Cory checked the sign and it said Gilman Avenue, Monster Park. ’Cause that’s what some people called it now, but not faithful fans like Megan and him. Candlestick. That’s what it was, and that’s what it would always be. The cab driver stayed on Gilman down toward the water and around the lower parking lots. Then he circled up and suddenly all the cars stopped. From every direction, cars were coming toward the stadium, hundreds of them. Maybe thousands even.
“Lots of traffic.” Megan looked out her window. “Hard to believe all these people fit into that stadium.”
The cab driver looked over his shoulder at her. “So right.” He had dark brown skin and an accent. “That’s why we need new stadium.” He brushed his hand at the traffic. “Crazy people sit in traffic three hours for game.”
Cory didn’t mind the line of cars. The waiting gave him time to watch the people. Everywhere he looked, cars were parked in the lot on the other side of the big fence. Barbecues were set up along every aisle. Cory rolled his window down, and the smell of cooked burgers and hotdogs filled the cab.
“Tailgating.” Megan leaned toward him and looked out his window. “People park early in the morning and eat their meals in the parking lot. It’s called tailgating.”
Cory stared at the people, at the celebrations they were having near one car after another. It was like a whole other world, the idea that people spent all day Sunday here. Back when his mom was alive, they spent Sunday at church. But Megan didn’t like church that much. So they spent Sundays cleaning the apartment and getting ready for Monday.
Cory could definitely do this, spend all day at a 49ers game. The barbecue smell made his stomach growl. Megan told him they’d get hot dogs before kickoff and then, of course, they were having dinner with Aaron. Cory looked at the faces scattered across the forever parking lot. And I’m the only one having dinner with Aaron Hill. The thought made him feel good again. Aaron wouldn’t have dinner with just any old kid from the youth center. It was on account of he was Aaron’s son.
He tugged on his baseball cap and studied the sidewalk. Streams of people walked along both sides, heading for the gate. It was easy to tell who were the Raider fans and who were the 49ers. People wore jerseys and carried flags. They had black painted on their faces or red, and some of them had big hats with Raiders or 49ers on them. When a car passed by, some of the fans would wave their flags and shout through colorful megaphones something not so nice about the Raiders or 49ers. ’Cause this was a serious game.
Aaron had sent a special pass for the parking lot, and Megan took it from the envelope.
“Here.” She gave it to the cab driver. “This will get us up pretty close.”
The man looked at it, and his eyebrows shot up. “You must know someone important, lady. This is VIP.”
Cory wasn’t sure what VIP meant. Maybe something about Very Inside Parking. The cab driver switched lanes, and in a little while, he pulled up to a gate with no one in line. He showed the pass to the man stationed there, and the man waved him into the parking lot where all the other people were having their barbecue tailgating. They drove slowly past one little party after another, until they reached a gigantic sign with the letter A on it.
The driver stopped. “Here you are, lady.” He checked the red numbers on the box attached to his dashboard. “Eighteen dollars, fifty cents.”
Megan made a slight face, like it was hard for her to pay that much money for a car ride. But she pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to the driver. “Keep the rest.”
“Thank you.” He took the bill and grinned. “Have very good time!”
Cory’s eyes met the cab driver’s in the rearview mirror. “Go 49ers!”
“Go team.” The man waited until they were out, then he drove away.
Cory suddenly felt small. The crowd was all around him, and people were shouting and carrying drinks and food. A row of portable toilets stood close by, and Cory looked at Megan and made a face.
She nodded. “Me too.”
They walked to a line of six people waiting for a turn, and that gave Cory more time to watch the people. A man was shouting something about wanting tickets, and a trailer was set up close to the bathrooms. Inside was every kind of 49ers shirt or hat or souvenir a person could ever want. And everyone was eating something or drinking something.
A boy and his dad walked past, both of them chewing on corndogs, and headed for the big gate marked A. At the same time, a helicopter flew overhead, and behind it was a sign flapping in the wind. The sign read, Here’s to Another Great Year! Go 49ers!
