The setting: A neighborhood softball game. I’m at bat. One strike, one ball. Then, a bunt! Dad, coaching me from behind home plate, is jubilant. “Run! Run!” he shouts. (Did I mention this is my first game ever?) Our team screams, “RUN!!” I break into a sprint, suddenly self-conscious, aware of my white shorts and bare legs. My sporty-looking Keds sneakers weren’t made for speed. The umpire’s “OUT!” is inevitable. I trudge back to the sound of laughter. Dad says, “First base is to your right. You ran left.” He pats my shoulder. “Don't worry. You’ll get there next time.”
K Roberts is a professional non-fiction writer, a published artist, and poet, who reads fiction for two literary magazines.