We were well into our freshman year in high school. The joys of the state championship were memories that we would keep forever, but high school baseball was starting in two weeks. Coach Robertson was still the coach of Forest Ridge High, and Dyno and I both made the varsity team. Alex, Stu, Sammy, Duncan, Johnny, and Billy all made the junior varsity squad, but our lone 13-year-old starter, Carlos Alvarez, was only an eighth grader, and he was the rising star of the middle school team. Tad Hernandez made a complete recovery from his ankle injury, but he chose to sit out the spring season to make sure when he returned to playing baseball, he would be 100 per cent. He was going to tryout for the Under 17 team in the summer with the other member of the Badgers. Mr. Taylor completed his job with the large construction company, but chose not to go with them to their next big job. He decided he wanted to keep his family in Forest Ridge and he started his own small construction company. He was doing very well, and there have been no family issues, like before. Sophie Taylor had successful heart valve surgery and was living a normal teenage life. She would be back playing sports in another year. Sophie was in her second year of middle school, and I secretly asked her to look after my sister, 212 Do n a l d B . L u c a s Caroline, who was starting middle school as a sixth grader. Caroline was always wide-open, and she was going to need someone to look after her. Mom and Dad were doing well, and Dad was still practicing law. So far, I had not had any reason to pry into any of his cases. However, the year was not over, so stay tuned. You never know what may be coming next!