While we were out, Coach Conde called and wanted to know if I had time for more practice today. Cassidy agreed I needed all the help I could get, so we cut our adventure short.
We returned to the hotel so I could change and get my gear. Coach Conde had another two pitching prospects he wanted to try out. I was stretching and doing some warm-ups when things got interesting.
A classic Chevy pulled up and came to a screeching halt. Out jumped two men with Luis.
“Is that him?” an older man asked Luis in Spanish.
You could tell that Luis wasn’t happy to be there. He nodded, and they began to stomp over to the field. I looked over, and Cassidy had her headset on, listening to music, and wasn’t paying attention. Well, shit!
As they came toward me, I assumed the stance Carlos suggested for a bar fight. My left arm was across my chest, and my right had the elbow at my side and my right hand close to my face. As they got closer, I could see them better and suspected that the two men were Luis and Sarita’s father and uncle or older cousin.
Luis hung back, but the two men flanked me. I got the impression that they’d done this before. I heard Cassidy scrambling to get on the field to act as my bodyguard.
“You’re the guy who took advantage of my daughter?” the older man asked.
“I’m assuming you’re talking about Sarita?” I asked.
“Sí. She tells me you abandoned her,” he said, poking me in the chest.
That was when Cassidy stepped between us and pushed me back to give her room.
Both men looked at each other and then glared at me.
“Maybe she is better off without a …”
Let’s just say what her dad said was rude.
“I’m not sure what the problem is. Your daughter and I went out a few times, and it just didn’t work out,” I tried.
“The problem is, you took her innocence! Now you act like it’s no big deal. I expect you to do what’s right, or I’m going to kick your ass. Just so we’re clear, I will kick this little girl’s ass, too, if I have to.”
“Before you get yourself hurt, I want make you aware of who this ‘little girl’ is. Her father is a retired major in the United States Marines. Not just the Marines, either; he was in their version of Special Forces. This ‘little girl’ learned how to fight from some of the best men they had to offer. If that wasn’t enough, they were stationed in Japan. That was where she learned from a master. This ‘little girl’ knows hundreds of ways to make you cry like a baby without breaking a sweat.
“Heck, if I asked her to … it would be like Bang! You’re dead,” I said with a confident expression.
I noticed a little quiver go through Cassidy’s body. That meant they had better not make an aggressive move, or she would attack. I was about to call her off when Sarita’s dad made a grab for Cassidy. She’d wanted to knock me out ever since Carlos had shown us how to do it. His right hand grabbed her left shoulder, so she used her right forearm to pop him with a bone strike behind the ear.
The difference was that unlike the love tap Carlos had given me, Cassidy wasn’t playing around. I watched as his eyes rolled up into his head, and he just collapsed. The other man took a step back.
“Cassidy,” I called to stop her. “Let him take care of Sarita’s dad.”
While the other man took care of Luis’ dad, I motioned for Luis to come over.
“What the hell just happened?” I asked.
Luis looked over at the two and shook his head.
“Sarita complaining about you finally got my dad’s interest. He sat her down to find out what you’d done, and she admitted that she slept with you. I think she realized what a mistake that was as soon as she said it. Dad became angry. He got my uncle to come with him. Dad planned to make you do the right thing and marry Sarita. I’m sorry, I had to tell him where he could find you,” Luis said.
By that point, Luis’s uncle had gotten his dad to his feet. His dad looked a little unstable and had to be helped back to the car.
“Tell your family that I will meet them at dinner tonight at my hotel. We can talk it out then,” I said.
Luis nodded and left to help get his dad home. I really wished my mom were here. She had talked parents off the ledge before. She’d done it with Cal when he caught Pam and me together, and had bailed Greg out more than once. I would just have to face them on my own.
◊◊◊
Fritz was not a happy man when Cassidy told him what happened. It was made clear I wasn’t going to dinner alone. Not that I’d asked to, but Fritz made sure I knew all three of my security people would be with me tonight.
I received a call from the front desk when they arrived. Somehow, I expected the whole family would be there for dinner. Instead, it was just Sarita and her father. I decided that we didn’t need to outnumber them, so Cassidy and Paul grabbed a table next to ours.
Sarita looked like she might be sick, while her dad had an indelible scowl on his face.
“I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced. I’m David, and this is Fritz,” I said to start the evening off.
“Marco” was his one-word answer.
This wasn’t awkward at all!
“You look nice,” I said to Sarita.
“Don’t talk to her,” Marco growled.
“Okay, fine. Let’s just cut to the chase, because I’m not eating dinner with you if you’re going to act like that. How much is this going to cost me to make you both go away?” I asked.
Fritz and Sarita both flinched at my words, but Marco had pushed me far enough. The man’s face turned a deep shade of red, and Fritz stood up, ready to protect me.
“There is no price that could be paid for my daughter’s virtue,” Marco spat. “You have to do the right thing and marry her.”
“I hate to say this because I’m sure you’re not going to like it, but I didn’t take your daughter’s virtue,” I said.
Then I did my Dawson bit: I shut up.
Marco looked at me like he could somehow decide if I had just told him the truth or not. When he couldn’t read me, he turned to his daughter. She withstood his glare for a minute before she broke.
“He’s telling the truth. David wasn’t my first,” she admitted.
All the fight seemed to drain out of him as he realized the truth of the matter.
“Let’s go. You’ve embarrassed me enough for one night. When we get home, I want you to pack your bags. I expect you to be out of my house by the end of the weekend.”
“But Daddy, where will I go? I can’t afford an apartment as a student,” Sarita said.
“Maybe you could live with Paz. Maybe your American boyfriend will rent you a place. I don’t really care. All I know is your mother will never allow you to stay,” Marco said.
Her expression made it clear that what he said about Sarita’s mother was true. She just nodded and followed her dad out of the restaurant. When they left, Cassidy and Paul joined us.
“Your life is more fun to watch than a soap opera,” Cassidy said.
“Some days it is,” I admitted. “Do you think I should help Sarita find a place?”
“I’d be willing to bet my next paycheck she’ll be back asking for that,” Paul said.
“Unfortunately, I agree with him. I think you’re being hustled,” Cassidy said, adding her two cents.
“Sarita’s dad seemed serious,” I said.
“He may have been, but that doesn’t mean she won’t ask for money,” Fritz said.
“The only good that came out of this was Cassidy got to knock someone out, so I don’t have to worry about her practicing on me.”
“I’m not done with you,” Cassidy warned, and then smiled. “Fritz said I couldn’t do it to you. I’m just waiting for you to piss him off so he’ll give me permission.”
Why did everyone think that was funny?