The Art of Fielding

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness, addiction, substance use, and sexual content.

Owen begins meeting Guert at his office every afternoon after his assistant, Mrs. McAllister, leaves. Guert lets her think that he’s doing a new exercise routine and asks her to block off his afternoons on the schedule. Owen is bored with Guert reading to him and starts kissing him. He starts to perform oral sex but stops because of his injured face. Instead, Guert performs oral sex on Owen.

Henry and Starblind compete in workouts. Starblind is faster, but Henry has built up endurance from years of stadium runs. Eventually, Henry beats him and feels satisfied when Starblind vomits.

Guert worries about his performance, fearing that he didn’t satisfy Owen, but Owen says that he’s happy. They smoke together, and Guert contemplates the impossibility of an actual relationship while appreciating how content he feels in the moment.