My mother told me that
she told my dad that my

dad was being too hard
on me in the back lot as

he tossed balls to me as
I tried to hit the balls

back as he, in some im-
patience, told me how to

do it. He was right but
went about it much too

harshly and my mother
got it right and the next

day my father told me
he was sorry that he

was being too hard on
me, which I thought was

a really big thing for a
father to do and it was

one of the few times I
was grateful to both

my mother and father
at the same time.