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“So, the Central City Stars are going to be in town to play the National City Eagles in a few weeks. Want to go?” Alex asked Tony when she arrived home.
“Yes!” he exclaimed, immediately pausing his video game and giving her his full attention.
“I thought you might say that. Where should we sit?” she continued, grabbing her tablet to order the tickets.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we can sit down by the field and be closer to the action or we can sit a little higher up to get a better view of the whole field.”
“We can really sit down close to the field?”
Grinning at his enthusiasm Alex started looking at available seats. “Field side it is!”
Sitting down next to Tony she showed him their options and they eventually settled on seats halfway between the middle line and the goal line in the hopes that they would get to see more of the action.
When game day finally arrived Tony’s excitement had him nearly shaking in anticipation. Over the previous months he and Alex had been regularly watching National City games. Tony had learned all the player’s names, positions, and playing styles. He was even decked out in a jersey emblazoned with the name and number of his favorite player.
As they rode the train toward the stadium his eyes seemed to grow every time someone sporting Eagles gear stepped on. “We don’t usually take the train, why are we today?” he asked with a frown as more and more people squeezed on the closer they got to their destination.
“The traffic to drive to the stadium on game day is horrible, and the parking is worse, so the train is easier and much faster,” Alex explained.
They soon reached the stadium, made their way through the ticket gate, and headed toward the field.
“I can’t believe we’re really sitting in the front row!” Tony said when they reached their seats and sat down.
“You know, I’ve never actually sat this close either. Whenever my dad took me we usually sat there or higher,” she replied, pointing about halfway up.
“How often did he take you to games?”
“Maybe once a year. Driving all the way from Midvale didn’t make it very easy. Kara wasn’t all that into it, so it was always just dad and me,” Alex said nostalgically.
“It was special,” Tony said, “like this.”
“Yeah,” the redhead grinned, “just like this. Only you and I got to skip the parking.”
As half-time neared the action picked up. After an extended battle for possession of the ball the Central City Stars came out on top. They quickly passed the ball to an outside forward who passed by the pair in a flash, headed directly for the goal. Though the run ended in a goal for the visiting team Alex and Tony had a perfect view of the impressive play.
“That was awesome!” Tony whisper-yelled, not wanting to be caught cheering for the other team. “He should play on our team.”
“He almost did,” Alex confided. “Kara was friends with his wife in college. He was picking between Central City and National City. He went with the Stars because Iris, his wife, got a job at Central City Picture News.”
“What’s his name? I only caught his number.”
“Barry Allen. I actually did a little work with him while we were in college. I’d just started grad school and he had a summer internship with my research team,” the redhead grinned.
“No way!” Tony explained as the whistle blew, signalling half-time.
“It was years ago, but it’s true,” Alex smiled. “Now, let’s go see about some food. I recall promising you nothing but junk food while we’re here. How about some nachos to kick it off?”
The second half was much more exciting. Central City now guarded the goal next to Alex and Tony while National City found their rhythm, ultimately winning, 2-1.
When the players were leaving the field Alex stood and yelled, “Barry Allen!” When that failed to catch his attention she yelled, “Hey! Flash!”
When it was clear he’d heard that she started waving. He quickly caught sight of her and started jogging in their direction.
“Danvers!” Barry grinned as he reached the partition that separated them. “I haven’t seen you in ages! How are you?”
“I’m great. Nice goal in the first half. This is Tony, your newest fan and my son,” she greeted, putting her arm around the blonde’s shoulders.
“Great to meet you, Tony! I don’t suppose you’re now a Central City Stars fan too?”
Tony shook his head.
“Barry! You can’t try and make every member of my family a Stars fan!” the redhead protested.
“Do you play soccer, Tony?” Barry asked.
“Yeah. Left forward,” Tony replied, finally speaking up.
“That’s awesome. Next time you should come see a game on my home turf. Maybe I can still make you a Stars fan. In fact, I’ll give you something to consider.” Barry then pulled his jersey off, wadded it up, and tossed it. “Keep that, just wash it first. And Alex, we should catch up soon. Maybe you can give me and Iris some parenting tips. Bye, guys!”
“Bye!” Alex and Tony called out in unison as he jogged back toward his team.
“Did that really just happen?” Tony asked, his eyes following Barry across the field before dropping to the wadded up shirt in his hands.
“Yeah, kid. It did.”