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never really got into sports until I took up surfing.”
    Gunn walked in then, his hair wet and slicked back and his face freshly washed. Stanton knew he had been in the bathroom splashing cold water on himself.
    Fernando looked to him and then back to Stanton and said, “I’ve been playing since I was six. I was gonna go to college on a scholarship. That was my plan.”
    “Why did you say it ‘was’ your plan?”
    “I don’t know. I ain’t got no other family. I might be put in a foster home. I’ve heard bad stories about people my age that get put into foster homes and I don’t know if they’re gonna let me play baseball.”
    Stanton leaned a little closer to the table. “I’m really sorry about what happened to your stepfather, Fernando.”
    “He was a good guy. He took me in when my moms died and took care of me. He was the one that got me into baseball. He said that was my way out.”
    “Out of what?”
    “The life, man. I got two older brothers and they’re both in prison. Where I come from, you play sports or you stand on them corners and sell dope. There’s no other way out.”
    “He sounds like he was a good father.”
    Gunn was leaning against the wall and looking at his shoes. “My old man bought me a hooker when I was fourteen. He said I’m a man and that’s what men do. That’s the only thing the son of a bitch ever bought me.”
    Stanton looked to him and then back to Fernando. “Fernando, can you tell me what you remember about the fire?”
    “I was asleep in my room. I was just there on the bed and I heard my pops yelling for me.”
    “What happened then?”
    “I got up and there was smoke everywhere. It was coming in through my door and I started coughing and stuff. I ran out into the hall ‘cause he was yelling for me but it felt like I was gonna pass out and there was fire everywhere. It was all in the hallway and I couldn’t get to him.” Tears welled up in his eyes. “I couldn’t get to him.”
    “Fernando, listen to me, you did everything you could. No one expected you to be able to save him. It was out of your hands at that point.”
    Gunn said, “Did you see how the fire started?”
    “No.”
    “So you just woke up and the house was on fire, huh? That seems weird that you didn’t smell nothin’.”
    Fernando shrugged and looked down to the table. He began to play with the soda can. Stanton could tell he was shutting down.
    “Stephen, would you mind if Fernando and I just talked for a minute?”
    Gunn looked at him, incredulous, anger flashing in his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
    When he had left, Stanton took a sip of his juice and leaned back in the chair. “His family’s not close. He doesn’t know what it’s like to lose somebody.”
    “Do you?”
    “Yeah, my mother. She died of breast cancer when I was a lot younger. I was with her through those times. The hospital cafeteria cook even started making me dinner every night and keeping it warm in the oven ‘cause I was there so much.”
    Tears came to Fernando’s eyes again and he wiped them with the back of his hand. Stanton gently placed his hand on his wrist. They sat quietly a long time as Fernando softly wept.
    When he was through, Stanton stood up.
    “I’ll be right back,” he said.
    He stepped out of the room and saw Gunn staring through the two-way mirror. He didn’t acknowledge Stanton as he walked by.
    Stanton walked down the hallway to his office and flipped through the contacts on his iPhone. He found the number he was looking for and dialed. A female voice answered.
    “Hello?”
    “Hi , Cami. It’s Jon.”
    “Hey, how are you! I haven’t talked to you in a minute.”
    “I know. Sorry about that. I’ve been swamped up here. How’s Hank doing?”
    “Great. He’s been focusing more on commercial real estate and leaving the residential stuff for the young kids. He works fewer hours and likes his clientele more.”
    “That’s good news. Please tell him hi for me and that we’ll go