Curveball

"Is she crying again?" he asked as though it wouldn't have been the first time.

"No, she's fine," Lloyd said not feeling any warm tears or her body shaking.

"Right?" he said gently moving her back.

"Right," she said wiping away a single tear that was about to fall.

"Let me just go get our things and move them into the Toyota, okay?"

"I'll go with," Lloyd said. "Come on, slugger. Let's give your sister a hand."

Just before she got ready to leave, Lloyd said, "Let me send you a text message giving you permission to drive the car just in case you get pulled over, okay?"

"Oh, geez. I didn't even think about that," Shelby said. She gave him her number and seconds later her phone buzzed.

"Another 'thank you' sounds so inadequate," she told him from inside the car.

"Just remember to pay it forward someday, okay?" he said with a smile.

"Right! Because we all need a little help sometimes, huh?" she said smiling back.

"Yes, indeed."

He bent down then said, "I'll call your sister tomorrow, and we'll figure when to get together to learn how to throw that curve, okay?"

"Cool!" Teddy said.

Lloyd started to stand up when Teddy said, "This has been the best day EVER!"

Mullens winked at the boy, tapped on the car twice, then stood back as Shelby backed out.

"And an automatic transmission! No shifting in traffic. Hallelujah!" she said before hollering, "Woot, woot!"

Mullens laughed then waved goodbye to them both and said to himself, "It may not be the best day ever, but this has been the best one I've had in a very long time."

He didn't wait until morning to get started. He opened the hood and started looking around at the blue bomber as soon he changed clothes. After making mental notes about the major problems he saw, he drove it up on two yellow stands, blocked the rear wheels, then took a look underneath.

"You gotta be kidding me," he said. The oil pan was leaking, the transmission was leaking, the muffler really was shot, and the undercarriage was rusted out from stem to stern. He could look up into the cab of the car through one of the holes and two others were getting close.

Just a rough estimate took him up to over $500 in parts alone and untold hours of work and that was the bare minimum needed to get it running right. It was pretty clear the blue bomber was DOA. He checked the Blue Book value on line and laughed when he saw it was worth a whopping $750 IF it was in 'Fair Condition' the next to worst category. Since it wasn't, it was probably worth a couple hundred bucks at most. It had close to 200,000 miles on it, so repair was clearly out of the question.

Mullens hadn't checked his bank balance since his final paycheck was deposited when he sold back 60 days of leave when he retired. Most of the money he'd saved had been put away since Katie died, and he often thought of it as 'blood money' as a way to beat himself up for what happened. Regardless, he had just over $52,000 in the bank and was already getting close to owning his Tundra outright. That left him with a mortgage payment plus the expenses everyone else had. What he had that most people didn't have was a pension for life.

As a retired Senior Chief or pay grade E-8, it wasn't a phenomenal amount of money but the $3,500 he received on the 1st of each month covered all of his bills and left a few hundred bucks for having fun, something he'd have to learn how to do again one step at a time.

Where money was concerned, he knew he could always find a a job to supplement his retired pay. In fact, like virtually all retired Navy SEALs, Mullens had had several contracting firms contact him to do security work or consulting. For now he didn't need or even want a job. What he needed were friends, friendship, and when he gave himself permission to feel, the warmth and love of a family that included two or three kids. Those were the things he truly craved.

He smiled when he thought, "Maybe even a ready-made family. Like Shelby and Teddy."

He dismissed it as quickly as it came knowing she was somewhere between maybe 19 and 22 give or take, and he was 43 and not getting any younger.

He also knew he could still bury 95% of guys who worked out and 99.99% of all men of any age who didn't, but that wasn't the issue. Still, for his first attempt at readjusting to civilian life, this had turned out even better than he'd imagined; especially since he'd never even dreamed he'd meet someone let alone get acquainted with them. The fact that it had been a pretty girl made it ever better. Maybe it wasn't hopeless after all.

He waited until after 6pm the next day before he called and was surprised when he heard such a pleasant voice answer the phone.

"Is this that handsome Navy SEAL guy calling?" Shelby said.

Lloyd laughed then told her, "Handsome? No, you must have me confused with some of my former colleagues."

He'd been told he was a good-looking guy many times, but considered himself to maybe be a little above average and never a 'hottie'—whatever that ever meant for men.

