For my sister Patricia Kathryn Manzer 1967 2017 beloved aunt and dedicated reader And for all the kids like Caz who are brave enough to be their true selves See you at the ballpark
It all started with a haircut A week before my tenth birthday I came from home from school and told my mom I wanted my hair to be cut like now My hair suddenly felt like this heavy weighted thing not right on my head at all I always wore it in a single braid and it kept thump-thumping me on the back when I ran like someone tapping me on the shoulder You have baseball practice my mom said I always had baseball practice I was on two base ball teams one for regular kids and the other for players who were really good I don’t mean to brag but it’s the truth Even when I was five years old I could throw a ball almost to the end of our street 1
