Author's note: This chapter was released for publication by Literotica on March 30, 2024.
Chapter 2
Jim was surprised when Hillary approached and asked if she could join his team for the sports trivia challenge. Normally, not many women participated in this challenge. They always dominated the others on cinema, music and American/world history that were coming later in the cruise.
Jim smiled and invited her to have a seat. There were three other team members, all men. Each admired this lovely young woman, but they didn't expect she would be much help. A total of nine teams were formed, an unusually high number based on Jim's prior experience. The rules were explained by the activity's coordinator. After each question, everyone had 10 seconds to debate and write down an answer before the next question was asked. After the 20th question, the contest would end, and each team would exchange their answer sheet with another team for grading.
The first question: When did the MLB American League began playing 162 games rather than 154. The team whispered and agreed on 1961. Jim and Hillary were confident, but the others admitted they were only guessing.
The second question: Who threw the Immaculate Reception in the AFC divisional playoff game in Pittsburgh. And for extra credit, who caught the ball for a touchdown. The four of us guys weren't sure who caught the ball, but we knew Terry Bradshaw had thrown it. Hillary calmly whispered it was Franco Harris. They looked at her and grinned. Damn, she knew this shit. Where did she come from?
The third question: Which player hit four home runs in a double header in 1961. Hillary whispered, "Roger Maris." The men were both shocked and tickled. How did this woman know such facts. Of course, she had to be right. That was his big year.
Another question was: Who wrote the book named 'Ball Four' about unspoken cultural problems that had infected professional baseball. All knew it was Jim Bouton.
The answer that impressed Jim and the guys more than any other was: What was the name of Joe DiMaggio's brother who played several years for the Red Sox. The men stared at each other for several seconds before Hillary whispered, "Dominic DiMaggio." She added that she'd slept in his house in Wellesley just outside Boston. Her friend now owns it. The men were astonished, and all reached out to bump fists with this beautiful walking library of sports.
Jim and Hillary's team won, and it wasn't even close. For their effort, each received a Celebrity t-shirt and a cheap Celebrity ballpoint pen. Their real prize was the bragging rights that would last at least a day.
Hillary asked Jim if she could buy him a drink. He accepted, of course. They went to the Mast Bar overlooking the swimming pool on Deck 11. It was nearly noon. The sun was hot, but the air temperature was only in the 80's. Many guests reclined poolside to soak up the rays and sip on fruity cocktails. Their first port of call was the next day, so this was a full day to rest and enjoy the ship and the sun.
They took cocktails and sat on recliners overlooking the pool. Jim asked Hillary, "How did you learn so much about sports?"
"I learned from watching with my dad. He was a sports fanatic and it rubbed off on me. I was the son he never had, and we did all the father-son things like go to games, watch on TV and wear jerseys of our favorite teams. We had watch parties for the big games and many friends came. They knew my mom would have great food and Dad would have everyone's favorite beers or mixed drinks."
"When I was around eleven or twelve, he gave me a sports trivia game for my birthday. It must have had five hundred trivia questions, and the answers were on the back of each card. We played that game many times. My memory was better than his, I suppose, when I started winning. I think he lost interest when I began to win every game. Those were fun days."
Jim said, "I remember your mom saying she was a widow. What happened to your dad?"
"He was a detective in the police department. He was in the vicinity of a 911 domestic dispute call. Other patrol officers responded, and Dad went to back them up. They were all killed by a crazed pothead as they approached the house. It was a setup. The 911 call was just to set the trap so this asshole could kill some cops. He's in prison now and will likely never get out alive.
"It's been ten years, but I still remember that day like it was yesterday. It ripped the hearts out of Mom and me. All our friends and Dad's fellow police officers pulled together to support us. We felt their love and saw their compassion in action. For years, officers who served with Dad would stop to visit with Mom to find out what she needed. Many would show up to make repairs to the house, work on the car or mow the yard. Their wives would often call and invite Mom for lunch or dinner or to go shopping. We saw all the good in people as well as the evil people were capable of doing."
Jim replied, "You've had many rough days. What keeps you going?"
She said, "I need to support Mom and help as she gets older. I work with a shelter for abused women and that gives me a sense of accomplishment. I always wanted children, but my cheating ex-husband didn't. I've been thinking about adopting one or finding a sperm donor to let me have my own baby. What about you? What's in your future?"
"I don't know. My wife was very sick the last few months of her life. She was perfectly fine somedays and not lucid others. On one of her good days, she made me promise to find a new wife and try to have children. We only had one daughter and she always wanted more. I did too. It just never happened."
She asked, "How old are you?"
"I recently turned 51. Somedays I feel older. How about you?"
"I'm 32, going on 40. Isn't it sad how life can drag you down and depression seems to be just around the next corner?"
"We've both had to deal with the ugly side of life," Jim replied. "I keep telling myself that I can't let it get to me. I could live another twenty-five or thirty years. I want them to be happy and satisfying. It's got to get better than the last two years."
"I agree."