Thomas Matysik

I stared blankly out of the window, gawking at Mary perched

majestically atop the golden dome, keeping watch over her University.
Then I saw them. My dad and my brother, walking down Dorr road,
back to the car. I felt a flood of emotions. I cant do this. How can I live
without my best friends? Will they even remember who I am by the
end of the semester? Then I started to laugh, because amidst the
emotions I was feeling I remembered another time they left me behind.
I remember the bite of the cold cutting straight through my
winter jacket. I remember seeing the mobs of people headed toward
the front entrance, where a giant statue of Michael Jordan stood
proudly. It was finally here, the Bulls vs. the Bucks at the United Center.
But at this point, I was just worried about getting through security. My
dad (in his infinite wisdom) decided to make me carry the drinks and
snacks through security. His logic was that there was no way that the
security guard would search a 7 year old, and there was no way that
he was going to pay the $20 to purchase the drinks and snacks inside
the stadium.
So there I was, shivering in front of the stadium while loaded up
with contraband. My heart was pounding as I watched the burly
security guard searching each and every person in line. This guy was
not messing around. He was huge, probably at least 7 foot tall and
about 250 pounds of pure muscle. He was probably ex-special forces,
because his searches were extremely thorough, and he had tattoos

Thomas Matysik
that could only be described as terrifying. As we got closer and closer
to the guard, my heart sped up. There was no way that I would make it
through that line.
Then I started thinking about the consequences. My seven-yearold mind knew no boundaries, and quickly the thoughts started to
escalate. Will I not be allowed entry to the game? Am I going to be
arrested? Thrown in jail with the murderers and robbers? Be subjected
to waterboarding or some kind of torture technique? Or better yet,
would I be taken out behind the stadium and executed on the spot, like
some kind of old Chicago mob hit?
Finally, it was our turn to go through security. My dad went
through without a problem, and my brother followed right behind him.
Then it was my turn. I started walking through the line holding onto my
brother like he was my lifeline, and I was almost through the line when
the guard grabbed me and started patting me down. I was done for.
He started lining up the contraband on the table next to me like this
was some kind of drug bust, and meanwhile I could see my dad and
brother walking up the stairs toward our seats, oblivious to the fact
that I was surely about to be thrown in jail. I saw my brothers bright
red Hinrich jersey disappear around the corner. I thought to myself,
Well, thats probably the last time Ill ever see my brother. Finally,
the guard finished his search, satisfied that he had seized every last
Snickers bar.

Thomas Matysik
At this point, the guard realized that he had separated me from
my family. He then proceeded to bring me down into the bowels of the
stadium, which I was sure where the torture chambers were. He sat me
down in an empty office, and talked on the phone with his boss for a
while.
He leaned across the table, and told me that an usher was
headed to get my brother and dad. I started to feel a little bit better.
Maybe this guy wasnt going to kill me. 5 minutes later, my brother and
dad came around the corner. They were both laughing like this was the
funniest thing that they had seen in their lives. I wanted so badly to be
mad at them, to just run over and hit them for making me be their
mule, but I couldnt help but laugh along with them. So then we
proceeded to make our way back up to our seats. The sounds of the
fans filled my ears, and I could hear the booming voice of the
announcer, LOUL DENG, FOR THREEEEEEEEEE. I thought for sure that
I had missed most of the game, because it felt like I had been stuck
with the guard for hours. As I looked up at the scoreboard, I was
shocked to see that we were only two minutes into the first quarter.
To this day, they still refer to the time that they left me alone
with the security guard. And as I stared out of the window on that early
move-in day, I couldnt help but laugh and cry at the same time. So
yea, I put my brave face on every day, but I miss my family so much. I
miss the jokes that we have built over the years. And I cant just move

Thomas Matysik
on, because everything I see reminds me of them or some lame inside
joke that I share with them. No one else here can understand why its
funny, and no explanation will suffice. So if you ever a Notre Dame
student laughing hysterically and crying at the same time, now you
know who it is, and exactly what Im thinking about.