With the World Series starting this week, I can’t help thinking about my late husband Bill’s adoration for the Colorado Rockies. This baseball team didn’t always do well. After an especially tough game, Bill would say, “The Rockies are rotten to the core.” But the next day, his ear would be glued to the radio, paying attention to every pitch, catch, and the rare home run.
In 2007, the Rockies made the World Series. They played against the Boston Red Sox. Bill was in his element, sitting in his recliner with his radio broadcasting each day’s game. He’d suffered two strokes that paralyzed his left side, and we’d just realized he would probably never walk again. So, the Rockies’ good fortune couldn’t have come at a better time.
Unfortunately, the players must have let their World Series-making victory go to their heads because the team lost almost every game. When it was finally over, I expected Bill to say, “The Rockies are rotten to the core.” But he didn’t. Life went on. You can read more of our story in My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.
Bill’s boyish spirit and unwavering support of the Colorado Rockies inspired a minor character in my new novel, The Red Dress. Thomas, my main character Eve’s son, is thirteen years old, and is an avid fan of The Colorado Rockies. In the following excerpts, he demonstrates his frustration after attending a game where they lose, then his eagerness to see them play in Los Angeles while the family is planning a trip to California.
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A few minutes later, as Eve was starting to unload the dishwasher, the back door opened and in came Greg and Thomas, followed by Ginger, who pranced about, wagging her tail.
Greg appeared subdued, and Thomas looked miserable.
“What happened?” asked Eve.
“The Rockies are rotten to the core,” said Thomas.
“In other words, they lost big time,” said Greg.
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. What a way to end your birthday, huh?”
“They were way behind by the third inning and stayed that way throughout the entire game,” said Greg. “I wanted to leave at the seventh inning stretch, but this kid still believes in miracles.” He patted Thomas on the shoulder.
***
“Dad, I think the Rockies are playing the Dodgers in L.A. next week. Can we go to the game?”
“We’ll see,” said Greg. “Wait a minute. I thought you said last night the Rockies were rotten to the core.”
“They’ll do better,” said Thomas. “They were just in a slump last night.”
“That’s the spirit,” said Greg with a grin.
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New! The Red Dress
Copyright July 2019 by DLD Books
When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.
Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.
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