Jenni and I have enjoyed Rose Bowl season tickets for the last few years. When our family settled on California's central coast in 2018 I knew spending Saturdays down south screaming for the Tide wouldn't happen often. The ESPN call on on T.V. is fun, but shredding your vocal cords with 100,000 other lunatics is an addictive habit of youth reinforced with winding R.V. trips up Wire Road in Auburn and long morning drives along the Tombigbee toward Tuscaloosa. Gone are the fragrant Pines of Alabama and misty mornings of fall color; all replaced by morning fog and impossibly tall Palms. The Rose Bowl is our live football fix; college football ritual at one of its grandest cathedrals and a shot of novocaine for the soul as Eels sings.
For the college football fans reading I'll keep it one hunnid. The intensity of a UCLA game at the Rose Bowl doesn't match Bryant-Denny (Bama) or Jordan-Hare (Auburn). But any pizza is better than no pizza. And every invested college football fan should have the experience of descending the arroyo to see the Rose Bowl oval emerge. Framed by gorgeous Palms and the majestic San Gabriel mountains, aside from Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame, there are few more iconic football scenes in the sport.
Having enjoyed these tickets for a few years imagine my excitement when the Tide topped Georgia in the SEC Championship Game last year and landed a spot against Michigan in the Rose Bowl! We scrambled to add seats for my Dad, oldest son, and his girlfriend. We grabbed Rose Bowl parade tickets and booked hotels. It was going to be epic!
And then it got complicated. My career is in aviation and I love it. But every job has an Achilles' heel and in my business it's short notice trips. Private aviation is fueled by the tears of aircrew with disrupted family plans. Short notice work trips often trump last minute family plans. Alabama upsetting Georgia to make the Rose Bowl was not on my Bingo card; I'd coordinated no vacation.
As luck would have it, it looked like it still might work. I could fly the clients to their destination, airline to Pasadena for the game, then jet back for the next leg of my trip. Worst case I could have another pilot cover since it was a short trip so I could take in the game. Confident the logistics were solved we ordered new Tide gear and prepared my son and his girlfriend for their first "big time" college football game in the Rose Bowl.
Two days out everything changed. We were now going to Tokyo for a week, not a short hop a couple of states away. I could make a lot of things work, but for the second time in as many weeks, Lucy pulled the football as I was planting for the kick; I had to work. Crestfallen, I broke the news to my family. They were sad, but I told them to banish the negative thoughts because they were going to carry the burden of pulling the Tide across the line without me there. You better be loud! And you better send me lots of pictures!
Truthfully I was sad and angry. I don't get to spend time with Mom and Dad that often and the thought of seeing the game with Dad and my family in the Rose Bowl was tantalizing. On the other hand, our youngest (Cal) was graduating from high school and a we also had a big vacation planned with friends coming up. In my line of work you can lay markers down for a few big events each year but are paid for your availability as much as your expertise. So I pouted for a day then pulled myself out of the pit because I knew my family was still going to enjoy time with my Dad. I also threatened everyone that I wouldn't be happy if I didn't get some texts and photos. So between the pictures and watching the game online I'd be able to feel like I was there with them in spirit.
When timing settled for our flight to Tokyo it turned out we'd be airborne or working for most of the game. I checked the score once or twice but aside from catching 3 minutes on a T.V. while paying for fuel in Seattle I didn't see much. Oddly enough, my First Officer is a huge Michigan fan. So it was with measured emotion in cruise to Tokyo he looked over and asked, "Want to know who won?" Sure. A fine mist of sweat instantaneously coated both my palms. "Michigan took it in overtime," he politely offered with gentle delivery, careful not to stab me between the eyes with the sharp "L". "Oh well, must have been one helluva game", I offered back. Sigh.
I have no idea if it was a good game.
Prior to the game Jenni and the crew fed me a steady diet of pictures. Dad sat next to her and enjoyed the Rose Bowl Parade and the game. The family strolled through the shady, manicured neighborhoods surrounding the Rose Bowl and made their way through wafting shafts of BBQ smoke, pom-poms, and fans of both teams at peak pregame exuberance. What a spectacle and I had the pictures to enjoy the experience through their eyes. Despite the outcome they burned in a core memory they'll call up many times I have no doubt. A tinge of sadness shaded the next day as I reflected on what I could have enjoyed with them.
But then I chatted with my Mom a couple of days later and everything changed. She told me how much my Dad loved spending time with and getting to hang out with Michael G. Dad took them to Morton's Steakhouse the night before the game and told them to order whatever they wanted. He looked at Michael and could tell he was hesitant as he surveyed the prices. "Michael, if you want it...get it!", he said. And get it he did. He tried two or three different things and polished everything off. They laughed, enjoyed the meal, and soaked up each others company. I'm not sure it would have went down as perfectly if I'd been there. Don't get me wrong, I would have relished that time, but I wasn't there to monopolize my Dad and the treasure he is. Michael W Lanier (Dad) got time to spend time with Michael G Lanier (my son) and aside them realizing God gave them both amazing hair, they also got a chance to experience how alike they are in so many ways. They are kind, funny, considerate, and can both carry on a conversation until the cows come home. I get the feeling Dad got to enjoy conversing with Michael as a young man growing into adulthood for the first time; and the fun they had together will remain with him for all his days. Dad has many memories with me, so it means a lot for him to create some with Michael, Jenni, and Kaden. It truly was a gift.
So was the game any good? I don't know. I never watched the replay. My memories of the Rose Bowl that day are of texts with Michael, Jenni, and Kaden. They sent me pictures and shared the fun they were having. Those photos and the texts from Mom later telling me how much Dad enjoyed the visit sealed it for me. Those are the only memories of the Rose Bowl that I want burned in; the only ones that truly matter. On a glorious New Year's Day in Pasadena the joy of college football that I have always shared with Dad was distilled and shared with my family. I'll have more moments with Mom and Dad, but I'm glad my family got to experience that amazing day with him. I'll enjoy the memories they made and shared as much as they did. And I don't think I'll ever watch that replay, because I know our family won that game even if our team lost on the field; and that's what I want burned in forever.
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