Part 46 (2/2)
”Yup. Starting next Tuesday. So I'm leaving here Friday morning.”
”So you'll be out for Memorial Day weekend?”
”Sure will, half-pint.” Ben rolls down his pant leg, takes me by the hand, and sits me on his lap.
”Did you have to sign a different contract?”
”Nope. Still the same nine point nine million, five-year contract.”
”Wow.”
”Yeah. You know, I still can't believe I'm signed on to a Major League team, Rose. It's still so...surreal.”
”You're that good, Ben. You know that.”
”Yeah, but to take a chance on me now, and I'm not even done with chemo.”
”You said the chemo was an extra precaution right? They found none of the cancer in the rest of the bone or the lymph nodes.”
”Right. But to be safe, I just need the few sessions this summer.”
”So why did they decide to pay for the extra therapy?”
”Howey said they're so happy to have me that they want to make things easy for me while I continue my chemo and they want to make sure I'm ready for them next season.”
”So are you still getting sick?”
”It's not bad.” Ben runs his hand up and down my arm while he talks. ”Craig takes it easy on me when I'm not feeling great.”
”That's good.”
”So, Rose, when I leave here on Friday, I didn't necessarily want to go home to Cherry Hill.”
”No?”
”No. Are you moving back to Wantage this weekend?”
”No. I was gonna go back next weekend. You want to stay at Griffin's this weekend?”
”Yes. But I hate the thought of spending my whole summer so far away from you. Do you think Griffin would let me stay in your room while you're in Wantage? The house I'm staying in doesn't allow summer rentals. That's when they do repairs and stuff.”
”I'm sure Griffin won't mind. But would you mind sharing the room with me?”
”Never, but what do you mean?”
”You're never gonna believe this, but Lindsay got a grant to start a dance team at Hunter. She wants me to head it up.” I stop to appreciate the way Ben's eyes are bugging out of his head. With his recent lack of hair, his eyes look even bigger and browner.
”That's so cool, Rose.”
”Yeah. She wants it ready for the fall semester, so I was hoping to stay this summer, too. After I go home for a bit and ask my parents.”
”Oh, that is so awesome, sweetheart.”
”So, if you want to share a room...”
He turns me to look at him, so I'm almost straddling him, and I'm suddenly embarra.s.sed because there are other people in the room. ”There's nothing I'd want more than to share a bed with you, sweetheart, but if we're going to live together like that, I'd want it to be in our own place.”
”So, you don't want to share my room?”
He touches my face and moves his finger up and down my cheek. ”That's not what I'm saying. I want to do things right, Rose. When we move in together, I want it to be the right way. Let's just...one step at a time. Is that okay, half-pint?”
”I guess.”
” Let's talk to Griffin, maybe he's got room in that pool room of his.”
All of a sudden I start cracking up.
”What's so funny, half-pint? You picturing me sleeping on the pool table?”
”No, although I believe Holly was going to be doing that when she first moved in, but that's not why I'm laughing.”
”Then why?”
”You know how you always tell me to take one step at a time?”
”Yeah. I didn't realize that was material for side-aching laughter.”
I nudge him in the stomach. ”You do realize, don't you, that without our prosthetic legs, you and I can literally only take one step at a time. I know it's not really funny, but it just struck me that way just now.” I can't stop laughing.
”Do you know that's the sweetest sound?”
”What is?”
”You laughing. I love it.”
”You still gonna love me when you're a Major League ball player?”
”Now that's a silly question. I'm gonna love you forever, half-pint. You're never getting rid of me.”
”Well that's good, because you're not getting rid of me either.”
46.
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