The place was like 49ers heaven.
After they used the bathrooms, they got in another line, the one going through the big gate. The man taking tickets looked at Megan’s and grinned. “Well, well…you’ve got the good seats!” He pointed up an escalator and told Megan to turn right at the top. “Box seats have a private elevator. The attendant will be just outside.”
A private elevator? Cory’s stomach did flip-flops inside him, and he was sort of out of breath. Like when he played soccer and it was the last minute of the game. He licked his lips and took Megan’s hand.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” She was watching everyone, just like he was.
“It’s perfect. Everything about it.”
The man in front of them wore a Raiders jersey. He turned around and noticed Cory’s 49ers T-shirt. He had a big cup of something, probably beer. When he raised it in the air, a little bit sloshed out. “May the best team win.”
Cory wanted to say that would be the 49ers, but he kept quiet. Megan told him some people took football very serious. So serious they might want to fight about their team. So Cory only nodded and smiled.
They reached the top of the escalator, and then after a little walk around to the right, they saw the private elevator.
“Should we get food first?” Cory stared at a food counter a few feet away. Lots of workers were busy handing out hot dogs and nachos and giant pretzels with creamy cheese. The people were loud all around them, so he raised his voice. “Huh, Megan, should we?”
“Not yet.” She took his hand and walked him to the man standing outside the private elevator. “Let’s find our seats first.”
The private elevator took them to a much quieter walkway. It was all cement, and it went in a circle around the stadium. A woman in a red suit led them for a little walk and then pointed them to a small flight of stairs and a door. “That’s Aaron Hill’s box.” She nodded to them. Then she went back to find the next people, probably.
Cory’s heart was beating so hard he wondered if Megan could hear it. She led the way down the few stairs and opened the door. The box turned out to be a little empty room with three rows of seats. Maybe twelve or fourteen spots altogether. And across the front was all glass and a fantastic view of…
“That’s the field!” Cory jogged down the last few stairs and put his face up close against the thick glass. He checked around it. “Is there a way to open the window? So we can hear what’s going on?”
Megan looked up and pointed. “They have speakers, so you can hear the announcer.”
“Oh.” Cory didn’t want to look disappointed. This was Aaron’s special spot, after all. But he wanted to be out there where the people were, where the action was. As close to the field as possible.
He dropped into the middle seat on the first row. “This is like a miracle, right Megan?”
“Pretty close.” She laughed. And just then, two men came into the little room. They both had on fancy suits and ties, and when they spotted Cory and Megan, they stopped.
The shorter guy looked at Megan. “Hi.” He made a strange face. “I’m Bill Bond, Aaron’s agent.” He nodded at the other guy. “This is Albert. He’s Aaron’s financial planner.”
Cory didn’t say so, but already he didn’t like Mr. Bond. He sounded not altogether nice, and maybe a little suspicious. Like how did Megan and Cory get in there, anyway.
“Megan Gunn.” She held out her hand
and shook his. “Aaron invited me and my son to be his guests today.”
“Oh.” The man hesitated. After too long a pause, he smiled. “I see.” He switched his attention to Cory. “And what’s your name, young man?”
“Cory.” He stood, because his mom taught him that was polite when someone new came into the room. “Nice to meet you.”
“Yes.” He looked back at Megan and frowned. “Nice to meet you too.”
Megan took a few steps toward the door. “We were just going back up for a couple hot dogs.” She smiled, but it wasn’t in her eyes. “Would you gentlemen like something?”
“Uh…” Mr. Bond glanced over his shoulder at a big counter at the back of the room. “Catering will bring us whatever we want.” He did a curious laugh and looked strange at Megan. “That’s always how it is in the box.”
“Oh.” Megan didn’t look upset. “Well, Cory and I haven’t ever been to a 49ers game. Let alone in box seats.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Now we know.”
Megan walked back to the first row, and at the same time, the two men sat down.
