Read No Pit So Deep: The Cody Musket Story for Free Online

conversation with her father. He could not see her because she stood behind a freestanding bulletin board, but he was intrigued as he listened.
    “No, Daddy, Speedy broke up with me. We went out twice, and then he asked me to move in. When I told him I wasn’t going to sleep with another guy until marriage, he acted like I was violating his rights or something. Every guy I meet wants only one thing — to hit on me.”
    Cody strained to hear every word. His left ear had suffered hearing damage in Afghanistan, so he turned his head to get his right ear closer.
    “It’s been a horrible day. First, Tanner McNair canceled for my Sunday-night show. He’s leaving town right after the game Sunday ‘cause he’s a last-minute selection for the All-Star Game in Detroit.”
    Now Cody’s curiosity was piqued. Tanner McNair, Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder, was his best friend from high school. This chick must be well connected. What Sunday-night show?
    “Then this afternoon these creepy-looking guys followed me.” Silence. “Yes, I know, Daddy, but lots of editorial writers have death threats. ”
    Cody wanted to maneuver into position to see her, but a rail stood between him and the bulletin board. Editorials? Threats?
    “I’m going to that premiere I told you about — the new Superman movie.” Silence. “I know, Daddy, but I can’t let them scare me. I just need to chill.”
    Normally in Pittsburgh at 6:00 p.m. in July, bright daylight would be in order. But today, with foreboding skies of black clouds and drizzle, Cody saw it as a picture of what his life had become — lots of rain and thunder and very little sunshine.
    Though he could not see her behind the bulletin board, something in her voice reminded him of sunlight and better days. She was going to the same movie, and she knew his best friend. I gotta find out who she is.
    But mingling made him nervous. He was a freak. His clothing hid most of his physical scars, but what female in her right mind would want to be seen with him at a beach or similar social event? And the scars on his soul went just as deep. Who would want to endure his mental state?
    Finally, she emerged. Stunning, early twenties, slender and athletic with long, dark brown hair, she reminded him of a Shakespeare quote — “I ne’er saw true beauty ‘till this night.”
    The O2 rushed right out of his chest. He tried not to stare as she passed, but his captive eyes could not resist.
    “Please, cowboy, leave something on me.” The sassy filly spirited away, hastening her steps, pink flip-flops flipping and flopping underneath her heels on the worn-out carpet. Something told Cody she wasn’t interested in meeting him — not now, not ever .
    As he approached the turnstile, the skies outside rumbled again — another storm rolling across the Allegheny. He handed his free pass to the attendant, a slightly-built young man with freckles, a wad of gum in his cheek, orange hair, and wearing a micro ruby nose ring.
    “Theater Five, sir, down the hall to your left. And what she really meant was, she’s dying to be rode.”
    Cody tightened his jaw, yanked his stamped movie pass back from the attendant, and followed about fifty paces behind the captivating mystery woman. He visualized how she would look with summer sunlight shining on her face and hair.
    She wore a dark brown summer blouse, the words “Coco Made Me Poor” written across the front in pink letters. With bleached cutoff jeans and a small leather purse barely large enough for her smartphone, she gracefully swayed before him like five feet, seven inches of heaven.
    Was she only an apparition? Despite her display of contempt, her heavenly presence had at least temporarily calmed his storms that lurked in the night, but he would need to work up some grit just to approach her. What could he possibly say to interest her in knowing him?
    Suddenly, his fantasy was shattered by a loud crash. Three men wearing ski masks had breached a nearby