Under the high sun on the patio, Becky, Mary, and Mike lounged around the sturdy wooden picnic table by the grill. They had spent a good amount of time catching up on each other's lives and poking fun at how frazzled Dan looked, slaving over the grill to prepare the last of the food.
"All this time Becky was away, not once did you bother to bust out your barbecue skills to entertain your friends." Mike said, playfully ribbing Dan.
Becky joined in on the teasing, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Awww, did you just come out of barbecue retirement just for me? I feel so honored," she said with a grin.
Mary smiled affectionately at Becky. She found it endearing how easily Becky could get away with teasing Dan.
Dan wiped the sweat off his brow with a smile on his face, turning around to face his hecklers.
"Becky, instead of just being an armchair cook, why don't you come over here and help out? I can teach you a thing or two about cooking," he challenged with a smirk.
Mary and Mike both laughed. Mary playfully pushed Becky in Dan's direction, telling her that she probably could use a few cooking lessons. Becky pretended to be outraged, jokingly defending her culinary skills.
Eager to prove herself, Becky walked over to Dan and picked up the spare pair of tongs, clicking them in anticipation.
"Where do I start?" she asked.
Dan handed her a plate of sliced eggplant, zucchini, and pumpkin.
"Let's start with the basics," he said, taking a bottle of oil and lightly spraying the vegetables before adding a dash of seasoning. "Just a little oil to make it char better, and not too much seasoning - we don't want to overpower the natural taste," he explained.
Becky nodded, taking careful note of Dan's instructions.
"The pumpkin goes on first because it takes the longest to cook, then the eggplant and lastly the zucchini. Will you do the honors?"
Becky starts placing the pumpkin slices haphazardly on the grill, Dan instinctively steps in, using his tongs to line them up neatly in one direction.
"Try to line them all facing the same way, then after a few minutes, rotate and flip them in the same way to get perfect grill lines for presentation," he instructed.
Becky looks at Dan, her eyes full of admiration towards his attention to detail. After a short while, she places the eggplant onto the grill, spacing them out appropriately and oriented in the same direction.
"You're a quick learner," Dan praised her with a smile.
Becky beamed, feeling proud of herself for catching on so quickly.
"When do you think I'll be ready for you to teach me your brisket?" she asked excitedly.
Dan chuckled, shaking his head.
"It's not something I can teach you," he said.
Becky looked disappointed, wondering why she couldn't learn the art of Dan's famous brisket.
"The only way to learn is to watch me do it," Dan explained. "That's how I learned from my dad."
As Dan and Becky continued to converse, Mary leaned over to Mike.
"Isn't Dan and Becky the cutest thing when they work together like this?" Mary whispered.
Mike looked over to Dan and Becky, watching their easy interactions and constant exchange of smiles. He couldn't help but agree, seeing the happiness they brought to each other in that simple moment.
As Becky smoothly took over the grill, Dan's lingering tension began to dissipate. He reached for his first beer, finally feeling the weight on his shoulders lighten. Suddenly, the tranquility was disrupted as Ted and Paul burst through the back doors, their steps brimming with eagerness.
Dan placed his beer down and turned to face the two men.
"What's the rush? The food isn't quite ready yet. It just needs another ten minutes or so. Becky's got it all under control."
But Ted seemed too excited to pay much attention to Dan's words. He approached Dan, an eager glint in his eyes.
"Dan, we're gonna have a baseball showdown!" he declared, enthusiasm dripping from every word. "I need you to get your bat, ball, and mitt. You're gonna be my catcher for this duel."
Dan looked at Ted with a mix of confusion and amusement. "A baseball showdown? Right now?" he asked, glancing at Becky, who had turned around from the grill to hear what was going on.
"Yeah." Ted replied, still buzzing with excitement. "Your dad thinks he can hit one of my pitches, and I'm gonna prove him wrong."
"All right, I'm intrigued. What are you two wagering on this?"
Ted's eyes shone with determination as he clarified, "If your dad emerges victorious, I'll offer him a genuine apology for hitting him with a fastball thirty years ago."
"Dad! Just apologize to Paul already and stop acting like a child," amused by the outrageous situation, she smiled while gently scolding him.
"Hold on a minute. Let's hear this out," he said, turning to Paul. "What's your wager, Dad?"
Paul grinned, a sense of unfamiliar spirit starting to envelop him, "Ted can nominate whatever he wants if he wins," he replied confidently.
Ted thought for a moment, looking around for an idea, until suddenly, it struck him.
"How about this," he said with a smirk. "You, Paul, have to drink nothing but beer for a year. No wines, no whiskeys, no fancy schmancy cocktails either. Nothing but beer."
Paul didn't hesitate for a second.
"Deal," he replied firmly.
As the remaining parents congregated on the patio, encircling Ted and Paul, Mary's worried expression caught everyone's attention when she finally voiced her concern.
"Dad, you're not young anymore. You're going to hurt yourself!" she warned.
"There's still time to back out if you want, Paul." Ted suggested.
"Not on your life." Paul retorted with a grin.
Excitement filled the air as Dan, with the enthusiasm of a boxing promoter, clapped his hands together and laid out the rules.
"Gentleman, here are the rules," he announced. "Dad gets three strikes, just like regular baseball. I'll be acting as the umpire. Dad wins if he can hit a single base run, I'll be the adjudicator of that. On the other hand, Ted wins if he can get a strikeout or catch Dad's hit. Agreed?"
Dan looked at Paul and Ted, seeking their agreement to his terms. The two men locked eyes, their determination burning fiercely. They nodded in unison.
