Marie’s Unrealized Dream

I wanted to share this story with everyone. I hope you all enjoy it.

It is a beautiful mid-spring afternoon. The temperature outside is approximately 75 degrees. It is a perfect day to accomplish what had been eluding Marie since she started. Could it happen today? Could that all important achievement happen in her life today of all days? She definitely doubts herself. She hasn’t been able to do it as of yet. Every attempt has ultimately ended in defeat. She leaves utterly disappointed because, yet again, she is unsuccessful in her one goal: being able to finally go up to the base during a softball game and hit the ball for the first time.

Marie’s mom had decided to enroll her for the very first time into the Bobby Sox Softball League during her fourth grade year. Marie was put on a team with a coach whom had placed first place almost every year she coached. This year the coach expected no less from her players and expected to win first place yet one more time.

Marie found out rather quickly that softball was not her strong suit. She very rarely was able to hit the ball during practice and had been unable to hit it once during a game. She was always stuck in the outfield as she was not a very good at fielding either. Typically she was only allowed to play for one or two innings as the coach would rather win the game with the players that were good than to allow a child to play very long that wasn’t. Overall, Marie’s natural ability must have been hidden quite well from everyone, to include herself. However, she did know that one day she would finally be able to hit that ball and she just knew that today was going to be that day.

As per the norm before any game was to begin, the coach had all of her girls go out onto the field to warm up. Marie did not know what good this would do her as it never helped one way or the other, but she did as she was told. Even though she was not very good, she still enjoyed being a part of the team and had fun watching her teammates win games. Today she knew it would be no different. She fully expected her brilliant team to win the game but she had no doubt it would not be because of anything she did. However, she knew she had to try as the only way to change the course your headed on is to do something different.

The coach finally called everyone back to the dugout and had a pep talk before the game began. She told the girls that today was no different than any other game. She expects them to win and she would accept no less.

The umpire told each team’s coach that it was time to start the game. The other team was to bat first. So, Marie’s team headed out to the field and she stayed on the bench to keep it warm for her fellow teammates. She would hate for any of them to have to come back and sit on a cold bench once it was their time to bat. Besides, what better way to root her team on than to be able to see everyone and yell loudly from the sidelines: it’s every players dream.

The first half of the inning went by as expected. The pitcher pitched three up and then three down in what seemed like an instant. The team quickly came off the field to have their chance at bat. The second half of the inning went completely opposite as had the first because her team was actually successful at hitting the ball. Her team went quickly up five to zero by the end of the inning.

Marie continued to sit on the bench and watch her team. The second inning came and gone, and then the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Finally the seventh inning came and the coach finally put Marie into the game. She always was placed in the outfield and today was no different. The coach placed her in right field. It seems at this age that most of the balls were usually hit into infield and so there was not much Marie had to do when she had her opportunity out there.

The pitcher did her job and the inning was over in what seemed like a heartbeat. Marie was to be the second player at bat that inning. The girl before her was in the eighth batters position which put Marie into the ninth. The very last position for any player that was not good at batting the softball. Marie definitely fell into that category. She knew she was not very good but she did not care. Each and every time she went up to bat she put her heart and soul into batting and she tried with everything she had in her to make her teammates proud.

The girl before Marie went up to bat. The first pitch thrown to her was a ball. The second pitch was another ball. The third pitch she swung and missed. The fourth pitch was directly over the plate and she swung hard. She hit it out into the outfield and the outfielder missed the ball. She got a double from the play. Now it was time for Marie to come up to bat. She was nervous but knew deep down in her heart that today was finally going to be the day. She was going to not only hit the ball but make it to base.

Marie slowly walked up to base. The crowd is cheering. The opposing team is chanting, “Here batter, batter. Swing batter, batter. Miss.” Marie stands in the batter’s box. She is a right hander. The pitcher pitches the first ball and Marie swings and misses. The pitcher pitches the second ball but Marie lets the softball go by. It was close but it was a ball. The third pitch she swings again and misses. Marie now only has one strike left. She becomes more nervous because she just knows that today is the day. She just knows that she will hit that ball out into the outfield and make it on base.

The pitcher is ready to throw her fourth pitch. Marie is ready. It seems as if time stood still while the pitcher released the softball for her pitch. It is almost like Marie can see the ball coming at her in slow motion. What took all of about two seconds to throw seemed to take about 30 seconds in Marie’s mind. She swung the bat hard as the softball came at her.

The next thing she knows is the ball is hit above the third base person’s head and goes into the outfield where the left fielder cannot get to the ball in time to make the catch. Marie runs with all of her might to first base as the left fielder picks up the softball and immediately throws it. Again, it seems as though time stopped. Just as Marie crossed over first base, the first baseman caught the ball. The umpired yells, “Safe! Tie goes to runner!”

Marie has done it. She not only hit the ball for the first time in a game but she made it onto base and her teammate was able to make it all the way home from second base. Marie had done the unlikely by not only hitting the ball and making it to base, but she had actually scored a run for her team. The game ended with a score of thirteen to two, with Marie’s team obviously winning the game.

Marie’s season continued on with Marie getting her one chance to play each game. She seldom hit the ball and the team ended up winning first place yet one more time. For Marie, or as most of her friends and family know her as Kristena, that day will never be forgotten when she had hit her very first softball during a game and made it to base.