142 to 41 - "The Unlucky Mother of Aquiles Maldonado"
"The Unlucky Mother of Aquiles Maldonado"
T.C. Boyle
told in 3rd POV
From: Wild Child
Orig from: Playboy (I repeat, they still put fiction in there?)
story from 6/30
The mother of a Venezuelan baseball player gets kidnapped in whatever nefarious South American situation, while he's off in Baltimore in spring training. This was a interesting story that went back and forth between the mother, who ends up sort of winning over her young captors by mothering them, and the son as he tries to get her back.
In one of the son's passages, he's all in the middle of the investigation screwing up things Charlie Lindberg style. When he demands to do what amounts to a civilian ride-along to the jungle on a dangerous mission to get the gang, it doesn't take much to convince the police:
"My informants tell me they have her at an abandoned tourist camp in Estade Bolivar," the chief said.
"But that's hundreds of miles from here."
"Yes," the Chief said. "The amateurs."
"I'm coming with you," Aquiles said.
"No. Absolutely no. Too dangerous. You'll just be in the way."
"I'm coming."
"No," the Chief said.
"I give you my solemn pledge that I will sign one truckload of baseballs for the sons and daughters of every man in the federal police district of Caracas and I will give your son, Aldo, my complete 2003, 2004 and 2005 Topps baseball cards direct from the U.S.A."
There was a pause, then the Chief's voice came back at him: "We leave in an hour. Bring a pair of boots."
Wait, so that's all it takes? Great, simple scene on how nutty people are about celebrities, especially sports starts. No you can't involve your clueless civilian self in our police operation and endanger lives...wait, for signed memorabilia? Saddle up!
The scene where they go get the mom is exciting without being a lot of macho BS. They are tipped off by the smell of the mother's cooking for her captors, and bust in on this rather homey scene of cooking pots and hanging laundry to slit the throats of a band of kids who were just following orders. It's fascinating. In the end, it's hard to know who to root for. Yes, the captors kidnapped the mother and smacked her around at first, but later, when they need proof of life, their captain makes the one guy who smacked them give up one of his fingers, instead of chopping one off of the mom. She ends up sort of feeling out of place at home and missing the guys when she gets back. I liked that complexity.
T.C. Boyle
told in 3rd POV
From: Wild Child
Orig from: Playboy (I repeat, they still put fiction in there?)
story from 6/30
The mother of a Venezuelan baseball player gets kidnapped in whatever nefarious South American situation, while he's off in Baltimore in spring training. This was a interesting story that went back and forth between the mother, who ends up sort of winning over her young captors by mothering them, and the son as he tries to get her back.
In one of the son's passages, he's all in the middle of the investigation screwing up things Charlie Lindberg style. When he demands to do what amounts to a civilian ride-along to the jungle on a dangerous mission to get the gang, it doesn't take much to convince the police:
"My informants tell me they have her at an abandoned tourist camp in Estade Bolivar," the chief said.
"But that's hundreds of miles from here."
"Yes," the Chief said. "The amateurs."
"I'm coming with you," Aquiles said.
"No. Absolutely no. Too dangerous. You'll just be in the way."
"I'm coming."
"No," the Chief said.
"I give you my solemn pledge that I will sign one truckload of baseballs for the sons and daughters of every man in the federal police district of Caracas and I will give your son, Aldo, my complete 2003, 2004 and 2005 Topps baseball cards direct from the U.S.A."
There was a pause, then the Chief's voice came back at him: "We leave in an hour. Bring a pair of boots."
Wait, so that's all it takes? Great, simple scene on how nutty people are about celebrities, especially sports starts. No you can't involve your clueless civilian self in our police operation and endanger lives...wait, for signed memorabilia? Saddle up!
The scene where they go get the mom is exciting without being a lot of macho BS. They are tipped off by the smell of the mother's cooking for her captors, and bust in on this rather homey scene of cooking pots and hanging laundry to slit the throats of a band of kids who were just following orders. It's fascinating. In the end, it's hard to know who to root for. Yes, the captors kidnapped the mother and smacked her around at first, but later, when they need proof of life, their captain makes the one guy who smacked them give up one of his fingers, instead of chopping one off of the mom. She ends up sort of feeling out of place at home and missing the guys when she gets back. I liked that complexity.