A Chance in the Wilderness
Hiking his duffel bag up, Julien stepped off the bus. After an almost three-hour ride with an absurdly long wait time thanks to the pandemic, he’d finally made it to Pearl, Mississippi. It seemed like he’d boarded the bus in 2021 and gotten off it in 1950.
Knowing what he knew about Pearl, which he’d learned all in the last couple of weeks, it probably wouldn’t be a good thing for him if he had actually stepped back into 1950. Pearl didn’t sound like as welcoming of a place back then for certain people.
Julien still didn’t know who Jerome knew to make happen what he made happen, but he wasn’t ready to complain about it just yet. He’d gone from expecting to try to fight for a spot on a Louisiana community college’s baseball team with dreams of something more to touching down in a minor league baseball town with the sky being the limit.
He was playing with house money at this point and he hadn’t even gotten to where he was going.
An old couple held a sign with his name on it. Or what he assumed was supposed to be his name given it said “Julian Augustine.”
Walking over to them, he stuck out his hand for them to shake. “I’m Julien.”
“Oh, dear. You sound like you’ve been speaking English your whole life!” the woman said. Her hair had seemingly greyed so long ago that it was blue and she wore a pair of glasses on a chain around her neck.
“I-- I have? I’m from Louisiana,” Julien said, a little confused.
The man shook Julien’s hand. “Don’t mind us. We’re just so used to hosting young men from the Caribbean or South America who don’t speak a lick of English that we think that everyone they send our way isn’t going to speak English.”
Julien nodded, and ignored the way that the man said Caribbean with it coming out more like Car-eh-bean than any accepted pronunciation.
“Look, we’re parked right over here. You can call be Bud and my wife here is Ethel,” Bud said, starting toward an old station wagon that looked older than Julien – significantly older. “We live a quiet life, but we love helping out the team and giving you boys somewhere to stay while you’re in town.”
Ethel turned her head to see Julien who was walking behind them. “I just love when one of you gets called up to AAA or the majors and y’all have stayed with us. Makes me feel like a proud mama a little bit.”
“Well, we’ll see what I’m able to do in the next few years,” Julien said.
They reached the station wagon and Bud motioned for Julien to throw his duffel bag into the back before the elder man walked to the driver’s side and all but slammed the key into the lock to force it to work. It took a moment but eventually he got all of the doors unlocked with the lock on the inside of the door.
Julien slipped into the backseat, moving uncomfortably on the old leather seats that smelled like moth balls and Pedialyte.
“Since you’re from Louisiana,” Ethel said. “Why don’t we whip us up some gumbo for your first lunch here in Mississippi? Make you feel right at home.”
Resisting the urge to throw up at the thought of someone from Pearl, Mississippi even thinking about making a roux, Julien forced a smile on his face and nodded in an effort to not piss them off within a few minutes of meeting. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”
…
The manager, Wyatt Toregas, stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the team practice. Julien had been told to show up at the park and speak with him before his first day in Pearl was over. So, there he was.
Toregas didn’t take his eyes off practice but spoke when Julien stopped next to him. “You’re the new guy, right? The pitcher?”
“Yeah, Julien Augustin.”
“I’m going to level with you because I think being honest with the guys is the best way to go. You’re here because we got a few too many guys out with COVID or some other injury. Otherwise, you’d be starting down in rookie ball or low-A. But we need an arm or two. So, you’re getting a chance to show you belong here.”
Julien nodded. “Got it.”
“You don’t talk much, do you?”
“Only need to say as much as you need to say.”
Toregas nodded this time. “Wise words for a nineteen year old kid. Go get yourself some equipment. We’ll figure out where we’re going to put you in the rotation and when you’ll get your first start later. I hope you’re ready.”
“Yep. I’m ready.”
From the Ashes
From the Ashes
nice first outing. quality start.flatten up that brim brah
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Captain Canada
- Posts: 2208
- Joined: 01 Dec 2018, 00:15
From the Ashes
Big Caesar branching out to the diamond. I'm fucking with this bro.
From the Ashes
Great first outing. Good things to come hopefully.
From the Ashes
Indeed, except for the fastball I hung over the plate that got crushed for a homer. I was a little annoyed about getting pulled when I did though because I was DEALING! and had only given up the one run.
You already know how we moving, bruddaCaptain Canada wrote: ↑27 Aug 2021, 11:05Big Caesar branching out to the diamond. I'm fucking with this bro.
From the Ashes
You gotta up those stamina stats. That should help with staying in the game longer.
