Self-edited, so all mistakes are my own. Please excuse them.
You won't like the ending, and that is on purpose, but it better fits my mood. I struggled with which category to put this in. Let's be honest, nobody reads the romance section. So, just a warning - no sex in this one, but definitely a cheating wife.
I am not claiming to be even a passable writer, but I write for my own enjoyment. I hope you like it a little at least. If not, I apologize. This is my first submission. Please be kind.
Now, on with the show.
Victor was the all American kid. High school class president, star pitcher and captain of the baseball team plus the honor society. Add to it charm and better than average looks, and Victor was practically swimming in girls.
As testament that he was more than just a jock, Victor graduated third in his class of over seven hundred. He had everything going for him. It came easy to him, but he took nothing for granted.
Victor accepted a baseball scholarship to State, and for the first semester plus some, continued right where he left off in high school. College required more effort, but Victor wasn't afraid of hard work, both on the field and in the classroom.
It was his second semester as a civil engineering student that it all came unraveled. His fourth start of the baseball season, and a twinge in his shoulder as he threw his devastating slider turned into an ache by the time the trainer was summoned.
The ache turned into a fire the next morning that he just couldn't put out no matter what cream he used or what stretching he did.
Reporting to the team orthopedic doctor, and a series of x-rays later, the source of his discomfort was discovered. Victor had literally cracked his shoulder throwing that slider.
What's worse was, the doctor told him it wasn't a freak accident or something rest would cure. It was the stress of pitching, and even after surgery, his pitching career would be over. His shoulder simply wouldn't take the stress over a long period.
Of course, it was hard to hear for Victor, but he had more determination than anyone had given him credit for. He easily switched his scholarship over to academic, and continued putting up stellar grades as he recovered from the surgery.
After all, he came from a good family that had instilled good values in him. Not just doing what is right, but that hard work is its own reward and perseverance is golden. There was disappointment and sadness, but no stopping him.
Two full years after his surgery, Victor was given the green light to resume exercising, including weight lifting, but no pitching. The doctor confirmed that his shoulder would not hold up to the stress. It would break again if he started pitching.
Victor may have lost his ability to pitch, but not his love of the game. The coaching staff allowed him to assist with the team. He helped the freshmen find their feet and taught his devastating slider to anyone who wanted to learn.
The players were in awe as he threw a couple of demonstration sliders before stopping, not daring to relive the two year nightmare he had just come through.
After practice, Victor could be found in the batting cages. Pounding ball after ball into the far end of the net. It wasn't just therapeutic, it was a skill he was determined to master.
That was Victor's life. Schoolwork, lifting and batting practice. His only distraction was a Saturday night date. Once a week, he took some young lady out on a typical broke college date. No parties or wild shenanigans, just a movie or a night out with friends.
It was his fourth year that one Samantha Eversound crossed Victor's path. Not the typical woman Victor usually went out with, Samantha came from a well-to-do family. However she showed a drive that no woman before had demonstrated to him. Victor was glad he didn't judge her at face value.
Of course she is beautiful. Tall, blonde and fit. There was never a doubt about her looks. Maybe not model beautiful, but damn close to it.
Samantha came from money, and Victor never went for those type of women. Yes, they chased him, but without fail he found them to be shallow and spoiled. However, Samantha impressed Victor with her dedication to her studies, so he gave her a chance.
Samantha made it crystal clear that nothing would come in the way of her finance degree. Being a normal young woman, she still allowed herself some occasional fun, just like Victor. Although they immediately hit it off and had common goals, they stayed casual.
Victor was assisting with the baseball team at a late April practice, before the summer semester started. Josh Hill was on the mound, mowing down his teammates with the slider Victor had taught him.
Even in his position as "de facto" student/coach, Victor showed his love of the game. After telling three teammates in a row to pull their wrists into their body and fight the slider off into right field, one of them told Victor, "If you think it's so easy, why don't you show us how it's done."
Victor laughed it off, but the coach running practice heard the whole thing. Thinking that having the "water boy" take a few hacks would break the tension, he told Victor to get a helmet.
Not wanting to back down, Victor picked up a helmet, then a bat and stepped into the box.
Knowing he was expected to not let Victor show him up, Josh looked in at Victor standing in the box. He hadn't noticed how toned the former pitcher had become before then. When he looked in he saw the muscles in his arms as Victor gripped the bat, he realized this wasn't going to be as easy as they all thought.
Josh wound up and let loose his best slider. Immediately the "ping" of the aluminum bat echoed around the field as Victor laced a line drive into right field.
Two more pitches, and two more laser shots into right had the entire diamond quiet, and the coaches on the top step of the dugout.
"Mix it up now Josh." The head coach ordered his pitcher. "Any punch and Judy hitter can get it when he knows it's coming."
Victor didn't hit every one of the 20 pitches Josh threw in, but his display left everyone impressed. Victor had made himself into a legitimate college hitter when nobody was watching.
"I think we found our fourth outfielder." The head coach told his assistant.
So, Victor was asked to rejoin the team, but as a fielder this time. Since he was on academic scholarship, he didn't put anyone else out, which was important to him. They were his friends, and he would not take away someone else's scholarship.
No, Victor wasn't a star, heck he didn't even start most of the time, but at least he was back in the game he loved.
Samantha was happy for Victor, but honestly not impressed. Not only did she not care about sports, but had only dated star athletes before. Nevertheless, she was ok dating a bench sitter, since they weren't serious anyway.
That Summer, Victor interned at the municipal water company. It was a fantastic opportunity, but the engineering manager made it clear, "You'll earn your way, just like everyone else. You start at the bottom, and we'll see what your made of."
That put Victor in what can only be described as horrific working conditions. Literally cleaning tanks of shit up.
Victor never complained or let up. He put every bit as much effort into scrubbing shit out of the filtration system as he did everything else. By the end of the summer, Carlos, the engineering manager, had some hope for the kid.
One semester later, Victor was back at the water treatment department. His second go around was much like his first. Learning the basics of the biggest plant in the water system from the ground up.
And again Victor put as much work into his job as he did everything else he did. By the end of his second internship, Carlos respected the boy for his hard work and positive attitude.
"Call me personally after you graduate." He told Victor. "You've got a future here."
In his last baseball season, Victor became the go-to defensive replacement when State was winning a game late. His pinch hitting and defensive skills were second to none.
His big moment came in the super regional playoff game when he made an impossible catch, then using his cannon of an arm, doubled the runner off second base to preserve the win.
State lost in the first round of the college world series that year, but it was an experience Victor carried with him for the rest of his life. It reinforced that hard work can pay off. It's not where you start, but where you finish that matters.
Samantha, for her part, kept to her studies, but enjoyed her weekly night out with Victor. Seeing him on sports center making a full out diving catch, then gunning down the runner at second base gave her some pride in her "kind of" boyfriend.
Samantha and Victor both graduated with master's degrees, and both with honors. At first, Samantha wasn't thrilled about her now official boyfriend shoveling shit for a living, but once Victor told her that he now worked in the lab, she was much happier.
After all, she had a prestigious job at a brokerage, arranged by her family. She couldn't bring a sewer worker to a business function, but a water resources engineer was much better.
Just like his work, Victor poured everything he had into his relationship. Ok, so he wasn't rich, but he was a good person inside. He treated Samantha with courtesy and respect. He was honest to a fault and never left her wondering what his feelings were.
After 6 months, Samantha decided to introduce Victor to her family. Her mother immediately loved the bright, charismatic young man she brought home for Christmas. Her father, not so much.
