It was already late in the afternoon before Vintner was able to head down the ball fields. He was hoping to catch the last few innings of a game. He still wanted to see Darryl hit. He hadn't had a chance to see Darryl hit since the day they first spoke, the day that Vintner'd given Darryl the tip on how to be sure to keep his front shoulder up. Vintner had wanted to have gotten to the fields earlier. Instead, he'd spent the day immersed in a world that he'd stepped away from months ago, a world he thought he'd abandoned forever. Vintner had freed up his whole morning to make some phone calls but they took longer than he expected them to. It was like stepping back into quicksand. Before Vintner knew it, the morning drifted effortlessly into afternoon.