so you were both ready for next season, he decided to take him out for an early birthday present. So, I figure they are getting him his catcher’s mitt. They’re going to stop here when they are finished,” answered Reese.

Mark smiled at hearing that. He then asked his friends that with fourteen of them there how they wanted to play. He suggested making right field out of bounds and the batting team retrieves the ball when the batter doesn’t hit it.

One of the boys suggested that Mark do all the pitching, since he wanted to be a pitcher. Briggs, who is sixteen, and Reese and Kieran’s older brother, said that Mark hasn’t learned to pitch yet and he could ruin his arm if he only pitched for everyone.

The boys decided to split into two teams and made right field out-of-bounds. They agreed that the team batting would get the ball from the backstop when the batter didn’t swing at it, or fouled it off.

The boys played for about an hour before Kieran and his dad, Randy Oxtter, arrived from their shopping trip. Kieran ran to the boys to show him everything his parents got him for his birthday, a month early.

“Look, they not only got me a catcher’s mitt, but they also got me a face mask, too. They also got me a … a cup,” said an embarrassed Kieran.

“Son, you need to wear one especially if you are catching. If that baseball hits you where you don’t want to be hit, you’ll remember that for the rest of your life. All of the boys playing little league have to wear them, and when you play next year, you’d have to wear one, as well, so getting used to it a year early won’t hurt.

“So, Mark … I hear you want to be a pitcher. Did you look up what exercises you needed to do to in order to firm up your arms, shoulders, and legs?” asked Mr. Oxtter.

“No. I did look up how to throw certain pitches, though” replied Mark, with a smile. “I had hoped my dad … I had hoped he would help me with them, today. But … but he had to work for some stupid reason.”

“Your dad has an important job, Mark. And I’ll bet … that with the Holiday, the big bosses wanted him to work, so that one or two of his employees could have the three-day weekend with their families,” counseled Randy Oxtter.

“Well, he has a family, too, doesn’t he? And why shouldn’t he be home with me, instead of at work. It’s not fair,” countered Mark.

“Maybe when you’re a little older, Mark, you’ll understand. Now … I played some baseball in high school and college, so … what say you let me get you and Kieran started? Will that be OK with you two?” asked Mr. Oxtter of Mark and his son.

Mark and Kieran both smiled at hearing that, and they agreed to let Mr. Oxtter start them off the right way. The man had them just play catch for a bit to get Mark’s arm warmed up and Kieran used to the new catcher’s mitt. It was good they had done that as Kieran had a difficult time getting used to the new stiff catcher’s mitt.

Once Kieran was somewhat used to his new catcher’s mitt, Mr. Oxtter had the boys get into their usual positions on the ball field. The man had Mark throw the ball to his son to get used to the distance he had to throw. The man didn’t want the boy to over extend his arm just as he started to learn to pitch.

After a few minutes, Randy Oxtter had Kieran get down on his haunches and then had Mark start to throw the ball to him. He told Mark not to throw too hard. The man wanted the youngster to get used to the distance and the lower target Kieran’s catcher’s mitt gave him.

The other boys watched on as the battery got used to one another and the distance they had to throw to one another. After about a half hour of that, Mr. Oxtter had the boys stop for the day. He told them not to overdo it the first few days.

The man told them they needed to get those muscles used to the new actions. He also told them they needed to check the internet for those types of exercises then needed to do to get those muscles in shape for their new player positions. The man then left the boys to play some more baseball.

The fifteen boys played for another hour, before deciding they all wanted to swim. Today the boys would go over to Jerry’s pool. The kidney shaped pool wasn’t very large for all fifteen boys, to be in at the same time.

But the boys all wanted to get cooled off so, large or not, that’s where the boys headed after a quick lunch at home. There was a six-foot half-circle spa attached to Jerry’s pool that the water flowed over the edge and into the pool. The older boys would probably claim that area for their own to talk.

“Mom, I’m home,” yelled Mark, as he walked into the house from the garage. “What’s for lunch?”

“Just a sandwich, chips and some iced tea. We’ll be eating hamburgers and hot dogs tomorrow at the picnic, so I made you something simple for today. Where are you swimming today?” asked the boy’s mother.

“We’re going to Jerry’s, mom. His pool isn’t all that big, but we’ll all get wet, play some games and work on our tans,” answered Mark.

When he was finished with his sandwich, chips and drink, the youngster hugged his mom and then headed up to his room to change into his swimsuit. The youngster then headed to the garage to get his bike, so he could head over to Jerry’s. When Mark arrived, not all the boys were there yet, so he and the ones that were there went directly into the water.

