THREE ANGELS PUBLISHING

FIRE AND LACE

SAMPLE CHAPTER ONE

What is about asking a woman for a date that sometimes ties a guy's stomach up in knots?

ONE
A YOUNG MAN IN LOVE

“C’mon ladies … hustle … this isn’t a sale at Missy’s...”

Ignoring the batter's obvious frustration, the first baseman, a willowy blonde named Megan, takes a couple steps toward home plate.

“… A sale at Missy's! ... heck, ‘Skip,’ I'd outrun those bulls in Spain for that,” she laughs.

“It'd be the fastest you’ve ever run,” barks the young man in the Yankees ball cap, a mischievous grin creasing his face.

Giggling, she sticks out her tongue. “Slave Driver …”

‘Skip’ hits another ground ball up the middle. Ricocheting off the pitcher's mound, it scoots past the shortstop's half-hearted effort to field it.

Shaking his head, he good naturedly scolds his infielders.

“Aahhh c’mon ladies, my sweet little ole grandma could've caught that.”

“ … oh yea … let me guess … sweet little ole granny’s named Derrick Jeter?” Megan hollers back to the laughter of the other infielders.

Shaking her long dark hair, Skip’s third baseman chuckles and looks down the line at him.

“Hey Coach, you swing like a girl,” she teases. “… the way you hit, I could play third base in a cocktail dress and heels.”

Taking the bait, “Mr. Yankee” hits a screamer to third.

"… yea, Al … don't forget the pearls …”

Stabbing the ball on one hop, Aliana Kossarides sidearms the throw to first.

“… Just like Brooks Robinson in his prime, right skip?”

Tugging on his cap, he points the handle of the bat at her.

“ 'Brighteyes', I still say you throw like a girl,” he says, a crooked grin on his face.

And collectively, the infielders roll their eyes...

Hi … my name’s Anthony Baggadontz … friends call me “Tony Baggz.” Welcome to our neighborhood. It’s a late February evening here at Bill Morgan Park. One of the many great things about this city is this domed stadium … it’s open year round. Actually the city’s professional baseball team - we call them “the Boys in Black” - used to play here until they outgrew it. But instead of tearing it down, the team’s owners, the O'Grady family, reached an agreement with the city to save it for the citizens. So now, little leagues, men's and women’s adult leagues, high school and college teams, all call it home. And even though it's a chilly late winter evening, the ladies are getting in some practice … and some exercise.

Billy Swanson coaches the neighborhood team in the city women's softball league. The pastor of the Liberty Street Assembly of God, Billy's in his mid thirties, though he looks younger. He thinks the girls asked him to coach their team because he knows the game of baseball. Actually it’s because they think he’s cute. I know … I overheard them one evening after practice. But his conviction isn't without merit. Before he entered the ministry, “Walk off,” as his friends call him, played pro ball for the Yankees minor league triple A club. From what people say, he could have made it to “the show” if it wasn’t for a serious knee injury. Guess "Someone" had other plans.

Out beyond left field, hidden from view, or so he thinks, Tommy McMichael leans against the stands. Nicknamed “Mountain” and originally from Colorado, Tommy came to the city to attend the University, fell in love with the place and the people, and never left. A fireman at Southside Company Five and an expert EMT, he’s in his second year of Medical School. One of the neighborhood gang, Doc Rogers, the Chief of Thoracic surgery at the University Medical Center, is Tommy’s mentor and biggest supporter. He’s arranged for a scholarship and runs interference for Tommy with Administration, helping him keep his job and attend school. Fortunately Tommy’s aptitude for his course work and the fact that he carries a perfect grade point average makes things easier. The kid’s cut out to be a doctor.

