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Blaine’s six the first time he remembers visiting his Nana and Grandpa in Connecticut. It’s where his dad grew up, prep schools and ivy leagues and snooty accents. The plane ride is a little scary, but Cooper holds his hand when they take off and Blaine’s asleep on his shoulder in no time.
Blaine decides he doesn’t really like Connecticut that much. His Nana and Grandpa are old, even older than his mom and dad, and their house is big and smells funny. He’s not allowed to climb on the furniture or play on the grass, so he mostly just colors a lot and follows Cooper around. HIs mom takes him to an aquarium by the ocean, he made friends with a beluga whale, and today he’s back in the car again, just his dad, Cooper, and Blaine this time. They’re on a long road and it feels like they’ve been in the car forever, but every time Blaine asks his dad where they’re going, his dad tells him they’re almost there.
They pull up to a brick building that looks like a hundred year old factory, peeling green paint along the outside. He’s confused when his dad says, “we’re here" and Blaine pouts in the backseat because he can tell already that wherever they are isn’t going to be fun; what’s fun about a big old building?
His dad parks the car and helps Blaine out before going into the trunk, getting out two baseball gloves and two hats with red B’s on the front. He puts the hat on Blaine’s head and tells him, “this was mine when I was your age." Blaine looks at his brother and realizes that Cooper must know where there are because he keeps repeating, “no way, dad! You didn’t bring us here! This is too cool!" Blaine’s still a little confused, but if his older brother is excited, this place must be okay.
They walk down the street and his dad hands an old man three tickets. Blaine holds on tight to the glove his dad gave him, nervous because of all the tall people surrounding him. But Cooper grabs his hand and drags him inside, telling him, “Blaine, this is going to be so much fun! Fenway Park, can you believe it?" Blaine’s not sure what a Fenway Park is, but parks are always fun and he feels excitement bubble in his stomach.
His dad leads them up a ramp and soon all Blaine sees is green. The green seats and the green field and the green wall. Everything is so big and Blaine has trouble taking it all in at once. He sees players in bright white uniforms tossing a ball back and forth in the grass. He knows they’re here to see a baseball game, he recognizes this from TV when his dad and Cooper watch together.
Their seats aren’t very good. Far away and a huge green beam is blocking part of right field. But Blaine doesn’t care. He bounces up and down in his tiny wooden seat and he peals off a piece of the chipping paint and slips it into his pocket. His very own piece of Fenway Park.
Cooper and his dad talk while the players warm up, his dad quizzing Cooper about positions and starting pitchers. Blaine watches the players carefully, watches them stretch in the grass and catch balls in the dirt. Blaine notices one player who looks different from the rest. He’s wearing a bunch of different stuff, pads on his chest and his legs and a mask on his face. He’s talking with the person Blaine recognizes as the pitcher and he watches as the guy in the mask drops down to his knees and calls words out.
Blaine tugs on his dad’s shirt and points, tells him excitedly, “dad! Look! That’s what I want to be when I
grow up!"
They leave Fenway, a Red Sox win, and as soon as they’re in the car Blaine’s dad turns on a sports radio station. The men are talking about the Sox winning the pennant this year, imagine that, but Blaine isn’t listening. He’s got a cap on his head, a glove on his hand, and baseball in his heart.