Chasing Home (NFL)

I'll Always Remember You

“Every day that we had, all the good, all the bad
I'll keep them here inside
All the times that we shared, every place, everywhere
You touched my life
Yeah, one day we'll look back, we'll smile and we'll laugh
But right now we just cry
‘Cause it's so hard to say goodbye”

– "I'll Always Remember You" by Hannah Montana

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Chapter 1: I’ll Always Remember You

            I could not remember ever being colder in my life. It was only one degree below zero, but the wind was a kill, making it feel at least 20 below. I possible windchill of negative 40 was predicated to come upon us throughout the evening. Anyone in their right mind would be inside with a fire and warm blanket. Me? I was ready to stay outside for over three hours watching my guardian and brother duel it out in the NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field.

            I was covered in as many layers as I could handle without toppling over. Of course, all of it was Green Bay Packers gear. Most people thought it would be hard for me to choose which team to support because I had a member on both teams I considered family, but the answer was obvious to me.  Yes, Eli was my brother, but didn’t everyone know that the Packers were my family as well? Green Bay was the only place that had ever remotely felt like home, and I was not about to abandon it now.

            I watched the Packers warming up on the field. I wondered how they were able to stand the cold with the relatively little clothing they were allowed to wear. The ground looked rock solid as well. That was bound to be dangerous. If anyone could handle it, though, it was my Packers. The Giants wouldn’t see us coming.

            The players were walking back to the sidelines now, and I smiled when I saw Aaron Rodgers near Brett Favre, my guardian. I jogged forward to meet them, though it was more like waddling due to all of my clothes. “Aaron!” I said happily. I could tell he was caught off guard as I flung my arms around him, attempting to use him for his warmth. Instead, I felt another rush of cold. “You’re freezing!”

            Aaron laughed. “What do you expect? You can warm me, though.” I tried to move away from him, but he held onto me as he headed to the bench where he had left his winter gear. I did not resist because I knew we would both eventually become warmer if we stayed together. Many winters in Green Bay had taught me how to survive the winter through any means possible.

            “I don’t think it’s that bad out,” Brett commented as he walked next to us.

            I looked at him and frowned. “Yeah right. I was born in the Midwest and I still can’t take this. Anyone else from the South would have been complaining at least 60 degrees ago.” It was quite amusing, actually, to hear Mississippians call me crazy for wearing shorts when it was 70 degrees. Of course, I had trouble adjusting to the hot summers.

            “60 degrees would feel cold to me if I was in the South,” Brett said. “Here, nothing is too cold.”

            “You know that makes no sense, right? It’s not normal.”

            “That’s not all that’s not normal about him,” Aaron commented light-heartedly. He had left me to put on his coat, but now we clung to each other again to share warmth.

            I smirked at his comment. “That’s true.”

            Brett laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

            I smiled at him before turning to look at the field. This was my last game at Lambeau, at least in this situation. I was graduating from high school this year, and then I would be heading off to New York to study psychology at Manhattan College. I let out a long sigh. “I’m going to miss this place,” I murmured, addressing no one in particular.