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm right," she said sweetly. "So...what's the verdict?"

"Well, I have good news and bad news," he told her. "Which would you like first?"

"Oh, wow. Well, let's get the bad news out of the way first."

Shelby winced as she waited.

"Your car is on its last legs," he told her. "It could die on you at any time."

She held the phone out, looked at it, then replied.

"Um...duh!" she told him playfully. "I thought you said you had bad news. That's not even news let alone the bad kind."

He loved her candor and playful manner.

"True. Okay. Let me put it this way. You can drive it until it dies and that's it. At that point you'll have to buy another car."

He went on to explain why it was beyond repair leaving Shelby very quiet.

"Would you like the good news?" he asked trying to sound upbeat.

"Sure," she said now sounding very deflated.

"I have a solution," he told her. There was no response so he decided to improvise on the spot.

"But first...have you guys had dinner yet?" he asked.

"I was just boiling water to make some rice," she said. What she didn't tell him was that, along with some salt and pepper and one pat of butter was dinner. Oh, and they'd be drinking tap water again, too.

"I'm kind of hungry myself so how about we go out somewhere, and I'll share my grand scheme with you."

Shelby had exactly $3.12 left until payday which was still two days away.

"That sounds really nice, Lloyd, but we just went out for pizza, so we really need to stay in tonight," she told him.

Teddy had heard Lloyd's voice and was now standing next to her.

"Is that Mr. Mullens?" he asked.

"Yes," she said quietly.

Having heard Teddy's voice but not Shelby's reply, he said, "Teddy. Is that you, my man?"

"Hey, Mr. Mullens! When are you gonna teach me how to throw a curveball?" he said his eyes wide with excitement.

"I was thinking about tomorrow, but I gotta talk to your sister first. I was kind of hoping to take you guys out to eat, but she sorta shot me down."

He knew that was 'dirty pool' as his late father used to say, but he really wanted to see them both and his only hope was for Teddy to do his part.

He smiled when he heard, "Pleeeease, Shell?"

Even though she was trying to be quiet, this time he heard her say, "We can't afford to eat out, buddy."

"No problem!" Lloyd said knowing he was on speaker.

"I'll pick up a bucket of KFC and fixings and be there in half an hour."

"I love KFC!" Teddy said animatedly.

"Mr. Mullens? Why are you trying to make me the bad guy?" she said quietly after turning her back to her brother.

"Bad guy? No! I'm making you the hero!" he told her cheerfully hoping to raise her spirits. "I just need an address."

Shelby looked over her shoulder and saw the hopeful look on Teddy's face before turning back around and saying, "Okay. Fine. But this has to be the last of this. He's already very attached to you and I...I can't afford to let him get too close to anyone who isn't going to be there for him."

"What about the curveball?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes, of course. But this fast food thing and spending time together? We can't keep doing this," she said. "And after you show him how to throw the curveball, we should probably try and wrap things up altogether, okay?

"I won't ask you to do fast food again," he told her ignoring the rest of what she said.

There was a pause then a sigh before she gave him their address.

"Great! I'll see you guys soon!" He waited for a second then said, "From now on I promise I'll only invite you to real restaurants."

He heard a loud 'grrrr!" sound but knew she was smiling before she hung up.

"Can I have one more piece?" Teddy asked after having devoured three plus a side of mashed potatoes and gravy in the first ten minutes since Lloyd arrived.

"I think that's enough for now," Shelby told him.

"Right! You've gotta save room for dessert," Lloyd said then waited for Shelby to give him the look.

When she did, Teddy saw it and said almost sullenly, "I know. I need to lose some weight."

Lloyd actually hurt for the boy as he suddenly felt ten years old again.

He pulled out his phone and said, "Let me show you something, okay?"

Teddy stood up and looked over his shoulder as he scrolled through his iPhone's photos.

"Do you know who that is?" Lloyd asked when he got to three very old pics of a kid who looked a lot like Teddy.

"No," he said feeling self-conscious again about his teeth and his weight.

"That's me when I was about your age," Lloyd told him.

Teddy looked at him then back at the pics.

"Really? That was you?"

"Yes, it was," he told him. "So...I understand, okay?"

Shelby was holding out her hand so he passed her the phone and in less than two seconds there were tears in her eyes again after she saw how much Lloyd once resembled her little brother.