Tommy’s worked at Company 5 both as an undergrad and for the first two years of med school. Because of the nature of his course work, his boss, “Crazy Pat” Flanagan, has agreed to put him on inactive status for his next year, and then he’ll be back on an as-needed basis his fourth year. He lives in a small apartment over the firehouse and Pat lets him work his schedule around his course work. Oh, and for good measure, on a couple of evenings and Sunday afternoons in the summer, Tommy coaches a pee wee baseball team of six and seven year old boys. So ball parks are a favorite stomping ground of his. He’s a big guy … about six foot five, broad shoulders, chiseled jaw … solid as a rock. Probably weighs about two fifty or so. However, watch him with the tykes on his team and it’s not hard to see he’s really a big teddy bear … the guy loves kids.

But tonight it’s not baseball that’s on his mind ... it’s Billy’s third baseman. Not that he’s a fool; Nick Kossarides' daughter, Aliana, makes the hot corner a whole lot hotter. Actually, Tommy and Aliana aren't exactly strangers. They know each other casually, having worked together several times on the Interfaith Council of Churches community events. But watching Tommy, it's easy to see he might like “casual” to be something more.

He's been standing there for ten minutes or so … lost in thought. So much so that he doesn’t hear Rabbi Joshua Green approach. The Rabbi is the leader of the Reform congregation at the neighborhood synagogue a couple of blocks over, and knowing Josh, this encounter promises to be interesting.

Let’s listen in …

“… Let me guess, Mountain … third base?

Startled by the sound of the Rabbi’s voice, Tommy turns, chuckles to himself and shakes his head as the man of the cloth slides into a nearby seat.

“Oh … hi Rabbi … you surprised me … hold on, let me jump start my heart,” he says, thumping his chest.

Both men laugh softly at Tommy's jest as Josh settles back in his seat and nods in the direction of the infield.

“… Aliana?” he says.

Looking down the third base line, the laughter in Tommy’s eyes fades to a more thoughtful look.

“Ah, well … I’m just…”

“Yea, yea, yea … I know … you’re just a fan … and I’m Shaquille O’Neal.”

“The Shaq? … You know, I thought there was a resemblance ... but now that I look closer … naahhh ... no way … you’re too short and you probably can’t dunk."

Rabbi Green chuckles as Tommy pauses to watch Aliana field a foul pop up.

"By the way, what are you doing here anyway?" asks the young fireman.

“Well, see the young lady out in right field ... her name's Diane. She’s a friend of my son, Seth ... his latest girlfriend, I think. He brought her to a cookout at the house last week and she said to stop by and say hello. Since I was working late and the synagogue’s only a few blocks over, I figured ... why not? Besides, I've always been curious about this team Billy brags so much about ...”

"… but back to the question at hand, how’s Aliana?”

"What? … oh … okay … I guess …”

"You ask her out yet?"

Pausing, a faraway look clouds Tommy’s eyes. I think the rabbi's question just took him by surprise.

“… aaahh, Rabbi … she doesn’t know I exist.”

“Rubbish, Tommy ... heck, it was her dad who told me you hang around practice. Where do you think he heard that? Trust me, she knows ... they all do.”

“Yea … well…”

“Well nothing. You think they don't know you're here? I hate to tell you my young friend, but you're more obvious than a gorilla at a dog show."

Tommy chuckles again as Josh leans forward and clasps him on the shoulder.

"My friend, it’s time you stepped up to the plate ... and not with a bat if you know what I mean.”

The skepticism in Tommy’s eyes says he's not convinced.

“C’mon Rabbi, Look at me, I’m twenty five, I’m a fireman, I live in a small apartment over a firehouse, and I’m always broke. I go to school days and nights ... in addition to my job...”

“So?”

“... So look at the guys hanging around her ... money, designer clothes, those fancy Italian loafers, sports cars, expensive restaurants … someone like Aliana deserves those things and I can't compete with that ... or them. Heck, on my salary a medium pepperoni pizza and a couple beers at Spinelli's is about as fancy as I can get. For me to take her to the places she’s used to I’d have to work three extra shifts ... where would I find the time?"

