Slice of Life

There are many things to do on a Friday evening in the south bay. But why would anyone in their right mind choose a three hour wait standing in line? Well that’s exactly what I and some fellow hockey fans did. A local store at the mall hosted a fan day. Now let us reevaluate this picture. After a busy work and family week Friday night approached. The idea of relaxation and decompression put my mind at ease. Then my sister Tania calls, “My favorite player Ryan Clowe is going to be at the mall, want to come?” Sounds fun enough. But the wild card here is my two year old. I rarely take him to the mall unless I know it’s for him to play vs. me having adult time. The line formed and we anxiously awaited our turn. Two and a half hours later our player was stuck in traffic in San Francisco, apparently some baseball game was on. My son had reached his melting point along with every fan whose eager smile had turned to frustrated frown. Then from a distance cheering and clapping, and there he was. At this point the fans went wild. My son who was waiting to see “The Shark” literally, was disappointed by seeing a man walk in. My sister made it to the front of the line; she was beyond excited, on the verge of tears. The picture of her and “The Shark” made it to face book within seconds. My reward? Another exciting Friday night!