"So don't sweat your weight, okay? It'll come off eventually. Yes, you'll have to do some work and cut down on the sweets a little, but you can do it. I did it, right?"

"Yeah, but you were a Navy SEAL."

"What? Does the kid in those photos look like a SEAL to you?" Lloyd said with a laugh as he referred to his old pics. "Maybe a walrus or a whale, but that's no seal."

"Get it? Navy SEAL. Seal. 'Arrh, arrh', or whatever noise seals make," Mullens said trying to be funny.

He eventually got a smile then reached out and tickled Teddy's sides which brought on a hysterical shriek of laughter.

"So I think you can afford to have a cookie or two later."

He quickly looked at Shelby then said, "If it's okay with the boss."

"I guess he could have one," she said not sure whether was about to smile or cry.

"Hey, buddy? Can I maybe talk to your sister alone for a few minutes?" Lloyd asked once he calmed back down.

"Um...sure. I have to do some math homework anyway."

"Thanks, dude," Lloyd told him as he headed to his room.

"See, now I don't know whether to be mad at your or hug you," Shelby said out loud once Teddy was gone.

"Why? What'd I do now?" he asked with a smile.

"You gave my brother hope."

"And that could that be a bad thing—how?" he asked.

"Because he'll think he can change the way he looks overnight, and when he realizes he can't...."

"I just wanted him to know most things aren't permanent. That's all," Lloyd said hoping he'd helped and not made things worse.

"Either way, he has to deal with this for the foreseeable future, and I just don't want him to get hurt—again. I swear one day I'll be able to afford braces. That's several years down the road, but it will happen," she said her eyes growing misty again.

"Forgive me for asking, but was there no money at all after your parents died? If I'm out of line just tell me," he said with real sincerity.

Shelby looked down at the little table then said, "Both of our parents were alcoholics. My dad caused the accident that killed him and our mom and he also killed a five-year old boy and seriously injured his mom."

"Jesus. Shelby, I'm so sorry. You don't have to say any more if...."

She kept right on going.

"His parents sued the estate."

She paused, laughed sarcastically then said, "Estate. That's actually kind of funny. Anyway, after selling the home and taking the equity in it and getting cash for the value of the car, we had about $60,000. But the lawsuit took all but $10,000 the judge set in a trust for Teddy to use for food, clothing, and shelter. I drew on it until it was gone so...no, there's no money. Oh, they did have $10,000 in life insurance, but it cost more than that to bury them both. I'm at the point where I'm going to have to swallow my pride and sign us up for food stamps, something I swore I'd never do, but we do have to eat."

She looked up at him and said, "So that's the rest of the story."

"Thank you for sharing that, Shelby. That...that took guts."

"As they say, 'It is what it is', right?"

"Right. Um...let's talk about the good news then," Lloyd said sounding optimistic.

"I could use a little," she said with a forced smile.

"We'd be lucky to get $200 for you car," Lloyd began.

"When do we get to the 'good' part?" Shelby asked but not in a snarky way.

"Here's the bottom line. I never drive the Corolla except to make sure it's still running. Never. I pay insurance on it since taking it out of storage but never drive it, and that makes no sense. I could sell it, but it's got sentimental value so I can't and I won't."

"I'm not following," Shelby said not sure where he was going.

"I was thinking that it would make perfect sense if...if you drove it."

"What? Me? You mean more than just today? Uh-uh. I can barely afford to buy gas. There is no way I could buy your car and...."

"I'm not talking about selling it to you, Shelby," he said to her.

She was looking at his eyes as he spoke and she noticed there was something different about them. It was as though what he was saying was not only something he believed but something he needed her to believe, too.

"Then what are you talking about, Lloyd?" she asked

"I want you to have it. You and Teddy. It's dependable, economical, and I'd feel a whole lot better if the two of you were riding in that car rather than the piece of junk sitting in my driveway. No offense," he finished saying with a smile.

"You know I can't do that. It's the sweetest, most generous thing ever, but...I just can't. You do understand, right?"

He moved forward to the edge of his chair then said, "I need to know that someone I care about is driving my wife's car, Shelby. And while you may think it's crazy, I already care about you and your little brother. A lot. The car you're driving him around in isn't safe. It's an accident waiting to happen. And even if it dies in a convenient place like a parking lot you'll still have to have it towed away and buy a new car. Or...a new, used car, as the case may be."

