Arthur still related more to the scared little boy than to his father in the story.
“And of course,” Wren added, “getting on RavensVision.”
“Sorry, what?”
“That’s what they call the jumbotron at the stadium. Come on, keep up.”
Arthur was deeply regretting this whole thing. At this point, he might honestly prefer that they go bungee jumping. A football game just had too many unknowns, too much prolonged excitement and intensity. The doctor had just told them hours ago to ease up and chill out, and here they were about to walk into the lion’s den. Worse, while he knew Wren was kidding, he doubted his ability to protect her from drunk, rowdy idiots who might be looking to pick a fight.
“God, I love the light rail,” Wren said out of nowhere, snapping him out of his worries just as the lights on the train flickered like something out of a horror film.
“You’re the only one,” Arthur said. All the swaying was making him ill.
“It feels like childhood to me, if that makes any sense.” She was staring wistfully out the window now, watching the city go by in a shaky blur. “The few good parts of it. My uncle was always working, so he’d buy me a pass and I would just go exploring. I always liked going to the neighborhoods you’re ‘not supposed to go to,’ ” she said, adding air quotes.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I hated how everyone wanted to pretend like they didn’t exist instead of helping to make things better.”
Arthur wondered if Wren ever felt like that as a kid. People, even her own family, knowing she was broken, not knowing how to help, and finding it easier to just look away.
The train lurched to a stop, squeaking horrifically the whole way, and the doors slid open.
“This is our stop,” Wren said. The mass of people exited with cheers and tipsyLet’s gooooos, but Arthur grabbed Wren’s hand.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this. We could go home, order in, watch on TV.”
“Watching on TV isn’t on the bucket list.”
“I just…don’t want anything to happen.”It’s my job to take care of you and the baby, he thought. And he was really doing a bang-up job so far.
“I’m not really going to get you beat up. But…I am getting on that jumbotron. One way or another.” She pulled him toward the doors. “You coming?”
It didn’t really feel like he had a choice.
Their seats were so high up, by the time they’d finished climbing the never-ending stadium ramps, Arthur was sure they had reached a new climate. Not unlike Everest. There was altitude here, along with a slight haze in the air. Were they actually inside a cloud? Only a few rows from the very tippy top of the stadium, the wind whipped around and the August evening felt twenty degrees cooler. They could see the whole field, butthe massive human beings inhabiting it looked tiny from where they sat.
“I leave you in charge of buying the seats and this is what happens,” Wren said as she awkwardly squeezed her belly past the other people seated in their row.
“I thought ‘corner end zone’ sounded good.” The price tag also sounded quite good. They’d worked incredibly hard to build up their savings, forgoing this exact kind of activity: expensive nights out without coupons. Not that he hadn’t looked for discount codes for the ticketing app. He wasn’t about to blow all their hard work now. Sadly, he found none and had to pay full freight.
The climb had left Wren famished, and so once they were settled in, he departed again in search of food. She needed good nutrients for the baby, for her overtaxed body and the growing life inside her. “Get me anything covered in nacho cheese,” she had said.
Shortly before kickoff, he returned with an array of rations.
“What’s this?” Wren looked at him as if he were holding a dirty diaper out for her to examine.
“Only the best snacks M&T Bank Stadium has to offer. Here’s a parfait with fresh fruit and Greek yogurt. A lean turkey hot dog on a whole wheat bun.” He handed the items over and she accepted them reluctantly.
“Anything to drink?”
“Yes. I got one of the bartenders to brew me a mug of decaf Earl Grey.” He handed that over, too. “You’re welcome.”
“What a perfectly balanced meal.”
“Right? They have everything here! Has the match started yet?”
“Thegame. Don’t be so British.” She sighed and placed the drink down. “They’re lining up now.” She peeled back the foil encasing the hot dog and took a look inside, winced, then covered it back up. A moment later she shrieked, “Oh my God, it’s Poe!”