Read Online Out of Left Field: Marlee's Story by Barbara L. Clanton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Barbara L. Clanton
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number one and put a circle around it. Marlee put the pencil to her mouth and stared into space. Nothing came to her. She thought some more. Still nothing. With a sigh, she put the cardboard and pencil in her pocket, the same pocket with the coveted phone number and went about the business of cleaning off her workbench.
For over two-and-a-half hours she organized and cleaned up her tools. She hung them on the pegboard system she and her dad had put up. She threw out useless spare parts and old rotten pieces of wood she had stored in the garage for some reason. Workbench and garage fairly organized, Marlee went back into the house and realized that she hadn’t thought of a single thing to say to Susie.
Cardboard and pencil back in hand, Marlee paced back and forth over the braided rug in her room trying to find something clever to say to Susie. She felt stupid making a list, but didn’t want to leave anything to chance because her nerves might get the better of her and she didn’t want to sound like an idiot.
“Hey, Susie, what’s up?” Marlee said to Patches who was sleeping on the recliner. Patches opened one weary eye but didn’t answer. “Right, too casual. How about this? Hey, Susie, we got home okay last night. Good plan you had.” Marlee laughed and rolled her eyes. “Bzzt. Wrong answer. Please try again.” She tapped the pencil against the cardboard. “Susie, how are you?” Patches looked up again from the recliner. “Yeah, you’re right kitty cat. Not bad, not bad.” Keep going, Marlee thought. You’ve got more than that to say to her.
She decided to make a list of potential topics instead. She looked out her window. The grass, still brown from winter, did nothing to inspire her. She looked around her room. She noticed her Second-Team All-County batting trophy on the bookshelf above her desk. In her neatest handwriting she wrote the word softball on the cardboard and stopped. Duh , she thought, isn’t there anything else I can come up with? Was that all they had in common? Marlee furrowed her brow and felt her neck and shoulders tense up like when she didn’t pitch well.
“Wait, Patches, I know. We can talk about last night. Yeah, yeah. She can console me about having to deal with Jeri. Yeah, Jeri, the one who slept in your chair. Sorry, little one.” Marlee picked up the calico and fell back onto her recently made bed. “And I promise I’ll clean your litter box, but later after I talk to Susie. Okay?” Marlee closed her eyes and stroked Patches’ fur. Patches approved by purring.
Marlee woke with a start, launching Patches off the bed. The phone was ringing.
“Crap. Crap,” she panicked. “What time is it, Patches?” She looked at the clock radio on her bedside stand. 1:30. She breathed a sigh of relief. She still had time. It was just Bobby. It
had to be. She picked up the phone and said, “Hello?”
“So, were you ever going to call me today?”
Marlee inhaled sharply when she heard Susie’s voice. “Susie?” She had to make sure.
“Yup, it’s me. I guess you got home okay. How’d it go?”
“Oh man. Yeah, we’re fine.” Marlee smiled. She was talking to Susie. “Jeri’s got a monster headache.”
“So does Christy.” Susie’s voice held a dash of disdain. “But what else is new?”
“Hey, thanks for helping me last night. I couldn’t think. How’d you know what to do?” Marlee, still lying on her bed, rolled over on her side and settled in.
“Humph,” Susie harrumphed. “Christy. Been there, done that. Wore that t-shirt out.”
“Really? She does this all the time?”
“Yeah, well, I think drinking just gives her something to do. Her parents are never home so she practically lives by herself. And when her parents are home, they pretty much ignore her. I mean, they’ve never been to a single one of her softball games. Can you believe that? That’s why I hang around, I guess. I kind of try to take care of her. I mean, we’ve been friends,
For over two-and-a-half hours she organized and cleaned up her tools. She hung them on the pegboard system she and her dad had put up. She threw out useless spare parts and old rotten pieces of wood she had stored in the garage for some reason. Workbench and garage fairly organized, Marlee went back into the house and realized that she hadn’t thought of a single thing to say to Susie.
Cardboard and pencil back in hand, Marlee paced back and forth over the braided rug in her room trying to find something clever to say to Susie. She felt stupid making a list, but didn’t want to leave anything to chance because her nerves might get the better of her and she didn’t want to sound like an idiot.
“Hey, Susie, what’s up?” Marlee said to Patches who was sleeping on the recliner. Patches opened one weary eye but didn’t answer. “Right, too casual. How about this? Hey, Susie, we got home okay last night. Good plan you had.” Marlee laughed and rolled her eyes. “Bzzt. Wrong answer. Please try again.” She tapped the pencil against the cardboard. “Susie, how are you?” Patches looked up again from the recliner. “Yeah, you’re right kitty cat. Not bad, not bad.” Keep going, Marlee thought. You’ve got more than that to say to her.
She decided to make a list of potential topics instead. She looked out her window. The grass, still brown from winter, did nothing to inspire her. She looked around her room. She noticed her Second-Team All-County batting trophy on the bookshelf above her desk. In her neatest handwriting she wrote the word softball on the cardboard and stopped. Duh , she thought, isn’t there anything else I can come up with? Was that all they had in common? Marlee furrowed her brow and felt her neck and shoulders tense up like when she didn’t pitch well.
“Wait, Patches, I know. We can talk about last night. Yeah, yeah. She can console me about having to deal with Jeri. Yeah, Jeri, the one who slept in your chair. Sorry, little one.” Marlee picked up the calico and fell back onto her recently made bed. “And I promise I’ll clean your litter box, but later after I talk to Susie. Okay?” Marlee closed her eyes and stroked Patches’ fur. Patches approved by purring.
Marlee woke with a start, launching Patches off the bed. The phone was ringing.
“Crap. Crap,” she panicked. “What time is it, Patches?” She looked at the clock radio on her bedside stand. 1:30. She breathed a sigh of relief. She still had time. It was just Bobby. It
had to be. She picked up the phone and said, “Hello?”
“So, were you ever going to call me today?”
Marlee inhaled sharply when she heard Susie’s voice. “Susie?” She had to make sure.
“Yup, it’s me. I guess you got home okay. How’d it go?”
“Oh man. Yeah, we’re fine.” Marlee smiled. She was talking to Susie. “Jeri’s got a monster headache.”
“So does Christy.” Susie’s voice held a dash of disdain. “But what else is new?”
“Hey, thanks for helping me last night. I couldn’t think. How’d you know what to do?” Marlee, still lying on her bed, rolled over on her side and settled in.
“Humph,” Susie harrumphed. “Christy. Been there, done that. Wore that t-shirt out.”
“Really? She does this all the time?”
“Yeah, well, I think drinking just gives her something to do. Her parents are never home so she practically lives by herself. And when her parents are home, they pretty much ignore her. I mean, they’ve never been to a single one of her softball games. Can you believe that? That’s why I hang around, I guess. I kind of try to take care of her. I mean, we’ve been friends,
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