Rain Delay

Author: Javier Torres

The baseball game was supposed to start at four, but the rain came early. Thick, loud, unbothered.

Coach said we’d wait it out. The team sat in the dugout, joking around, tossing sunflower seeds. But I wasn’t really there. My mind was back home, where Mom was packing boxes again.

“Yo, Javi,” Malik said, nudging me. “You good?”

I nodded. The truth was, I didn’t know if we’d still be in the same house next week. Or the same city.

When the rain stopped, everything smelled clean, like a restart. The infield was a mirror, puddles reflecting gray sky.

We played anyway. My cleats sank into the mud, but I hit the ball farther than I ever had. Didn’t even care that I slipped rounding first.

Sometimes, you just play through the storm.