Ghastly Dreams, Part 1

[Ghosts]

Niihama, Japan – 22 November, 2030

Dave Newton looked his daughter over, and as he did every time he saw her – less and less since her move to Japan – fought the wave of over-protectiveness that may have fueled his every action as a father. “Are they treating you well, here? I got to feeling like it was 1985 in Boston when I was riding the train over.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes at her father’s implication. It’s true that there’s usually an empty seat next to her, even on a crowded train, but Vanessa liked to attribute that to her foreignness and imposing stature as much as being black in Japan. Truth be told, she firmly believed that she’d not been opposed once during her tenure at the Ghosts on grounds of race, or even gender for that matter. Once you get so close to a seat of power at the table, no one gives a shit if you’re black, gay, or alien for that matter – they oppose you fully because you’re there to take their future job as “God of the Ghosts”. There is no room for side vendettas when everyone is clawing toward the same goal. Vanessa credited herself with every ounce of her success in her Ghosts tenure; she approached every meeting as a conflict, and every conflict as a chance to demonstrate that she was one step ahead of her competition. She almost always succeeded.

“Honestly, Dad, it’s not like that in the building. Mr. Bruno is many things, many of them problematic, but he’s smart and he’s results-oriented. He gave me a chance and he’s rewarded my success as much as anyone else. I think all he sees when he looks at his employees is a number: the probability that person will increase his wealth and bragging rights among whatever insanely rich company he keeps. I think my number is pretty high, but that could all change. There’s a new boss coming to town, and I have no idea what that means for me.” Vanessa’s thoughts drifted from an answer to her father’s concerns to the open question that plagued her mind.

Dave Newton had learned the same lesson time and time again: that he was no match for his daughter. If they were put on an island as strangers among ten people or a thousand, he’d end up working for her at some point regardless of intention or even luck. If she had no time or mind for racism, how could any other force hope to contain her? Dave smiled as he offered his reply, “I pity any fool that gets in your way – in the dugout, in the front office, or on the the street.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Vanessa knew he was proud, but she wasn’t. Not yet. She was close, but god damnit – a regime change AND a move to PEBA, now? Fucking hell. 1-2 more seasons of failure and financial loss, and she was sure she could have gotten Vanni to see her as the answer to the Ghosts problems. Now? Who the hell knows. This asshole from California is likely to smash her carefully laid foundation to dust. The Ghosts got a reprieve from the lunacy of Toshikazi Kuchida, but was it only to suffer a worse fate at the hands of some new, deaf hot-head that thinks just because he was GM of the Ghosts first season that he’s somehow got a handle on what they need now? Fucking. Hell. “I’m sure we’ll be all be able to bring our ideas to the table and have them be heard. Mr. Bruno is good at finding and fostering collaborative personalities.” Vanni wouldn’t know what collaboration looked like if tattooed a self-portrait on his forehead.

“I may be retired, but I’m not so far out of the game as to believe that bullshit,” Dave laughed. “Know why Vail left Bakersfield?”

“I’m hearing rumors that he and Novak didn’t see eye-to-eye. Novak has always been impatient. I’m sure that has something to do with it, but I haven’t heard anything definitive.” Vanessa replied with more openness than she usually offered anyone regarding baseball operations.

Dave nodded and took in his surroundings. It was the first time he’d been alone in the Oikake Maze. He’d never liked domes, but the park had its charms. The wide open outfield plays well to the range-y types of outfielders he’d always preferred. Something magical about that moment of truth when an outfielder dives for a ball. It’s a moment of pure belief in yourself – that you’ll come up with that catch and damn the risks. Maybe Vanessa caught on to that preference within him at some point and it shaped her. Or maybe it was the other way around. “Let’s get out of here, baby girl. You know where an old Texas boy can get some ribs in southern Japan?”

“Sure thing, Dad, I got just the -“, Vanessa’s attention redirected immediately upon the sound of her phone’s text receipt notification. It wasn’t one of her husband’s favorite attributes, but her unbreakable focus gave her something of a superpower in a business where knee jerk reactions and crowd noise could torpedo or drown out the best laid plans of her peers. She stared at the message with disbelief.

“Hey, everything OK?” her father asked. Vanessa appeared… floored? That wasn’t an expression he was used to seeing on his daughter’s face. “Kiddo?”

“I… yeah… I…” Vanessa re-read the message in parts and as a whole over and over to ensure she wasn’t misunderstanding. “Dad, I gotta run back to the office.”

“That good or that bad?” he asked, with measured expectation.

Vanessa looked up, smiled brightly, and said, “Turns out the new guy might not be such an arrogant ass as he can afford to be. He wants my recommendations for the next manager by the end of the day tomorrow.”

“That’s sweet of you to ask, but like I said, I’m retired,” Dave said, winking.

“And the Fisherman should be grateful,” she winked back. “Gotta run. Love ya, Dad!”

[Borealis]

Up and over the Continental Divide, folks are waving and saying 'sayonara'...



I love the intrigue that Vanessa is bringing to the table!

And Vanni? Those are some conflicting characteristics he has: Lenient and Charitable, yet all about the Profit!

[Sandgnats]

Up and over the Continental Divide, folks are waving and saying 'sayonara'...

across the Lakes as well!