One Shot For A Shot // written by yours truly!

    Breathe in, breathe out. Deep and slow. He evened his breathing and steadied his hands as he lined up the shot. Closing one eye, he waited for the precise moment. There would only be one chance to get it right. Any moment now. 

    CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.

    Lukas pressed the button, getting three shots in quick succession. One of them had to turn out. He turned and began packing up his equipment. 

    As the players ran off the field, Chad ran up to him. “Well? Did you get that shot of my goal?”

    “I think I got it.” Lukas smiled. “I know I say this every time, but this might finally be my break, Chad. I really feel like I got some great shots to work with. But I’ve got to run. Deadline is in three hours. Great game, by the way.”

    Chad grinned, gave Lukas his trademark two-fingered salute, and ran back onto the field to celebrate with his teammates.

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Lukas closed the laptop with a sigh, leaned back, and ran his fingers through his hair. 15 minutes early. That’s the largest margin yet. He had gotten some good shots at the soccer game, but unfortunately, not the one he wanted. However, the editor should still be happy with what Lukas had done.

    Strains of music filled the room.

    “Hey man, what’s up?”

    “Is this Lukas Grathner speaking?”

    “Yes it is.”

    “This is Alec Montgomery from Sports Illustrated. I was shown some of your work and wondered if you would like to go on a shoot for us with the potential for full time work. Are you interested?”

    Lukas’ mind was reeling, but all he said was,  “Yes sir, I am.”

    “Good. Now, we want you to cover the College World Series. There will be several dozen amateur sports photographers there and they all want the same thing you do. Your job is to show me why I should choose you out of all of them to work for us.”

    “Yes sir, I understand. Thank you sir.”

    “You will be sent more details in a few days. Good luck, Mr. Grathner.”

    The line went dead.

    Lukas couldn’t move. He was stunned. He was also embarrassed. I’ve got to change Chad’s ringtone to something drastically different from all the others. Then another thought hit him. I just agreed to photograph the College World Series. What was I thinking?

✤ ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤ 

The Grathner family was enjoying a rare family dinner. 

    “I got an exciting phone call this afternoon.”

    That got the attention of his parents and sister. Lukas kept eating, as though he made statements like that everyday . 

    “Well?” his sister asked. “Are you going to elaborate on that statement?”

    “The senior photo editor at Sports Illustrated called and asked me if I was interested in competing for a job with the magazine.”

    “You said yes, right?”

    “You bet I said yes.”

    His dad joined the conversation. “So, what are you shooting?”

    Lukas paused for a moment, then answered quietly, “The College World Series.”

    Silence descended on the dining room. No one knew what to say.

    Finally, his mom cleared her throat. “Well… you should have an advantage then. It must be easier to shoot a sport you know. And you know baseball really well.” She stood to start clearing away dishes. “I’m sure you will do an exceptional job. Maybe this will be just the break you need to finally become a professional sports photographer.”

    “Thanks Mom. I hope you’re right. The competition will be challenging. Mr. Montgomery said that there will be several dozen others trying to get the same job. I’ve got to get pictures that are better than all of theirs.”

    The rest of the family rose and began helping put away dinner. When he was no longer needed, Lukas went downstairs to the basement.

    He did not go to his room, but to the room in the back corner on the right. A layer of dust covered the handle. He opened the door and flicked on the light. 

    Posters covered the walls, trophies crowded the shelves, equipment was strewn about the floor. All of it covered in dust. 

    What am I doing? I swore I wasn’t going to have anything to do with baseball ever again. But this might be my only shot. Can I do it? 

    Lukas stood in the doorway, looking at all the memorabilia for only a few minutes, but he relived years in that time. Silently, he turned, shut off the light and walked out, pulling the door shut behind him. 

    ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤

The phone call came way too early. 

    Or I was up way too late, which is actually more likely.

    “I’m calling for Lukas Grathner, please.”

    “Speaking.”

    “Mr. Grathner, this is Alyssa Whitcomb. I’m in charge of working with the photographers who are competing for the SI job. As a part of that, I am trying to meet each photographer in person. I know it is very short notice, but I will be in your area today and was wondering if we could meet at some point.”

    “Yes, I think I can make that work.”

