Chapter 1 - Wait for You

I kicked off my cleats at the back door to the apartment and opened the door to something I hadn’t felt in several hours – air conditioning. It was May in Alabama which meant three things – hot, hotter and humid. Don’t get me wrong, I’m used to it by now. I’ve lived in the South my entire life but the thought of heat exhaustion always crosses your mind. Fortunately for me my roommate was from up North and thought it was absolute hell here in the summer. Of course, she hated me in the winter months because I cranked the heat up.

Of course, I can’t really help who I am or what I do. It’s a God-given talent I guess. Just because I play softball doesn’t mean people don’t know me. Well, people in Tuscaloosa know me. My name’s Kaitlyn or Kate as my friends call me. I’m only 20, but I just graduated from the University of Alabama with a business degree. My road here wasn’t exactly easy but I’m here now and that’s all that matters.

I’m from Savannah, Georgia, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I started playing ball when I was four, pitching at five and hit my first home run – all 220 feet of it at 10. By the time I was 12, I was a superstar in the sport. At 13, my parents pulled me out of the lush private school I had spent the last seven years at and started home schooling me. That opened a lot of playing opportunities for me. I got to travel and play all over the world at will. When I was 14, I met Sammy Lyons. Sammy coached the Southern California Orange Crush travel ball teams that were known for their power hitting and pitching. He saw something in me, I guess, because two years later I was officially a high school graduate.

Yup, that’s right. High school graduate at all of 16. What now? Well, if you’re Kaitlyn Smith, the softball standout from Savannah, you have masses of college coaches calling, texting and e-mailing. Just because I was 16 didn’t deter me from the possibility. I mean, come on, it’s not like I can go overseas at play at that age. I had spent some time playing for the United States at various events, but there’s only so much you can do with that. My mother was terrified of the thought of sending me off to college at 16, but I reminded her that I was not just any kid and I was in fact mature for my age. She agreed, which is how I ended up here – Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

I continued through the utility room throwing my bat bag down before entering the kitchen. Jen and I lived at the Highlands in the Colony off Richardson Road. It was about 10 minutes from campus, gated, plush and quite peaceful. I headed upstairs to do the same thing I do every day after practice – take a shower. Dumping my clothes in hamper and heading to the bathroom, I emerged 20 minutes later refreshed and feeling like a lady again. I descended down the stairs again in jeans and t-shirt, my usual garb, and my wet hair combed but otherwise untouched. I heard Jen talking in the phone and by her giggly tone; I knew she was talking to Colby.

Jen is from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and sounds like it. Now, the minute I open my mouth you know where I come from. I say ain’t, ya’ll and combine words you’d never thought would go together. She, on the other hand, is constantly nagging me about my lack of proper English. I just argue that her idea of proper English and mine are two different things.

I just smiled at her as I walked by and she gave me that wide-eyed, oh-my-God-I’m-in love-look. You know that one? They’d been dating for more than a year now, but with her being in school here and him in Pittsburgh (he plays for the Penguins), it made it rather difficult for them to see each other. That would change in a few weeks. She’d be with him for most of the summer, while I traveled the globe playing softball.
I sighed as I plopped down on the couch, grateful to have a moment to relax and breathe. The past few days had been hard. We’d lost to LSU in the finals of the SEC Tournament and when the rankings came out for the NCAA Tournament, we were seeded fifth overall despite having been the top-ranked team in the country for most of the year. It was somewhat of a letdown, not getting any respect, but you deal with it. You play your hardest and leave it on the field. We’d swept through our regional, beating Hawai’i and Baylor twice and dropped the first game of our Super Regional to Nebraska before winning the next two to advance to the Women’s College World Series. It was Monday and we’d be leaving tomorrow – charter flight out of Tuscaloosa at 9 a.m.

I had just flipped to Everyday Italian when Jen came running in, happy as ever.

“Guess what?!?” I thought she was literally going to burst from excitement.

“Um, you’re going to Pittsburgh tomorrow?” I asked.

“No, silly. You know I’m going to Oklahoma City to see you play. Colby is coming and bringing a friend of his, too!”

“Are you serious?” I asked, being serious about the question. “Colby’s never even seen me play.”

“I know but this is it for you, you know, senior year. I want you to go out a winner.

I know you’ll have your family there, but you’re family to me, and I want us to be there for you.”

“Well, I appreciate that but how on Earth did he convince his friend that the best place to spend a week of his life was in Oklahoma City?”

“Easy. He told him you were cute.”

“What?!?” I screeched. Here’s a fast fact about me – I am the most conservative person you will ever meet. I’m the outcast of my family because I refuse to wear $100 jeans (although my living conditions give people reason to wonder – I’m daddy’s little girl and he wanted me safe and he has the money to do that). I have a problem with people looking at me as if I’m some cute, brown-haired, green-eyed girl that comes from the rich part of town. Let’s face it, one drop of my dad’s name in the Southeastern U.S. and I could pretty much have whatever I wanted. But, it wasn’t who I am. I was pretty self conscience and I had a problem with people just seeing me as a pretty face. It’s probably why I don’t bother with makeup or fixing my hair. My usual class attire consists of sweats, shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops or tennis shoes. I’m not trying to impress anyone. I’m just trying to get a degree and play ball. My mother says I’m so independent it makes me stubborn. Maybe she’s right.

“Jen, you know I hate that.”

“I know, but if it makes you feel better he told him about all of your awards and how great everyone says you are. He suggested he come see what all the hype was about. Plus, they’ve heard me talk about you so much.”

“Geez, talk about pressure! Between all of you, my folks and our fans, if we don’t bring that trophy back, I might as well go in exile.”

“Oh, come on Kate. Relax! You’re a pro at this now, and you have this summer to look forward to. Colby and I are planning to come to Brazil for the PanAm games, so keep your head up. Your team needs you right now. You’re a superstar and this week, you get to show the world why.”

She was right about showing the world. Softball was gaining popularity across the world. Of course, the sport as a whole had suffered a setback when the International Olympic Committee decided to remove it from the Olympics, beginning in 2012. Right now my chances of making the final U.S. squad were pretty good. I just couldn’t let Oklahoma City go to waste. The national team tryouts for the summer were the following week with the Olympic team selection in October.

I got drafted #1 overall in the National Pro Faspitch draft in December but wouldn’t be playing until late July. I wouldn’t be surprised if I got a call tomorrow that said the league folded and good luck in the future. At some point I had to find a job and that wouldn’t be easy with the demands of my schedule. It was going to be a busy summer for me.

Eventually, I washed and packed all of my uniforms and clothes for the next week. I had to get to bed early. As I lay down, I thought about the task at hand and something I’d been asking my teammates all year. As the only senior on the team, responsibility fell to me as their captain. My challenge to them all year had been “What’s your legacy going to be?” Now, as I dozed off I finally had a chance to think about mine and what I wanted it to be.