The Chosen

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Часть 4

The umpire called the strike in a loud, clear voice, and I saw Sidney Goldberg look over at me and grin broadly.

'If he studies Talmud like that, he's dead: Sidney Goldberg said.

I grinned back at him.

'Keep that infield solid! ' Mr Galanter shouted from third base. 'Malter, a little to your left! Good! '

The next pitch was too high, and the boy chopped at it, lost his bat and fell forward on his hands. Sidney Goldberg and I looked at each other again. Sidney was in my class. We were similar in build, thin and lithe, with somewhat spindly arms and legs. He was not a very good student, but he was an excellent shortstop. We lived on the same block and were good but not close friends. He was dressed in an undershirt and dungarees and was not wearing the four-cornered garment. I had on a light-blue shirt and dark-blue work pants, and I wore the four-cornered garment under the shirt.

The short, thin boy was back at the plate, standing with his feet together and holding the bat in his awkward grip. He let the next pitch go by, and the umpire called it a strike. I saw the young rabbi look up a moment from his book, then resume reading.

'Two more just like that! ' I shouted encouragingly to the pitcher. 'Two more, Schwartzie! ' And I thought to myself, Some murderers.

I saw Danny Saunders go over to the boy who had just struck out and talk to him. The boy looked down and seemed to shrivel with hurt. He hung his head and walked away behind the wire screen. Another short, thin boy took his place at the plate. I looked around for Davey Cantor but could not see him.

The boy at bat swung wildly at the first two pitches and missed them both. He swung again at the third pitch, and I heard the loud thwack of the bat as it connected with the ball, and saw the ball move in a swift, straight line toward Sidney Goldberg, who caught it, bobbled it for a moment, and finally got it into his glove. He tossed the ball to me, and we threw it around. I saw him take off his glove and shake his left hand.

'That hurt, ' he said, grinning at me.

'Good catch, ' I told him.

'That hurt like hell, ' he said, and put his glove back on his hand.

The batter who stood now at the plate was broad-shouldered and built like a bear. He swung at the first pitch, missed, then swung again at the second pitch and sent the ball in a straight line over the head of the third baseman into left field. I scrambled to second, stood on the base and shouted for the ball. I saw the left fielder pick it up on the second bounce and relay it to me. It was coming in a little high, and I had my glove raised for it. I felt more than saw the batter charging toward second, and as I was getting my glove on the ball he smashed into me like a truck. The ball went over my head, and I fell forward heavily onto the asphalt floor of the yard, and he passed me, going toward third, his fringes flying out behind him, holding his skullcap to his head with his right hand so it would not fall off. Abe Goodstein, our first baseman, retrieved the ball and whipped it home, and the batter stood at third, a wide grin on his face.

The yeshiva team exploded into wild cheers and shouted loud words of congratulations in Yiddish to the batter.

Sidney Goldberg helped me get to my feet.

'That momzer! ' he said. 'You weren't in his way! '

'Wow! ' I said, taking a few deep breaths. I had scraped the palm of my right hand.

'What a momzer! ' Sidney Goldberg said.

I saw Mr Galanter come storming onto the field to talk to the umpire. 'What kind of play was that? ' he asked heatedly. 'How are you going to rule that? '

'Safe at third, ' the umpire said. 'Your boy was in the way. ' Mr Galanter's mouth fell open. 'How's that again? '

'Safe at third, ' the umpire repeated.

Mr Galanter looked ready to argue, thought better of it, then stared over at me. 'Are you all right, Malter? '

'I'm okay' I said, taking another deep breath.

Mr Galanter walked angrily off the field.

'Play ball! ' the umpire shouted.

The yeshiva team quieted down. I saw that the young rabbi was now looking up from his book and smiling faintly.

A tall, thin player came up to the plate, set his feet in the correct position, swung his bat a few times, then crouched into a waiting stance. I saw it was Danny Saunders. I opened and closed my right hand, which was still sore from the fall.

'Move back! Move back! ' Mr Galanter was shouting from alongside third base, and I took two steps back.

I crouched, waiting.

The first pitch was wild, and the yeshiva team burst into loud laughter. The young rabbi was sitting on the bench, watching Danny Saunders intently.

'Take it easy, Schwartzie! ' I shouted encouragingly to the pitcher. 'There's only one more to go! '

The next pitch was about a foot over Danny Saunders' head, and the yeshiva team howled with laughter. Sidney Goldberg and I looked at each other. I saw Mr Galanter standing very still alongside third, staring at the pitcher. The rabbi was still watching Danny Saunders.

The next pitch left Schwartzie's hand in a long, slow line, and before it was halfway to the plate I knew Danny Saunders would try for it. I knew it from the way his left foot came forward and the bat snapped back and his long, thin body began its swift pivot.

I tensed, waiting for the sound of the bat against the ball, and when it came it sounded like a gunshot. For a wild fraction of a second I lost sight of the ball. Then I saw Schwartzie dive to the ground, and there was the ball coming through the air where his head had been, and I tried for it but it was moving too fast, and I barely had my glove raised before it was in center-field. It was caught on a bounce and thrown to Sidney Goldberg, but by that time Danny Saunders was standing solidly on my base and the yeshiva team was screaming with joy.

Mr Galanter called for time and walked over to talk to Schwartzie. Sidney Goldberg nodded to me, and the two of us went over to them.

'That ball could've killed me! ' Schwartzie was saying. He was of medium size, with a long face and a bad case of acne. He wiped sweat from his face. 'My God, did you see that ball? '

'I saw it, ' Mr Galanter said grimly.

'That was too fast to stop, Mr Galanter, ' I said in Schwartzie's defence.

'I heard about that Danny Saunders, ' Sidney Goldberg said. 'He always hits to the pitcher. '

'You could've told me: Schwartzie lamented. 'I could've heen ready. '

'I only heard about it, ' Sidney Goldberg said. 'You always believe everything you hear? '

'God, that ball could've killed me! ' Schwartzie said again.

'You want to go on pitching? ' Mr Galanter said. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and he looked very grim.

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