Gary had tore down camp and packed everything into the RV trailer he brought with him, was ready to go by oh nine hundred and was waiting for Lizzy to arrive and give him a briefing for the next mission. He really did respect what Lizzy was doing for the man she loved, and was happy to help out. Hayden really did make a difference in many people’s lives and even after his passing through the list, he continued to do so. Gary tossed Hermy into the front passenger seat, and continued to wait until he finally saw Lizzy’s minivan pull into the camp site. As she came to a stop, Gary who was dressed in black jeans and a white t-shirt raised his hands up hoping to get the intel that kept him awake half the night. “So where are we going?”
“East.” Lizzy playfully teased.
Gary knew this wasn’t going to be easy. “Can you at least tell me how you found out what the last park meant?”
“I got the information from a valuable source, someone who knew both Hayden and baseball like the back of his hand.” Lizzy answered.
“You mean his father.” Gary guessed.
“How did you know?” Lizzy answered.
“He used to be my softball coach.” Gary called back. “And you’re right, that man really does know a lot about baseball. How did he know about the last park?”
“Hayden told him,” She answered, “kind of.”
It was the same night Lizzy had asked Mr. Sheppard to have a catch. They had been tossing the ball for twenty minutes after they had their moment, and she thought that was a safe buffer to ask him about the next baseball related item on the list. She caught the ball and paused for a moment. “I need to ask you something else about Hayden.”
“I’ll do what I can to help. What is it about?”
"I think it’s about baseball.” Lizzy honestly answered. She was aware that the twenty-first item on the list was game related, and she thought it would be best to ask Mr. Sheppard about it to confirm or deny it. If it was something about baseball, he would know and be able to solve the whole mystery surrounding the last ballpark. Mr. Sheppard was like a baseball encyclopaedia when it came to the national pastime, and if anyone would know something about baseball concerning Hayden, it would be his father.
“All right then.” Mr. Sheppard said as he walked over and sat down at the picnic table in the corner of the backyard. “Fire away.”
“There is an item of the list I think might have to do with baseball. It says something about seeing a game at the last ball park.” Lizzy paused to give Mr. Sheppard a moment to digest what she had said. “I have no idea what that means. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?”
“I have more than a suggestion, he replied, “I know exactly what that means.”
“Is it baseball related?” she quickly asked.
"Oh yes. It is baseball related.” Mr. Sheppard confirmed as he stood up. “Take a seat. I’ll be back in a moment. I need to get something from my study.” She sat down at the table and waited close to ten minutes before Mr. Sheppard came back with a shoe box. He set it down on the table and then sat down himself. “In this box are letters.”
“From Hayden?” Lizzy asked.
“Yes, every one of them.” Mr. Sheppard confirmed as he opened the box and took them out. “There are twenty-nine letters in there, each from a different park.”
“Baseball parks?” Lizzy asked, visibly excited.
“That’s right, every professional park in the country. After he graduated from high school, he took the money that I had been saving in his college fund and took a tour across the country with one of his best friends. Their goal was to see one game in every baseball park in the nation. Each time he saw a game he would take a picture of him at the park and mail it to me with a small message about what they did in that particular city.” Mr. Sheppard pulled out one of the letters, “This one was from the game he saw in San Francisco. He also got a chance to tour Alcatraz as well as see Barry Bonds hit one of his record breaking homeruns that season.”
Lizzy was looking through the stack and looked back at Mr. Sheppard. “There are thirty teams in major league baseball, right?”
“That is correct.” Mr. Sheppard confirmed.
“So if you only have twenty-nine letters,” Lizzy continued, “that means he didn’t make to every park.”
“That’s also correct. That is the answer to your mystery.” He stood up and walked over to give her a kiss on her forehead. “You can keep those. Read them all and enjoy the details of his trip. When you find out which one of them is missing, you’ll know where the last ball park is.”
Gary could hardly contain himself. “So you looked through every letter?”
“Yes, I did.” Lizzy confirmed.
“So which ballpark was missing?” Garry asked.
“Boston.” Lizzy answered.
“Boston?” Gary repeated as he was in complete shock. “As in Fenway Park?”
“That would be the one.” Lizzy confirmed, “The last ballpark.”
“Of all the parks to miss out on, that’s the best one!” Gary called out.
“Well, it turns out they were saving the best for last. Unfortunately for them, that weekend that he and his friend arrived to catch a game, the city had one of their worst storms of the year. The last two games that weekend were rained out and made up at the other team’s park later that season. Hayden’s road buddy had to start college and they never had a chance to go back and finish up their trip to visit every stadium. So in order to take care of this task, we need to go to Boston to catch a game at the last ballpark.”
“This is awesome!” Gary roared with glee as he pumped a fist. “I’ve always wanted to see a game there. I’m not a huge Red Sox fan, but that park is like the Vatican of baseball. Anyone who claims to be a baseball fan has to visit this park at least once in their lifetime.”
“I know,” Lizzy agreed, “Which is why I’m a little excited about it as well.”
“So when is the next game?” Gary asked.
