meeting nathan

I asked him what his name was.

“Nathan.  And my dad’s is ‘Daddy.’”

He was five-ish.  His ball cap swallowed his little head, and he gripped his dad’s hand while we weaved through the mobs of people and walked together from Gate 19 to Gate 26.

On the walk to the other side of the stadium, I learned that they lived a couple of hours away.  They didn’t have season tickets, but they’d managed to get two tickets in the general seating section to today's non-conference game.

It was Nathan’s first ever game at his dad’s alma mater, and he didn’t know where we were going, or why I was escorting them around the entire stadium.  He was just happy to be there.

“Well I'm Robyn, and I'm just so happy y'all are here today.  When we get there, help yourselves to the buffets; the ice cream; the popcorn and candy; and all the drinks you’d like.  You can come inside when you get cold, or want to watch some other games on TV for a bit.”

Nathan’s dad looked at me with eyes that said, “Are you serious?  What did we do to deserve this?”  Nathan only perked up at the mention of ice cream.

I accompanied them through Gate 26, ensured their tickets were scanned and their wristbands were secured, and the elevator waited for us as if we were royalty.

We exited onto the fourth floor where I greeted our usher.  “Hi, Mike.  This is Robert and Nathan.  It’s their first time here, and I was hoping you could show them around the East Club.”

Mike is one of the friendliest ambassadors of his university you’ll ever meet.  He gave Nathan a hand-shake, and told him they were serving banana splits today, just for him.

I wished Robert and Nathan a great day, and went about my work.

Fifteen minutes earlier, I had been given two premium seating tickets and was told that the anonymous donor wanted them to be given only to a father and his son.

I scanned the sea of fans streaming into the stadium, and I looked for what I envisioned to be the perfect father-son pair.  I picked Robert and Nathan out of the crowd and called out, “Excuse me, sir?  Are y’all here today with anyone?”

“No, just me and him,” Robert answered.

And that’s how I met Nathan and his dad, and that’s how a wealthy man blessed two strangers today.

Just over a year ago, I wrote a short post after a particularly discouraging game day.  It was literally titled, “Why I Hate My Job.”  I didn’t publish it, of course, because nothing good was going to come from that.

But today, I secretly watched Nathan and his dad from afar, sitting on the front row of the East Club, on the fifty yard line.  Enjoying ice cream by the big screen video board.  Sharing a box of popcorn.  Taking pictures together in their special seats.

Receiving an unexpected blessing.

Y’all, that made my entire football season.  There really are good, generous people out there who aren't greedy for glory.

People who, unbeknownst to them, invite little ol' hospitality professionals like me to play a part in making someone's day extra special.

Today, I love my job.