Benny walked with Ham and Smalls, a baseball in one hand and his bat resting on his shoulder. They were a little late to the sandlot because Ham claimed his shirt didn’t match his jeans and had to change three times, Benny thought it was ridiculous.

Baseball was Benny’s life he would play sun, rain, tidal wave, whenever he could. The other guys, DeNunez, Ham, Scotty, Yeah-Yeah, Squints, Bertram, Timmy, and Tommy always teased him saying Benny would marry a baseball. Benny didn’t listen to their words, he had his eyes and heart set on baseball, the game was his life and absolutely nothing would change that.

Then something changed that.

“Who moved in?” Benny asked, the house he had stopped in front of was sunshine yellow and the yard was already a mess there was a neat garden, and a bunch of toys scattered about.

What stuck out to Benny wasn’t the items in the yard or the two little kids chasing a goat of all things, no, what caught his attention was the kid sitting on the front steps, looking bored out of their mind. For a second, somehow, Benny forgot about baseball. For the first time since he learned what baseball was Benny had completely forgotten about playing at the sandlot.