The boys enjoyed the cooling effects of the water. Unfortunately, with it being the beginning of July the pool water temperature has risen to a warm 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The boys didn’t care. They were there to get wet and cooled off, and even if the water was warmer than they wanted, they still got wet and had fun.

All fifteen boys were at Jerry’s pool that afternoon. It was a bit crowded, but the older teens took over the spa and stayed out of the younger boys’ way most of the afternoon. There was the occasional older teen throwing the smaller boys around in the pool, but for the most part the young boys were happy with the arrangement.

“Have your parents heard anything about your new big brother?” asked sixteen-year-old Briggs, Kieran and Reese’s much older brother.

“No, at least not that I know of. My mom …she told me she would call me when they caller her. But we were all at the park today and my phone never rang,” answered Mark. “Why do you ask?”

“It would nice having another boy around to play our games with. Especially, if he comes before baseball season is over,” replied the teenager.

“But what if he’s only twelve like my parents want?” asked Mark in return.

“It will still be good to have another boy to fill in,” replied Briggs.

The other boys asked Mark the same question. And all Mark could do was tell them that he’ll know as soon as they called his mom and dad. Mark added that he couldn’t wait until he had someone older, so he could throw the ball around with them in the backyard, and do some night swims with, as long as his parents let them. The boys all laughed.

At 5 p.m. the boys all had to go home. That was the agreed upon time they would leave the friends’ pool to give the host time to prepare dinner for their family. Mark talked to Kieran about practicing tomorrow and the young catcher said he’d bring his mitt and mask to the picnic. Mark reminded him to wear his cup. Both boys had a good laugh.

Mark couldn’t wait until his dad came home. He wanted to make sure his dad knew he wanted him to help him practice pitching.

When Levi arrived home, Mark immediately hugged him and then asked him to try to help him learn to pitch. The boy’s dad said he would and then presented his son with a small package. Mark was surprised at the gift. It wasn’t his birthday, and he hadn’t done anything special that he could remember doing that would warrant a gift.

Mark quickly opened the small package. When he looked inside, he got a big smile on his face. He then jumped on his dad and thanked him for the new regulation baseball.

At dinner that Saturday night, Miriam told Mark that she did receive a phone call from Children’s Protective Services earlier today. Mark was surprised at hearing that and asked why she didn’t’ call him. The boy’s mother told her son that CPS called right after he went to Jerry’s to swim, and his dad and she decided against taking the teenager.

“But why mom, dad?” quickly asked Mark.

“Son,” began the boy’s father, “CPS … they had a thirteen-year-old … but it was a girl, Caroline was her name, that they were looking to place her. We knew you wanted a ‘big brother’, so we said thanks, but no thanks.”

“Mark … this girl … they told us she was ahhh … that she tested the boundaries where she’d been and did what she wanted, when she wanted. They told us she didn’t like rules and that she’d been in almost a half-dozen foster homes, already,” added Miriam.

“Son … we didn’t want this girl … who would probably be a disruption in the house. Plus, we knew you wanted a ‘big brother’, not an older sister who would probably be a distraction to your mom and I. And … and on top of that … we didn’t need a troubled child, such as her, in the house. I hope you understand, son,” explained Levi, the boy’s dad.

“Thanks dad, mom for talking to me about it. Yeah, I’d rather have an older ‘brother’, but if I got an older ‘sister’, I’d … I’d be OK with that …I guess. But, yea, I do want an older ‘brother’. Someone who’ll play at least baseball and soccer with me,” honestly replied Mark.

“Honey … maybe after he gets settled, you and he … you two could go over to the skate park. That way you can get the cob webs off your skateboard and work on your moves, as you call them,” offered Miriam.

“I just hope he has a skateboard,” added Mark.

After dinner, while the family watched TV, Mark told his dad how Mr. Oxtter showed him some things about pitching. Mark then said he needed to research what exercises he needed to do to build his arm, shoulder and legs. With that said, Mark headed up to his room to search the World Wide Web.

Mark found a number of web pages that described what exercises he should do. He particularly like the one that told him “…provides youth pitchers with effective guidelines for strength training, pitching mechanics, and how to pitch faster in baseball.”

That particular web page said there were nineteen best exercises for baseball pitchers, so Mark bookmarked the page, so he could look at it later. There were two other web pages that had ten excesses for pitchers to do, so he bookmarked them as well. He didn’t want to miss something he could do to make sure he could become a very good pitcher.

Later that night, once again, the boy’s mom found her son fast asleep on his bed with that particular web page open. She did what she’d done the previous night. She took off his shoes and then put the blanket over him. She kissed his forehead, turn off the light as she left the room and then closed the door. Mark slept sound that night.

Sunday morning, Mark woke up still dressed in his clothes as he had the previous day. He wondered how that happened, but figured his parents found him asleep on his bed and they just made him comfortable. He knew he needed to thank them when he went down for breakfast.

“Mom, dad … thank you for putting the blanket on me last night, and I guess the night before, too. I must have fallen asleep looking at how to pitch and at those exercises for pitchers, web pages. The exercises don’t look too difficult, but I’ll need to make the effort to do them,” announced Mark, when he went into the kitchen for breakfast.

Miriam told him she was the one who took his shoes off and put the covers on him before turning off the light and closing the door. Mark thanked her by going over to her and giving her a big hug. Levi looked on and knew he needed to do more with his son. He’d been so focused on his job that his family was beginning to take second-seat to his drive to succeed.

As the Golderson’s ate breakfast, they talked about how the day would proceed. Levi told them the families had the permit to close off the street at twelve noon and they had to open it by nine p.m. He added that they would probably open it well before then, as many of the families were going to caravan over to the lake to see the fireworks display that was put on there.

Mark caught up with his friends at the park. They were all going to be at the picnic, so they knew they didn’t have lots of time to play ball. Kieran came with his new catcher’s mitt and mask and wore his cup. Of course, he came prepared to practice his catching while Mark practiced his pitching.

The other boys told them they could do that at the picnic, and that way their dads could be there to help them out. The two boys decided that they wanted to play some ball, and so that what’s the boys did until a little after twelve, noon.

The boys hurried home to change into their swimsuits as there would be four pools available for them to cool off in. Of course, since Mark’s pool was the biggest, most of the boys would wind up there.

When Mark arrived home, he went directly looking for his dad. He told him that he and Kieran wanted to practice pitching and this way he and Mr. Oxtter could help them. Levi smiled at hearing that and told his son they would do that when everyone was there.

The families closed off the street and began setting up their picnic. The boys got out the picnic tables while the dads brought out their grills. The moms had already made the potato salad, Cole slaw, baked beans and deviled eggs and when everything was ready, they brought them out. The items that needed to stay cool were placed in iced containers to keep them from spoiling.

It was close to 1:30 when all the families were finally together and they decided it was time to cook. The dads got their grills hot and the hamburgers and hot dogs were quickly cooked. Other meats such as spareribs, brisket and barbequed chicken breasts were already hot and waiting for the feast to begin.

It didn’t take long for the brisket and spareribs to be eaten first. The adults waited all week for those two items to be ready to eat, and when it came time to eat, they got in line for them before the kids could.

The boys and girls did get to taste those wonderful meats, but the hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken were their main foods for the day. Of course, everyone did eat the potato salad, Cole slaw, baked bean and deviled eggs along with chips and pickles and they drank iced tea or sodas, to wash it all down.

After eating, the boys and girls all headed to the pools. Mark’s was the first one they headed for because of its size. The children played all of their water games and it was well past four o’clock when Kieran and Mark decided they wanted to practice pitching and catching. The two boys went and changed into play clothes and then went looking for their dads.

“Dad, it’s time to help Kieran and me practice our pitching and catching,” said Mark to his dad, who was sitting back and enjoying an adult beverage with the other parents.

Reluctantly, Levi and Randy excused themselves from the group and went with their boys over to the park where there was the pitcher’s mound and home plate. Randy Oxtter had the boys play catch to warm up their arms before settling down to throwing pitches.

At first the men had Mark just throw for accuracy. They wanted him to get the ball over the plate and not try any fancy pitches. As for Kieran, they had him stand up and throw the ball back to Mark quickly, and also the same way every time.

Mark wanted to see how fast he could throw the ball, so his dad told him to add some speed to it, but not to over extend his arm as he wasn’t used to throwing hard yet. Marks first few pitches were disasters. The ball wasn’t even close to the center of the plate and Kieran had to reach his mitt out to catch it, or it got past him and he had to go to the backstop to retrieve the ball.

Both men told Mark he needed to work on his delivery and accuracy before he tried any fancy fast balls, or anything else. They used his inability to control his pitch, when he tried to throw faster, as their reason for that advice. Mr. Oxtter told Mark he needed to start doing those pitcher’s exercises and just throw to the plate and get the ball in the strike zone.

The two men and their sons were at the playground for almost an hour when Randy Oxtter said that was enough practice. He told the boys that they needed to build up their endurance before trying to go for long periods. Mr. Golderson told the boys they had until next spring to get themselves ready. He told them not to try to do everything in the first week of practice.

By the time the four returned from the park, it was going on 5:30. It was then time to have dinner, so the men got their grills warmed up and they cooked more hamburgers and hot dogs. The families then all sat down to dinner. It was while they ate that they talked about what time to leave to drive over to the lake to watch the fireworks display.

Troy Arkere, Drew and Darren’s dad, was the one who told everyone about the fireworks that had been held at the lake the past three years. He said he happened to be in that area a couple of years ago and saw how good they were, so last year he and his family went over the to watch them.

Troy told the gathered families he had no idea who sponsored them, but if they are as good as last year’s they were all in for a great pyrotechnics display. He added they needed to be on the road by 8 p.m. at the latest, as parking around the lake might be difficult. He suggested they all leave by 7:45.

Lucy Arkere, Darren and Drew’s mom, said it was almost an hour’s drive to the lake from there, and that last year it was difficult to find a parking spot around the lake perimeter. The woman added they then had to walk down to the lake’s edge, or find a good and high vantage point to enjoy the fireworks.

The kids all went over to Drew and Darren to ask them about the fireworks and were they as good as their parents said they were. They also wanted to know why the two boys never said anything to them about seeing them last year.

Drew said that last year just about everyone went someplace different to watch the fireworks and he never thought to tell anyone about what they’d seen. Darren spoke up and said that to him fireworks were fireworks and that each sponsor has their own idea of what will look good.

The boys and girls all hoped they could be together to share the experience. Drew said that their parents were leading the caravan, but that he was going to give all the drivers a map as to where to go, in case they got lost, so they could hopefully be together.

It was as the kids talked that Mark told his friends about almost getting an older sister yesterday. That stopped everyone in mid-thought. The boys and girls had Mark tell them all about it.

But all Mark could tell them was that his parents received a phone call from Children’s Proactive Services about a thirteen-year-old girl who needed a new foster home. Mark told everyone that his parents told him that the girl had been in a half-dozen foster homes already.

Mark also told them that the girl tested the boundaries and did what she wanted, when she wanted. He added that they didn’t want a girl, and that one would probably be a disruption in their house.

Mark added, that since his parents knew he wanted a ‘big brother’, they felt she would be probably be a distraction for them. Mark said that on top of all that the girl was probably troubled and his mom and dad said they didn’t need that sort of drama in the house.

The moms came looking for their kids to tell them that dessert was being served. When the children asked what they were having, the moms told them there was homemade vanilla ice cream, strawberry shortcake, fresh fruit compote, star spangled cupcakes and much, much more.

The kid’s mouths began watering from hearing what there was to eat. The boys and girls followed their moms over to the dessert table, took a plate and found the dessert they wanted to try. With something like twenty families participating in the 4th of July Picnic, there were loads of desserts there for the kids to taste.

When dessert was over, everyone helped put everything away. The boys and girls knew that they would soon head over to watch the fireworks, so they eagerly pitched in to get it all put away. They knew the sooner they finished the sooner they would head out for the lake.

At 7:30, one of the dads yelled for everyone to use the bathrooms and be back there in five minutes, or they’ll be left behind. The kids quickly ran to their homes to get rid of excess fluid and be back in time, so they don’t miss the big show.

Troy Arkere had passed out the maps to where around the lake they could watch the fireworks. The dads were going to do most of the driving and with a, “Let’s get a move on,” call, everyone loaded into their family’s vehicle and Troy led them out of the sub-division.

It took the caravan about an hour to drive over to the lake where Troy felt they could get a good view of the pyrotechnic display. Most of the families parked within walking distance of one another. That way they all could enjoy the show together and talk about it later.

They had to walk down to the lakes edge, where they found lots of other viewers. Some of the early show people had folding chairs with them. The kids now wished they had thought about that before leaving their homes. For now, they had to stand and watch, or stoop down on their haunches, or sit on the ground and wait for the fireworks display to begin.

At approximately 9:10, the first large aerial shell was sent into the sky. When it burst, it almost lit up the whole sky and that impressed everyone. They figured with that kind of beginning the rest of the display would be awesome.

Mark and his friends watched with amazement as they saw firework after firework be flung into the air and be huge compared to what they’ve seen in previous years, elsewhere. Everyone was extremely happy they decided to take the hour’s drive over to the lake to watch the pyrotechnic display.

The crowd saw many different types of effects that night. The Chrysanthemum, which is a spherical break of colored stars, but with the stars that leaving a visible trail of sparks, was often used. The Dahlia with fewer and larger stars traveled longer than the usual distance from the shell break before burning out. It is called a Dahlia because when the shell bursts it looks like one.

There were other fireworks shot into the sky that night. Lots of fireworks had what are called Fish in them. Those were the ones where the inserts that propel themselves rapidly away from the shell burst, often resembling fish swimming. Sometimes there is a whistling or crackling associated with the display.

There was also the Horsetail firework that featured heavy long-burning tailed stars. Also, multi-break shells that contained several smaller shells of various sizes and types. With that firework, the initial burst scatters the shells across the sky before they explode in various colors. The Ring was also often seen in the sky. That firework had shells with stars specially arranged so as to create a ring, or smiley faces, hearts, and sometimes clovers, or other designs.

There also were Spiders that contained a fast burning tailed or charcoal star that is burst very hard so that the stars travel in a straight and flat trajectory before slightly falling and burning out.

The Time Rain’s shell had large, slow-burning stars within it that leave a trail of large glittering sparks behind and make a sizzling noise. Another firework, called the Willow, is similar to a chrysanthemum, but with long-burning silver or gold stars that produce a soft, dome-shaped weeping willow-like effect. Those two were often seen in the sky and usually with different colors.

Many of the fireworks also included loud bangs, crackling, as well as whistles along with whizzes and hums. The kids stopped counting the number of shells shot into the air. Sometimes there was just one and at other times there may have been three or four shells shot simultaneously into the air.

All along the lakes edge the boys and girls often heard oohs and ahhs from the people who appreciated the display that evening.

After about an hour, there was a short lull. Then, from the barge, the grand finale began. It started with some low-level sparkling flares along the length of the barge, from where all the fireworks were being shot from, that was quickly followed by more and more of what had been shot up into the sky during the preceding fifty minutes, but this time in quick succession

Suddenly, a very large American Flag lit up on the barge coupled with more red, white and blue firework type sparklers. The barge then sent out hundreds of small, medium and large fireworks, reports, flash bangs, crackles, whistles, and whizzers. The sky was lit up for almost eight minutes as the grand finale played out.

The last firework sent into the air was a large flash bang signaling the end of the display. With that last report the crowd around the lake’s edge burst out in a loud applause. There were others out on their pleasure craft also blowing horns or applauding themselves. The festive atmosphere was mesmerizing to everyone who witnessed the pyrotechnic display that evening.

As the boys looked out over the lake, they saw what looked like a carnival going on. So, when they got to their family’s vehicles, they all asked their dads to drive over there to see what that was all about. But Mark’s dad said it was well past 10:30, and with an hour’s drive plus traffic to deal with, he wasn’t going to go looking for the carnival that he had no idea where it was.

Mark wasn’t the only child disappointed that night. None of the moms or dads would bend to their child’s begging to look for the carnival, so they could possibly ride what they could see from where they were on the lake’s edge.

It was well after 11:30, almost 11:45, when the Golderson’s arrived in their driveway. The other families weren’t too far behind. Since a few of the boys lived really close to one another they gathered on the sidewalk for a few minutes to discuss what they’d seen.

“Could you believe that fireworks show, tonight?” said Mark, to no one in particular.

Darren said they were way better than last’s year’s and those were awesome. Drew agreed with his brother and added that they were better than anything he’d ever seen. A few of the other boys agreed with what they’d seen and talked about certain fireworks they really enjoyed. But before long parents were calling out for their wayward child to get home.

As the boys began walking to their respective houses, they said they’d see each other at the park tomorrow at about ten and they’d play some ball. Hand waves were exchanged and before anyone knew it the street was devoid of any of the boys.

“Mom, dad, thanks for taking us over to see those awesome fireworks, tonight. I’ve never seen anything like those, ever. I wonder who sponsored them. They sure spent a lot of money on them, don’t you think?” finished Mark.

The boy’s dad ruffled his son’s hair and then pulled him into a hug. Mark smiled up at his dad and loved the close contact he was having with the man. Levi told Mark he was also impressed with the pyrotechnic display and they would put it on their calendar to go there next year.

Miriam joined in the hug and wrapped her arms around both of her ‘men’. She told them how she saw the display that evening and agreed they needed to make sure, if they were in town, they went over to the lake to watch what had to be the best display she’d ever seen.

Mark’s mom also added that she would make sure they had folding chairs in the car before they headed out. She said it was no fun standing there for over an hour watching the fireworks.

The parents sent Mark up to bed and told him not to turn the computer on. They told him they’d see him first thing in the morning. Mark hugged each of them before heading up the stairs to his room.

The Golderson’s, as well as the other families who were at the lake fireworks display, all slept well that night.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhound at CastleRoland dot Net

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