33
It was the hardest wake-up of his life. He did not sleep well, but when he found himself staring at the ceiling in the dark, the gray edges of the hotel room drapes revealing the warm glow of street lamps outside, he realized he must have fallen asleep after all.
How long would the drive home take? He guessed at most three hours, maybe not nearly that long given that it was Thanksgiving and practically no one would be on the road, at least once he got past the environs of New York City. Thanksgiving! He could not even comprehend that he would be sitting down with his dad and eating turkey that very evening, talking football and arguing with him over whether the holiday was enough excuse for a double dousing of gravy on his entire plate. It was surreal.
He felt the warm pressure of El
