Mickey & Me by Dan Gutman Read Free Book Online Page B

Carey made a quick splint out of two Popsicle sticks supplied by some fans, and Tiby stayed in the game.
    The only bad thing that happened to the Chickswas that third baseman Doris Tetzlaff got called back to the dugout by the umpire and fined five dollars because she had forgotten to put lipstick on.

    Mickey taking a cut.
    When the inning was over, the Chicks had batted around and pushed six runs across the plate.
    â€œYou’re our good luck charm, sweetie pie!” Merle said as the Chicks piled into the dugout. Max Carey shot me a puzzled look and I just shrugged.
    â€œI didn’t do anything,” I said.
    â€œWell, keep not doing anything,” he replied. “Whatever you’re not doing, it’s working.”
    In the second inning, the Peaches put runners on second and third with two outs. But the runner on second was taking a very long lead, so Mickey calledfor a pitchout and picked her off.
    Chicks 6, Peaches 0.
    The innings went by and Connie Wisniewski was cruising. The Peaches were baffled by her pitches, which appeared to rise and curve at the same time.
    After each side was retired, there was some sort of promotion for the crowd. In the second inning, the Milwaukee Fire Department drove their new pumper out on the field, to the applause of the fans. In the third inning, there was a dog obedience demonstration. Two random fans were awarded a bag of groceries and an electric roaster in the fourth inning. Through it all, vendors circulated around the stands, selling not just hot dogs but also war bonds, to support the troops fighting overseas.
    By the fourth inning, the sun was gone and the lights—not nearly as bright as the outdoor lights I had seen in the twenty-first century—were turned on. Swarms of insects that had been buzzing around the field took turns flying suicide missions into the hot bulbs.
    The Peaches had squeezed out a couple of runs by that time, so the score was 6-2 when the Chicks came to bat in the bottom of the fourth. Mickey was swinging a bat in the on-deck circle.
    â€œLadies and gentlemen,” the public address announcer said, “an important news bulletin has just come over the wires from Europe.”
    Everyone in the ballpark—even the hot dog vendors—stopped what they were doing.
    â€œWe have just received word that the Allies have captured the city of Rome. I repeat, the capital of Italy has fallen to the Allies! On to Berlin and Tokyo!”
    A roar swept across the crowd. People were hugging each other and throwing their hats in the air.
    I didn’t know that much about World War II, but I did know we fought against Germany, Italy, and Japan. I knew that the war ended when we dropped atomic bombs on Japan. If Rome had been defeated and the D day invasion had begun, that meant we were winning the war.
    Everybody in the Chicks dugout was happy about the news. Then I noticed Mickey in the on-deck circle. She wasn’t swinging her bat back and forth anymore. She was just standing there, as if she was frozen.
    Then I remembered. Her husband was fighting in Italy. His rhyme had stuck in my head—“When the Allies take Rome, I’m coming home.” After being apart for two years, Mickey and her husband would finally be together again.
    One by one, the other Chicks noticed Mickey, standing like a statue in the on-deck circle. I waited for a big smile to break out across her face, but it didn’t come. She looked very serious, like she was deep in thought.
    â€œDidja hear that, Mick?” Tiby Eisen bubbled, running out of the dugout to give her a hug. “Tom’s coming home!”
    Mickey hugged Tiby for a few seconds. Then she spit and wiped her hands on her dress as she went up to home plate.
    â€œI heard it,” she said. “Let’s play ball.”
    The Chicks were silent, shooting puzzled looks and shrugged shoulders at each other.
    â€œWhat’s with her?” I asked Merle.
    â€œBeats