“I mean, I don’t think they’d let me put him in eighth grade or anything. He’s ahead in reading and behind in math. I have to decide if I’m putting him in third grade with the rest of the eight-year-olds or in second so he can catch up.”
Ty was quiet for a second and then climbed down to Ollie’s row. “Okay. And?”
“And I don’t know what to do.” Ollie held up his left hand, palm up. “On this side, I don’t ever want to be responsible for holding my kid back. I don’t ever want him to feel like his dad doesn’t believe in him.” He flipped over his other hand. “And on this hand, I don’t want him to get bullied for being small or not being good at math. I don’t want him to struggle. And I don’t want him to feel like there’s shame in needing more time to learn.”
“Wow.” Ty whistled under his breath. “That’s a lot to consider. What does his mom think?”
“Ah,” Ollie hedged, “she’s not really around.”
“Where is she?”
The answer slipped out before Ollie could stop it. “Arlington.”
Ty’s eyes went wide and the color drained from his face. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. That was so insensitive.”
“It’s okay,” Ollie assured him quickly. “I could’ve been more forthcoming, I can see how that would’ve led to follow-up questions. Uh, but yeah. She passed four months ago. That’s when I got custody. I mean, we were never together, but Theo knew I was his dad. It’s just that whenI was deployed, I didn’t really have to be afather. Allison said he didn’t need more than one parent. We just got to do the fun stuff. And now….”
“Now you get to be good cop, bad cop,” Ty finished. “Why don’t you ask Theo what he wants?”
“I could.” Ollie had considered it. “But what if he tells me and I suddenly realize it’s not what’s best for him? I’d feel like a dick and he’d probably hate me.”
“I guess that’s a fair point.” They sat in silence for a few seconds. Then Ty said, “Okay, feel free to tell me to shut up, because it’s not like I have any parenting experience to draw on. But I’ve met your kid, remember? Not that I had all my faculties at the time, but he had no qualms peppering a total stranger with questions over breakfast while you were there. Speaking as someone who lost their mom as a kid, you’re doing a great job. Whatever you decide, Theo will be fine because he has a great dad.”
Ollie’s throat went tight. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know you’re the kind of dad who’s agonizing over the right thing to do for his kid to a total stranger. That counts for a lot.”
Now he couldn’t help but smile, but he also needed to deflect. Ollie had never gotten the hang of gracefully accepting compliments. “Total stranger, huh? I’ve seen you mostly naked.”
Ty’s laugh was a loud, surprised sound that echoed in the stands around them. “Remind me not to tell you about my misspent youth.”
“I’m absolutely not going to do that.” Something told Ollie those stories would be hilarious. “Anyway. You know about me now. What were you thinking about so loud you didn’t hear me coming? If you want to talk about it, that is.”
“Just reevaluating some stuff from my childhood.” He shook his head. “Turns outmydad was an even bigger asshole than I thought. Good times.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ty smiled again, though it was a little wistful. “It’s kind of nice, actually. My dad being more of an asshole means other people weren’t when I thought they were. Hence the reevaluating.”
Ollie didn’t follow all that, but he nodded anyway. “I guess.”
In the distance, a bell rang. Ollie watched his own instinctive reaction play out on Ty’s frame as his spine straightened and his feet twitched like they were trying to stand up without input from his brain.
Ty quirked his eyebrows. “Old habits die hard.” He got up. “I better go before Henry decides I’m too much of a flake to help the baseball team.”
Ollie glanced at his watch as though he didn’t know exactly what time the lunch bell rang. “I should go too. I have to tell the resource teacher to put Theo in third grade where he belongs. And then I have to look at apartments while he has his first day of school.”
They walked back toward the school together. For the first time since Allison died, Ollie felt like he might actually have a handle on this parenting thing.
WHATEVER TYexpected from his first baseball practice, this was not it.
“Coach,” Ty said seriously. They were standing in the dugout to watch the boys warm up—well out of earshot of any potentially sensitive listeners.
“Mm-hmm,” Henry answered.
“That kid doesn’t know how to hold a bat.”
“Yeah.”
