An Unexpected Romance Ch. 141-153

"I also went to the store and bought groceries. Everything on the list Dr. Lambeau gave us. I came up with this cool idea. Ribeye steaks. I'm going to grill them outside, cut them into bite size cubes, place a toothpick in each one, cover them in an airtight food container, and place them in the refrigerator. You can snack on cold steak during the day. Well, that's about it for now. I think. Whew!"

Angela giggled and Larissa did, too. Cynthia fell asleep on their king size bed and Margaret was playing hand tag with her mother.

James took off his boots and lay on their bed to join his wife and three young daughters.

"I have never seen so many beautiful girls in my life," he sighed.

"Dah dah! Na ute te geh!" chirped Larissa.

"Come to me, Sweetie, and tell me all about it."

Chapter 152

"Was that David wanting us to go to Lubbock? Why?"

"Yeah," James began, as he hung up the phone. "Michael is Tech's Friday starter. Weekend after next, is their last home series for the season against Kansas State. Michael is 9-0, with two no decisions so far. This is not the Michael I had last season." He shook his head at the incredible improvement for his nephew.

James paused to consider the information David had passed along.

"Some of those games were on TV and you and I caught some of Michael's games. He's really looking good this year," he reported. He paused again. "David and Cathy want to know if we can come to the game a week from Friday. Dad, Emily, Katie, and Little James will be there."

He turned to Angela with hope in his eyes.

"Of course we can," Angela chirped. "We'll have to drive, though. The girls will be too fussy on the plane and I don't want to annoy the other passengers. I'll call Mama and ask if she will come with us. She can watch the twins while we're at the game. If not, I'll ask Katie if she has a friend who will come with us."

James smiled, but, walked across the living room and peered out the huge window, into the huge pasture and beyond. He was thinking of Michael. How happy he was for him. And, he thought the post oaks and live oaks in the distance were beautiful.

"Is there something wrong?" Angela asked, as she stood by him with Margaret in her arms.

Larissa came walking up to her daddy and grabbed his leg for balance. "Mah mah."

"No... Everything is fine," he replied, as he looked down to his happy and walking everywhere, little girl. "I'm happy for Michael. David and Cathy, too." He paused to reflect.

"I suppose it's time to buy a minivan."

Chapter 153

James was trying to shake off Red Raider fans who recognized him and knew he was Michael's uncle. Selfies and family photos galore. As usual, he was kind through it all. Cathy rescued him, grabbing him by the arm and telling those bothering James the game was about to start. When he sat down in the General Admission section for families, Larissa threw her arms out to him to hold her. The two Angelas sat next to each other... sizing the other up... courteous, of course. James, Angela, Larissa, Cynthia and Margaret had an opportunity earlier in the day to see Michael at his dormitory and say hello. It was his first time to meet his twin cousins.

THAWP!

Michael had just thrown his last warm up pitch to start the game. "Dang, he looks good," James mumbled. He leaned over to Angela and said, "I think we're going to see something special tonight. I just have the feeling."

Angela nodded.

"LET'S GO, MICHAEL! EASY OUT!" screamed Michael's girlfriend.

Angela cringed at the scream. She got up and pushed James next to Michael's girlfriend, as she shook her head.

THAWP! "STRIKE!" The crowd erupted into applause as the game began.

"THAT'S IT, MICHAEL! KEEP 'EM GUESSING!" squealed Michael's girlfriend.

KLINK! SWOOSH! THAWP! "OUT!"

Again, the sold out crowd screamed for Michael.

This went on for 7 innings. 1 hit allowed. 6 strikeouts. No walks. No runs. The score... 4-0, Texas Tech. Against the team that clinched second place in the conference. Tech, of course, clinched the conference regular season title, for the fourth straight year last weekend.

Then, with one out in the top of the 8th...

KLANG!

Michael was lucky to throw his glove up in front of his face. The hit knocked him to the ground... the ball barely touching his glove. The crowd gasped in horror.

Michael kept his composure. He got off the ground, picked up the ball and threw it to first.

THAWP! "OUT!"

But, there were no screams of joy.

Michael was bleeding badly from below is left eye, on his cheekbone. The blood was running off his face like a water fall. The trainer and Coach Frost called time and were on the field quickly.

Cathy couldn't watch and was crying in David's arms. Michael's girlfriend had her hands over her face in shock. Emily and Katie had their hands over their mouths and their eyes wide open in shock. Angela couldn't watch either.

James... It didn't bother him. "Don't worry," he said to Angela. "He won't come out. They already have the bleeding under control. See."

And, they did. The trainer was slapping adhesive stitches on his cut. The umpire made him remove his jersey because there was too much blood on it, and the equipment manager sprinted to the mound with a replacement jersey. The trainer also took a water bottle and washed off the blood from Michael's arms and hands. When Michael removed his shirt, the crowd roared their approval.

The entire infield came in to slap him on the butt with their gloves.

After Michael put on his shirt, and the trainer was satisfied he didn't have any other serious injuries, the umpire gave him a new ball.

"How do you feel?" the umpire asked.

"Like I'm going to win this game," Michael replied.

With that, he took his stance on the mound and began throwing a couple of warm up pitches. He retired the remaining batters in the eighth inning to the enormous roar of the crowd.