“I wanna be outside,” Cory whispered. Only, because it was such a small little room, Mr. Bond heard him.
“You wanna be closer to the action, is that what I heard you say?” He walked down the couple steps and looked straight at Cory.
Cory gulped. Anything would be better than watching the game with this guy. “Yes, sir. But that’s okay.”
“Look.” He took a pair of tickets from his pocket. “I’ve got fifteenth row, fifty-yard line. Saving ’em for a buddy of mine.” He did a quick look back at the other guy. Then at Cory again. “How about you and your mom take these, and my buddy can sit up here with us?”
“Really?” Cory felt his heart beat hard again. Because that would be a perfect swap. He turned to Megan. “Can we?”
“Sure.” Megan did a little eyebrow raise at the men. “I think that would be better anyway.”
“Except,” Cory remembered something. “What about after the game? We’re supposed to meet Aaron here at the box.”
“Hmmm.” Mr. Bond looked uncomfortable, like he had a rock in his shoe or something. “I hadn’t heard about that.” He frowned in a way that was mean again. “I guess you should come back up after the game. I’m sure your name’s on his list, if he invited you.”
Cory couldn’t wait to be out of the small room and back on the cement walkway toward the elevator. “What a creep!” he whispered to Megan when the guys closed the door to the room. “He didn’t like us.”
Megan laughed. “I don’t think he was expecting us.”
“Still…” Cory took long steps to keep up with her. “He didn’t have to be rude.”
“No. That’s the way some people are when they’re around someone famous. They start to think they’re better than everyone else.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Don’t say stupid.” She kept her eyes straight ahead, ’cause they were almost at the elevator. “It’s not something your mother would want you to say. Me neither.”
Megan was right. “Sorry. It’s just”—he followed her into the elevator—“everyone’s the same. So no one should think they’re better.”
When they were back with the crowds of people, Megan bought them each big, juicy hot dogs and giant cokes, and when they walked to their seats, Cory couldn’t believe it! They were down so close to the field, he could see the looks on the faces of the 49ers. They were warming up on the field, and he could see if they looked frustrated or if they laughed about something. They were so close he felt like he was part of the team, practically.
He scanned the group, and then he pointed. “There he is.” He shaded his eyes, because the baseball cap wasn’t enough in this sun. “It’s Aaron, Megan! Look!”
“I see him.” She sounded calmer than him. But she was a grown-up, so that was okay.
For a minute, he stopped stone still on the steps and watched every move Aaron made. He wanted to jump around and wave until Aaron noticed him, but that probably wouldn’t happen. ’Cause Aaron thought he was sitting up in the box.
“Come on, Cory. People are trying to get to their seats.”
“Sorry.” He followed Megan down one of the rows and they sat down. “Wow!” He pulled his baseball cap low and shaded his eyes again so he could look way up high to the glass windows of the box seats. “This is tons better than up there.” He took a big breath. “You can breathe down here.”
Megan smiled. “I agree.”
Cory grinned. He liked Megan more all the time. Sometimes she was so much like his mom that he almost forgot she wasn’t her.
The stadium was filling up, and Cory sat on the edge of his seat. He didn’t want to miss a single thing, like the marching band, which was coming out onto the field.
Pretty soon the team jogged back to the bench and Aaron and Derrick Anderson moved close to the first row. They put some space between them and threw a pair of balls to a couple of receivers. “They’re warming up!” Cory pointed at them. “Just like in high school.”
“I see that.” Megan asked to borrow the program of the woman sitting beside her. She began looking through it, as if she wasn’t too concerned about the warm-up process.
Loud trumpets filled the stadium, and the marching band took the field. There were drummers and trumpeters and flute players and big horn-type things. Everyone stayed all together, one foot after another, just like on TV. “It looks bigger in person, the whole band out there on the field.” He had to shout so Megan could hear him. “See, don’t you think it looks bigger?”
