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“I’ll make you a deal…. If you promise to go home and practice there for the next couple of days, then me and my friend, Az, will meet you back here Saturday to play a game.”
    “Okay Mister, I promise.” The little boy tugged at his hat and then ran off to reunite with his friends.
    I looked at Kale, thinking about how the little boy asked if he was a superhero. “Wow, kids are really imaginative, huh?” I guess I understood. Kale was exceptionally tall and towered over most men.
    “He was cute,” I went on, “but I'm really not good at sports so when we do come back, you may want him on your team instead of me.”  
    “No need,” Kale said as he changed the subject and went back to holding my hand.
    “What do you mean? We can’t disappoint him. You just promised him,” I sputtered.
    Kale looked at me sweetly. “Don’t worry. He won’t be disappointed.” Even though I didn’t know how he could be so sure, I trusted that Kale knew what he was talking about.
    The next day, I went to work. It was a normal day of running my butt off. We were serving breakfast, which was always the busiest time of the day. Tannah served the best breakfast on this side of LA and probably the west coast. I wouldn’t know. I rarely ate in the mornings, but it sure did smell good.
    I had just set my tray on the counter when I felt the floor began quivering. The motion came harder and faster; glasses fell to the ground shattering into tiny bits. “Earthquake!” I shouted, motioning everyone in the diner to take refuge under nearby tables. Living in California, I was accustomed to earthquakes, and most everyone knew the drill.  
    When the tremor was over, Tannah took route around the diner, checking on all the customers who were hesitantly emerging from beneath the tables. “Is everyone okay?” she asked as most people sat back down to finish their meals, but you could always recognize the out-of-towners who were still huddled under their tables long after the incident was over.
    I went about my day, taking orders. I listened to all the different people talk about the earthquake that had happened earlier in the day. They were discussing details of what they were doing, where they were, and whom they were with. It was the day’s gossip.  
    As I brought out an order, I overheard a lady talking to her lunch date. She appeared to be in her mid-fifties and was covered from head-to-toe with jewelry that she had obviously collected over the years. Her gray hair was worn cropped close to her head with an abundance of tight curls. “I was at home when it happened,” she said, talking to her neighbor. “I was walking my dog, Charlie; poor little thing couldn’t even pee afterwards.”
    “And did you hear about the old baseball field up the street?” she asked as she sipped her coffee.
    “No, what happened?” her busybody friend asked.
    “What baseball field?” I interrupted.
    “The one at Darris Park, Dear,” she said, looking up at me extremely excited to share her gossip with anyone who was willing to listen. “Apparently, they were doing construction nearby and some of the heavy machinery fell over onto it…, ripped down the fencing, and tore up the field. Thank goodness no kids were hurt,” she added.
    “Poor kids won’t have anywhere to play at all now. It will probably take months to get it cleaned up,” her friend spoke up, still in awe at the whole thing.
    Goose bumps bubbled up on my arms as I thought of our uncanny meeting with the little boy at the ball field. If Kale hadn’t told him to practice at home yesterday, he and his friends might have been there. It was as if he knew it was going to happen.
    That’s absurd; no one can predict an earthquake. I tried to shake off the eerie.
    “Az… Azaleigh,” Tannah hollered, bringing me back to reality.
    “Yeah, Tannah?” I replied.
    “Order’s up,” she said in a way to let me know I was out of time for any more discussions.
    Later when I was