Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Intimidating Adversity: Day 3

Word Count: 18,023

Summary of Events:
Lane managed to get to the field early and throw some pitches, but Mr. Quilley found him and they got into an argument that led to Lane damaging Mr. Quilley's SUV with a baseball bat. Mr. Borys had a meeting with Lane and told him he'd be paying for the repair of Mr. Quilley's SUV. Lane tried to get a hold of Erving during the season opener he was sitting out, but ended up having a fruitless conversation with Erving's dad Tom. Campbell gave Lane the bill for Mr. Quilley's repair and Lane tried again to get a hold of Erving, but failed to reach him. Erving called Lane finally while he was in the middle of breakfast, so he got Erving to call back once he'd finished . . .

Excerpt of the Day:
"Soon his phone rang again, and again, it was Erv's number.
"Thanks, I'm done now," Lane answered.
"Sorry about that," Erv said. "It should be about eight there, right?"
"Yeah," Lane replied. "That's about when we usually have breakfast."
"Oh, okay, know that for next time," Erv said. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well, I've got a problem," Lane replied. "It's my own fault, and I know you won't be happy."
"Oh," Erv said, sounding dubious.
"The fact that I'm not pitching is frustrating," Lane said, fiddling with the bill. "And I've gotten mad at the Manager a couple of times. First he condemned me for being a pitcher after I hit a home run in Spring Training and I got mad and beat up the dressing room a bit with a bat."
"Mm," Erv said, an unimpressed tone to his voice.
"I got reprimanded for that and sat for a bit," Lane said. "Now last Wednesday I decided to go to the field early and get some pitching practise in. The Manager found me and watched me throw sixty pitches before tearing a strip out of me, telling me I'm not a pitcher and banning me from the team for a week due to gross insubordination, which apparently entails showing up for practise too early, playing out of my position — which I wasn't — and arguing with him."
"Hm," Erv said, sounding puzzled.
"I was mad, so I took a bat from the dugout and found his SUV in the parking lot," Lane continued.
"Oh dear," Erv said.
"Yeah," Lane said. "I busted his head and taillights, beat up his hood, broke his rear window, and threw the bat into his console, then I used an X-acto knife and cut up his seat."
"That's a little much Lane," Erv said.
Lane sighed. "I know. Before the day was out the GM called me to have a meeting with him and he left the week banning in place because he felt I needed time away from the Manager, and he told me it's my responsibility to pay for the repairs to the Manager's SUV."
"Ah," Erv said. "And you can't pay it."
"It overdraws me about five hundred and fifty bucks," Lane said.
"Mm," Erv said.
"And I owe the catcher six hundred in rent on the fifteenth too," Lane added.
"Don't you get paid then?" Erv asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know how far I'm allowed to overdraft, and if things might be worse factoring in exchange rates because I haven't accounted for that, and I doubt the Manager or the auto-body place would appreciate being kept waiting with the money," Lane replied.
"Hm, I guess that's true," Erv said.
"I know I'll probably be paid then and I can pay Gresh, but it's the rest of it," Lane said. "I'm cemented onto the Manager's bad side enough as it is, and I don't want to make it any worse than I have to.""

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