Life continues. Time passes. Maybe about two years. I hardly think about what happened anymore, but it does work its way into my mind occasionally. I think of it as a stepping stone, an eye-opener. I'd like to believe I'm becoming a better person than I was with Marvin.

It's springtime. The weather is getting nicer, the leaves will be starting to grow back. And so, I go for a walk. I've never really paid attention to my neighborhood, it's typical for New York City— loud, busy. But today it's pleasant.

It's, let's say, around 3:30 in the afternoon. I'm starting to head back to my apartment, because even as it's gradually getting warmer outside, this jacket isn't doing much for me in the March air.

And then I spot him. It's a little hard to recognize him at first, but I know he looks familiar. A kid maybe twelve or thirteen, brown hair, carrying a schoolbag and dragging his feet on the ground as he's walking home. It's Jason. I'm taking it all in and I realize how long it's been since I've actually seen him. He's grown a little taller, his face a little thinner, but that's it. And before I can turn back down the sidewalk, he's looking up and he's seen me.

Crap. Do I say something? What do you say to your ex-boyfriend's kid???

"Whizzer!" Jason calls. I look back, pretending I'm seeing him for the first time, and immediately he runs over and wraps his arms around me. An unexpected gesture for sure. But it makes me smile.

"Hey, Jason!" I laugh, holding him away from me by his shoulders to look at him. "How's it going? Man, you've grown."

"I was just coming home from school. I can't believe I saw you!" He grins. "I have so much to tell you about. My bar mitzvah is coming up! Also, I have a baseball game this weekend, and..."

I smile to myself as he goes on. This kid I haven't seen in two years. He remembers me. And he wanted to tell me about all this stuff, about his bar mitzvah, and I almost can't believe it. I still remember when he would barely talk to me. And now he's come up to me on the street, and we're talking like we're old friends.

"Can you come?" Jason asks, bringing my attention back to him.

"Oh, sorry. What?"

"To my baseball game," he says. "Come on, Whizzer, please? I really wanted to ask you before but I didn't know your number, and my dad said you were living somewhere else now."

I look at the kid hesitantly. "I don't know how your parents would feel about that, buddy."

His smile disappears. "Oh. Okay. Are you sure?"

"No, I mean, I'd like to come. But..." Marvin. Jason mentioned him before. I suppose that means they've been talking about me. Still. If I showed up to the game, unannounced, I don't think it would go over well at all. But then there's Jason. I can't let him down. I pause before saying, "Look, kid, I don't want your mom to worry about you. You should probably get home soon."

"Promise you'll come?" he asks.

"...I promise."

Jason didn't tell me exactly where his baseball game was, but it's easy to figure out based on where he's located and the basic schedule of Little League baseball games. So, after much hesitation, I decide to show up. After all, it'll probably only be for a while. Maybe I won't even see Marvin.

But as soon as I walk in, I hear him. He's calling to Jason from the bleachers. I think about turning back, but I know I can't do that to the kid, so I don't. I walk right up to the bleachers, where Marvin is sitting. He doesn't see me at first. He's with Trina and a curly-haired man I figure out is Mendel. I would guess they're married by now. There are two other women I don't recognize. Marvin is the first one to notice me. "What is he doing here?" he says quietly to one of the women as they sit down, as if I can't hear him. He pulls her in front of him like he's hiding.

Trina spots me, her brow furrowing, and asks me, "What are you doing here?"

Casually I reply, "Jason asked me to come. So I came."

She glances toward Mendel and then gives a tolerating smile. "Just what I wanted at a Little League game. My ex-husband's ex-lover! Isn't that what every mother dreams about?"

Marvin is still staring in my direction. He has no reply.

Suddenly the blonde woman, who's sitting closest to my side, stands up. "The kid was out!" she shouts indignantly, about the game.

The other woman (I assume is her partner) stands up as well and says, "The kid was safe!"

They're still arguing when I cut them off with, "I love baseball, and I love Jason. That's what I'm doing here." Trina's looking at me, Mendel is just looking at the ground and nodding. The other woman, the dark-haired one, shoots up from her seat again.

"Hey, where the hell did they get that umpire?!" she yells. Marvin pulls her down by her arm again. "Sorry, sorry."

Marvin indicates me to his friends. "Look who's here," he tells them. "Go on, say hello."

The women introduce themselves as Cordelia (blonde) and Charlotte (umpire lady). Then I look at my ex-boyfriend, sitting on their other side. "Marvin," I say formally.

"Whizzer."

I sit down next to Trina and lean in to ask, "Is he still queer?"

"I don't know!" she whispers, frowning at me.

"Does it matter?" asks Mendel.

Marvin just glares at us. "Hey, Whizzer. Sit in front of me," he tells me. "Let's see that bald spot. Come on." He nudges Trina and Mendel to get up.

I roll my eyes in his direction. "Marvin. Marvin!" He's grabbing my jacket sleeve now, inching me toward him. God, he's so immature. Trina and Mendel take their places on my right.

"Still the only physical imperfection you've got, huh?" Marvin says, examining the back of my head. He reaches out to touch it, and I whirl around.

"Marvin! Come on, man."

And then Jason is up to bat. I get up so I don't have to deal with Marvin anymore. "Hey! Jason!"

His face lights up when he sees me, and I already don't regret showing up. "Oh, hi, Whizzer!" he exclaims, slapping my hand. "Glad you came!"

"Here, can I?" I take his bat out of his hands, because I want to give him some pointers, and also because I can feel Marvin's eyes on me and I don't feel like going back to the bleachers just yet. So I go through all the tips I can think of. "Keep your head in the box," I tell Jason. "Eye on the ball. Take a breath, let it out, and..." I mimic swinging the bat. "You got that?" He nods. "Okay, go get 'em!"

"Thanks, Whizzer."

Marvin grins at me as I return to my seat. "Even bald, you look good."

I bite my cheek and don't turn around. Just remember how he is, I tell myself. Remember all the reasons this didn't work. But even men like him can charm, and when he smiles that smile I start to forget everything that came before.

He climbs off his side of the bleachers, joining me by mine. "Whizzer," he greets me.

"Marvin."

"Do you think there's any hope for the kid?"

I inhale sharply and look out at the field. "I love Jason, but... this is not his venue." We share a look and both laugh, and God. Damn.

I'm actually starting to think, without Marvin, my life would be boring as shit. And then Jason's up again, and everyone is cheering him on. "Hey, Jason!" I call. "You've got to stand closer to the plate!"

Marvin nudges me with his hand. "He's going to get hit by the ball," he complains.

Please, God, don't let me make the same mistake.

It's the final inning. Two outs, two strikes, the bases are loaded and the other team is ahead. I don't want to admit it, but with Jason batting, his team doesn't stand a chance.

And then Marvin leans over from where he's standing. "Would it be possible to..." He clears his throat. "Maybe give you a call?"

I smile back at him. "Anything's possible."

And then Jason swings the bat, and he hits the ball. The rest of us snap back to attention as we watch it sail across the field. He hit it. He actually hit it. I hardly notice the fact that I've been holding onto Marvin's arm in anticipation. When I do notice, I'm too happy to care.

And then we look back at Jason, who is staring after the ball just as we are with awe. He hasn't moved. "Run!!" we shout, and he does.