Even Though the Glove Touched the Thigh

by Meredith Linden

She loves baseball, but that’s beside the point. She speaks in metaphors and that’s more to the point. Her metaphor of choice: baseball. She speaks of chapters in a life as innings in which one is either ahead or behind (or perhaps tied). A struggle to the end is encapsulated in the pocket of being safe at home even though the glove touched the thigh. Her most recent delve into baseball-speak revolves around her current relationship. She is a Yankees fan, and we know what that means. He, even though he sometimes roots for the Yankees, is a Mets fan. Is this the one deal breaker? Will he go to Yankee games? She, for one, knows she can only sport Yankee memorabilia at any baseball game, no matter who’s playing. And if the Mets played the Yankees, well, there’s no doubt which side she’d be sitting on. How does that line up for a relationship? Is he in for a home run, a walk, a foul?

The subject has been broached. He asked her to convert. This is, after all, her religion. A conversion would change everything. She’s decided that even if she were to give in to going to Mets games, she would tote her large Yankee soda cup (don’t leave home without it). It’s a tall order to contemplate, so it may be a while before we hear the result. What she decidedly likes most about baseball is just when you think everything that’s happening is expected, something unexpected happens. And so it goes in relationship. The conversion was never expected.