[legendsport]

December 9, 1941: Cincinnati, OH:

"You have some nice things here, brother," Roger Cleaves told Deuce.

Deuce shrugged and said, "I guess so. Gloria bought most of it."

Roger sauntered over to the Viking Phonograph player, sitting on a stand beside a Victrola cabinet radio that Gloria had bought. "You know how much these things cost?" he asked, a sly look on his face.

Deuce shrugged again and admitted that no, he did not. "Like I said, Gloria buys all that stuff."

"So you let your sister," Roger replied, waited a beat then corrected himself, saying, "Sorry... our sister... buy everything? You buy your clothes?"

"Nope," Deuce admitted.

Roger laughed and shook his head. "Wow," he said.

Roger and Deuce had been drinking. Deuce blearily thought that his brother might not be all that great an influence on him and then, as it came to mind, asked, "Are you making fun of me?"

Roger laughed again and said, "I think you're making fun of yourself, Deucey."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... think about this: Gloria's married now and she'll be buying stuff for herself and her new husband. You're on your own now, bub."

Deuce nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're right," he said, not hiding the hint of sadness he felt.

"How much money you make playing ball anyway?"

Deuce had to think about that one. Gloria really did handle all the money. "Uh... I think 18, 19 thousand."

Roger's eyes goggled. "What! You make that much scratch for throwing a baseball!"

Deuce shrugged yet again. "Sure, I guess." He rubbed his chin and added, "I think I'm going to get a raise too. I got hurt and missed some time but I still had a good season this year."

Roger was stunned and silent, just staring at Deuce with his mouth open.

The door swung open and Gloria walked in. Seeing Roger staring at Deuce she stopped dead in her tracks.

"What in tarnation's going on here?" she asked.

Roger raised his eyebrows and said, "Tarnation?"

Gloria waved a dismissive hand at him, looking at her twin. "Rufus? What's going on? Why is..." a definite pause... "he still here?" She nodded her chin at Roger - it was true that he should have been back in New Jersey and back in high school where he belonged.

"Hey, don't be mean. You're my favorite sister you know," Roger said with a grin.

"I'm your only sister and this isn't a Three Stooges skit," she snapped at him.

"True. You'd make a terrible Moe... but a cute Curly, maybe... you would have to shave your head," Roger said, his grin growing wider.

Gloria ignored him. "Rufus?" Gloria had narrowed her eyes as she looked her twin up and down. "Have you been drinking?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Just a little," Deuce replied.

"Aren't you still underage?" Gloria asked, turning to Roger.

"Bah, who cares?" Roger replied.

Gloria shook her head angrily. Then her face crumpled up and she began crying.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... What's this all about?" Roger asked. Deuce stepped forward and pulled his sister into a hug.

"What's wrong Gloria?" he asked.

Gloria pushed herself away and pounded a fist on Deuce's chest. "You dolt! Haven't you noticed I'm alone?"

Roger looked through the open door into the hallway. "Yeah, where is old what's-his-name anyway?"

Deuce frowned at Roger and shook his head. "OK, I'm sorry. Where is Charley?" he asked.

Gloria sobbed and said, "He joined the Navy. He's on his way to training, or whatever they call it."

"He joined the Navy?" Roger asked, then shaking his head, he looked at Deuce and added, "You won't catch me doing that. I'm patriotic enough, but if Uncle Sam wants me, he can come get me. I ain't volunteering to get my..." he trailed off as he noticed that Gloria was glaring at him.

"Sorry," Roger muttered.

"He joined the Navy?" Deuce asked. "Did he ask Mr. Theobald first?"

Roger laughed again and said, "Oh, Deuce. You need to get out more. Charley don't need my grandfather's permission to join the Navy."

Deuce scowled at Roger, then looked at Gloria and asked, "Now why would he go and do something like that? Aside from the fact that the Cannons need him, he just got married!"

Gloria had a surprised look on her face. "You don't know, do you?" she asked.

Before Deuce could answer Roger said, "There's a lot he doesn't know, in case you haven't noticed sis."

Gloria said, "Bill was killed on the Arizona. My husband's off thinking he can take on the whole Japanese Navy and avenge his dead brother while my idiot brothers are here drinking and acting like fools." She stomped off towards her bedroom.

"You," she said, pointing at Deuce. "Need to sober up." Then she pointed at Roger, "And you need to get your tail back to New Jersey. You have school, remember?"

She slammed the door behind her.

"She always like that?" Roger asked Deuce.

Deuce said, "Nah, she's variable. Like the weather."

"You really make almost 20 thousand a year?" Roger asked.

"Yeah, unless Gloria's lying to me," Deuce replied.

Roger had an angry look on his face. "I think Jack and George have been holding out on me. If you make that much scratch they have to be making just as much... if not more." He shook his head and muttered something, but Deuce only caught the word "stingy" and perhaps something else that his mother would've washed his mouth out with soap for uttering.

Roger looked at Gloria's closed door. "I think our sister's right. I need to get back to school. I'm thinking if I have a really good season maybe I get drafted by a FABL team before Uncle Sam gets to me." He puffed out his chest, and for a moment Deuce saw their shared father in Roger more than he ever had before. "I am, after all, both Cleaves and Barrell, and I'm a catcher just like my brother George. I need to get my hands on some of that baseball money!"

.