Scalper

Right now we’re just outside Kansas City getting ready to pick up 29 North. Sioux Falls is programmed into the GPS, but I don’t think we’re going to make it that far today. We have an appointment Tuesday afternoon to pick up our keys for the new place at Fairchild. That’s the only thing driving our schedule right now.
So, after Hannibal and the nap yesterday we went back into St. Louis. We hit the waterfront by The Arch and the kids were able to get their flat pennies. And just in time too, we were able to get through the gate they left open although the river tours, gift shop and café were closed. Then we went to Busch Stadium. JG asked a police officer at the corner if there was parking ahead. “Yeah, but it’s expensive.” I’m laughing to myself because the parking, directly across from the stadium, was only $15.
We stood out on the quick walk – and because it was obvious we were from out of town between the Mets jacket and sweatshirt – we had every scalper in the vicinity try to sell us tickets. Now, we’re not ticket snobs, but they didn’t have what we wanted (four seats all together behind home plate) so we made our way to the ticket counter. They must have been desperate to sell – our friend we left on the corner manned by police sought us out and we abruptly ended the conversation with the ticket attendant on the promise of $60/ticket. Our friend brought us to a season ticket holder who had three seats in a row and a seat in front on the aisle of section 153. (11-13 and seat 10).
The seats were FANTASTIC. We knew they were well worth the “face value” the guy was asking ($100/each) but his runner, our friend, only got us out of line by saying $60, so that’s all we were willing to pay. Our advantage: the game was only 20 minutes from starting and the odds of selling four tickets in one shot were dwindling.
We made it through two bags of peanuts, three hot chocolates, two sodas, three hot dogs, chicken fingers and two nachos with cheese without any incident. Edward, although fidgeting, was being very well behaved. But, not still enough for the woman sitting next to him. “You need to sit still,” she says to Edward who is no wearing Dad’s Mets jacket and is trying to get his hands out of the ridiculously long sleeves. She then asks me what grade he’s in. “Kindergarten, he’s only five,” I say. “Oh, I’m a first grade teacher,” then leans in to Edward and says, “do you know what respect is? And what it means to be a good listener?”

Edward’s eyes get big and he turns to me with perfect manners, “Mommy, may I please move seats.”

By this time Zachary has made friends with the woman sitting next to him. She’s a lot younger, a lot cuter and a lot more friendly. She even tells Zachary she’ll even sing the Jose song with him when he gets up to bat.

Now back to poor Edward. Dad rescued him onto his lap, which allowed for dead space between me and the teacher. We have a 20 minute conversation where she’s convinced we’re stationed at Scott AFB and are PCSing to Fairchild AFB. I’ve already told her a few times he went to school in Virginia. Turns out her and her husband have been retired from the Air Force for 18 years. He was a fighter pilot who went to survival school in Fairchild in the 1970s. Now he’s a chiropractor. Anyway, she talked about how it was really hard for her to become a civilian again after her husband retired.

Please don’t take this as slam against military spouses or their sacrifices to our country – but I took offense to her saying *she* had a hard time becoming a civilian. You can’t become something you already are, right? Law enforcement officers and firefighters have a more dangerous job then I do serving in the Air Force. I’m sure we don’t hear their spouses saying it was hard becoming a a civilian again.
Anyway – about the fifth inning the kiss cam came on the big screen and JG switched places with Edward (yeah, I made the mistake of sliding over one and this facilitated the conversation further.) JG kissed me. We weren’t on the screen, but that’s okay. We’re way too cute together for other people to handle anyway ;)
With JG sitting next to me I was finally able to focus on the game. Unfortunately the Mets lost. Cardinals got a grand slam and we left at the end of the eighth inning. 1-4 Cardinals. This morning JG tells me the Mets had scored two more runs at the top of the nineth. “You’re so lucky they didn’t end up winning the game or I’d be angry with you that you made us leave.”

Before we left the retired gentleman and his wife the teacher left. Then I leaned forward to the cool couple who were sitting in front of us and said “did you hear Edward ask me if he could move seats?” They laughed and said they couldn’t believe how she wanted to instill classroom rules at the ballpark. “He wasn’t even doing anything wrong! Poor kid!”