Go Mets! And Free Headphones!, July 22

Citi Field: NY Mets v ATL BravesThat’s right. We got free headphones for being at the Mets game and on top of that, I had concession cooked Buffalo wings for dinner and five dollar cotton candy for dessert. It was delicious. But that is not the memory. There was more to it. I remember stepping off of the subway onto an outdoor platform. Our station was outside for once and the raindrops fell thin in the air after a downpour from the clouds. It was a good feeling. The breeze was nice and the subway platform was set so high, the baseball stadium was almost at eye level from where we were. I remember making my way through the crowd, not looking back as often as I should to check if the group was still following. My head was bowed down under the hood I pulled over. The rain started again, but it only made things more fun. I remember them huddling under a small umbrella -- how slowly they still walked. I remember sitting at the baseball game, looking down at my row. Our friends were staring intently down at the field, like I first did at my first baseball game. I had no idea what was going on. But I think the saturated green of the field is enough to leave one speechless for a moment.

I remember Susanna, one of the Beijing students, asking not what inning this was or who we were playing against, but what sport this was. It was a pleasure of mine to answer her. “Baseball,” I said. But then she asked about the rules, and that was when I realized I knew no more than she did. It was all kind of a bummer. More like slap in the face. I had no answer. So instead, my first reaction was to offer her some cotton candy that was already melting on my fingers. She chuckled. It was so stupid, what my first reaction was, but funny now that I think about it. It definitely made up for the awkward silence. It was a relief to know that she liked it. I guess that was a plus.