#26 – Green
Jake
A lot of people would be tense while spying on known controllers. Most people would be interested in not being made by the person they're spying on. Most people would be worried about the hundreds of things that could go wrong.
Marco is not one of those people.
(All right. Best place to watch a playoff game?) This innocent-sounding question was the start to a potential argument. I knew that. But no matter what else has changed about us, the desire to win pointless debates with Marco is not one of them.
(Spread out to the west,) I told him, and he obediently hooked his osprey's glide to the left. Now I was the one who had eyes on the controller through the window of his Camry, but Marco could still see the car, at least.
(Relax. He doesn't even have a sunroof in that P.O.S. He can't see us. Now quit stalling and answer the question.)
I laughed and thought about it. (What sport?)
(Football, duh.)
I had only ever been to one professional football game, but I used to watch a lot on TV. I used to pay attention to that sort of thing. I thought I had a winning answer when I said, (Gotta be New Orleans. The Superdome holds like 100,000 people, and all the announcers say that place gets louder than anywhere else in the NFL.)
(Not bad. You're wrong, of course, but a good answer, at least. Nice try.)
(It's an opinion. How can there be a right or wrong answer?) I challenged him.
(Just because. Now, you want real excitement? I'd go to a home playoff game for the Packers.)
(Green Bay?) I wondered out loud, and then dredged up all of my sketchy knowledge on the team. (Why would you want to go freeze your ass off at an outdoor stadium for three and a half hours in January?)
(Uh, history? The real heroes of the game have played their games there. Lambeau is legendary, dude. And you said it yourself, the weather. Guys in short sleeves in five degree weather? Breath pouring out of the helmets like dragon smoke, turning them from mere mortals to gods? That's why.)
I considered this. He was right, of course…that had always been one of the craziest parts of the playoffs to me. Guys playing their butts off in that weather. (I'll give you that one, but you had time to think about it. It was your question. So you don't get a point for that.)
He laughed in good humor. (I think I get a point. One for Marco. What about…)
(Will you guys shut up?) Rachel asked in a disgusted tone of voice. (I could be doing any number of things right now, and it's bad enough I have to waste my time following a city councilman around. But do I really have to listen to you two geniuses bicker, too?)
Marco completely ignored her. (Best baseball team of all time? And don't say '52 Yankees – that's a gimme.)