Another Cross-Country Meet

When you are raising your second batch of kids, things just naturally happen that make writing these stories easier. I went to a school sponsored cross-country meet. It was not the first meet I have attended. I just didn’t think I would ever need to go to another one.

Elaine and I drove to New Mexico with the first batch of kids years ago because our son was going to run in cross-country meet across the desert. We drove nine hours to get the meet.

It was a warm Indian summer day. Key word= warm! Our son lined up with a couple hundred kids to run across the desert. It was a three mile race. If I remember right, it took less than twenty minutes for the first kid to come across the finish line. I don’t remember how long it took our son to complete the course, but it was long enough for him to realize he didn’t like running across the desert.

I did buy a T-shirt at the meet. (I still have it.) I just couldn’t accept that I had driven twenty hours combined for a 25 minute running career, so I turned it into a shopping trip.

Life surprised me/us (Elaine doesn’t write these stories so I am reluctant to give her credit.) with a second batch of kids. I am now finding myself at another cross-country meet. This meet happened to be only an hour away.

Wearing school running uniforms (that Elaine had tailored) the kids were excited to run for their school. The girls race was first. Girl Twin lined up against what must have been over a hundred other girls. The race was a two mile race.

After fifteen minutes I see Girl Twin headed for the finish line. (She placed 63rd out of 128 girls) I found her in the crowd of girls after her race.

Me: You did great. Was that fun? Girl Twin: I’m hot! Me: Drink some water. Was that fun? Girl Twin: I’m hungry, can we get something to eat? Me: After your brother’s race we can go eat.

Thank God, I didn’t drive ten hours for that. It was her brother’s turn.

It started out the same as the girls, with Boy Twin lined up against over a hundred boys. A little over fifteen minutes later here comes Boy Twin. (112th place out of 158) After the race, I found him in the sea of boys.

Me: How are you doing? Boy Twin: My ankle hurts, is that my water bottle? Me: Yes, what’s wrong with your ankle? Boy Twin: Are you sure that’s not Girl Twin’s water bottle. I don’t like drinking from her bottle. Me: What’s wrong with your ankle? Boy Twin: I’m hungry, let’s go eat. It hurts after I run.

I looked around for a T-shirt stand, thinking this might be my last chance to go to another cross-country meet. Having a third batch of kids to get a T-shirt would just be ridiculous.

Elaine and I took the twins to a restaurant and fed them. During lunch Boy Twin thought it was a a good time to inform us one of the boys threw up after the race. Seems the boy ate Cheerios before the race. (Boy Twin told us he checked it out himself! Ah, the mind of an eleven year old boy.) After they were fed they both said they had fun and couldn’t wait until their next race. I have at least one more chance to get a new T-shirt.

Our crazy lives!

Monner