Megan finished looking at the program book, and she handed it back to the lady. “Yes,” she leaned her head close to his. “It’s all very big and loud. Much more than on TV.”
The band stopped at the middle of the field, and then a big voice told them to stand for the national anthem. A heavy kid in a nice suit and tie came over to a platform and someone gave him a microphone. Cory could see all of it, just as it was happening. The boy didn’t look that old, but he could sing like someone on American Idol. Cory put his hand over his heart, and he thought of his mom up in heaven watching this, and suddenly he felt tears in his eyes and he wasn’t even sure why.
No, he did know why. ’Cause this was the happiest day in his whole life.
When the song was almost done, the most amazing thing happened. Streaking jet fighter planes zoomed over the stadium. They were so fast and loud, Cory’s heart skipped a beat, and he gasped. “Wow!” He couldn’t say it enough. When the planes passed and he could hear again, he felt his eyes get perfectly round and he looked at Megan. “Wow! Did you see that? Those were jet fighters. Probably keeping us safe for the game!”
Megan laughed a little, but the loud voice was talking again and Cory couldn’t hear what she said. The coin toss happened, and San Francisco won. “They’ll receive, I know they will.” He bounced in his seat, and he was right. The 49ers would have the ball first!
Aaron was talking to Coach Cameron, nodding his head and looking very serious. After a few seconds, he turned and jogged out to the field where the rest of the offense was waiting for him. From the huddle he looked back at the coaches one more time, and it almost seemed like he was looking straight up at Cory.
Dad, Cory thought…You’re really my dad. Thank You, God, for hearing my mom’s prayers all those times. I can’t believe it’s really happening.
Aaron’s first pass was a completion to one of the veteran receivers, the guy who was injured last year. “See!” Cory clapped his hand against Megan’s knee. “I knew he’d be okay this year. I knew it!”
Six more plays, and on third and eight, Aaron threw a pass to the same receiver, right in the corner of the end zone. Cory was on his feet. “Touchdown!” He jumped around and high-fived Megan. “Touchdown, 49ers!”
Once the fans all settled back into their seats, Cory remembered his hot dog. It tasted better than any hot dog ever in his whole life, and by the time he finished
it, Aaron had thrown a second touchdown pass. Just like their first preseason game, by halftime San Francisco was so far ahead, Coach Cameron took Aaron out of the game and put in Derrick Anderson. Cory was glad, because Derrick was a great player and a nice guy. Plus, how many teams had two quarterbacks who could win a game? Derrick kept things at a little slower pace, and in the end, the 49ers won 24 to 3. Like the man on the escalator said, the best team definitely won.
It took ten minutes to walk along with the crowd and find their way back to the elevator. This time they went up to the empty walkway, and when they reached the small room, there were four other guys with suits standing around talking. A TV set hung from the ceiling—something Cory hadn’t noticed before.
“Let’s stay out here,” Megan came close so just Cory could hear her. “We might breathe a little better.”
Cory giggled. Just then, one of the guys in the room stepped out and smiled at Megan. “You must be friends of Aaron’s?”
“Yes.” Megan looked uncomfortable, as if maybe they should’ve stayed down in the outside seats a while longer. “New friends.”
Mr. Bond seemed to hear that part. He gave Megan a look, and then turned back to the men he was already talking to.
The friendly guy waved them into the box. “Come on, there’s a tray of hot cookies in here.”
Even with the hot dog and pop, Cory was still hungry. He raised his eyes at Megan, and she waited a few seconds. “Okay. Get a cookie, then come out here.”
He skipped down the stairs, and the man was right. A tray of the biggest chocolate chip cookies ever was waiting right on the counter. They were still warm! He took two and a napkin, then he thought a minute and took a third. In case Megan wanted some. He was still getting the cookies balanced in his hands when someone walked up beside him.
He lifted his eyes and his breath caught in his throat. It was Mr. Bond, and he didn’t look happy. “Hi.” Cory tried a smile, but it didn’t feel very strong.