Best of Daughters (Self)

4 August, 2029 (4 жніўня 2029)

Carson slept quietly. Larina was on a business trip and he was alone with their daughter, Isabella. He slept quietly. The curtains were closed and the wind came through the windows. All was well until, "Daddy?"

Carson opened his eyes lightly. He blinked to see his five-year-old daughter, Isabella, standing at his bed with her blanket. Her hair was straight, her shirt was pink with polka dots. Teddy bear was in her hands as well.

"Sweetie, go back to bed," he said to her. "I can't, Daddy," she said. She climbed on him and she sat on his lap. Her wavy, brown hair flowed freely off her neck. Fear was clear in her hazel eyes. Her tan skin didn't look much like his dark skin, but it reflected Larina's.

Carson looked at her. "Are you okay?" he asked. Isabella was sleeping soundly. He delicately picked her up and put her back in her bed. He lightly tucked the covers over her. The twenty-five-year-old father made sure that she was okay multiple times before he went back to his bed.

Isabella was his most prized person and he would not give her up. He smiled at the thought of bringing Isabella to her first day of Kindergarten tomorrow. "Ohh, child. Things are gonna get easier," he sang to her.

His wife was five years older than he was, but he couldn't imagine a more beautiful family with anyone else. Carsonskov (Odelin) drifted back to sleep.

He knew that he was on leave from baseball until Larina came back, as he couldn't afford a sitter. His team, the Astratov Heaters, would play the Minsk Nationals in Minsk. He would start. He just needed to wait for Larina for a few days. The OLB gave him time to spend with his daughter.

5 August 2029 (5 жніўня 2029)

Carson woke up with a flutter of his eyes. He got up lightly and walked over to his daughter's bedroom. Today would be Isabella's first day of Kindergarten at her new school. The pink door opened lightly as Carson looked into Isabella's room. Isabella got out of bed and hugged her father tightly. Carson patted her on the back. He then got a phone call.

Carson picked up the phone to discover a call from Larina. "Lari?" Carson inquired to the phone. "Hey, sweetie. How was your night?" she asked. Carson smiled lightly. This was the first time he heard from her since she left. "Good. Just cold without you. How is your business trip?" he asked. Larina giggled as she turned her screen to FaceTime. Carson picked up Isabella and sat her on the couch next to him.

Larina's tan skin glistened in the light. Her blonde hair sparkled. Her blue eyes gleamed in the light. "Hi, Bella!" she squealed. Isabella smiled as her white teeth gleamed in the light. "Mommy!" she screamed. Carson laughed. Isabella got down and went to her room to get dressed. Larina smiled on the other end of the camera. Carson smiled until he noticed something on the other side of the camera.

He noticed that on the other end of the hotel room, there were shoes that did not look like hers. He knew they weren't his. He decided to point it out. "Whose shoes are those?" he asked. Larina turned from cool to panicked. "Oh, uh, they are just new shoes that I bought!" she said nervously. Carson nodded and then he saw an arm in the corner. Larina saw it, too. "I have to go, sweetie. See you in a few days!" she hung up after that.

Carson decided to let it go as his daughter grabbed his hand to go to school. The little, pink Princess Rosaline backpack roamed on her back. He would report to the ballpark later today for a light catcher's workout. He walked her into the building. The school was named Oak Park Elementary. He walked her into the classroom. His Heaters cap was on. Isabella hugged him tightly. "I love you, dad," she said. Carson hugged her back. "You are the best of daughters," he said.

He then left to go back to the apartment. When he reached the sign that said, "Olive Peak Apartments", he took a breath. He reflected back on what he saw with Larina. "Is it possible that my wife is having an affair?" he asked himself. He brushed it off as he grabbed his baseball gear from the apartment. He made his way down to Solar Ballpark of Astratov for his workout.

5 August 2029 (5 жніўня 2029)

He arrived in the downtown ballpark in a hurry. He made his way to the clubhouse. He pulled out his practice jersey and shorts, and made his way to the field. He started to take a lap around the field. The stadium sat quietly. Seats were burnt orange. The jumbo screen had the word Heaters. He started to hit. A few of the baseballs were hit out to the stands in left, a few hit the wall, and a few went over the Centre Field Wall. When he was done with that, he made his way to the bullpen to work with one pitcher that didn't go to Minsk. He caught a total of 45 pitches until he saw the same. "Shoot, it's 5:00 already? I gotta go!" he yelled. He went to his car to pick up Isabella from school.

