She looked down at Eli’s hand in hers.
“Because he wanted to feel close to his dad before the surgery.”
For a moment, none of us spoke.
Then she added, “My husband used to do play-by-play at home like he was a radio announcer. He would yell at the TV, then explain everything Eli couldn’t follow. Tonight, I just wanted to do it the way his father would have.”
The man returned with a giant pretzel, water, and nearly every candy option from the stand.
When Paula placed the warm pretzel in Eli’s hands, he smiled.
“Is it salted?” he asked.
The man said softly, “Extra salted, buddy.”
Eli nodded seriously.
“Good.”
For the first time since the shouting began, the whole section laughed.
