Passion for the sport

As she approached her apartment a man, tall and slender, was knocking on her door. The man cleared his throat, “I have a package…. that needs your signature.” Madie was caught off guard. She just stares for a moment. Slowly, she shifted her bookbag to the other shoulder and signed on the line. The Delivery driver said,” Thank you” and turned to his truck.

It was Madie’s senior year of college, softball, homework, plans to adult and other things kept her busy. She tossed the package in her bag, it faded to the back of her mind as it sunk to the bottom of the heavy book bag.

As the evening began to darken, she began to take her books out of her bag. The yellow package tumbled onto the counter with a thud. Madie paid little attention as she walked to the kitchen to make dinner. As the microwave began to hum, she glanced over at the yellow package on the table and curiosity took over. Madie grabbed the package, opened it and began pulling out packing material. There was so much packing material, she began to think there is nothing in this package. Then a small corner of a black book began to poke thru. “Finally,” madie said with a sigh.

The book was the size of a card but very thick and deep black in color with a unique silver button holding it closed. The pages worn to a yellow tint on the outside. Barely visible on the front, it read “From me to you, to help you not be so blue.” The next few words she had to squint hard to read “but don’t forget a smile for you should be a smile for them too.” Madie read the last words slowly, as she wondered what it, she began to unsnap the silver button. The book fell open with a soft slap against the table.

The first word that word that caught her eye was “kitten ball”. Madie knew from her obsession with softball that kitten ball was one of the names given to softball in the 1950s. As each page built on the one before they story of her great-great-aunt began to create a story in her mind. In 1950, her aunt had played kitten ball as a team member on one of the first fifty teams in the woman’s league.

Madie turned the pages in the little black book, her exciting growing. A list of ballfields her Aunt had played on were listed. The first field had a drawing of a diamond with a softball close to the dugout, it was in Chicago, IL. An arrow from the softball pointed to words on the page, “Each field I played was a dream come true, each field has a treasure for you.” Madie put down the book, she needed to finish her homework, but her mind was tossing, should she go to Chicago she was so busy what should she do. As she laid down to go to sleep, her eyes grew bright tomorrow she decided I am Chicago bound.

In the morning cold, the car window had frosted over, madie sat as the car warmed up wondering if she was doing the right thing. She looked at the black book in her hand and knew this is what she needed to do.

Once she reached Chicago, she headed thru the busy traffic to the field. When her aunt played kitten ball the baseball fields were loaned to the league since they only played a few games. The field was quiet no games in play today, a field caretaker saw Madie and walked over to her. He asked, “what can I help you with?” Madie began to tell her story as she talked his smile grew bigger and bigger. He made a gesture to hold on minute and disappeared into the dugout area for what seemed to be hours. Madie sat down on the field to wait, the feeling always seemed to calm her. The field caretaker came up the concrete stairs holding what looked like an old boxing glove. He handed it to Madie and said,” In the 1950, softball catchers used boxing gloves nothing was big enough for the larger balls at that time. This glove has a A.M. on the glove, I have heard stories over the years, and I believe this is the treasure you’re looking for.” As Madie took the glove into her hand, she could feel how old, crumbling the boxing glove was but the dirt stains and dust had stayed intact.” She felt something inside the glove, a small envelope fell out on the front it read, “for my niece I have left you this, for your passion is as strong as mine once was.” In the envelope was a name of a local bank and a key to a lock box, with time dwindling till Madie had to head back to school she had to make a decision what to do. She thanked her new friend for the giving her the glove and turned to walk back to her car.

“Well, I am in Chicago” Madie thought to herself I my swell go to the bank. She got into the car and began to drive to the outskirts of Chicago; it was a small bank set off among some older buildings. She walked thru the door and was met by an older man wearing a suit, she handed him the lockbox key. He smiled and let Madie back to the vault. As she turned the key and slid the lockbox out, she wondered what her Aunt could have left for her.

Madie carefully opened the lid and looked inside. Madie was shocked and stepped back away from the box, inside was rubbered banded bundles of money. Each bundle had a date, field location and who the team had played. Her Aunt had left all her earnings in the lockbox for Madie, she became a wealthy woman at that moment.

Madie held the money, she knew what she had to do to finish this journey. As she walked out of the bank, she began to map in her head all the fields she would plan to travel to retrace the path her aunt had taken in the sport she loved so much.