The Chair Read Online Free PDF

someplace?”
    “Sure, of course.” Corin buried his fear and knelt next to the woman. “Does he need a soft—?”
    “Anywhere is fine.”
    The closest piece was the chair the elderly lady had brought on Tuesday and Corin motioned toward it. “Let’s sit him right here.”
    They settled him into the chair and Corin stood and took a step back. A moment later Brittan’s breathing returned to normal and the boy smiled. “I feel good. I feel warm inside.”
    “You scare me when you do that, Brittan.”
    “I’m sorry for running, Mom. But look.” Brittan coughed once and held up the program from an era when baseball players were true heroes, and if they did anything unheroic in their private lives it never made the papers.
    “That’s a good-looking program.”
    Brittan beamed, then looked at Corin.
    “Do you like Ted Williams, mister?”
    Corin stepped forward and knelt on one knee. “I do. I guess you do as well.”
    “Are you kidding? He’s the last major leaguer to have a lifetime batting average over .400. He’s a legend!”
    “I’m impressed. A lot of kids your age wouldn’t have any idea who he is.”
    Brittan smiled again, a big innocent smile only kids could deliver. “I know about Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio and Roger Maris and Willie Mays is my favorite . . . and I’m only six years old. Almost seven.”
    Corin laughed. “How many home runs did Maris hit to set the record?”
    “Sixty-one.”
    “And in how many games in a row did DiMaggio get a hit, something that no one has broken for over seventy years?”
    “Fifty-six!”
    “And how many teams did The Say Hey Kid play for during his major league career?”
    “Mr. Willie Mays played for the New York Giants and the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets.”
    “Folks, this kid is unstoppable.” Corin glanced at Brittan’s mom, who was all smiles.
    “Okay, here’s the bonus question for all the money and title of Grand Champion Baseball Trivia Quiz Master of the Entire Universe.” Corin started a drumroll on the edge of the chair. “Are you ready?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Really ready?”
    “Yeah!” Brittan clutched the seat of the chair and leaned forward.
    “Here we go.” Corin stopped drumming and spoke in his best announcer voice. “Who holds the all-time home-run record in the major leagues?”
    “I’ve got this one easy.” Brittan smiled and wagged his finger at Corin. “Hank Aaron.”
    “You sure?”
    “I’m sure. I don’t care how many home runs Barry Bonds hit, Mr. Aaron did it without putting funny stuff into his body to make it easier.”
    Corin shook his head and laughed. “You have an amazing kid there.”
    “Can we get it, Mom?” The boy held up the game program.
    “Do Mommy a favor, Brittan, and rest for a minute, okay?”
    “I don’t need to; I feel really good.”
    “Brittan.”
    “Okay, Mom.”
    She rubbed her face. “I don’t know what we’d do without that inhaler. It seems like we’re always using it. Brittan can’t keep from running when he gets excited and I can’t blame him, you know? What boy doesn’t want to run?”
    Corin balled his hand into a fist and mock punched Brittan’s forehead. “Glad you’re feeling better.”
    “Me too, but I wish this would go away. I hate asthma.”
    “Did you know that almost everybody has stuff in their life they don’t like dealing with? And stuff they’re scared of?”
    Brittan whipped his head up and stared at Corin. “Do you?”
    “Sure.”
    “What?”
    “I don’t have asthma, but guess what I have to deal with?”
    “What?”
    Corin put his hands together like he was holding a ball and brought them up next to his face. “I don’t like tight spaces.”
    “You have claustrophobia?”
    “Wow, you know that word?”
    “I’m almost seven. I know lots of big words.”
    “I’m impressed. Most kids twice your age wouldn’t know what that word means.”
    “Are you afraid of anything else?”
    “I’m not too fond of