It’s Fujimura Ren!
Shizuka-nee and I were both in 4th grade this year, even though I’m 9 and she’s 10, so that makes her the older sister. It can be really cool having an older sister in your class, though, since sometimes you get to do fun things together!
Like today we’re gonna go down to the creek to see if we can find any frogs and take pictures of them. Then we can show everybody when school starts again!
Shizuka-nee says there are green ones that hide in the reeds and brown ones that jump really far, and if you’re really lucky you can even find ones smaller than your thumb?! I’m not sure I could ever get that lucky, but wooaahhh.
So you can see why it’s super important for meto finish breakfast as fast as possible.
“Don’t rush,” Mama says. “You’ll get a stomachache.”
“I won’t!” I say through a mouthful of rice.
“You always say that,” Shizuka-nee grins at me from across the table.
Mama gets up from the table and grabs something from the kitchen counter.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” she says, setting a slightly wrinkled flyer down in the middle of the table. “They’re starting a youth baseball team in town.”
Shizuka-nee picks it up and squints at it.
“A baseball team?” she says.
Papa looks up from his phone.
“That sounds good.”
I blink.
“Baseball?”
Mama nods. “Mhmm. They’re having a trial practice today.”
Shizuka-nee sets the flyer back down. “Mm. Too bad we already have plans.”
Papa reaches for his tea.
“You spend enough time with your sister,” he says. “It wouldn’t hurt to spend some time with other boys your age.”
My chopsticks stop halfway to my mouth.
“But Shizuka-nee and I already—”
I stop when Papa glances over.
He looks like he’s gonna say something, but then his phone starts buzzing and he looks at that instead of at me.
He answers it while standing up from the table.
“Yes? …Right, I saw that.”
His plate isn’t empty, though. Isn’t he supposed to eat everything?
“Ren.”
I look to see him already by the door, holding his phone away from his face for a moment.
He picks up his bag by the door.
“You’re going,” he says.
Then picks up his bag and leaves before I can say anything.
Me and Mama and Shizuka-nee all watch the door close behind him.
Shizuka-nee speaks first.
“Ren-kun doesn’t even like baseball,” she pouts.
Which isn’t completely true—we have a diamond at the park where me and the guys play sometimes. I just never really thought about it that much.
Mama smiles.
“This is just for today,” she says. “You two can go to the creek tomorrow, okay?”
I look down at my rice.
The frogs will probably still be there tomorrow.
But tomorrow isn’t today.
Shizuka-nee nudges my foot under the table.
I don’t look up.
Mama sighs softly and starts gathering the dishes.
“Eat a little more, Ren,” she says.
“This is stupid,” Shizuka-nee mutters next to me.
I poke at my rice with my chopsticks.
The frogs are probably already out by the river.
Mama pulls her car up next to the park, where a bunch of kids are already running around the diamond throwing balls back and forth.
Mama turns off the engine.
“Looks like you made it just in time,” she says.
I stare out the window.
A ball goes flying across the field and somebody yells “Heads up!” so loud I can hear it from the car.
Another kid runs after it, kicking up a little cloud of dust.
Mama reaches over and squeezes my shoulder.
“Just give it a try,” she says. “Okay?”
“Okay…” I say.
“You don’t have to stay if you hate it.”
I shrug.
I don’t think I’ll hate it, I just…
“I wanted to see the frogs with Shizuka-nee,” I mutter.
Mama smiles a little and pats my shoulder again.
“I know you did. But this is gonna be good for you. I promise.”
I’m not sure what to say to that, so I just nod.
Sit there.
“I can come with if you’re scared,” she suggests eventually.
Which I honestly think about it for a second, but no. She already drove me, and I want to make a good first impression.
I shake my head.
Mama nods.
“Alright. Go on, then,” she says.
I unbuckle my seat belt and climb out of the car.
It’s really hot outside. It sounds like cicadas and smells like dirt and grass.
Somebody hits a ball with a loud crack, and a bunch of kids shout all at once.
I sling my bag over my shoulder and stand there for a second.
Everybody else already looks like they know what they’re doing.
“Have fun!” she calls to me through the open car window.
Then the engine starts again.
I glance back just in time to see the car pulling away.
Now it’s just me.
I look back at the field.
One of the kids playing catch misses and the ball rolls into the grass. Somebody else is swinging a bat while a couple of kids wait in line.
Another smack echoes across the field.
I grip the strap of my bag a little tighter.
The frogs are probably already out by the river.
But Mama said to try.
So that’s what I’m gonna do: try.
And if I don’t like it, then I never have to play baseball ever again.