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love a slice of pizza.’ I stuck my right arm out for her to take hold of it. She smiled at me and was a tad hesitant to be so affectionate, too familiar so fast, but she gave in to it and took my arm and held it with her two hands. It was the first time we touched. Just having her arms around my left biceps made me feel twenty feet tall. We took our time walking around the fair.
    “‘ So what does a girl like you do in a town like this?’ I asked, as we made our way to the food row.
    “‘ I do a little of everything. I graduated last year from high school. I was working for a hot dog stand, but that got tiresome, so now, I’m basically a community organizer for the city.’
    ‘“ I graduated in May, also,’ I said.
    “‘ And you’re already a pro baseball player?’ Christine asked, impressed.
    “‘ They snatched me up quick.’ I spotted a pizza booth.
    “‘ You must be pretty good?’
    “ I led Christine to the booth that was serving hot pizza, and answered my favorite question: ‘Am I any good? I love baseball and some days, I can hit the tar out of the ball.’
    “‘ And the other days?’ Christine asked.
    “‘ It’s like trying to hit a BB with a toothpick. The truth was, I thought at the time it would only be a matter of days until I’d be called up to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. I truly believed I was that good. But my bum shoulder had other plans for me. I’m hoping the Dodgers pick me up soon.’
    “‘ Wow. The Dodgers. Are you a Dodger fan?’
    “‘ It doesn’t matter. They took a chance and signed me. But yes, I’m a die-hard Dodger fan, ever since they came over from Brooklyn. I hate the Yankees, but if they would have signed me, I’d be playing for them.’
    “‘ I guess, so much for childhood loyalty,’ Christine laughed.
    “‘ I’m a Dodger fan, tried and true. And the fact that Dodger Stadium is only thirty minutes from my parents’ house back in California helps. But if the Yankees or the Cubs would have signed me, I would be all about them.’
    “‘ Just because they pay you?’
    “ It’s more than that. It’s like you’re taking a chance on each other. They take a chance on signing me and I take a chance of playing for them. Although I’m a huge fan of the Dodgers, I would have signed with the Yankees in a heartbeat if they were interested.’
    “‘ They passed me over and the Dodgers grabbed me with the 22 nd pick in the first round. But if the Yankees would have grabbed me with their 18 th pick, I’d be playing in the footsteps of the great Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. No one says no to playing for the pinstripes. It’s baseball royalty.’
    “ Christine stared at me while we waited in line for our pizza. ‘I never met anyone like you,’ Christine said. ‘I envy someone who can just be what they want to be.’
    “‘ What do you want to be?’ I asked inquisitively.
    “‘ Well, right now I’m a jack of all trades and a master of absolutely nothing .’
    “ I highly doubt that that you’re a master of absolutely nothing? You could master whatever you want.’
    “‘ How do you know that?’
    “‘ I see strength in you. I see a woman who can be whatever she wants to be.’ Christine’s eyes sparkled as the words left my lips. It took me by surprise and made me excited and incredibly nervous at the same moment. This woman did something to me that no woman had ever done before. I awkwardly smiled and then took a moment to catch my breath. Then I continued the conversation at hand. ‘If you could be whatever you wanted to be, what would you want to do?’
    “‘ The thing is what I like most is helping people. I would love to be a nurse or possibly a doctor.’
    “‘ A doctor. That’s an impressive goal. I think what you’re a master of is your goals. Don’t sell yourself short. Goals are how we see our world. I was just lucky to get a chance early on. Your goal requires a lot more years of training.