~ Chapter Thirty Two ~

Kevin scowled down at the grain in the kitchen table.  The only thing worse than being in a bad mood was when that bad mood woke him up at eight in the morning.  It only served to put him in a worse mood. 

Becky had just caught the school bus.  He could hear Karen coming back in the front door, talking to herself under her breath. 

"You're up early."  She greeted him, walking into the kitchen in her faded t-shirt, sweatpants and fluffy slippers.  Her slippers had always reminded Kevin of a longhaired cat, dyed bright green, one on each foot.  They had to be the ugliest footwear in the entire world, but she still wore them faithfully.  It might have been because they were ugly that she wore them. 

"You know what pisses me off?"  Kevin started.

"Oh... it's one of THOSE mornings."  Karen nodded.  "Does someone need coffee?"

"He just marches right in and takes my position!"  Kevin smacked the table for emphasis.  "He's hitting twenty points above me - and in two weeks, they give him the starting job."

Karen stared down at Kevin, her eyebrows raised.

"But I can understand that."  Kevin continued ranting.  "What I can't understand is how they can let him sit out there and call a game.  He just picks a random pitch and calls it!  The concept of strategy never even enters into his little head!"  That was what got him the most about Lenny.  He was like the random track on a CD player - he picked a pitch, and that was what the pitcher threw.  It never failed to make steam pour from Kevin's ears in the dugout.  He had been fuming over it the entire homestand.  He was sure he'd still be mad about it on the road trip tomorrow too.

"Oh, leave him alone."  Karen sat down sideways on Kevin's lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck, her slippers brushing against his foot.  Not only were they ugly, but they also tickled.  "You'll get your chance."

Kevin scowled.  He wasn't so sure.  He wasn't getting any younger.  He had been having a career year until that stupid injury at home plate. 

"You know what..."  Karen said slowly.  "Becky's gone for the next six hours."

Kevin didn't answer, still thinking about the lack of strategy being shown on the field.  Maybe he should talk to Buddy about it again.

"I think I'm going to take a shower."  Karen finished, climbing back to her feet and scuffing out of the room. 

Kevin sat for another moment, until what she had just said filtered in between the thoughts of strategy running through his head.  A smile appeared on his face, the strategy topic suddenly forgotten.  Karen's idea was the best one he had heard in quite a while. 

~*~

"AJ!  Enough with the music already!"  Howie screamed.  AJ had been messing with the clubhouse stereo for the last hour.  He kept playing the trendy music that no one on the team would admit they had ever heard, or much less actually listened to.  Howie had remained quiet  at first, but at the sixth Chelsea Powers song played, he couldn't take it anymore. 

"What?"  AJ protested, turning the music up.  "She's hot!"  He yelled over the noise.

"Yeah, so look at her then!"  Howie yelled back.  "You don't have to listen!"

The music abruptly died as Kevin took control of the CD player.  "Okay, guys..."  He announced calmly, flipping through the pile of CD's.  "I think it's time for some ‘real' music."

AJ's eyebrows raised over his sunglasses.  "Real music?"  He mocked, doing an uncanny impersonation of Kevin's drawl. 

Half the clubhouse began to applaud as the Top Gun theme blared out from the speakers.

"Aw, man!"  Brian yelled, flinging a towel in Kevin's general direction.  "I hate that movie!"

Appropriate looks of shock and disgust were beamed in Brian's general direction from over half the team, excluding AJ and Nick, both of whom still looked slightly confused. 

"You hate that movie?"  Kevin repeated slowly, a smile on his face at the absurdity of Brian's comment.  "Geez, Brian."

"Oh come on."  Brian defended. "What kind of a movie is that?  The good guy dies!"

"No, no, no!"  Kevin yelled over the shouts of protest coming from the rest of the team.  "The good guy is Tom Cruise.  He doesn't die."

"I don't think so!"  Brian easily matched Kevin for volume.  "He's not the good guy!  He's the screwed up one, who finds himself after the good guy gets killed!"  Brian stopped and frowned.  "It's a dumb movie.  Nick - do you agree with me on this one?"

Nick glanced up guiltily.  "Haven't seen it."

"This is something worthy of punishment in Kangaroo Court."  Kevin announced, after pulling his jaw back up off the floor.  "What are we going to do about this?"

"Hey!"  Nick protested.  "That was WAY before my time, guys."

"Make him wear a dress."  Howie suggested.

"Nah..."  AJ protested absently.  "That's actually not that humiliating."  He stopped, watching as everyone stared at him.  "What?  It was for high school.  We did a M.A.S.H. skit once." 

"How about singing in public?"  Brad Arton offered.

"Now that's a good one."  Kevin acknowledged, thinking it over.  

"No good."  Brian dismissed the idea.  "He dated a singer.  That gives him an unfair advantage."

"What singer?"  Left fielder Terrance Davis laughed.  "He dated the little b---- that AJ was playing earlier.  Oh... um... no offense, Nick."

"None taken."  Nick waved his arm.  "Wasn't going out with her for her singing abilities."

Howie and Brian both cracked up at this comment, giggling and smacking Nick on the shoulder. 

Kevin shook his head and turned the music up louder. 

"Dude - are those real?"  AJ held Chelsea's CD jacket up to Nick.

Nick shook his head.  "Nope!  Her hair isn't either!"  He added.

AJ's jaw dropped.  "That's not her hair?"

"What?"  Howie leaned over.  "God, who cares?  It looks good on her."

"Thank you."  AJ smacked Howie on the back.  "So can we put the CD back in?"

~*~

New York Times - September 7th

Doctors are conducting tests to determine whether or not a mass found near Seattle Mariners infielder Brian Littrell's pineal gland could be malignant.  The pineal gland is a small gland near the center of the brain.  A team official, on the condition that he not be identified, said Littrell has known about the situation for several months now.  Mariners physician Wesley Lange had no comment when asked about the tests.  Littrell could not be reached for comment.