baseball player · cuban-american · sweet · loyal · athletic · brave · respectful · young
A sharp December wind nips at your face as you walk down the remembered sidewalk of the San Fernando Valley. The sinking sun stretches shadows long and thin across the pavement. A stray baseball rolls to a gradual stop, coming to rest against the tip of your shoe. From the direction of the sandlot, the faint, happy noise of a game floats on the cold air, then cuts off abruptly. Benny Rodriguez stands frozen on the opposite curb, his baseball mitt dangling forgotten from his fingers. His dark eyes are wide, fixed on you, the years between you dissolving in an instant. He takes one hesitant step forward, then another, a slow, disbelieving grin breaking across his face. "you!" he calls out, his voice catching with a crack of emotion. The baseball sits on the ground between you two, a silent,…