Her cute little nose wrinkled.“You’ll only be talking about baseball.Like always.”
“Maybe we’ll talk about you.I’ll ask embarrassing questions about what you were like as a little girl.Your dad will tell me cute stories of baby Mercedes and all the adorable stuff you used to do.Then, I can come home and tease you all about it.”He had to give her a hard time or she’d question his sanity.“For days and weeks, I can tease you.It’ll be so much fun.Never-ending fun.”
Her eyes narrowed at him.“Don’t even think about it, pal, because I’ll have a chat with your mom and sisters.I know they’d love to dish out dirt on little baby Evan and what he was like.”
She was right.His sisters, especially, would love nothing more than to embarrass him and tell silly stories.Glaring at her, he signed, “Fine.We won’t talk about you too much.Only if your dad brings it up.”
Mercedes glanced out the window, her head cocked.He followed suit.Her dad’s car had pulled in behind his truck.Evan trotted into his bedroom to make sure he had everything he needed.He didn’t want to keep Pierre waiting.
The man was hugging his daughter when Evan entered the living room.Hoping he was clear, he voiced, “Thanks so much for asking me to go with you today.”
Pierre paused and looked skyward.Then, he signed, “Happy to be with you.”
The wording wasn’t perfect, but Evan understood what he meant.“I’m ready to go if you are.It’ll take us a few minutes to get to the T Station.”
“Enjoy yourselves,” Mercedes said.“Don’t get in too much trouble.”
Evan made a face at Pierre.“She’s no fun.”
“That’s why I asked you to go,” Pierre teased.
The walk to the train station was quiet.While they waited for the commuter rail, Pierre pulled out his phone and showed him the map for the Mass Transit System.“Is this right?”
Evan loved that Pierre always faced him and spoke clearly.It was fairly easy to read his lips.Unlike with some people who didn’t even turn their heads toward him.At least Pierre made an effort.
Pierre spoke into his phone, and a text popped up on Evan’s screen.
—My son, Jonas, showed me how to do voice to text so I don’t have to type everything.I’m such a slow typer on the phone.My fingers are too fat.—
Evan laughed and responded.—From all the texting I do, I’ve got thumbs like lightning.—
When the commuter rail arrived, they got on and took seats as close to the door as they could get.
“Only ten minutes to North Station.Pay attention.”Evan realized too late how it might have sounded, like he was ordering Pierre to be the lookout.
Pierre winked and saluted.“North Station.I’ll make sure to listen.”
The trip was awkward, and they couldn’t really do much texting with so many people on the train.It was always like this on a game day.Luckily, the trip to North Station was a short one.Evan kept his eyes open and out the window to make sure they didn’t miss their stop.
Pierre cocked his head, and Evan realized he must have heard the announcement for North Station.When the man faced him, Evan gave a thumbs up.“We’re the next stop.”
North Station was a mass of people, many of them headed toward the Green Line.
“Taking the Green Line,” Evan said, hoping the surrounding noise didn’t drown him out.He had no idea what the station sounded like, but he’d been told it was loud at times.
This time, Pierre gave the thumbs up.As they moved through the crowd, they made sure to stay close.As expected, the Green Line was packed.With very little parking in Boston, many people parked in the surrounding cities and took mass transit in.
Once on the subway, Evan said, “Off at Kenmore, then walk to Fenway.”
Pierre only responded, “Good.”It was too crowded to have any kind of conversation, text or otherwise.
Once they left the T, the crowds got even bigger so conversation was impossible.For them, not for others, Evan noticed.So many people gabbed to friends.There were times he wondered what it would be like to hear this sound.However, when Carli got her cochlear implants, she’d said big crowds were the worst, and she often just tucked the devices away in her purse.
Pierre had the tickets out and ready when they got in the queue at Fenway.
“Where are the seats?”Evan hadn’t asked where they were sitting.He assumed it was the bleachers, where he always sat when he came to a game.However, once inside the park, Pierre led him in a different direction.
Pierre showed him the tickets, and Evan’s mouth dropped open.
