“Of course, baby girl. Come on down to my office.”
She would have thanked him, but he’d already hung up. She gathered Lola’s file and headed out of her office. It was a little smaller than her uncle’s and grandpa’s offices, which were just down the hall, but so much nicer than the closet-like space she’d worked out of at Anderson.
She entered her grandpa’s office and found him sitting behind his large desk, already on the phone with someone else. He motioned for her to take a seat, so she sat down and made herself comfortable in the cushy leather chair while she waited for him.
When he finished the call, he gave her his full attention. “So, what do you need help with, baby?”
“Pa, I feel like I’ve hit a wall with Lola’s case. I don’t know who else to reach out to. I spoke with that Cuban organization, Caritas, that works with the Catholic Church. I’ve talked to the embassy. I’ve pushed everywhere I can think of. Can you think of anything or anyone else I could reach out to?
Pa looked at her thoughtfully. “Have you considered trying to getJavierguardianship instead of his mother? You could use his celebrity status.”
She had thought about it, but she’d discarded that idea. “I’m not sure if he would be okay with that, and I don’t know how far of a reach that would have. I mean, this is his first year in the majors. Do you really think that might help push the case?”
Her grandpa shrugged. “I don’t think it would hurt. You’re also thinking of Javi as you know him. You need to consider where Javi is from. He was born in Miami. His father’s family is still there, and the population of Miami is largely Cuban. He played college ball at the University of Miami and he played for a Florida minor league team. It may not seem like big news here, but I think you could definitely get coverage for the Miami area, and possibly national attention. People get very involved in child welfare cases, and public opinion could push the government.”
He paused for a minute and rubbed his temple. “You’re probably not aware, because you’re not old like me, but somewhere around the late nineties or early 2000s—I don’t remember the exact year—but there was a little Cuban boy who captivated the world. His mother had escaped Cuba with himand some other refugees. Somewhere along the way, their boat sank. His mother drowned and the boy was found by fishermen who turned him over to the Coast Guard. His mother had family in Miami and temporary custody was granted to them, but the boy’s father wanted him returned to Cuba. It became an international custody dispute. The story stayed in the news, and the world fought over returning the boy to his father in Communist Cuba or allowing him to live the life his mother had tried to give him in the United States. Eventually, that little boy was returned to his father in Cuba. The circumstances are not the same with Javi’s cousin, but I think you can find the same public support if he voices the matter. I tell you all this because it’s possible that officials or lawmakers in Miami might be able to help us. Some may still have connections back home in Cuba.”
Camdyn knew her grandpa was right. She’d been discounting Javi’s celebrity status, but it could be incredibly useful.
Her grandpa continued, “The case of that little boy was more than twenty years ago, and the things you could do now with social media are so much greater than what could be done then with the media.”
Camdyn nodded. “Pa, you’re a genius. I’m sure that Javi has social media platforms that already have a decent following. It’s probably a great place to put the story out. If he’s agreeable, I could probably talk with his agent and see if we couldn’t line up some interviews. I know I could talk to the local channels and get them to run the story, but I’ll reach out and see if I can’t get this on a grander scale.”
“That’s my girl,” said Pa. “We don’t give up on our fights. When we come up against a wall, we find some way to scale it, divert it, or dig under it, but we do not let challenges stop us. This may take a lot of time, but I feel that we have a very decent chance of getting guardianship of Lola.”
Camdyn stood from her chair and smoothed down her skirt, then she walked around her grandpa’s desk. She kissed his cheek and gave him a hug. “Thank you for the guidance.”
He looked at her with such pride. “Anytime. You know that, baby girl. I’m always here to help.”
Cam nodded then headed back to her office. Once she was behind her desk, she placed a call to Javi.
He didn’t answer with a greeting, instead he asked, “Missing me already, Cami?”
She laughed at his playfulness but cut straight to the matter she was calling about.
“How do you feel about us trying to get the guardianship in your name, instead of your mother? We could use your celebrity status to help us push for Lola.”
“I’m no celebrity, but if you think it would help, I don’t mind doing some interviews or something. But we should probably make sure the Mother Superior and Lola are okay with it.”
“I’ll get in touch with them. If they’re agreeable, I’m gonna make a plan. We will also need to discuss this with your agent and the team’s public relations person. I talked this over with Pa and he thinks it could be helpful. I don’t see it hurting the situation.”
“I can call my agent when we hang up. What do you have in mind?”
“We will start with you releasing a statement on your social media channels. If your agent, the team, or the league could share, that would be huge. I’m also going to reach out to some news syndicates and podcasters to see if we can get you interviewed. Since Miami has such a large Cuban American population, I think it would be beneficial for you to be on their local news, too. Do you know anyone there that could help arrange that?”
“I’m not sure about the local news channels, but I know someone at ESPN Deportes.”
“Perfect. I may see if I can find a newspaper or magazine that’s willing to run the story, too.”
“Sounds good. Let’s both make our calls, and I’ll call you back in an hour.”
After they ended their call, Cam leaned back in her desk chair. She felt lighter. She liked having a plan. She liked feeling like her back wasn’t against a wall. She had something to do. After all, there was an orphaned little girl sitting in Cuba with no family, and she was counting on Camdyn, who desperately wanted to see her reunited with her family.
CHAPTER 16
A man should always hold something in reserve, a surprise to spring when things get tight.
–Pitching in a Pinchby Christy “Matty” Mathewson, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, 1936