The Rabbi pauses to watch Diane track down a fly ball. Nodding appreciatively as she makes the catch, he turns back to Tommy.

“My young friend, you're making a mistake way too many people make ... a serious one. You’re letting the things you don’t have hold you back. Besides, maybe she'd love a pepperoni pie ... so ask her, what’s it gonna hurt?”

“My ego?”

“Ego … schmego … C’mon, kid, we all know Nick’s little girl. As classy and beautiful as Aliana is, she’s pretty down to earth. Do you think fancy clothes, fine restaurants, and expensive cars are all she wants out of life ... trivial things … you’re telling me you think she’s that shallow?”

“Well … no …!”

"Besides, my guess is you'd gladly put in those three extra shifts.”

“... Well now that you mention it …”

“Right! ... I knew you'd see my point. Besides, look at the two of you. She’s an elementary school teacher ... she loves kids, especially little ones. So much so that she works with them in her free time. And you do too. How about that pee wee baseball team you coach, huh? And I’ve seen the two of you working the games at the kid's fair with Pete's son, Andy. You both love people. And you … you’re a fireman, an EMT, you’re going to med school ... you're going to be, what ... a brain surgeon.

"Heart ... or maybe pediatrics ... haven't decided yet."

Returning his glance to the ballfield, Rabbi Green joins Tommy watching the young women take some batting practice.

"Tommy, you know who you are, what you want, and where you’re going," Josh says after a moment's silence. "You have a plan for your life ... a vision, and to me that rates over a pair of Italian loafers any day. My guess … it rates with Aliana too."

“Yea, but …”

“But nothing … look, you and Al are Christians, right? You both go to the same church if I’m correct?”

“Well, truth be told, she’s a lot more observant than I am ... but yea, we go to the same church.”

“Okay, fair enough ... but that isn’t my point. My point is the focus of your beliefs ... your Carpenter from Nazareth.”

Josh pauses and follows Tommy’s gaze toward the infield.

“Now obviously I don’t share your beliefs, but I am familiar with your New Testament and I do recognize the qualities that made him an extraordinary man. Your Jesus may have been the most assertive man who ever lived. There was no hesitation about him … no self-doubt … he never questioned himself. He knew what he wanted to accomplish, he never compromised himself, his message, or his purpose. And he was a man of compassion and respect. I may not agree with you about Who he was, but I recognize what he was … a strong man in the best sense of the word. And, I have to respect a man like that. Your Carpenter was a babe magnet for women, and too many of you Christian men fail to see that.

Shaking his head, Tommy laughs softly to himself.

“A babe magnet … never heard Him called that, Rabbi.”

Josh grins at Tommy’s reaction … a twinkle in his eyes.

“You see, Tommy, that’s what women look for in a man; an assertive man ... one with self-assurance, a vision, and a purpose … not just some guy drifting along, unsure of himself and where he’s going. Women look for a man who goes after the things he wants in life and does everything in his power to get them. They always have. And today too many women are starved for a man like that … a man like your Carpenter.”

Turning his back to the ballfield, Tommy cocks his head and looks intently at the Rabbi ... you can see he’s chewing on Josh’s words.

"And they look for someone who shares their deepest beliefs ... things they’re passionate about. Like I said, Aliana loves kids, and so do you. She loves family. You do too; it’s something I can tell.”

“Yea…” Tommy says, his voice trailing off.

“Right. And another thing, she’s kindhearted … compassionate. Just watch her with the kids she teaches or with the folks who come through the doors of the Council for help. She’s a soft touch … sometimes too soft, really.”

“Yea, Rabbi … but that’s one of the things I like about her.”

“Me too. And to be honest, you’re not all that different. I watch you with Andy ... how you look out for him, let him work around the fire station. Pat told me how, when the city will only pay him for ten hours, you make up the difference from your own pocket. Heck, most people run from somebody with Down Syndrome like Andy ... you treat him like he's your long lost brother. All the guys in the neighborhood gang are impressed with that, especially her dad … And I'm sure she is too."

