"Hanging a gold medal around my neck didn't change any of that. Somewhere deep inside of me that four-year-old child still lives, and every once in a while she still wakes up screaming. Think about that the next time you look at someone famous and think they have it all, and remember that you're the lucky one." She turned to leave and saw a small group of people now standing in the room behind her. Judging by the striking resemblance they had to each other and the tears they were each wiping at, these were her aunts and uncles. "Fuck." She spun on her heel and headed for the back door.
"Alex wait."
She fought with the back door for a few seconds, unable to get it open. She began to quietly curse the door, and herself for getting angry, in Italian. Paige walked up and placed her hand on the door beside her head, causing her to jump back, bow her head, and clasp her hands behind her back as she trembled in fear. "Let me, there's a bit of a trick to it," Paige said as she quickly unlatched the door and stepped aside. Alex hastily pushed through, stepping out onto the deck and down the stairs to the yard.
Lexi began to follow but was stopped at the door by Nikki. "She needs a few minutes to calm down. Please." Lexi nodded and went to comfort her sister instead as she wondered about Alex's reaction to Paige. Nikki stepped out onto the porch. She looked around and saw that the back porch was very much like the living room, covered in various rocking chairs and benches suitable for watching the children at play. She sat in one of the rocking chairs and watched as Alex paced. While unable to hear her, she knew she was talking to herself. Several minutes later Paige and Lexi joined her, sitting on either side of her as they watched.
"Tell me something." Nikki looked over at Lexi, waiting for her to continue. "What language was that?"
Nikki smiled. "Italian."
"It's beautiful."
She chuckled. "That's because you don't know what she's saying." Lexi looked at her questioningly. "I don't speak it either, not really. She's taught me a few words, some of which I heard earlier. They are the kind of words not to be spoken in front of a child without embarrassing consequences, but you can get away with it when they're in a foreign language."
Lexi watched her pick up one of the many softballs lying on the ground in the makeshift practice pen Paige had set up, and begin to toss it from hand to hand. "Why did she cower from Paige when she helped with the back door?" She turned back to Nikki.
"Alex is a very private person, and it has taken me a long time to gain her trust. You need to ask her your questions, not me. They are her stories to tell if she wishes them to be told." She looked out at Alex and smiled when she realized the anger had drained. "The anger you saw was directed at herself because she revealed too much, and hurt you all in the process. I would recommend taking it very slowly."
Paige watched as she began to toss the ball into the small net they'd strung up. The net was strung tight enough to bounce the ball back towards the person that threw it, allowing her to warm up and pitch by herself. She watched as she caught the ball barehanded and threw it again, getting a feel for the netting. She stood, pulled a couple of gloves from the chest at the end of the porch and headed down the steps.
"You better mind your tongue young lady."
"Yes, Momma."
Lexi watched as Paige walked up and silently handed one of the gloves to Alex. Soon the two were tossing the ball back and forth in silence.
Paige caught the ball Alex lobbed, tossing it back, and could feel the muscles in her shoulder begin to loosen. She watched as Alex caught the ball and took a step back before tossing it back. "You sure do have a way with words." Alex raised one eyebrow as the corner of her mouth followed suit. "I never knew curse words could sound like that. Mom even thought they were pretty." She nearly dropped the ball when Alex laughed, and waited for her to regain her composure.
Lexi's breath caught in her throat when she heard Alex laugh for the first time. It reminded her so much of the beloved sister she'd lost so long ago. She looked up at the squeak of the screen door to see her siblings trailing out one after the other. They each had a tear in their eye at the sound so familiar, and so long missing from their lives. They each pulled up a chair and watched as Paige and softball worked their magic.
"What's your best pitch?" Alex asked as she took another step back and threw the ball.
"I've got a couple of really good off speed pitches, but need help with my fastball. It's just average." She walked up to her. "Wanna see?" She pointed over at a strange wooden contraption beside the pitching net. "We've always got a catcher here." She quickly set up while Alex watched. After a moment, she realized the design and purpose of the wooden box was to be the catcher. It was approximately the size of an adult squatting behind the plate, with an adjustable hole representing the strike zone, and a burlap sack that funneled the pitched balls back down into a bucket.
"That's genius."
"Yeah, it's helped me out a bunch. Dad built it for me before he died." She hauled a bucket full of balls over to the pitching circle, and began to throw one pitch after another into the burlap sack. When she stopped, Alex walked over and began to walk her through every pitch, and what
