Baseball, Dad and Me

The summer before last, Jio asked me to write a story about him playing baseball with Daddy. I was inspired, and that night I dashed off what I felt was a heartwarming story about a boy (Jio), in a country with no T-ball, who just wants to hit some balls with his dad. Problem is, Dad is busy coaching his high school baseball team so about the only way he can see him is to turn on the TV during the summer tournament. Needless to say, Jio didn't like this story. As I read it to him, he frowned and said "When do we play baseball?" "Just wait," I replied brightly, feeling pleased with myself. There was a scene at the end where the narrator (Jio) finally got a moment with his dad. Well, I liked it. I sent it out to some magazines and book publishers and got a lot of encouraging rejections. Yesterday, my story finally found a home. It'll be published in Skipping Stones.