I’m handed a mic as I settle into the spot that has been my home for many years. Where I’ve made my career and lost some hard games.
From the pitcher’s mound, I’m able to see it all.
My team, the crowd, my family.
My Isabella.
And there’s not a dry eye in the place.
I lift my wrist, making a point to jiggle it slightly, then kiss the friendship bracelet Anna made for us. Then quickly make a mental note to have a platinum and diamond one made for my girls and myself.
I guess Ace’s jewelry habits are starting to rub off on me.
I clear my throat and welcome everyone to the event.
Then I ask for a round of applause for our performers, especially Marc, for agreeing to fly up and do this for us last minute.
And halfway through my speech, I realize that, once again, there is so much more that I can do, that I can say. So I forget the lines that I practiced with Isa into the late hours, and I speak from the heart.
“You know, I haven’t always had the best connection to my roots.” The crowd’s rowdy cheers softly subside as they hear the change in my tone. “There were moments where it was tough, trying to figure out who I was as a man, as an athlete. As someone who is Puerto Rican, but not born on the island.” I falter for a moment. “Sometimes, I felt like I had let my people down by not knowing or being able to relate to the lived experiences of those who grew up in Puerto Rico. Felt even worse when I struggled with not being able to speak Spanish.And I know I’m not the only one out there who has probably felt a little disconnected with their homeland.” I look up into the stands and see an array of nods and mouthedyeses.
“Although in my own small ways, I’ve kept a tight hold on my love for the island.” I pause as I get ready to reveal something I’ve kept to myself all of these years. “Early on in my career, I was asked to pick a jersey number. Many pick a year or a specific number that means something to them. I picked number thirty-five. Because Puerto Rico is one hundred miles long and thirty-five miles wide. An island so small that, in theory, shouldn’t make such a big impact on the world. Yet here we are.” I smile as the cheers threaten to overwhelm me.
“But recently, someone very special to me made me realize something. Something that I will never forget.” I clear my throat as I prepare to say the first Spanish words I’ve ever spoken in front of the media. I take a moment to breathe, because I want this shit quoted correctly. “Yo soy Boricua aunque naciera en la luna.”
The crowd goes wild.
Torres looks unhinged, probably yelling some amped-up profanities, making it impossible for poor Daisy to use in her hot mic’d segment. But what snags my attention is the suite housing some of the most important people in my life.
I can see my mother fully sobbing into Isabella’s mother’s shoulder. I spot Isabella carrying Anna in her arms and waving their friendship bracelets in the air, pointed at me.
She mouths something to me, and it might be my wishful thinking, but I’m pretty sure it’s anI love you.
I don’t chance not saying it back. Even if I’m wrong, she’s going to have to get used to me saying it. So I look right at her as I speak into the microphone. “I love you, tesoro.”
forty-three
I saidI love youfirst.
Again, I have no regrets.
forty-four
The game is wrappedup, and I take a quick shower before changing into a maroon Monarchs button-down and black dress pants.
I barely toweled my hair long enough to dry. I’m too eager to see Isabella.
The event is officially over, but there is an after party in one of the stadium’s function spaces for the biggest donors and high-profile attendees, along with the team and their families.
I saw my mother and Anna as soon as the game was over, since they were allowed in the dugout to greet me. My mother could barely keep it together long enough to tell me how proud she is of me. And I made sure she knew that the feeling was mutual.
She then stated that she was taking Anna to her apartment because the game ran later than expected and she didn’t want Isa and me to miss out on the party.
With my mother and daughter safely tucked away, I’m a man on a mission.
I make it to the massive party room, one with a curved glass wall overlooking the stadium, and scan the crowd.
I spot her immediately—on the dance floor with her friends.
