The Hitting Zone

Chapter 1213: V4 ch61 Behind the Wheel Training

Monday morning, Grampa reheated breakfast burritos and handed them out before our run. I didn’t like running on an empty stomach, but I can’t say this was much better either. It was reassuring that Noah and Dave had the same thoughts.

"Maybe just fruit before run, Grampa." Dave suggested as the three of us all sat slumped in the kitchen chairs.

"Agreed." Noah burped and held his stomach. "I feel like it’s trying to make a reappearance."

I rested my head on the table. "Don’t talk about it otherwise it might happen."

Grampa laughed from the head of the table. "Alright. That’s my mistake. Keep it light before the run, and then more protein afterwards. Lunch should be pushed back later then otherwise you’ll want to keep it light. And I was just reading a magazine for athletes on how lunch should be the heavier meal and dinner should be lighter. You have more time in the afternoon to burn off your lunch and there’s less time for your metabolism to work after dinner." Grampa chatted about meal planning until we felt good enough to get up.

Dave looked to Noah. "You want to catch for me before lunch? Just in the backyard."

Noah made a face.

"It’s either that, or I take Jake away to do our math online." Dave hurried to say.

Noah sighed. "Okay. Let me get the catcher’s gear out of the garage." We had put it away for the cleanup during the weekend. "Do you think I should get my cleats on?"

"Up to you." Dave shrugged. "I’m going to put mine on obviously."

"Yea, might as well." Noah pushed himself up.

"What about me?" I asked. "Should I do college algebra by myself?"

"No, don’t get too far ahead of me." Dave said. "Why don’t you just do what you want? Take a shower. Workout some more. Hey, you could do some practice swings and try to time it with my pitching. That could be like visionary practice."

"Why don’t you just let him hit against you?" Noah asked with a grin. "We could go to the park. And bring a bunch of balls so we don’t have to keep chasing one."

Dave rolled his eyes. "Shut up. I want to get some real practice in. A bullpen session with me, a catcher, and a ball. One ball. I don’t even want Jake to stand in the batter’s box. Maybe later this week we can do a simulated inning or two."

"What’s a simulated inning?" I asked.

"It’s an exercise where I put myself mentally in certain situations like runners on first and third, no outs. I would need a strike out first and then I could try for a groundout to get a double play to get us out of a jam."

"Pitchers have to think a lot." I grimaced. "Ok, you guys do your bullpen session. I’m going to shower. Maybe review some driving rules before our training thing tonight."

"I’ll take you guys to the cages after lunch." Dave promised.

"Our driving lesson is at 4. There wouldn’t be much time." Noah remarked.

"An hour there is better than none at all." Dave said.

"I’ll take it." I voiced my opinion. We hadn’t had much time for cages since being back so fitting in a few swings wouldn’t be a problem.

"Yea, I figured. Just thought I would warn you." Noah said as he headed for the back sliding door.

The pair did the bullpen session in the backyard, staying quiet. It was rare for Noah not to antagonize Dave or say something about his performance. He didn’t even complain about catching. Their rhythm was smooth and they finished well before lunch. They each took a shower, then Dave stayed in the room to do some stretches as we studied some pamphlets on driving for the first time.

Grampa made subs for lunch, using the leftover meat from the bbq. We also ate the leftover potato salad and fruit. He let us each have a soda too, but only after we each had a glass of milk.

"I think Jake should be drinking double." Dave said. "I’m already full grown, so why not have mine?"

Grampa gave him a stern look. "It’s not just about growing, but keeping strong bones. You want to be as frail as me when you get old?"

Dave shrugged. "I’d be lucky to live to your age."

Grampa chuckled. "You boys should all be living well past me."

After we ate, Dave took us to the cages as promised. With limited time, I chose to stay in the 80s cage and worked on fouling off pitches. In the summer time on a weekday, there weren’t many people to compete for the cages with. Just Noah occasionally switching off with me, but he was also trying the 90s more so it wasn’t too bad to occasionally switch.

Dave took us straight to our driver’s lesson appointment, where we met up with Alisha and her mom. The instructor showed up in a candy apple red sedan with the words ’driver in training all over it.’

"Hi, I’m Al, your instructor for today." An older man introduced himself.

"I’m Noah. This is Jake. That’s Alisha." Noah introduced us back to him.

"All three of you know one another?" He asked and we all nodded. "Good, good. Each of you get a turn, driving an hour at a time so it’ll be comfortable since you’re familiar with one another. After you each completed your first hour with me, I’ll sign your permits and you’ll be able to practice with your parents at home." He said a few more words about our lesson before sending Dave and Alisha’s mom away.