    “Excellent. There is a little coffee shop that borders the park, do you know it?”

    “Yes ma’am.”

    “Does meeting there at 5:30 work for you?”

    “I can be there.”

    “We will talk more then, Mr. Grathner.”

    Well, this could be an interesting day.

“Mr. Grathner?”

    Lukas was approached by a well-dressed business woman who carried herself confidently, yet immediately made Lukas feel at ease. This might not be too bad. She seems friendly.

    “Miss Whitcomb.”

    “I’ll get straight to the point, Mr. Grathner.”

    “Lukas, please.”

    “All right, Lukas. We were looking over your portfolio and it is quite impressive. But we were intrigued to notice that you had no shots of baseball games. Have you ever shot a baseball game?”

    “No ma’am, I have not.”

    “Is there a reason?”

    “I haven’t done anything with baseball in 11 years.”

    “And yet you think you can photograph the College World Series well enough to land a job with Sports Illustrated?”

    “I don’t know. But I do know that I can try and I will do my absolute best. I believe a good photographer should be able to get excellent shots no matter what he’s shooting and regardless of whether or not he’s ever shot anything like it before. I intend to be a great photographer, so this will be a good test for me.”

    Alyssa Whitcomb smiled.

    “You seem confident, yet not arrogant. Personally, from looking at your work, and now talking with you, I think you will do well. I look forward to seeing what you get at the World Series.”

    “Thank you for meeting with me, Miss Whitcomb.”

    “No, thank you, Lukas, for being so flexible with such short notice. Here is the packet of info you will need. I will see you in a few weeks.”

    As she left the shop, Lukas stared out the window, again wondering what he’d gotten himself into.

✤ ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤

Ding dong. 

    “Hey Chad, you know you can just come on in.”

    “Thanks, Britta. Is Lukas here?”

    “Yeah, he’s on the back porch. But he’s not really talking to anyone.”

    “Is this still about that photo opportunity?”

    “Yeah.”

    “I’m going to talk to him; this is ridiculous.”

    Lukas didn’t even glance up as the door slid open behind him and someone came around and sat down.

    “Dude, you’re pathetic, did you know that?”

    “Great way to make me feel better, Chad, thanks.”

    “I’m not trying to make you feel better, I’m trying to make you feel guilty. Why is this so hard? You have the chance of a lifetime, the chance to get your dream job, and you’re sitting out here moping and thinking about whether or not you’ll go.”

    “You don’t get it Chad….”

    “Actually, I do. I get that you haven’t had anything to do with baseball in years and you swore never to have anything to do with it again. But this is different.” His eyes dropped to the book in Lukas’ hands. “What’s that?”

    “Nothing.”

    “Ummhmm. Let me see.” Chad scooped up the book and read the page it was opened to. “September 20, 1999. I will never play baseball again. I don’t want anything to do with it from now on. I swear I won’t end up like Rhyan. I will never be him.” 

    Chad looked up at Lukas. “Don’t you get it? Don’t you see that if you don’t go now, you are becoming like him? Lukas, I know your brother hurt you. I know that you didn’t want to continue doing the sport he played and taught you to play just as well. That’s understandable. But you made that promise as a 10-year-old kid who was very upset. Keeping it now means throwing away your dreams and your future. You’d be doing exactly what Rhyan did.”

    Lukas stared off into space. “I don’t know if I can go back after all these years. Baseball holds nothing but bad memories for me…… I went in the Room the other day.”

    “Good for you. That’s a step in the right direction. Look, I’m not saying this is going to be easy. It’s going to be hard. You will have to face a part of your past that you’ve kept hidden in a room for 11 years. But this is what you need to do. Being a sports photographer is your dream and you have the talent and potential to make it. Just like Rhyan would have been an All Star second baseman in the pros. The difference is, you won’t give up and you will make different choices than he did.”

    “You ever think about being a motivational speaker? Or maybe a counselor? A therapist? You’d be good at it.”

    “Thanks, but I’ll stick with best friend for now. So, when do you leave?”

    “What makes you think I’m going?”

    Chad laughed. “You’re going.”

    “You… I’m leaving tomorrow.”

    “And when you get back, you will be the newest sports photographer for Sports Illustrated.”

