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Jack and Marion took their seats in the nosebleeds with their six-dollar beers held firmly in their respective hands. Marion’s eyes were still bloodshot and his speech was still slurred slightly, but he was functioning acceptably by Chicago standards.

 

“Damn mon, it’s freezing out. I’m gettin’ ice in my dreds, I t’ought football was indoors.”
“Wait, you’ve never watched a football game before?” Jack inquired.
“Jah, I watched one once, but it was in an arena.”
“That’s called arena football.”  
“What’s t’a difference?” Marion asked.
“People actually care about football,” responded Jack. A few people sitting next to Jack and Marion started to chuckle. The game started and the two began slowly sipping their beers in attempt to make them last as long as possible.
“Who’s dat guy trowing da ball.”

 

Jack thought about the question for a few seconds and responded “that’s guy is called the quarterback, if he doesn’t throw the ball fast enough, the other team is allowed to jump on top of him.”
The people next to Jack and Marion started to chuckle again. Jack looked over and saw two boys, wearing blue Bear hats and jerseys who looked around sixteen or seventeen years old with about twelve empty off-brand beer cans (obviously snuck in) below their feet. A few minutes later, the quarterback threw the ball to the wide receiver, who caught it, took a few steps and was hit by a defensive linemen who looked like he was twice the size of the receiver. The ball shot out of the wide receiver’s hands as he slammed back first into the grass.
“Oh!” everyone in the crowd simultaneously yelled, including both Marion and Jack.
“Wow,” Marion uttered with astonishment.
“I know, big hit.”

 

“No mon, I mean everyone yelled ‘oh’ at the same time. T’ere’s a lot of interjections in dis world, but everyone yelled ‘oh,’ even me, someone who’s never been to a football game before.”
The underage drunk sitting next to Marion, leaned over to Marion and put his arm around him.
“That’s the because football brings people together man, you and me, your friend and that chubby guy over there, me and her, hey baby!” the kid smirked while a woman walked down the other aisle. The woman didn’t respond.
“Yeah screw you too you uptight…what was I talking about?”
Marion turned to Jack and gave him the wide-eyed “what is up with this guy” smile. Jack smiled back and leaned towards the kid and chuckled “team spirit, unity right?”
“Oh yeah, like I was saying, it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like, or even if listen to that wussy Rod Steward shit, if you’re a Bear fan, you’re my brother.”
“I like it mon, can I get a beer?” Marion asked.
“Of course you can get a beer brother. John, give this man a beer!”
The other teenager sitting next to Jack and Marion leaned forward “Yo, I think we drank all the beer.”
“Shit! What the hell, why’d you drink all the beer?”
“Dude, I only had four, you had eight,” the second kid responded.
“Haha, oh yeah,” laughed the first kid.

 

The game went on to the fourth quarter. Marion and Jack sat watching the game and listening to the kids yell and scream with authentic passion every play. By the end of the game, Jack and Marion were screaming with the two kids.

 

There were ten seconds left in the game. The quarter back yelled "hike" and dropped back at the thirty yard line, hurling the ball into the corner of the endzone where a Bears receiver jumped into the air over the defender and dragged both his feet inbound as the clock expired.

 

The ref held up both his hands and the whistle blew. The jumbo-screen read, “TOUCHDOWN!”
The entire stadium erupted with pure, unadulterated joy. No war had ended, no major world change had come to pass, no, it was something much more important and relevant to the average citizen of Chicago, Illinois. The Bears had just won.

 

The four seatmates wrapped their arms around each other and jumped up and down. Their row was filled with high fives and back slaps when for that one beautiful moment, the world was perfect.

Marion chuckled. “All highly irrelevant.”
Jack smiled back at him, “that is true.”
Marion looked down at the seat in front of him with the smile of a boy who had just had his first kiss, then he looked back at Jack.

 

“I understand football now,” Marion told Jack.
“I’m glad you do” Jack responded with a smile.
The two walked out of the stadium reliving the final play until they were back home in their apartment.