The Bureau of Dreams to be Continued by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

The Bureau of Dreams to be Continued

Page 276

In the first game, Mantle crushed a fastball into the right field bleachers. The boy leapt to his feet, spilling peanuts, shouting with joy. His father laughed, lifted him high, and spun him once, like they were celebrating a birthday.

Between games, they shared a hot dog and a soda, the boy’s legs swinging beneath the seat. He asked questions; about batting averages, about switch-hitting, about why Mantle wore number 7. The Mick originally wore number six, but that was given back to Bobby Brown when he returned from military service and Mickey took number seven. The father answered each one patiently, savoring the boy’s wonder.

In the second game, Mantle hit a triple, sliding into third with a cloud of dust and a grin, before singling in the seventh driving in Billy Martin. The boy scribbled it into the scorecard with his father’s help, tongue poking from the corner of his mouth in concentration.

As the sun dipped behind the stadium lights and the crowd began to thin, the boy leaned against his father, sleepy but glowing. The father wrapped his arm around him, knowing this day would live in both their memories, not just as a game, but as a moment suspended in time, a myth made real.