OOC - Not the best quality. In fact, this was terrible. One paragraph because I was tired. I will come up with something better after this.

5 August 2029 (5 жніўня 2029)

Carson arrived at Oak Park Elementary. He immediately signed the papers to get his daughter. The kindergartener sprang into his arms. Her blonde hair caressed his neck. Carson's face lit up. As part of a tradition of his Afrikvic Tribe he was born in, he gave her a bead after her first day. The bead would either be red, black, or green and it would symbolize one of three things: bravery (red), strength (black), and loyalty (green). Carson gave the red bead to her. Isabella knew the traditions well. Every weekend when Carson wasn't playing, he would take her to his hometown of Ogamikka.

Typical celebrations included drumming, singing, dancing, and clapping. Isabella grew very accustomed to the traditions of the Ogamikka Tribe. She found numerous friends, she was a prodigy with the celebrations, and she was learning baseball, the sport generations of the Ogamikka Tribe played. Even though there were always good players from the Ogamikka, Carson was the first one that made it to the Oclusi League Baseball.

Carson took her hand before the lady at the front desk stopped him. "Is this your daughter?" Carson nodded. "I need some identification before you take her," she said. Carson was confused. He showed it earlier and he didn't understand why he had to show it again. He did as he was told. The lady looked at it and slowly handed it back to him. "This is my daughter, and I would appreciate it if you left me alone," he said sternly. Isabella looked up to him when they were walking out. "Why did they ask you that?" she asked.

Carson looked at her. He didn't understand why either. However, the colour of his skin was the biggest factor. People didn't know that Isabella was bi-racial because of her blonde hair and freckles. Carson's dark skin was really different from Isabella's light skin. However, he didn't want to tell her just yet. "I'll tell you when you are older, Bella," he said. He turned back. "I got you this from the clubhouse, however," he said. He threw back a Heaters's hat and a jersey with her name on the back.

She loved it and immediately put it on. When they got back to the apartment, she walked in front of her dad. "How do I look?" she smiled. Carson went to her. "Missing one thing," he said. He flipped down the hat. "There," he said. He then pulled out a baseball ticket for her. "Sweetie, wear that tomorrow. You're going to a ballgame," he said. She leaped. "Really? Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Carson laughed. "You will be sitting behind home plate with Aleh Kiseleǔ's wife, Mrs. Elena Kiseleǔ, and his daughters," he said.

Isabella ate dinner and an hour later, went to bed. She dreamt of baseball. The sights and the scenes of the ballpark. Carson sat on the bed. He got an incoming call from Larina. "Hey, Lari!" he smiled. Larina was not taking anything from Carson. She cut straight to the chase. "I found someone rich and someone who can provide for my needs. An apartment isn't enough, Carson. Think about me and Isabella," she said with an angry tone. Carson sat taking every word. "I signed the divorce papers, and I need you to sign them. They should be in the mail," she said. He opened a letter addressed to him. He saw the papers. "Signed. I'm sorry I wasn't enough for you..." he said. Larina wasn't done. "You're keeping Isabella. I want to start a new life without a kid in Svoboversk," she said. Carson was fired up.

"Talk about me all the hell you want. Say whatever the hell you want about me. However, you will NOT refer to Isabella as an object. She is the best of daughters, and you are missing out on the best child ever. Now, I don't want to hear from you ever again. Got it? Good. Bye," he said as he hung up the phone. He got one more message from Larina. "Isabella's not even yours," the text read. Carson was furious. He suspected it for the longest time. However, he quickly got over it and blocked Larina.

He lie in bed. Isabella will always be his daughter, no matter what anyone told him. He smiled to himself. Isabella came into the room with her security blanket. She cuddled with Carson. "I can't sleep," she said. He moved over. She put her head on the blanket as she cuddled to her father. "You are definitely the best of daughters, Bella," he said lightly.

6 August 2029 (6 жніўня 2029)

The sun started to rise above the horizon, and Carson woke up with his little daughter snuggled close to him. He got up and quickly made her lunch and breakfast. She walked down the hallway of the apartment into the living room and walked through a small door-like opening. This was Friday morning and she was already ready for the ballgame after school. Carson gave her breakfast and broke some news to her. "You will be riding with Mrs. Elena Kiseleǔ and her daughters," he said to her.

She lightly nodded. When she was finished, Carson took her hand and led her out the door to the car. From there, he drove her to Oak Park Elementary. He dropped her off and kissed her forehead and left out the door to the car. His baseball gear including his normal stuff and catcher's gear was in the back. He made his way downtown to the ballpark. When he got there, he went through the players' entrance showing his ID. He walked in the clubhouse and got his BP Uniform on.

The Heaters would be playing the Michuksary Ligers in the best of four series. He got his bat and got ready for BP. The hitting coach was throwing live. Carson stepped into the box and got set. First pitch was sent to shallow center field. Second and third were sent down the third-base line, the fourth, fifth, and sixth were launched into the seats foul. The seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth were sent over the center field wall into the developing crowd.

Then, he got with the pitcher of the game, Adam Savich, to throw a round of long-toss. The crowd started to swell, and Carson threw the ball to a kid in the crowd who caught it with his glove. Savich and Carson went to the bullpen to get warm. Twenty-five pitches later, they came out and reported to the dugout. The manager went to Carson. "How's he looking?" he asked. Carson smiled. "Looking good, skip," he said with a light laugh. The manager smiled and nodded and walked away.

The rest of them went into the clubhouse to get changed into game attire. The white jerseys with orange-red lettering saying "Astratov" on them was the alternate home jersey they would be wearing tonight. Once they were all changed, they went to the line to get ready for the Oclusi National Anthem. The Ligers were on the line with their gray road jerseys and pants that said "Michuksary" in blue Brush Script lettering on them. Once it was complete, one fan yelled the words into the microphone. "Play Ball!"

The Heaters took their spots. Carson took his behind the plate. He located his daughter. He went over to her as he waited for Savich. "Dad! Wait!" Isabella took out some black eye black and painted it under Carson's eyes. She also gave him a note. "Addressed to the Greatest Dad Ever," it said. Carson smiled. Isabella pinched his cheeks lightly and whispered, "Get 'em, dad."

Carson smiled. He couldn't believe that his daughter was this mature for a kindergartener. Three batters later, the Heaters were going to bat. Carson took his place as the second hitter. The leadoff guy hit a triple in the gap. Carson took the first pitch high for a ball. Next pitch was launched into the left-field bleachers for a home run. The Heaters now lead the game 2-0.

That score remained for many innings. Through seven, Savich struck out 14 and gave up 1 hit. Then, he ran into trouble. Bases loaded and a the best hitter up. However, he got the best luck. The batter hit a fly-ball to left. The ball was caught and hauled home. Carson picked it up and got ready to tag the runner at home. However, the runner didn't slide. He went in like a pro-wrestler and tackled Carson. Carson was clearly in pain as he held onto the ball. The umpire jerked his fist. The runner was out. However, Carson didn't get up.

Immediately, Isabella got up out of her seat and jumped the dugout fence and rushed onto the field. The crowd started to roar. Isabella grabbed her father's hand. "Dad... Please..." Carson turned his head. "I'm okay. Just hurt," he said in pain. The trainers brought a stretcher and put him on. They were getting ready to escort him to the hospital. Isabella refused to leave her father's side. Carson used a lot of his strength and put his hands on her face. "I will be out in a day or two. In the meantime, I need you to stay with the Kiseleǔs. I will pick you up Tuesday," he let go as the door was closed. Isabella slammed her fists on the door. She cried in her small hands. Her blue eyes were full of tears.

The crowd clapped as the ambulance drove off. The security guards escorted Isabella off the field and put her back in her seat next to Mrs. Kiseleǔ and her two daughters, Karalina and Sophia. They each put an arm around Isabella lightly.

7 August 2029 (7 жніўня 2029)

The next morning, Isabella woke up in a guest bed inside the Kiseleüs' house. She felt the breeze go into her nose. She stretched a tad and got out of bed. Her light blonde hair blew in the wind. She picked up a baseball that she saw near the door to her bed. She looked straight at it and picked it up. She then took it back to her bed and examined it more. She was mesmerized by the baseball and its stitches. She immediately kept it as a keepsake for when her father would pick her up. She went back to sleep a bit later for a bit longer until everyone in the house would wake up for the first meal of the day, breakfast.

10 August 2029 (10 жніўня 2029)

Carson woke up in a hospital bed. After going through a light rehab, he got back into the swing of normal life. He shook lightly in his bed, and in front of him was Larina. She had a large grin on her face. "Sign the papers," she said sternly. "Isabella stays with you, but I get 70% of your money that you have right now," she added. Carson rolled his eyes as he signed the papers. "As long as Isabella won't have to see your face again, I'll sign it," he said. Now knowing that he had significantly less money, he paid the medical bill and headed off to pick up his daughter. Before the divorce, he had about 5,000,000 Unions in payment from baseball. However, now, he had about 3.5 million Unions given to Larina in his divorce. While he did get paid from baseball, his next big check would be in two months.

He walked out of the hospital and immediately started to walk home. Immediately, he ran into a woman. She fell back, and Carson gathered himself to his feet. "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed as he offered her a hand up. The woman just nodded and took the hand to get up. When Carson looked at her, he was absolutely shocked. "Audrey Valdres?" he exclaimed. The woman awkwardly nodded. "Wait, Carson Walker?" she exclaimed. She pulled out a Heaters cap. "Can I have your autograph?" she asked. Carson stared back. "Only if I could have yours," he said. They exchanged autographs. "It was nice to meet you," she said. She pulled out a slip of paper. "Here's my number, call it if you want to meet in the park or something," she said as she headed off.

Carson made his way back to the Kiseleüs' house to pick up his daughter. When he got there, he knocked on their wooden door. The house towered to a height of four feet tall. Inside on the bottom floor, they had a pool. He could hear laughter from inside. The door opened and his teammate, Mr. Kiseleü, picked up and high-fived him. He walked in and was immediately hugged by Isabella. "How you doing, big girl?" he whispered to her as he hugged her back. "I missed you, dad," she said into his shoulder. Isabella said a quick thank you, and they went to the bus stop to take them downtown. When the Expressway Bus came, they boarded and Carson asked Isabella about her time. "It was great. We went to another ballgame we went swimming, we went to the park, but one person was missing," she said, "You, dad," she said. Carson smiled as the bus was in motion.

When the bus made a complete stop near downtown at the Olive Peak Apartments, Carson took his daughter's hand and got off. The young father unlocked the door and let his daughter inside. Immediately, she went to her bed, and Carson sat on his bed with the number he acquired earlier in hand. He was nervous. Ms. Valdres was the most famous person in Oclusia. She was a model for many magazines, and that got her highly popular in Oclusia. "Come on, Carson. Call the number," he told himself. "No, she might not want to talk to you," his other side of him said. He took a deep breath, and he dialed the number. The phone rang. "Hello?" he could hear the other side say. "Audrey?" he asked. "Hi! Carson, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just decided to call to see if you wanted to get dinner later today," he said,

"Sure, I have nothing later planned," she said,

"So, we're all set?" he asked,

"Indeed, see you later today," she said as she hung up.

Carson was on cloud nine. However, that didn't last for long. He remembered that he had to book a babysitter for the night. He went online at iCare.com to find a babysitter, and immediately, he found one named Eva with really high reviews and low costs. "Only 25U," he said as he booked her for five hours. He typed in the address of his home, and went to sleep for a bit. At 17:00, he opened the door, and let Eva in. Isabella was sitting on the couch watching cartoons. "Bella, this is Eva, your babysitter for the night," he said. Isabella shook her hand as if she was six years older than she was. Carson explained everything that Eva would need to know about tonight, and he went out the door after kissing his daughter goodbye.

-Post Self-Deleted-

11 August 2029 (11 жніўня 2029)

The clock struck six in the morning. Her eyes fluttered open. Her room was around her playing morning music. Bella got up out of her bed. She shook off the bedhead and made her way to the bathroom. She used the toilet quickly and brushed her teeth. When she was done with that, she walked into the kitchen and saw a breakfast ready for her. Today would mark the start of the second week of school. Carson walked into the room with her breakfast. "Morning, Bella," he said as he kissed his daughter on the forehead. Isabella smiled back to her father. "Morning, dad," she said. She ate quickly knowing that she had to be at school early. When she finished, she put her shoes on and put her plate into the sink. Her blonde hair was down. Her blue eyes glistened in the light. Carson took her hand and shut the door of the apartment lightly.

They started down the street to walk to the schoolhouse. "Dad, why do we have to leave so early?" she asked. Carson smiled to her. "I wanted to show you something before you go to school," he said. He brought her to the lake. She took a seat on the grass. The grass was soft. It was green, and well-watered. Trees were all around them. Upon a stump, they leaned on. The sun started to rise above the horizon. Isabella leaned her head upon her father's shoulder. He put her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She then fell asleep on the spot. Her blonde hair fell on his shoulder. He picked her up in his arms and carried him on the way to her school.

He carried her for miles down the road. Her backpack was the thing that he carried on his back. As humiliating as it was, he didn't want his sleepy daughter to wake up and be cranky for the rest of the day. When he reached the school, he noticed that it was still 06:45. School started at 08:45. He sat on the bench with his daughter on the side of the bench. The birds started to chirp. He put Isabella's backpack under her head so she could use that as a pillow. For one hour and forty-five minutes, she lie there fast asleep. Carson didn't want to wake her, but it was about time for school. He tapped her lightly. She rubbed her eyes and started to trudge into the classroom. Carson signed her in and kissed her goodbye before he left for the ballpark downtown.

11 August 2029 (11 жніўня 2029)

Carson looked around the ballpark and did sprints to pass his time. He looked around at the walls, the dugouts, and the scoreboard. They were all in a tinted burnt orange colour. The clubhouse was also painted in a similar scheme. All the man could do was look around. He was in a state of shocked, mesmerized, and excited for gameday. He made this way to the clubhouse where he put on his BP jersey. He thought about Isabella. “Alright. So, she is going to be picked up by another family and they will do homework or something together,” he thought, “And then, I’ll pick her up at around 22:00.” He waited for a bit before he made his voyage to the bullpen to drop off the relief pitchers’ backpack of essentials.


Soon after, he made his way to the weight room to start lifting before everyone got to the park. The man did a light bench press, a light squat, and he did a light hang clean. He went back out to the net to get his early outs on batting practice. Position players were out to shag. The first few pitches he saw, he crushed them to centerfield and off the wall. The next few, he hit lightly to the right side. The last few he got, he sent them to the seats. He went back to the clubhouse to call the school to see if Bella had been picked up. They had confirmed it, so he went back to his work.

12 August 2029 (11 жніўня 2029)

Her eyes shot open, and she practically lept off her sleeping bag. She started pacing around the room before exiting. Her excitement got the best of her at this time in the morning. She tip-toed out the door and walked into the room in which her father was sleeping in. His hat was still on from the night before and he hadn't even gone underneath the sheets. He was still in his casual clothes, looking like a man about to go on a walk along the beach. She brushed her hair upfront and pounced and hugged him. Carson rose up and held his daughter within his arms. He kissed her on the head and threw her up in the air and caught her. "I missed you so much, Bella!" he said as they kept their embrace. Bella took his hand and they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Bella waited near the door and Carson thanked both of them and said that he would drop her off at their house again that night. He picked her up and carried her on his shoulders as they went on a walk downtown.

Carson was enjoying his day off. The sun was as bright as a diamond and the day was as hot as a desert in Yakuvony. Bella pulled up her hair into a ponytail once more and asked for help to tie it. Carson tied the hair tie in her hair and they continued to walk down the street. They went to a nearby lake and sat down on the grass watching the sun illuminate the water. Bella sat in Carson's lap, and Carson held his daughter as if he was protecting her. She looked at him with one question in her mind. "Dad?" she asked. Carson looked at her.

"Yes, Bella?"

"When will you be back from your road trip?" she asked. The kindergartener in her was coming out.

"A week," he said,

Bella stood up and fell on her back. "That forever away!" she said as she threw her hands to add to the dramatization. She stood behind him and started to play with his hat. She hit him over the head with it and then wore it herself. She started to mock him. "I'm Carson and I like to wear hats and go on road trips leaving my favorite daughter behind!" she laughed as she mocked him. "Oh, you've really done it..." Carson said as he swooped Bella off her feet and ran her to the water. He dipped her in and took her out and kissed her forehead. "You really are the best of daughters..." he said as his kindergartener began to grow tired and drift off to sleep.