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"Run!" Diane screa her white ball cap with the blue bill off her head, waving it in a big circle, side-skipping toward first base "Run, run, run, run!"

Taylor dropped the bat and took off, running away fros could take hi up and dohen he realized he’d gotten there before the ball

Diane ju hih-five Taylor beamed like it was the best day of his life Diane reset, clapping as she jogged back toward the next batter Thoout, and she set it on the tee, telling Craig Porter to keep his eye on the ball and swing through It was our last out, the last inning, and ere two runs down Craig reared back, and as he swung, Diane leaned back, narrowly avoiding a bat to the face The ball bounced off the tee, not reaching halfway between hoo

"Run! Yes! Run, Craigers! Run your little heart out! Taylor, go!" she said when she realized her son hadn’t started running yet

Taylor took off, but the shortstop had picked up the ball and tossed it to second base Without thinking, Taylor hopped right over hi down his cap like he was the god of T-ball

"Yes! Those areat the two on base "Get ya so h it was just hi over to grab her knees She had a big wad of pink guot this Relax Stare at that ball and swing your little heart out" She clapped three ti a few steps back Tyler was our best batter

Tyler took a breath, wiggled his hips, and swung He hit the tee, and the ball bounced behind him He frowned, disappointed in himself

Diane patted his backside once "C’mon now, none of that Shake it off This is it This tiainst each of his little cleats He bent forward, got in position, and then swung, launching it past the pitcher’sbetween the second and third base, and the shortstop chased after it

"Go, go, go!" Diane said, waving her hat "Go to second!" When Taylor paused at third, she gestured hi, Craig, don’t stop! Go horabbed hi, who ran past hoht the ball from the shortstop, and then he hurled the ball to the catcher

"Book it, Maddox!" Diane barked

Tyler put into high gear and slid into home When the dust cleared, the umpire crossed his arms and then held the toward home, and the tea her, cheering and laughing The parents stood up, clapping for Diane’s Little Dodgers Diane yelped, and she fell over, hugging the boys and cackling as they piled on top of her

Once the celebration of winning their last tournaoodbye, I hugged s didn’t knohat hit ‘e an eyebrow "I told you they would underestiood, coach Great season"

"Thanks," she said, pecking my cheek She rubbed my whiskers with her knuckles "I hope you like the idea of me and a team of boys"

I chuckled, confused "What do youit over her shoulders "I’ open as she walked to the car I looked down at the twins "Really?"

"Really!" she yelled back She put her thu whistle "Load up!"

Thomas, Taylor, and Tyler took off after theirout the air I nodded once "Okay, then" The boys carried their bats and gloves, and I carried everything else, pulling down er’s ball cap "Let’s do this"

Trenton broke off fro to the podium for his turn It was our family’s third funeral in six weeks, and the purple under his eyes and his sagging shoulders told a story of sleepless nights and grief The paper crinkled as he unfolded the words he’d written down just days after I’d left hies, and dried tears

"Dad" He sighed "When I sat down to write this letter, I tried to think about the ood dad, and the hundreds of tihed or that just stuck out to me, but all I can think about … is that I’ toabout everything, and you always knew the right words to say--whether I was hurting or trying toone You never"--he shook his head and pressed his lips together, trying to hold in his tears--"judged us You accepted and loved us for ere, even e as hard to love And you were that way to everyone Our wives called you dad, and it was real to thelad to know that wherever you are, you’re together I’ stories about Mom I felt closer to her no matter how many years passed by because when you talked about her, you talked like she was still here I’ to s about you, Dad I couldn’t name them all But we’re all lucky that we had you for the time that we did Everyone who crossed your path was better for it, and they were forever changed And noe’ll be forever changed because you’re gone"

"Stay out of the street," Thoer brothers

The twins’ toy fire engines were flying four feet above the sidewalk two blocks fro into each other without spinning out of control into space Trenton’s tiny hand was inas he walked, even under corduroy pants and pajas He was bundled up like an Eskimo baby, his nose and cheeks red from the icy wind Thomas herded the twins back to the center of the sidewalk, shoving Taylor’s knit cap down over his ears