All the Broken Pieces

By Ann E. Burg

My name is Matt PiI live with my adopted parents in America. But I hated to leave my mother and brother. My mother pushed me to get on the helicopter. I wanted to take my brother too, but she said he was broken and no one would want him.

Nightmares come often.But my mother gently rubs my cheek and soothes me until I can fall asleep again. Then I hear whispers through the thin walls. Have I done something wrong, are they going to send me back?

Jeff comes every week to teach me to play.He was in Vietnam too. He took care of wounded and flew in helicopters to rescue them. But we never talk about it. I try hard to make it sound like he does, but it just doesn’t come out the same. But he is patient.

Often my dad takes me to the park to play catch.He wants me to try out for the team. He says I have a pretty good arm. I say I might. Often we leave Tommy at home because he is too little. Tommy reminds me of my own brother. Would they really want me if they knew the truth about my brother.

I try out.Coach Robeson is great. He says we must be a team. He wants me to try pitching next. But voices taunt me, just loud enough for me to hear but not Coach. “Frog face”, “my brother died because of you”, “Matt the rat”. I f I don’t make it,” I won’t cry, I left all my tears in Vietnam”

I hear whispers again. Mom says I am too young.I think it is time. Dad says. He and Jeff take me to a meeting place. There I meet soldiers who fought in Vietnam. Some tell their stories. I don’t think they want to hear mine. My dad introduces me to Christopher Williams. He played baseball too before Vietnam.

We win our first game.I make a mistake, but we find a way to win. Coach Robeson encourages me, but voices still sneer the same old words. Rob is the worse, and trips me or bumps into me to make me fall.

Coach Robeson has to leave us.We are doing well, but he is sick. He tells us to be a team no matter what. He has cancer. He promises to find us a new coach. My nightmares come more often. I recall how it was my fault that my brother is broken. I miss him so much.

Then one dayWe are introduced to our new coach, Coach Williams. No one listens to him and the taunting gets worse. So he divides us up into teams of two, one is blindfolded and a whole field of items lay on it. One is to direct the other to match up the items. Rob is my partner. We are the last .

My life changesRob is mad and angry. He screams at me for killing his brother who he loved very much. I scream back and spill out my story of my own brother, about it being my fault he was hurt so bad. The dam broke. Now will my parents send me back?

We won the titleRob and I took the trophy to the hospital to show Coach Robeson. My heart still hopes to go back someday. Tommy follows me everywhere and I remember. But my mother says they will always love me , just like my real mother.