Jabiya's Odyssey

The buffet line was long. I looked up at the screen, our seats were 'A6 and A8'. The game had already started. We could have eaten at the stadium but my husband didn't want to pay for another ticket when he 'had' two.

"Should have got food downstairs," I muttered, "but no one warned me."

"What? What did you say?" He hollered in my ear.

"Nothing," I replied, "I'm just hungry."

He pulled out a chair for me, then took his own seat. I sat down looking over at the rows of white men on the field. Their eyes glinted under the lights, frowns carved into their faces as they played ball. They were like statues carved out of marble with veins bulging from their arms and legs. Slaves once played on these same fields, I thought to myself.

"What are you thinking about?" my husband asked. He picked up his fork and began jabbing at a chicken wing.

"Nothing," I said, "just looking at the players." There were some black people on the field, but not many and none that looked like me.

"There's not enough blacks in football," he said, chewing his wing loudly, "too many Mexicans."

I nodded in agreement and looked back at the field. My husband decided to eat the rest of his food while it was hot, so he shoveled more into his mouth while watching the game intently. He was dressed in a suit and tie and despite eating a plate of chicken wings he still hadn't spilled a single drop of sauce or grease onto himself or his clothing. The Yankees were losing 3-2 but he seemed to be enjoying himself all the same.

* * * * *

After dinner we headed for our seats that were down by first base near home plate. The stadium was packed with fans cheering enthusiastically. People drank beer and smoked cigarettes, even though they weren't supposed to do either in here anymore. My husband lit up a joint before we could find our seats which made me nervous, but since everyone else was smoking too, I decided not to say anything about it right away. He passed it to me and I took a hit before passing it back to him.

When I handed him back the joint, he glanced around nervously then took another drag before passing it to me again. We both laughed because we were having fun. On TV people say things like; 'You can't smoke pot in public,' or 'You can't drink beer in public.' But if you go to a stadium where thousands of people are drinking beer or smoking pot, you won't see any cops trying to stop them from doing it because all those cops are getting paid by private companies instead of the government. So, they're too focused on looking for other offenses rather than arresting people for breaking minor laws.

* * * * *

As we enjoyed the game, I started to feel a sense of unity with the crowd. It had been a long time since I'd been anywhere near this many white men together before, but at that moment, none of those men counted as white men anymore, only as Yankees fans cheering against other teams - and even though my husband hated Boston just like everyone else, he still cheered along with them. These Yankees players weren't anything special anyway, except maybe Aaron Judge who reminded me of my husband - taller, stronger, and faster. The game continued and my mind drifted through various thoughts and emotions.

* * * * *

Finally, after several hours later we left the stadium, tired and satisfied from the excitement of the game. An old man wearing farmer's clothes guided us to his bus where he showed us pictures from days gone by when people of all races and backgrounds used to play baseball together. As I sat there, surrounded by people of different ethnicities, my mind jumped between moments of clarity and the haze of the previous high.

* * * * *

I woke up slowly, feeling disoriented as the memories from the day began to come back; the baseball game, the laughter, the sense of unity with the crowd, and the chaotic, unnerving emotions that had twirled in my head. As I started to piece it all back together, I realized that amidst the noise and excitement, there was more to it than just a simple baseball game - it was an exploration of the human experience, society's unspoken expectations, and life's unpredictable nature.