Afterthought

This is the eighth fall of my life in which I make my annual trip to Gainesville to see a University of Florida football game. My son Cory is a student there, and has been the entire eight years. Before you start to chuckle and make fun that Cory is on the eight year plan, I'll have you know, when he is finished he'll have his undergraduate degree and two post graduate degrees. No small feat.

This is my third year writing this blog and each year after the trip I write about it. The focus has always been on the game itself, and all the hoopla surrounding it. This year I went up when "Gator Growl" takes place. A kinda Homecoming on steroids.
I had never been to "Gator Growl" weekend. Cory used to be concerned that I'd have a difficult time with the sea of people that floods the campus. However, since I'd been there for an LSU game that had National Championship implications, and I'd been there for last year's Tennessee Lane Kiffin hatefest; Cory knew that I'd have no trouble navigating "Gator Growl." How did we manage to avoid overstuffed sardine can of humanity? We didn't bother to attend any of the things that people attend when they go to Gainesville for "Gator Growl." You might ask, "then why make the trip at all?" then again you might not, or just not give a shit. To those people, humor me if you can summon the patience.

I've written before that each Spring when the Florida Gator football schedule comes out, Cory asks me to pick the game I'd like to go to. I make my reservation with Tom Bodette to make sure he'll leave the light on for me...and then I wait...for months.
This year the wait was much longer. Cory did not come down to sunny South Florida for an extended visit making things for me a little less sunny.

Oh, Cory came down for Opening Day this year. And he was kinda enough to breeze through August twenty-third, the day I got back from my trip to Ohio to see to my father. August twenty-third is also my wedding anniversary which made the visit even more special. But more special still was the fact I got to meet Cory's girlfriend Cathy.

My son has been fortunate enough to remain untethered for his entire high school career and up until now, his college years as well. I always wondered what the girl would be like Cory would bring home to me "meet the parents." I was absolutely thrilled to say the least. And as I drove up to Gainesville last Friday, I thought how happy I was to be seeing my son and his girlfriend.

This is one of those things assholes used to warn me about when Cory was growing up. They used to say I was too attached to him, that I wouldn't be able to cope with each phase of his life. Fuck them. The dynamic may have changed, but for the better as I see it.

I felt a little anxiety when I got to his new digs "The Funhouse." Cory was at work and I would be conversing with Cathy without the help of a safety net.
I hope I don't say anything that will embarrass Cory.
I hope I don't say anything that will make her feel uncomfortable.
I hope there isn't a pregnant silence.
Don't drone on.
Don't bore her. Christ! My fears were unfounded as they most always are.
I think we had a splendid visit. Cathy may beg to differ.

As the afternoon wore on Cory appeared as well as some of his old friends in town for the weekend. There were also some new friends as well. Many I hadn't yet met. Some I met briefly when ten of them went on a cruise recently that left from the Port of Miami. I am here to say that each one is nicer than the next. My boy is one fortunate young man to have such a stellar group of friends. I did miss the recently wedded Zeenberg, and the also wedded Linden; and I wished I'd seen P Scott as well, but you can't have everything. But the everything I did get was near perfect.

Fera came over from Tampa, Will Pelzer as well, and the younger of the Brothers McCoy. Ian, who was on leave, was also there. When I saw him goosebumps came up on my arms. He'd been serving overseas in Afghanistan. After greeting him, all I could say was "Thank you." I met so many new people this trip I really had to focus to remember all their names. One name I was very familiar with, Mike Flannery.

Cory has mentioned his name numerous times during our many phone conversations this past year. I met Mike briefly as he was one of the booze cruise crew. I had fully intended to take them all out for dinner, but instead Mike cooked everyone present a feast. There was much laughter and the townspeople rejoiced. After sating ourselves we all went to "Grog," a midtown watering hole frequented by "The Power Structure." They drank and we laughed some more, a lot more.

I left "The Power Structure" to their own devices since the following morning brought Gameday and I needed my continually unsuccessful beauty sleep. When I arrived back at the motel -Tom wasn't anywhere to be seen, but the light was indeed on- the nervous anticipation of the following day's game was MIA.

Saturday morning, after making my way to the local Krispy Kreme and waited patiently for the bright red neon "Hot and Now" sign to come on, I gorged myself on five of the artery hardening delights before I even left the parking lot. That left seven for the ten or so people that would be at the house. I was never too good at math.

Once everyone got their bearings, we went back up to midtown for pregame food, libations, and frivolity; oh yeah, and more laughter. The game seemed very far off. As each hour passed with it went a little of the game's significance. I was starting to think it wouldn't be so bad if I didn't go and just hung around with Cory, Cathy and the rest. However, there was a small surprise in store for me.

Cory's freshman year I went to see the Arkansas-UF game. Cory's friend Jason, who I've known since he was nine, was a cheerleader which entitled him to tickets to each game. I got one of those tickets that year. I also got them the year my friend Gregg came up with me to see Alabama play the Gators. I got that same seat again for the third time, only this time I got to sit with Jason.

Sadly, UF lost. They played sad. They looked sad. I was a little sad since I'd never seen the Gators lose a football game even during the Ron Zook years. Yet, all in all, I was happy. It's kinda hard to explain.

After so many years of "The Game" being the thing upon which all other things were predicated; this year the game was almost an afterthought. There was no tailgating. There was no scrambling to stock up on supplies. There was no three different TV's going simultaneously. This year it was about the company I kept, and hope to keep for many year's to come.