Twenty
Crackers is a little devil in the mornings. I open the basement door, she charges, flies onto the kitchen linoleum, and starts head-butting my legs for breakfast. Feeding her, of course, is not my job. So if Puck isn’t out there within five minutes, she naturally takes out her disgruntled spirit of revenge on me. This is why I have tooth-marks in my table plants. She starts snacking on them out of pure protest. She doesn’t even like the taste, I’m pretty sure. Oh, she knows what she’s doing.
At the Big House, Irish-Rose and Cherry were still acclimating to the day. Breakfast bagels, nails done, World Market, and apartment browsing. Already making plans for the future.
What’s the best way to spend a rainy Wednesday night in St. Louis? Take in a winning ballgame downtown, of course. What’s the next-best way to spend a rainy night in St. Louis? Watch a losing ballgame downtown between two BFF starters where we lose by one run in tribute of a pitcher only six days removed from being a Cardinal.
Section 367: Row 5: Seats 5, 6, & 7. Out of the generosity of our hearts, we dragged Francis along with us. Because Stubhub would let us buy only one or three seats; not two.
“I know this is only out of convenience,” Francis told us. “I’m not stupid.”
Rain. Cold rain. We sheltered a few rows higher for about an hour while Francis dug through most of the cheese crackers. I had goose bumps for the rest of the night. In August. But also because we were about to witness the horrible pitching match-up of two, at least partially emotional, Cardinals who had been best men in each other’s weddings.
Anyway, after Allen Craig received big cheers for presenting the line-up card before the game, a thoughtful gesture, it went about exactly as Carrie-Bri and I had planned. Through 7 innings anyway.
Tight game – tied – Joe and Shelby duking it out almost play for play. Joe walked Shelby. Joe got a single off Shelby. When each exited after 7 innings apiece, the score was 1-1, and Joe had won the night by a scratch, earning multiple standing O’s, including a huge and prolonged version when he first took the mound. Probably trying not to cry.
I got home after midnight.