    “I’m glad one of us is confident.”

✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

“Are there any last minute questions?” 

    Alyssa Whitcomb looked out at the 30 faces before her. “No? Okay. You have about an hour before the game, so go find your position and get set up. I am looking forward to seeing the moments you capture during this series. Good luck to you all.”

    Okay, I can do this. Lukas quickly gathered his equipment and began looking for a good spot. After not much searching, he found one and in short order, had his “studio” set up. Other photographers passed by, looking for their own spots. 

    “You’ll never get good pictures there.” 

    “Are you sure that’s where you want to set up?”

    “Guess he’s one less competitor to worry about. He’ll never get anything good.”

    Lukas ignored them all. I’m exactly where I want to be. I might not have set foot in a ballpark in 11 years, but I still remember every single thing I learned.

    The closer it got to game time, the more electric the atmosphere in the stadium became. Lukas could feel the energy and it invigorated him. I’ve missed this. I actually miss this feeling. It felt like coming home. And after the first couple of innings, Lukas lost himself completely in capturing his old passion with the lens of his new one. He’d never experienced anything like it before. Breathe in, breathe out. In the blink of an eye, the game was over. As he packed up his equipment, Lukas struggled to understand what had happened to him that night. 

    For the rest of the series, that’s how it was. Lukas would get to the ballpark, find his spot, and lose himself in the world of baseball. This is what it’s like to live your dream. To do a job you love so much, it doesn’t feel like work. This is what I was born to do. Chad was right. Whoa, I better never tell him that. 

✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

I had two weeks to get these sent in. Why am I always working down to the wire? Alyssa Whitcomb had given the photographers two weeks to do their editing work and send in their ten best photos. Lukas had been having a very difficult time picking just ten. He had gotten hundreds of really good shots. He had a feeling that this time, he might have a winner. Whether or not it was with Sports Illustrated, he wasn’t sure, but he could submit these photos to any newspaper or sports magazine in the country. Chad, of course, thought the SI job was a sure thing and was convinced that they’d be fools not to pick Lukas. He smiled to himself. It sure is nice having someone to cheer you on. The clock rang the hour and simultaneously, his cell phone rang.

    “You better be done, because your deadline just passed.”

    “Yeah, I got them sent off. Were you waiting by the phone, just staring at the clock until it said you could call or something?”

    “Yep! And I’m standing outside your front door too, so do you want to come let me in?”

    Lukas laughed and hung up. He went upstairs and opened the door to see Chad grinning from ear to ear. 

“I’m not sure who is the bigger fan, you or my family.”

    “Oh, definitely me. At least, I have more influence over you. Who convinced you to even go, hmmm?”

    “I’m not stroking your ego any more.”

    “Seriously though, you’re different. Not that I’ve seen you much since you came home, but you are definitely different.”

    “I redeemed a part of my past that I thought was lost forever. I… I can’t really explain it, Chad. It was like I rediscovered something I thought I’d lost. Like being reunited with an old friend after years of being apart. I felt completely at home and I knew exactly what I was doing. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

    “Well, from the pictures you showed me, I can tell you knew what you were doing. No one but you would be able to get shots like that.”

    “Did I tell you everyone else thought I was crazy for picking the spot I did? They told me so, too. But I just knew that was the place for pictures.”

    “That’s because you know baseball and photography so thoroughly. You have an instinct too; a natural talent and feel for the right angle. I couldn’t explain it if I tried. But you have it.”

    “Thanks Chad. For believing in me and pushing me. Sometimes, what you really need is for someone to tell you that you’re being a jerk and acting immature.”

    “Hey, I’d be happy to tell you that anytime.”

    “I’m sure you would.”

    ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

Lukas was lying in bed that night, when it happened. I really don’t care if I get the job at Sports Illustrated. Because I already got something better. I got baseball back. I have a friend who’s got my back, a family who loves and supports me, and a chance at my dream job. I might not even be here if it wasn’t for Rhyan. 

Rhyan. Lukas wasn’t sure he would ever forgive him for everything he did, but knew that in rediscovering his love for baseball and the knowledge that he could enjoy baseball without pain, meant that the healing had begun. Whatever came next, he had his family, his best friend, photography, and, for the first time in 11 years, baseball.