Long Distance

 

From the parking lot

I worked tonight's (abbreviated) game at Heritage Financial Park.

The game -- set for Monday thanks to tomorrow being July 4th -- allowed the Renegades to schedule their largest fireworks display of the year.

The crowd was a big one and they were ready for a show.

Hudson Valley made the game irrelevant, busting out to an 11-0 lead over Wilmington after five innings.

Still, I spotted trouble brewing, as a member of the grounds crew was showing his phone to the home plate umpire. That meant they were checking the radar.

Early in the top of the sixth, the rain began.

It intensified just seconds later.

And that was sort of that. The umpires sent everyone off the field.

We knew that given the game appeared out of hand, that it was the last game of the home stand, and that each team had places to be tomorrow, the umpires would likely call it a night. Still, there are protocols that have to be followed, thus the game was put into a delay.

We waited.

I stopped in to see Sean in his camera booth and we both knew our night would soon be over.

Eventually, I leaned against a wall and texted a few people.

For some reason, my brain then did something it just does not do.

"Oh," I thought. "I should text Mom..."

And stop.

I froze. Immediately. I never picked the phone up. I glanced out towards the parking lot and smiled. The moment itself was instantaneously fleeting. I quickly regained my thought but I was slightly jarred by it.

Like ... what?

She'll be gone three years in September. I never do that. Why now?

I did have dinner with my sister last night, so maybe that was it?

But it's not likely I would have texted her the news of the game being stopped at any time. In fact, she would have discovered it on Facebook so the point would have been moot.

It rattled me a little.

I wasn't shaken. There was nothing more emotional than a sort of "aww, damn" kind of feeling followed by the shock of it.

It was the quick reality that I very much could not text my late mother, leading to the feeling of befuddlement as to why it happened.

Eventually, the game was officially called with the Renegades being awarded the victory.

Yes, the fireworks still happened once darkness had fallen upon the ballpark.

As they lit the fuse, having stayed for every last second of when I felt they needed me, I walked to my car.

The rockets' red glare lit up the Fishkill/Wappingers Falls sky as I made my way down 9D.

The show was over by the time I passed the stadium on Interstate 84.

My mind couldn't function on the Nancy text not to be for long as I eventually hit very heavy rain to compound the drive back to Greenwich.

But alas we made it home and are off from the team for a few days.

Weather delays happen. So do postponements.

As for the intended text, I'm guessing I just had a momentary brain cloud and it's OK. 

Healthy.

And slightly sad.