Tarin shrugged when Lee pointed out that Robert hadn’t been that way when they were younger. “It’s easier than admitting that you were wrong or could have done something and didn’t.”

Lee pointed out that even Robert could learn and Tarin sighed a little, ”I thought that I’d kind of gotten through to him a little while you were gone, but then he asked about the build site and everything fell apart.”

The game it was, and Tarin hoped Lee was wrong because things were still going pretty well. He also liked her in his hat, so proving the superstition wrong was bad on all counts.

Something about the end of the conversation with Robert had really bothered Lee and a few minutes later she spoke and Tarin nodded. He remembered.

Lee spoke again and Tarin frowned at how quiet she was, she only got that quiet when something was hard for her to remember or talk about.

”It must be tough to remember things like that…” Tarin said, not sure what was right and what was wrong to say. ”Did you think Kevin was going to be her?”

Now that Robert was gone, it was really nice just sitting there with Tarin watching the game. Even if she was wearing his hat.

Though, Lee did have to admit that she liked how happy such a simple thing as her wearing his ball cap made Tarin. So if she had to wear it for every game…It really wasn’t that horrible of a thing.

If she was wearing his hat, that meant that Tarin didn’t have one to wear. That should be pretty easy to remedy, though.

But Tarin thought that she had actually remembered what Alice had done. Lee shook her head slightly. ”I don’t remember her doing that,” Lee said. ”The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to even think about it. But I knew it was true even though Kevin had never done it.”

Lee explained further and Tarin tilted his head, frowning a bit as he tried to wrap his head around what she was saying.

”Clearly your subconscious remembers.” he said, ”Or else things like that wouldn’t happen.”

Thinking for a few moments and watching the game, the Mets were up 3-2 now thanks to the hat, Tarin tried again to figure out what to say to help in this situation. Maybe there wasn’t anything?

”I’m sorry.” he settled for a bit ineffectually, ”I wish there was more I could do or say to help.” Because what did you say to someone in this situation?

Lee nodded when Tarin said that her subconscious remembered Alice and that dream. It had to, or Lee wouldn’t have had feelings come up without knowing why.

”I know,” she said softly. ”Even after all these years, I still don’t know what could possibly make things better.”

As she focused on the game again, Lee saw that somehow the Mets were now winning, and she sighed. ”How is this possible?” Lee asked, gesturing slightly at the game. There was no way that her wearing the hat could possibly have anything to do with the game, but the timing of the Mets suddenly doing better...

It was sad when Lee agreed and that there really wasn’t anything to be done or to help when she had those random memories of a child that had only existed in a dream world. At least Lee had that picture in the folder, and the random memories. Even if the memories made her sad, they were better than nothing, Tarin supposed.

Lee was gesturing at the TV now and wondering how it was possible that the game had turned around with the absolutely uncanny timing that it had turned around.

Shifting slightly so he could see Lee better, Tarin grinned, ”I told you, it’s interdimensional hat magic. There’s no other way to explain it. I think when I wear it…the magic gets canceled out. When you wear it, it works.”

It was really the only thing that made sense.

”Or it’s just one big coincidence.” Either way, the Mets were winning and Tarin was happy about it.

”Really though, if you don’t want to wear it you don’t have to. We also don’t have to sit here, we could go for a walk, anything if you need a distraction.”

Lee actually laughed when Tarin explained how it was ‘interdimensional hat magic’ that had made the game turn around. ”And that's why I have to wear it every game, is it?” she asked with a slight shake of her head.

Finally, Tarin conceded that she didn't have to wear the hat if she didn't want to. And that they could do something else if she would prefer, to distract her.

But the fact was, Lee really didn't want to go somewhere else. And despite her complaints, she didn't really mind wearing the hat. But how did she say that without openly admitting that she enjoyed watching baseball with him, something she still hadn't said in so many words even after Kevin told Tarin that she would put the game on well before he would get home.

Letting out a soft sigh, Lee looked over at Tarin. ”No, it's ok,” she told him. ”I’m actually enjoying this.”

Tarin just nodded when Lee came to the right conclusion about the hat and the games and the interdimensional hat magic.

That was pretty much it.

Lee didn’t seem particularly interested in doing anything else, despite the fact that Tarin had presented many different options for distraction. He was just starting to think that he was really lucky that Lee was willing to put up with so much baseball when she spoke and said that she was enjoying watching the game?

”Yeah?” Tarin said, grinning down at Lee again before looking back at the game, ”Me too.” After all, it wouldn’t have been polite to gloat.

Lee saw the grin on Tarin’s face when she said that she was enjoying watching the game. ”Yes, I am,” Lee said, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the game, though the smile was still on her face.

But Tarin didn’t say anything about how he knew she would start to like baseball. He simply said that he was enjoying it too. She had been expecting something along the lines of ‘I knew it’, or ‘of course’, or some kind of being proud or gloating, but he simply sounded happy.

And to think, they still had the entire weekend ahead of them.