Rough draft of a memoir I am writing.
[/left]“Take the cookie,” Johnstone shouted to the mass of people clad in uniforms of dirty white and flawed, worn-out black. The colors were identification and a testimony to the uphill battle that these two hundred and fourteen people have had to weather; it was a path littered with sweat, tears, and blood. And I was fortunate enough to chronicle the epic of the Bearcat Regiment.
The band’s warm-up had long been completed. Now all that remained was the heart-wrenching march into the Alamo Dome. There were stadiums that dwarfed the one that waited for the Regiment’s coming performance, but to those dedicated folks, size meant nothing. One objective mattered. Victory. The looming towers located on each of the stadium’s corners projected those ambitions in the most literal sense. I remember I could barely contain my prideful grin as I followed alongside, listening to the numbered cadence that each member muttered under his or her breath in order to preserve the union of those marching feet.
Eventually the rectangular formation halted behind one of many other similarly shaped formations, signaling the need for my departure. I glanced around and made eye contact with those familiar faces I called friends: Elissa’s sparking emeralds, Elizabeth’s deep oceans of blue, and James’ warm chocolate. There was fire in those eyes.
After nodding to them, a silent signal to wish them good luck in their 4A State performance, I set out for my destination. I had been recruited for a job. Time was ticking. My services would be needed within the next two hours and the perfect spot had to be found before that happened. Dodging and weaving through the crowd that felt like some sort of parasitic creature, impossible to stop from being swallowed if touched, I came to the actual dome for which the place takes its name.
The sight that greeted me brought warmth to my blood and skin. Thousands of people had taken off from work and school to watch these amazing musicians compete within this gigantic venue, complete with fresh astroturf. Realizing that I would be able to admire the panoramic view to my heart’s content later, I whipped my perspective back and forth looking for a place to unload all of the equipment that was burdened upon my shoulders.
At the very top of the dome’s seating area there was a concrete platform, hosting rails on all of its sides minus the rear, which jutted out. I shifted my weight, started moving, and scrambled up the five or so flights of stairs. After reaching the stair landing, I grabbed a hold of the railing and vaulted myself onto the platform. Repeating the same procedures that had become second nature to me in the last few months, I assembled the video camera and waited.
“And next up in the preliminary marching band 4A State competition, from Aledo, Texas, the Bearcat Regiment,” the announcer shouted, which was immediately followed by the eruption of cheers and explosive shouts.
Straight, unwavering lines, the glimmering shine of freshly polished brass, and the presence of precise unified movement demanded the attention of those within the dome. Gasps of sheer awe escaped the lips of many; all I could do was bask in the glory of such a presence. As the members marched into their beginning sets, I overheard two younger boys discussing the palpable anticipation in the atmosphere.
“That’s my band you know,” I said with an arrogant smirk plastered on my face.
The boy with the dark hair looked at me with a bemused expression, one eyebrow arched and his lips slanted to one side, “Well how come you’re not down there with them then?”
There came a brief moment of silence, and still no answer came. Instead I turned back to the camera and hit the red button. A red light flashed on. I zoomed out to utilize the best field of vision and then continued to let the camera do the work.
The center drum major’s hand began the beat. One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. Four. With the beginning of the new cycle, the band sprung into life. The symphony of flutes, saxophones, trumpets, percussion, tubas, and other vital instruments filled the Alamo Dome with its voluminous and stirring vibrations of sound. The shapes that the musicians made with their bodies, across what used to be a football field, spoke of tale the band directors were trying to tell.
For eight heavenly minutes I floated off into a different world. When all five movements ended there was an empty hollowness in its place. For the rest of the day, for the rest of the vacation, and for the rest of the drive back, I couldn’t figure out the reason behind this until Johnstone’s words echoed throughout my head.
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