Jaime stands in front of his apartment building with a baseball glove on his hand.  There is only a narrow lawn between the paved walkway and the parking lot.  There are few cars and no pedestrian traffic.

Image Credit: Chris Kim

Jaime receives the ball into the mitt and fluidly grabs it and tosses it effortlessly to an older man in his fifties.  The man catches it easily as well.

MAN: So what did your mother say about all of this?

JAIME: Maybe you should talk to her about it, Dad.

Dad tosses the ball back to Jaime.  Jaime tosses it back.

DAD: Put your glove up.

JAIME: C’mon Dad, can’t we just have a catch?

DAD: Oh stop. Put it up.

Jaime obliges and positions his glove at shoulder height, just off to the side.  Dad throws the ball and Jaime doesn’t move the glove to catch it.

JAIME: That was really good.

Dad smiles and puts his glove in the same relative position.  Jaime throws the baseball directly at the glove.  Dad doesn’t budge.

JAIME: What about that one, pretty perfect, huh?

DAD: Almost as good as mine.

JAIME: Never that good, Dad.

Dad throws the ball back towards the target.  Jaime catches and returns it with half the effort.

DAD: What’s going on with all this stuff you were talking about?

JAIME: What do you mean?

DAD: What are you doing?

JAIME: Exactly what I said.

Dad throws the ball back harder.

DAD: Bullshit.

Jaime throws it back with equal force.

JAIME: No bullshit.  28 days.

DAD: Do you have any idea what this will do to your mother?

JAIME: Jeez, Dad, since when did you start caring for her feelings?

Dad throws the ball as hard as he can.  SNAP!  It hits Jaime’s glove.

DAD: You gonna try to pin this on me, is that it?

Jaime lobs the ball back peacefully.

JAIME: No, I’m not.  That’s the whole point.

DAD: ‘Cause I’m not gonna feel guilty about it.

Dad throws the ball back much more softly.

JAIME: I don’t want you to.  It’s not your fault.

They continue to throw the ball.  Dad catches it, puts it in his glove and takes his glove off.

DAD: What did your Mom have to say about all of this?

JAIME: Talk to HER, Dad.  Talk to HER.