"I already looked it up online.” Lizzy replied as she pulled out a notebook and flipped it open. According to their schedule, the next game is Friday night but that one was sold out. I got tickets for the next day, Saturday afternoon. That’s three days from now against the Devil Rays of Tampa Bay.”
“That should be great.” Gary admitted, “But they’re just called the Rays now.”
“Oh, okay.” Lizzy said as she scribbled out the first word, “So we have a few days to get there and hang out before the game starts.”
“Well we already have an RV.” Gary said as he displayed his trailer that was hooked up to a pretty hefty truck. “I think we should find a location near the park that allows people to camp out near the game.
“I was thinking that too.” Lizzy said as she flipped to another page, “there’s a camping site just 50 miles outside of Boston. I already took the liberty to call up and book a spot for you. We can camp out overnight and the just shoot into the city during the day without having to worry about our stuff.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Gary said, “Is there anything else I should be aware of that you might have already taken care of?”
“Well, I called ahead and booked our tickets for the game.” She confessed. “I just wanted to make sure that was out of the way and we didn’t have to rush in to get them. We can pick them up at the booth before the game starts.”
"Okay, so there’s no hurry to get in.” Gary said as he fold his arms and thought about it, “This means if we get in early, we have time to see some sites. Take a tour of the city.”
Lizzy didn’t want to the city alone, but now that she had company, the idea was a little more passable. “Why not.”
They took both vehicles and Gary followed Lizzy’s van cause he wanted to match her speed and let her go at a pace that was comfortable with her. It only took them a day and half of straight driving with one seven hour break to sleep to get to the city of their desire. Before they got any closer, they went to the campsite outsi
de town where Lizzy had booked them a spot, and settled in. Only took Gary forty minutes to set up the trailer, secure it and have it all ready for them. He even took the time to set up what was a very impressive looking military like tent beside the trailer. “There.” he said out loud as he stood up. “Camp is all set.”
“What is the tent for?” Lizzy asked.
"It’s where I’ll be sleeping. You can have the trailer.” Lizzy looked like she was going to protest, but Gary raised his hand to interrupt, “I’m the soldier here. That means I’m used to sleeping on the ground. I’m actually more comfortable in here than in the trailer. You’ve also spent enough for the tickets and what not, so it’s the least I can do. You’re not going to enjoy the game with a sore back, are you?”
“I guess not.” Lizzy admitted, and it saved her from having to book a hotel and camp site. She really had more than enough money, but it was a sweet gesture. She hadn’t been camping in forever so the idea of spending a few nights at this came with Gary seemed like an interesting idea. She was also very flattered that he was polite enough to let her take the trailer. He was being a gentleman, which was out of character for a man with his reputation for being mean and controlling. But she knew the real Gary: the guy who would risk his own life to save another in need of help and the kind of man who valued his teddy bear not as a toy but as the last symbolic gift given to him by his late grandmother. She saw him in a different way their first encounter, which led Lizzy to believe the man she saw screaming and punching David in the gut was an act that was used to motivate soldiers to being the best they could be for Uncle Sam in the fastest time possible. It was an act that was long gone, as she got to see the real Gary away from the camp, someone that was far more interesting to speak with and get to know.
A few hours after settling in and finishing camp, they took Lizzy’s van to the city and decided to spend the rest of the day seeing the sites and popular tourist attractions. There were gardens, music halls and some fine restaurants to check out as well. Before she had a chance to pick one of the few that she had looked up online, it was Gary who surprised her with a suggestion for dinner. “I called a grunt who I trained that is from Boston, and asked him what he thought was the best place in town to get some quality grub. His intel was very valuable and I intend to use it to enhance our experience here in the city.”
He took her small and very cosy place that was family run and had a very personal atmosphere that Lizzy loved a great deal. She had never seen this place on any of the lists she looked at and was impressed that he would contact his own people to get the information he needed. She was sure the grunts all hated him for the hell he put them through for training them for weeks on end but she couldn’t be more wrong. Each grunt that graduated had nothing but the up most respect for their Sergeant Major and what he did for them. A phone call was all Gary had to do and anything he wanted, within reason of course, was his. It was something he didn’t abuse often, but gathering intel seemed like a very small request and the corporal was more than willing to help him out with inside info from someone who had lived in Boston all his life.
She sat quietly and looked at the menu. “Do you recommend anything?”
“I was told the pasta is amazing.” Gary answered. “But believe it or not, I like to ask the staff what they like.”
“Why is that?” Lizzy asked, already aware of the answer.
“They work here.” Gary simply answered, “Who else would know what is the best or worst than the people who serve it everyday. They’re the ones who accept the compliments to the chef, and they’re the ones who have to carry it back if it sucks. They know everything, and they are the prefect people to talk to if you want real intel about the menu.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me.” Lizzy said with a smile.
“Why is that?” Gary asked as he was very confused.
“That’s what I do.” Lizzy answered. “I’m a waitress. Or at least I was before I took this crazy trip.”
