I love my son. I'm glad to know I was able to raise him with a good head on his shoulders. I have taken care of him on my own since he was fourteen, when me and my husband divorced. He has always been as much of a support for me as I have been for him. That's why it didn't surprise me when he gave me opening game tickets for the Cubs game for an early birthday gift. He was graduating in two months, heading off to college - Berkley! I couldn't believe it - it should be me getting him something nice for graduation but he had it in his heart to think of me first.
"Two tickets mom, you and me. I figure this might be the last time we can make it to opening day. California is too far away to pop in for a weekday game."
I gave him a big hug. I was a huge Cubs fan, despite the pains it brought with it. I made it a tradition to take Jeff to Opening day since he started Little League, but we couldn't make it in the last few years, I was saving up for his education.
"How did you get these?"
"You know me. I just went up to the ticket window yesterday and looked cute. Turns out they had accidentally forgot to sell two tickets behind the dugout."
"Lucky," I said with a laugh.
I picked up Jeff from school around noon to yank him out for his "doctor's appointment." We drove to the park and found a spot on Clark St, then began the trek to the ballpark. There's no better place to spend an afternoon than Wrigley. We passed the bars that line the neighborhood, we picked up a few souvenirs from the street vendors and entered the ballpark. Inside the park it's a social event. Some will spend the game walking around the concourse drinking beer as they walk from left field to right enjoying the view the park has to offer of beautiful Chicago. You find your seat and don't know the people sitting next to you, but by the end of the game it feels as if they're your old friends from high school, even if they happen to be Cardinals or Yankees fans.
We found our seats behind the dugout. Jeff got great seats, only about 30 rows from where all my favorite players sit. We sat down next to a couple in their eighties with their "This is our year" poster. How all of us wished it were so. We shall see how it goes. Everyone starts with the same record on opening day.
"True fans, huh" I said trying to start up some chitchat with the couple. "I'm Sandy and this is Jeff."
"Oh yeah true fans. I'm Janice," the woman offered. "Me and Bob here have been coming to games together for 65 years. He proposed to me here. No championship that year, but we haven't been jinxed, he's still the love of my life, more today than ever before."
That was very sweet to hear. I had thought I had found that true love with my husband, but I was mistaken. I was uncertain if Id be able to find that special someone after all at my age, but I've learned to let life take me where it leads me and to not worry.
"So, how about you two?" Janice continued with our conversation.
I think she was asking about how long the two of us had been together. I didn't know who it was a better compliment to, my son who definitely looked very mature and grown for his age or me who she mistook for a twenty year old, bless her heart. I held in my instinctual laugh when she asked.
"Well, actually, this is my son. He got me these tickets as a birthday gift. He'll be headed off to college. We're spending the quality time together before he completely grows up on me."
"Oh, excuse me. You looked much younger. So headed off to college, Jeff? You must already be accepted, willing to cut school to go to a game. There are a lot of kids here probably doing the same thing. So were are you headed?"
As Jeff chatted up his plans with Janice and Bob, I took a look around the park. A red line train was arriving into the station just next to the park. A swarm of blue covered fans came off the train trying to make it the game on time. I looked up about home plate to take a look at the press boxes. No more Harry, but I caught a glimpse of Ronny. Opening day was the best. Janice had been right, there were other students who seemed to be cutting class to catch the game. A small group of girls were looking for their seats down our aisle, in front of our row. One of the girls in front was on a cell phone, two followed her giggling like crazy and a fourth trailing behind with a smile was taking in the sites like me. They took seats two rows in front of us and a couple of seats to the left. I watched them file in to their seats. Its fun watching the mini waves occur as everyone has to stand up to let people get to their seats in the middle. I couldn't help but watch the last girl trail behind her friends pulling out her own cell phone now to take a picture of the centerfield scoreboard. I saw as she sat, her cute butt taking its place in her seat and I saw her thong appear above her jeans. Too cold for a thong and low riders I thought. Chicago in April wasn't exactly summer weather. Ten minutes in this weather, and I could already feel the goosebumps on my arms from the breeze and my nipples were harder than normal.
I returned to the conversation with Bob and Janice. Jeff had finished up relaying his plans for Berkley to them and had gone into discussing the great Cubs teams of the past. I joined in as the pregame activities ended on the field. It was nice to see the team for the year lined up on the base path. I hope for great things from them this year. A one-two- three top half of the inning. A great start. Our half on the inning brought good things: leadoff walk, single to left field, sacrifice bunt along the first base line moved runners to second and third, cleanup hitter hit a double to the gap, two runs scored! (Everyone was out of their seats. I was clapping, and I gave Jeff the always important high five to keep the inning alive. I saw that girl also jump out of her seat, I noticed now that the thong was green), pop up, infield fly rule, batter out, single to right, man on second hustled home, another run in! (Again the park was out of its seats. The girl I had been studying was jumping up and down, her long black hair swaying across her back, the girls with her let out a group cheer) on a three-two count the seventh batter of the inning hit a home run, a two run shot! (Out of our seats again, hopefully scoring runs like this will be a theme for the season. As we all sat back down, again that green triangle stared back at me. Who knows what that cold air on the ass might feel like, I had a sweatshirt over my Cubs T and I could tell my nipples were still rock hard) the next batter up drew a walk before our pitcher was called out on strikes. What an inning!
Despite our early success, our offense dropped and there was little excitement in the game. I was disappointed I had gotten accustomed to standing up and cheering (and leering). I took time during innings to talk to Jeff.
"So other than your graduation party is there anything else you wanted?"
"No, unless you've changed your answer for that stripper idea?"
I let out a laugh. "I told you Ill get you a stripper for when you turn 50. Then, if your wife doesn't mind, and if you don't mind if your 72 year old mother attends."
"Haha, yea, that's okay. No the party is all I want. I would like a soft pretzel though. You could get that for me, huh?"
"I thought today was my gift? The ticket was it, I have to pay for food?" I teased.
I gave Jeff some money and he got up and left down the aisle to go downstairs to a booth to get food. I leaned over to Janice. "He's a great kid. I'm gonna miss him."
"A good mother always does" was her only reply.
My mind drifted to the great memories. I don't know why me and my ex had stopped after one child. I'm not sorry we did. I don't think anyone better could have come out of me. As I daydreamed, I saw the green thong appear again, as the girl who belonged to it got up. She looked down at her friends and said something and got out to leave. I hope everything was okay and she wasn't going home. Who leaves the home opener early? A smile came over my face when she turned around. She had a pretty face. She tossed her hair back as she prepared to climb over people again to get out of the row. She looked away from the field while she hurdled over people's feet and her eyes fell on mine. I gave her a smile. She gave me this funny look that said "How stupid do I look climbing over people?" I gave her a sympathetic but playful and smiling look back. She then disappeared as she passed my row, but that didn't stop me from stealing a look at her profile as she passed by. She was no less than 5'9", that long black hair laying across her shoulder and a blue shirt that clung to her nicely, showing off a perfectly flawless outline of her body. My thoughts drifted to things that made me smile some more. I moistened my lips with my tongue and turned my attention back to the game. Top of the seventh. After escaping a scare, we got out of the inning unharmed.
I stood up with everyone else getting ready for the seventh inning stretch. I turned to look up at the booth to see who was singing today. As I turned one way to look up at the booth, I was tapped on the other shoulder. I turned around and Jeff was standing there with person I had been admiring this afternoon.
"Mom, this is Kate. She's in my Spanish class. I ran into her at the concession stand."
"Hi, I'm Sandy. Nice to meet you." I said, shaking her hand.
"Thought I'd introduce you, I've invited her to my graduation party, so you'll probably see her again but thought I'd introduce you since we ran into each other."