Noah volunteered to go first, getting into the driver’s seat while Alisha and I got into the back. From the back, I could see that the front passenger seat also had a set of pedals.

Al pointed them out right away, noting that the pedals on his side are for situations where he thinks he needs to take a bit of control.

"Wouldn’t a second steering wheel be more helpful?" Noah asked.

"No, we shouldn’t be fighting which way to go. In any case, it’s either better to stop or to speed up." He reached a hand out and put it on the wheel in front of Noah. "Besides, I can overpower you to pull us over just fine. This is a learning experience and process so don’t panic. If you’re unsure, just take a little extra time. I will advise you on where to go, but nothing is set in stone. If you can’t safely change lanes, simply keep going and we’ll find a new direction to take." He gave us some more advice before letting Noah turn the car on.

Noah adjusted his seat, mirrors, and finally settled down. He glanced at Al. "Ready?"

Al looked back at me and Alisha. "Everyone is buckled up. Go ahead and start driving. We’ll go through the neighborhood and stay away from the highway until our second lesson."

Noah was slow yet steady as he drove us through the parking lot. On the main streets, he picked up a little speed, both hands clutching the wheel. Al would occasionally remind Noah to check his blind spots and use his blinker. Noah stopped a little too far back from a red light, but Al said that was okay and to slowly lift his foot off the brake to inch closer to the crosswalk.

Seeing how calm Al was with Noah and his small mistakes made me feel like this wasn’t such a big deal. There was no reason to panic when trying something new. This would be just like our practice in the parking lot. As long as I stayed calm, I would be able to get through this.

When Noah’s hour was up, Al had him driving into a parking lot and find a space to put the car in park. Wherever he wanted. Noah kept it easy, picking near the back of the lot where there was less cars.

"It’s good to be safe and choose a spot you know won’t give you any trouble." Al commented. "I know most people like to be parked closer to the store entrances, but you guys are still new. Don’t be ashamed to park further away and on your own. You all look abled-bodied and can walk. Give yourself plenty of time when planning to drive. Rushing and speeding will cause a lot of mistakes and even accidents."

Noah turned the car off and handed the keys to Al. He got out of the car, but leaned over to look at the two of us in the back. "Who’s next?"

Alisha gave me a pointed look.

I unbuckled and opened my door, signifying that I would go. Noah and I switched places, and Al handed me the keys. I tried to remember all that Noah did, fixing my seat and mirrors. We weren’t the same height so it was very much needed. I took a deep breath and slowly started to drive through the parking lot. I might have used the brakes a little too harshly at first as I got accustomed to the way it felt, but soon enough I was out on the open road with a bunch of other cars. Al had me take one of the longer roads close to the coast. I had to drive much faster than Noah did during his turn, but I had less maneuvers so once I got going, it was smooth sailing. Al had me pull off the main road and we went through a small neighborhood to end my hour. I had to pull up next to a curb to park, and proceeded to bump the curb. I cringed as I glanced at Al. "Sorry."

"It’s okay. It happens." He assured me. "Don’t forget to shift to park."

I did so. Then turned the car off and handed him the keys. Then I unbuckled and switched seats with Alisha.

"Not bad." Noah whispered to me, holding out his fist.

I bumped it with my own and gave a smile. Our first lesson was a success.

Alisha got settled and hit the road. She moved through the neighborhood, a little jerky as she had trouble with the brakes too. Once we got to the main road though, she also got to relax and start to coast. Her whole hour was taking us back to where we started.

Once we were back in the parking lot, Al took out his pen and signed our permits, officially giving us permission to start practicing with a licensed and experienced driver. "I believe our next lesson is Thursday. I’ll see you all then." He waved and sent us off to the two mom’s waiting in the parking lot.

"Mom, can I drive us home?" Noah immediately asked our mom.

"Me too! Me too!" Alisha waved her permit in the air excitedly.

"No way." Mom shut him down with a smile. "Practice will be reserved for Dave’s big suv or Grampa’s old truck. My car is still relatively new."

"Awe, man." Noah sighed. "Why didn’t Dave pick us up then? With Grampa in the car too, of course. I would have liked some more practice now that it’s official."

Mom patted him on the head, still showing off her height compared to him. "There’ll be plenty of time this summer to get your practice in. By Christmas, you kids will be taking the actual driving test." She looked to me. "Did you like it too, Jake?"

I nodded. "It’s not as scary as I first thought." Early on, I thought I would make Noah drive us everywhere in the future, but now I could see myself driving us around too.

"Trying new things can be hard, but I’m glad you gave it a go." She smiled. "You can do anything you set your mind to."

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