"Shake on it, gentlemen," Dan urged.
Paul and Ted shook hands, their grips firm, animosity lingering beneath the surface. As Dan rushed back into the house to fetch the baseball gear, Becky took the cooked food off the grill and joined her mother, both of them eagerly anticipating Ted and Paul's showdown.
On the grass, Paul and Ted prepared themselves, doing comically exaggerated stretches and flexes to psych each other out.
When Dan returned, he handed a mitt and baseball to Ted and a bat to Paul. He paced out the distance of about sixty feet, marking the spot that separated the pitcher from the batter. Then, putting on his own mitt, Dan crouched behind his father.
"Are you ready, Ted?" Dan called out.
"Born ready Dan!" Ted yelled back.
With a flair for showmanship, Dan announced, "Batter up!"
Paul stepped onto the makeshift plate area that Dan had marked with a metal tray from the barbecue. He held the bat tightly, a mix of excitement and nerves coursing through him. This was no ordinary game; it was a battle of pride and there was no way he was going to lose.
The atmosphere crackled with anticipation as Ted prepared to deliver his first pitch. Paul bounced on the spot in his batting stance, determined to close out the contest on the first pitch, sending a clear message to Ted. His eyes locked onto the ball as Ted's wind-up began—slow, deliberate, and remarkably controlled.
The initial pitch came at Paul with speed, prompting an awkward swing that missed the ball by a considerable margin, narrowly avoiding contact with his ribs by a fraction. Maggie and Mary winced, witnessing the near-miss. Dan deemed it a strike, leading Paul to wordlessly contest the forcefulness of Ted's throw by raising his arms. Ted, unbothered, effortlessly caught the ball from Dan, gearing up for the next delivery.
Sally watched with mixed feelings, her fond memories of Ted's past glory on the baseball field mingling with the nervousness of the present duel. Becky, on the other hand, couldn't contain her enthusiasm, leaning onto her mother with wide eyes, eager to witness the drama unfold.
Mike approached Becky, expressing his uncertainty.
"I'm torn between cheering for your dad or Dan's dad," he confessed.
"Maybe it's best if you stay neutral. You might end up playing medic if either of them injures themselves." Becky said with an amused look.
Paul's heart raced as Ted wound up for the next pitch. He tried to predict Ted's strategy but was left swinging at thin air again as Ted's splitter dipped magically at the last moment. Dan called strike two as Paul groaned, feeling the weight of the missed opportunity.
"You can't hit what you can't see." Ted called out to Paul in a mockingly considerate tone.
Frustrated, Paul swung his bat in annoyance, but Dan stepped in with some advice.
"Watch the ball as it leaves his hand," he said. "Identify the type of pitch, follow its trajectory, and swing confidently."
Paul nodded, appreciative of his son's guidance. He tapped the ground once with his bat and assumed his batting position again.
As Ted unleashed the subsequent pitch, Paul noticed yet another fastball hurtling in his direction. The trajectory seemed aimed at his body once more. Observing the ball's path, he took a calculated step backward with his right foot, positioning himself for a powerful swing. The bat connected with the ball, producing a resounding crack that echoed through the yard.
The ball sailed into the distance, leaving Ted speechless as it flew beyond his reach. Paul's face broke into a youthful grin as he watched the ball soar higher and higher, the satisfaction of a perfect swing coursing through his veins. The ball eventually cleared the back fence with yards to spare.
Dan watched in awe at his dad's batting prowess and couldn't help but show his admiration. He wrapped his arms around Paul, congratulating him.
"Nice dinger, Dad!" he exclaimed, his face beaming like a proud father himself.
As the three families gathered around Paul, showering him with congratulations and jubilation, Ted watched with a smile of concession. He scratched his head, pondering what he could have done differently in the duel. However, seeing the victorious Paul and the elation on his face, along with the celebration happening around him, Ted quietly conceded to himself that he was beaten by a better man. This time round.
Ted walked over to Paul and extended his hands, congratulating him wholeheartedly.
"Congratulations, Paul," Ted said with a tone of humility. "That was one of the finest hits I've ever seen."
Paul looked into Ted's eyes, sensing the sincerity in his words. He took Ted's hands and shook it sportingly.
"Thanks, Ted," Paul replied, his smile beaming. "You didn't make it easy for me with your aggressive pitching, but I have to admit, I haven't had this much fun since high school."
Ted placed his other hand on Paul's shoulder, expressing a genuine contrition.
"I'm sorry for hitting you with that pitch thirty years ago," Ted said with earnest regret. "It was unsportsmanlike of me to let my competitiveness get the better of me that day."
Paul pumped Ted's hands once more, nodding to show that he wholeheartedly accepted the apology. With that gesture, Ted stepped back, allowing Dan, Maggie, and Mary to continue their excited praises and revel in the party atmosphere that had come alive.
Sally walked over to Ted, wrapping her arms around his waist affectionately.
"You pitched really well, considering everything," she said soothingly. "In many ways, you did a good thing. Look at how Paul and Dan are talking again, probably about how soundly he kicked your ass."
Ted laughed at Sally's playful consolation and leaned over to kiss the side of her head.
"You have a funny way of trying to make me feel better," he said with a chuckle. "It wasn't my intention to get a royal beatdown from Paul, but I'll take it if it means Dan and Paul are talking again."
Sally leaned lovingly against Ted, gazing at him with adoring eyes and a mischievous smile.
"Don't feel bad about losing," she said teasingly. "There's always the Sommerfield over 50's team waiting for you."