Free Tools of Ignorance: Lisa's Story by Barbara L. Clanton

you’re so strong and confident. And so tall.” Sam laughed. “I was desperate to find a way to get to know you, and when Susie and Marlee started seeing each other—”
    “I knew it.” Lisa smacked her thigh.
    “You didn’t know about them?”
    Lisa shook her head. “I didn’t know for sure. I’ve only come out to one other person. My ex.”
    “You have an ex?”
    Lisa looked down at her feet. “Yeah. She dumped me about a month ago.”
    A car drove down the road by the field. Sam tapped Lisa on the arm. “C’mon, let’s go to the car.”
    “Okay.”
    They headed out of the dugout toward Sam’s car.
    Sam held open the gate for the field. “Is she on your team?”
    “Who?”
    Sam chuckled. “Your ex.”
    “Geez, no. I met her at softball camp. She lives on Long Island.”
    “That’s pretty far away.”
    “Yeah.” Lisa laughed. “I guess that’s why it didn’t work out. She’s a senior.”
    “A senior? Phew, now I don’t feel so bad robbing the cradle.”
    Lisa grinned. “Is that what you’re doing?”
    Sam opened the passenger door for Lisa. “Yep.”
    Lisa got in, reached over, and unlocked Sam’s door.
    “So what about all of your exes, eh?” Lisa raised her eyebrows. “I bet you’ve got them lining up out the door.”
    Sam started the engine and faked a frown. “What makes you think I have any?”
    Liza grinned and pulled Sam to her. She put both hands on Sam’s face and kissed her. “That’s how.”
    “Oh, uh, well, yeah. I guess I do have an ex. Just the one.” Sam didn’t elaborate and pulled out of the parking spot. She turned on her headlights in the deepening twilight.
    “Well? Who is she?”
    Sam didn’t answer right away. She seemed to be concentrating on pulling out onto the main road. She took a deep breath. “You don’t know her.”
    “Try me,” Lisa insisted.
    “Oh, she’s just a girl I played with on my summer travel team.”
    “Who?”
    “Oh, uh, the Northwood shortstop.”
    “Geez, you mean when you guys played Northwood a couple of weeks ago, your ex was on the field?”
    Sam nodded.
    “Was that hard for you? Playing against your ex?”
    “Kind of, but we went our separate ways in September when school started. We’ve both officially moved on I think.”
    Lisa wouldn’t ever let on that the tiniest of flames still burned in her heart for Tara, the hoodlum from Long Island. She smiled shyly at Sam. “I think my second is turning out much better than my first.”
    “Me, too. Second is way better. Times a thousand.” She sent Lisa a look that melted Lisa’s toes.
    Lisa cleared her throat and reached for Sam’s hand. “I’m so glad you drove back to Clarksonville, today.”
    “Me, too.” Sam swerved the car into an abandoned gas station and slammed the car into park. “Kiss me and show me how glad you are.”
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
     

    Second Base
     
     
    LISA CUT BRIDGET’S hot dog into small chunks. Bridget stabbed a piece with her fork and dipped it into her mashed potatoes.
    Sam grimaced. “I’ve never seen that, uh, particular food combination before.”
    Lisa’s mother laughed. “You’ll never know if you like it unless you try it.” She held out the bowl of mashed potatoes toward Sam.
    Sam shrugged. “Why not? A Memorial Day barbeque just isn’t the same without mashed potatoes, right?” She plopped a small scoop on her paper plate.
    “That’s the spirit,” Lisa’s father said. “Sweetpea, pass Samantha the plate of hot dogs.”
    Bridget sat between Sam and Lisa at the picnic table under the maple tree in the Brown’s small back yard. The tree produced enough shade to keep the bright sunlight out of their eyes. Lisa helped her little sister lift up the plate.
    “Here Samtha,” Bridget said.
    Sam stabbed for a hot dog with her plastic fork. “Thanks.” She put the hot dog on her plate, cut off a slice with her knife, and stabbed it with her fork. She held the hotdog slice poised over the mound of mashed