for lifers- joe burrow

XXI

*present time*

I was beyond excited to be packing up my apartment. Now, if you know me, you know I despise moving. So, why would I be excited to be packing up to move?

Well, about a year ago I became an analyst and journalist for ESPN. Since I was a new hire, I had been placed in one of the most basic headquarters for ESPN in Austin, Texas. It was interesting and eye-opening to be in a new city. Austin wasn't really my cup of tea, though.

In Austin, I didn't do any big jobs and got the jobs that no one else wanted. Even though it wasn't ideal, I was still working for the company of my dreams so I was happy.

Then, about three weeks ago. I got an email from the ESPN manager in Cincinnati asking to work there. His name was Tim Walter and he told me he had seen my work and would love to have me work for him in Cincinnati. There, I would mainly focus on the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, and FC Cincinnati.

This was a dream come true! I could finally work on sports I was actually interested in and it wasn't too far from home. But, there was another upside to this promotion.

Joe.

Joe Burrow was obviously still the starting quarterback for the Bengals and the heartthrob of the NFL. He was also my best friend who I hadn't seen in well over a year.

When I told him about this promotion, he was beyond ecstatic to have me not only be in Cincinnati but also work alongside his team all season long.

I finally finished packing my last box and was ready to load them all up in a midsize trailer attached to my car. The worst part about all this moving is driving all the way from Austin, Texas to Cincinnati, Ohio all by myself in June.

Well actually, I wasn't fully alone. When I first moved to Austin, I realized I needed a companion because I would definitely get very lonely. So, I decided to adopt a rescue puppy who I named Charlie. He was a chocolate doodle who was 3 months old when I adopted him. Now, he's a little over 1 year old.

After packing the trailer, I got myself, and Charlie, ready for the long road trip ahead. I hopped in the driver's seat and waved goodbye to my lovely ex-neighbors as I headed on a 16 hour road trip to the Cinci.

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After being on the road for the longest 16 hours of my life with many breaks in between, I had finally driven across the Ohio River bridge to Cincinnati, Ohio. I sighed in content as I pulled into the city, mainly excited to get out of the stuffiness of the truck. I was also excited to see Joe after a year of not seeing each other.

Joe had offered for me to stay in his house the day I came to Cincinnati because I wouldn't get the keys to my new apartment until the next day. Joe had also offered to help me unpack my truck into the new apartment the following morning.

I followed my GPS to the address Joe had sent me. I pulled my truck onto a beautiful street. I had never been to this side of Cincinnati and was pleasantly surprised by it. I continued to drive down the street and admire the homes that lined the street. Finally, I pulled up to Joe's house. It was, obviously, gorgeous and was definitely too big just for him to be living in.

I parked my van as Joe walked out of the garage. He was in a sweatshirt and a pair of basketball shorts that he's had since college. Charlie and I hopped out of the truck to greet Joe. Charlie reached him before I did. When he reached Joe, he sniffed all around Joe's ankles to make sure he wasn't a threat to me. After his sniff, he jumped his front paws onto Joe's thighs trying to get him to play with him.