Capturing You

Chapter 14: A Promise

     Confused, I took my hands off my camera and jogged towards Uzomah, who'd been motioning me forward. We disappeared into the darkness.

     From the sun peering into the tunnel, I could see that Uzomah had led me to Joe. "What the—"

     "Don't feel bad. You didn't hold up the team at all," Uzomah reassured me in my ear before joining the rest of his teammates, who were all still chatting.

    Joe looked up from sharing a handshake with Chase and smiled at me. "Hey,"

    "Heeeey," I said, mustering up a confounded laugh. "What the heck are you doing, Burrow?"

     "I made a promise," he said. I furrowed my brows at him, wondering if he was at all worried that his teammates would see us like this. None of the other players had anyone else in the tunnel with them.

     I had half a mind to scold him for stretching so hard to fulfill a promise I didn't care much about, but I could see the worry in his face and that was enough justification for me. I had a feeling this secret meeting was more for him than it was for me.

     So I spoke the first words that came to my mind, reaching over and cupping the back of his head near his neck. "No matter what happens, you know we're all proud of you, yeah?"

     I was sure I hadn't said anything different to him than what his parents or his family or his teammates had said. And yet, it felt like he needed to hear it from me.

    He offered me a half-hearted smile; even if it wasn't the cure-all for his nerves, I could tell it helped a bit. He took me into a hug, kissing the top of my head. I rubbed his back before we broke apart. "Thank you," he whispered to me.

I nodded. It was what I was here for.

     "Can I get a team photo?" I called out. The tunnel didn't have the best lighting, but with the flash, I was banking on a more candid, humanizing shot.

     They all got together and posed for the camera. No one looked tough. They all looked like brothers, hanging off each other, throwing up peace signs. Once I got my shot, I waved them goodbye and headed back out to the end of the tunnel.

    "That was fast," Trish said. "What was that all about?"

    I chuckled, shaking my head. "I'll tell you later."

    Cheering suddenly broke out and I readied my camera, snapping the first few photos of the Bengals' first day at the Super Bowl in four decades as they left the tunnel.

-

    After the Bengals finished their warm-up, they went back into the tunnel to prepare for the big game. Spencer and Trish and I's work would be done for the rest of the day, freelancers and other more established photographers taking over on the sidelines. I was relieved; there was no way I could be sitting on the grass, that close to every play, without having a heart attack. And in a way, it was probably Elena's show of gratitude for our hard work throughout the whole season.

    We tucked our cameras away and made our way toward the stands in a section specifically reserved for Bengals staff and family members. Spencer and Trish had been decked out in thematically appropriate tiger stripes and official team gear; Trish even opted for an eye-catching tall orange heeled pair of boots. I wore Joe's jersey and black stripes of paint on my cheeks.

    "I still think we should've made her wear the heels," Spencer yelled at Trish as we pushed our way through the stands to our seats. Not a single seat was empty at SoFi Stadium, and every single fan was cheering. The game timer on the Jumbotron showed about ten minutes until game time.