"Then I'll deal with that when it happens," she told him politely.

"Shelby? I don't want to upset you, but after losing your parents, if you had an accident and you survived and...Teddy didn't, you know you'd never forgive yourself. So please let me do this for you, okay?"

She sat there looking at him not sure what else to say. Internally, she was torn. Here was an opportunity to protect her little brother, but in order to do it, she had to compromise her strongly-held values—like not signing up for food stamps.

As she sat there Lloyd said, "Look. Anyone can get in an accident. That's a risk we all take every time we get in a car or on a plane. Shoot, just waking up in the morning entails risk. But in my humble opinion, you're putting yourselves at an extra, unnecessary risk by riding around in a car that could fall apart at any time or anywhere. Like—the freeway. This way, you reduce the risk to the level everyone else is at, and I'd feel good knowing Katie's car is helping someone I um...kind of like."

She gave him a strange look but didn't speak.

He looked right at her then said, "And if something were to happen to either one of you and I could have done something to prevent it, I could never live with myself. So...please? Please take the car?"

"I'll pay you back, Lloyd. I don't know how, but I will pay you back. I can put a few dollars a month aside for now and then later maybe...."

"Sure. Okay. That sounds perfect," he said with a smile, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders knowing he'd never take a dime from her.

"I wish I had something more to offer you than saying 'thank you' yet again which seems wholly inadequate, but it's really all I've got," she told him.

"I...I can't even afford to make dinner for you. Not that it's your loss or anything."

She actually smiled after mentioning her cooking skills.

"Um...well, if you've decided not to be mad at me, maybe you could...I don't know...give me the hug you kind of hinted at?" he said with another smile and raised eyebrows.

"Well, those are free," she said smiling back as she stood up.

She looked into his eyes as she opened her arms and said, "Trite or not, thank you, Lloyd. From the bottom of my heart."

As he embraced her the world felt, for a moment at least, like it was the same place he'd remembered it to be once upon a time. A time when life was simple and he wasn't at war with a very real enemy or himself. A time when he was young and happy and....

"Hey! What are you guys doing?" they heard Teddy say startling Shelby to death.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, buddy!" she said pulling away from Lloyd like he was on fire.

"Do you like my sister?" Teddy asked when Lloyd turned around to look at him.

"Oh. Um...well, I don't know. I mean, she's kind of nice."

He glanced at Shelby then said to Teddy, "And she is a very attractive woman."

"Hah! Now that's funny!" Shelby said reflexively even as she felt a warmth spread through her body. She couldn't remember the last time a man (or any guy of any age for that matter) had said anything like that to make her feel pretty. It wasn't a direct compliment, but it still felt very nice that someone was even just being polite.

"Yeah, she's not bad. For a girl!" Teddy said smiling unashamedly at his sister.

"No, she's not," Lloyd agreed looking at Shelby as he said it.

"Okay, did you need something?" Shelby asked Teddy, hoping to move on.

"I'm all done," he said.

"No way!" she said. "Bring me your assignment."

"Ah! Do I have to?" he whined.

"Only if you want dessert," she said.

"Maybe I'll go back to my room and check my answers again," he said knowing he hadn't finished.

"Oh, good answer!" she said saying it like people did on the TV show Family Feud no matter how idiotic the answer a family member gave to the host's question.

"He's a good kid, but if you don't check his work...."

"Ah, yes. How well I remember," Lloyd admitted recalling his own propensity to avoid homework at all costs.

"So when did you want to get together at the ball field?" she asked shifting the subject yet again.

"I didn't exactly get my full hug, but I'll let that slide for now," he said with a smile. "I'm free 24/7 so what works for you?"

"Is 7pm okay?" she suggested.

"Yep. I'll see you there," he told her.

"Did you want to take a cookie with you?" she asked pointing to the small bag with a half dozen chocolate chip cookies in it.

"Nah. I'm pretty full," he said still smiling.

She walked him to the door then thanked him again.

"I'm the one who owes you the thanks," he said being uncharacteristically serious.

"Me? How so?" Shelby asked. "All I've done is sponge and mooch and take."

"Because you and Teddy have made me feel alive again," he said quietly without explanation.

Shelby felt him staring into her soul as he looked at her with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen.