It was on a giant coach bus filled with familiar faces, when my excitement really started to swell. All of the familiar faces were those of my brother's, my father's, and my father's coworkers. Everyone was so lively while entering the mammoth of a bus, even though it was only 6 a.m. I do remember the time of morning having a slight chill to it, but the heat from each body combined in the bus hit me like a wave, as I took three giant steps to gain access.
After everyone was situated in their rightful place, my father's boss gave a speech to everyone. I do not remember what was said, but it made everyone happy. They should have been happy, this was the company trip. The seats within the bus were pillows that I sank in to. In fact, the seat was the cause of me dozing off for a short period before departure. The nap was short due to the ignition of the engine. As the bus was turned on, I shot awake and looked around. Before I knew it, we were moving!
On the road, I could not sleep. I was moving past other cars, which may as well have been ants, in a house on wheels. As time past and lunch neared, I asked my dad if we could stop for food and a restroom break. "There is a restroom and a cooler full of sub sandwiches in the back of the bus", he told me. Things just kept getting exciting. Clutching onto every seat on my way back, I grabbed food and stumbled back to my seat near the front. Before I could even finish my sandwich, we had arrived.
More people than I knew existed surrounded the structure in which we were going. I once felt like a giant while riding in a coach bus. Now I felt as small as ever after pulling up to the stadium. We rushed through the gates. My hand clasped to my father's belt, we made our way to our seats. Sunlight filled the stadium. It was only matched by the roar of the fans in attendance.
From my view, home plate was straight ahead, but on the other side of the field. I believed that we were too far away. I held this believe until baseballs were shooting toward us. Then I knew we were going to see plenty of action. The action that would come from the battle between the Chicago White Sox and the Seattle Mariners would be very adequate.
During the seventh inning, my two brothers and I were escorted to the restroom by my father. That is when I had waited the longest time in my life to use a urinal. On the way back to the seats, though, I noticed helmets at the souvenir shop. After nagging my dad, my brothers and I persuaded him into buying us each one. My younger brother got a Seattle Mariners helmet, my older brother got a Chicago White Sox one, and I chose the Baltimore Orioles. I thought the Orioles team symbol looked real cool. After adjusting the little plastic crown inside the toy batting helmet, I placed my new treasure on my head and followed my dad to the seats.
As the game ended in favor of the Mariners, everyone piled back into the comfortable bus and we journeyed home. Half way through the trip and through the rest of the night, I would remain asleep. The day of many new sights and sounds was a grand event, but it took its draining toll on me. I don't think I will forget that day.
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