Tommy looks over the Rabbi's shoulder, a faraway look in his eyes ... the look of a man trying to reconcile conflicting thoughts.

Seeing Aliana approaching, the Rabbi’s eyes sparkle. He stands up and steps next to Tommy.

“Like I said, kid … she knows … time to step up to the plate my friend,” he says, looking past Tommy and smiling at Billy’s third baseman.

A tap on the shoulder interrupts Tommy’s thoughts. Turning, he finds Aliana standing behind him.

“Oh … um … hi Aliana … didn’t hear you coming.”

“Gotta go,” Josh says, winking at Tommy and heading for the gate.

“I’ll leave you two to yourselves … good luck, Sparky.”

“Thanks Rabbi,” Tommy says, chuckling softly as he turns back to Aliana.

“Good luck … what'd the Rabbi mean by that?” Aliana says, a puzzled look on her face. “... good luck with what?”

"Oh, nothing. We were just talking about work … med school … things like that.”

Looking into her eyes, he holds her gaze for a second longer than the moment calls for ... like he's seeing something for the first time. A gentle smile spreads across his face.

“… Something you needed, Aliana?”

“Oh, yea … Denise wanted me to ask you to ask Paul to call her later tonight. She’s been out all day and needs to talk to him … something about Saturday night … you work with him, don’t you?”

“Aaah, yea … sure ... I’d be happy to.”

“Thanks Tommy … you’re a sweetheart.”

Catching her elbow as she turns to go, Tommy stops her.

“Aliana, got a minute … I was wondering … there’s a play next Saturday evening at the Theatre out at St. Ed’s. Father Bob offered me a couple tickets … dinner and a play, what do you say? ... if you’re free … maybe you would like to …”

…Way to go, Tommy! I don't know about you but I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next. Looking at the two of them, they would make a striking couple.

You know, the Rabbi’s right. It's the mark of a strong man to know who he is, what he wants in life, and what he needs to do to get it. And then to pursue it with a passion. It’s something women look for in a man. Assertive is appealing.

There’s something else we all need to see about that "Carpenter from Nazareth" as the Rabbi calls him. Something we often overlook. Over time, unintentionally perhaps, the pundits of religion, especially the artists, have all too often taken this powerful, assertive, self-assured man and in their various and sundry portraits turned Him into some ghostly apparition, meek and frail, with a wispy beard, a haunted, far away look, and hands better suited to doing nails and manicures. Add in the ridicule of pop culture and all too often our Carpenter from Nazareth has been turned into a caricature that’s laughable … if it wasn't so sad.

So for a moment let’s set the idea of divinity aside and simply look at the man. “Ecce homo” as Pilate said. In reading the Biblical accounts of him it isn’t hard to see that strong, self assured and compassionate man of whom the Rabbi speaks. We see kindness and concern for the helpless and the downtrodden, mercy for the wrongdoer, patience and tolerance for the foe, love for the friend, and an unyielding resolve to complete what he came to accomplish. Vision, understanding, tolerance, mercy, kindness, and love … all marks of a strong man.

And Jesus was a working man, a carpenter, a builder … long before hydraulic lifts, pre-fab housing and Home Depot. His daily bread was earned with the strength of his body, the sweat of his brow, and the keen working of his mind. It’s not hard to picture him along side his father Joseph … oops ... mea culpa … step-father … in the Galilean sunshine, talking, laughing, sweating, and at the end of the day tired in that good way a man feels after an honest hard days work. Jesus, the man, was proud in his bearing … a pride matched by the physical strength of his body. I picture a man with the physique of an NFL middle linebacker; a physical presence that matches the strength of His vision, his passion, his conviction, and His love ...

… A ‘babe magnet’ as the Rabbi called him…

… It’s an image I want to see … how about you …?

…Thinkaboutit … I’m Tony Baggz ….

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