When the waiter finally arrived, Gary did just as he said he was going to do and asked for what he thought was best. Lizzy and Gary then ordered based on that recommendation and enjoyed a fine meal together that night. After their day of sightseeing was through, they went back to their camp and settled in for the night. Gary was getting ready to crash in the tent for the night and walked up to the camper. “I’m all set for the night, was just checking to make sure you were all right before I hit the hay.”
“I’m fine.” Lizzy paused for a moment, “But could you pass him into the camper for me?” she softly asked and pointed towards the lawn chair by the tent.
“Are you sure he needs to shelter up in the trailer?” Gary said as he picked Hermy up off the chair, “I don’t anticipate any rain.”
“Well, I need something to cuddle with.” Lizzy answered, “And I’ve know him a little longer than I’ve known you.”
Gary chuckled as he handed her the bear. “Good night.” He said with a grin and went to his tent.
Night passed as fast as everyone hoped it would, and it was suddenly the big day: game day. The Red Sox game against the Rays was that night and both Lizzy and Gary were rather quiet throughout the day until it was time to go. Just after lunch, they packed up the van and went back to town. When they arrived and finally found a place to park, the area was swarming with red and black. Fans were funnelling into the park to watch the game and Lizzy was getting more and more excited as they got closer to what was a cathedral of all sports. They went up to the ticket booth to pick up their prepaid tickets, and she handed a ticket over to Gary with a cute smirk on her face. “Here you go, Mr. Smith.”
“Thank you.” Gary took his seat and analyzed it for a moment. “We’re in the bleachers?”
“I asked her for the best available.” Lizzy answered. “Everything else was sold.”
“Well, it’s at least a seat.” Garry conceded, “Beats standing up in the terrace.”
They both made their way to their seats in the bleachers and it was sight to behold. Despite not being anywhere the best seats in the house, Lizzy was sure that almost every seat in this park was a good seat because it was hard to find an area of the stadium that didn’t have their own unique view of the field that made any game a joy to watch. Gary and her were seated in section 39 which was in between right and center field and had an amazing view of both bullpens where relief pitchers would warm up before going to the mound. Gary’s comments about the part were spot on: the park was everything he said it would be. She had heard of the stadium and its distinctive features, but Lizzy never could really appreciate them until she was there in person to see them herself. Something a real fan of baseball had to do at least once in their lifetime. Something Hayden wanted to do and he and his travelling buddy made this the last park for a reason, they had been saving the best for last. It was not meant to be that summer but she was there, taking it all in and enjoy a game on behalf of Hayden and his quest to see very ball park in the country. Lizzy was in her seat, excited and waiting for the first pitch. Gary had excused himself to go get a beer, but when he came back it was with an arm full of merchandise that he purchased from one of many gift areas located in the park.
“Here.” He said as he passed her a hat, “I think this will look good you.”
She took the hat from him and it was a red hat with a black B in the middle of it. It was a hat for the Sox and the fans sitting around them all agreed it looked good on her. Gary had a had of his own and a t-shirt that he put on when he was off getting something to drink. She looked back at him, “I didn’t realize I was a Sox fan.”
“Well I’m not, but I’m not a Rays fan either.” Gary confessed, “My Dad always told me that if you are in a stadium and you don’t really care for either team, you always root for the home team by default.”
“Well I guess that means we’re rooting for Boston.” Lizzy conceded.
“That’s right so take your beer and your fo
am finger and root your heart out.” Gary said as he passed her more stuff.
The game was everything she hoped it was going to be. The score changed several times as each team took a turn taking the lead and then giving it back later that inning. There were a few homeruns in that night, but none of them managed to come anywhere near where they were sitting. Lizzy could tell Gary was having a great time, and she was glad that he was there to share it with him. When it was all said and done, the Sox had prevailed and taken the game. All the fans left the last ballpark happy and satisfied with the result. As they were driving back to the campsite, Gary who was in the passenger seat since he had one too many beers was eager to move on to the next mission. “We have time for that.” Lizzy replied. “We don’t even have to leave the camp ground to finish it.”
“Well that’s a relief.” Gary said as he slouched into the passenger seat and seemed like he was ready to doze off. “Doesn’t it have something to do with a book?”
“Yes, it does.” Lizzy confirmed.
“Well, we’ll take care of that in the morning.” Gary said before falling asleep.
Lizzy laughed and kept going to the site, which she shortly reached. Rather than try to pull the big marine to his tent, Lizzy chose to instead grab a blanket, recline the seat and let him sleep in the van for the rest of the night. She cracked the windows and closed the door and kissed her hand and pressed it to the window before retiring to the camper for the night. While the next task wasn’t going to be as exciting as the one she just finished, it was nice to have company for each one. She never liked the idea of doing any of them alone and was happy that some people were willing to help her out for similar reasons. She felt blessed to have those people like Gary, Gale and Anna to help her out. Even David as controlling as he was turned out to be very helpful, even though he would blow a gasket if he knew who she was hanging around with. She laughed at the thought before retiring to the camper and sleeping with her new favourite teddy bear.