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

The Bureau of Dreams to be Continued

Page 522

hands, calloused and strong, turned the pages of the Bayonne Times with care.

“Big day today, Billy,” Dad said, folding the paper. “We’ve got some serious baseball practice to do today.”

Billy’s eyes lit up. Baseball practice had become their shared obsession; and next year Billy would be old enough to try out for the Little League, and he wanted to be at his best. It was more than just a baseball practice; it was a bridge between father and son, between past and present. Dad had been quite a player in his time with a Most Valuable Player trophy to show for it.

After breakfast, Dad and Billy walked the few blocks to City Park and their ball fields, his bat and glove cradled in Billy’s arms like a sacred relic. The park was alive with families; fathers tossing baseballs, mothers chatting on benches, children chasing dogs. Billy hit for an hour as his Dad pitched hard stuff inside, and then there was that grueling half hour of fielding. Billy then took his turn on the mound for fifteen minutes, while Dad caught.

Tina, meanwhile, prepared for her own outing. She and Billy had a tradition. Every Saturday, they visited the Woolworth’s five and ten on Broadway. She’d let him pick out a little golden book;