Catch Me While I Fall - Nolan Arenado

Chapter 1

"Ok, but hear me out," I pleaded to my mom, trying to convince her to come to the game with me. "We can make a girls' week out of it and spend quality time together." She just looked at me and rolled her eyes. "Kenzie, we both know I don't understand the rules of the game, so it would be pointless for me to go. Besides, don't you have any girlfriends that might want to go instead?" I looked at mom and just sighed. She was right, she wasn't the best person to watch the game with, but I've already reached out to my girlfriends and of course none of them were interested. "Honestly, it's fine. I can go by myself and have some much-needed relaxing time." While mom was not the biggest fan of me traveling alone, she understood why I needed to get away. "You do you, baby girl. I know you will have the time of your life." Little did she know my already rocking world was about to get turned upside down.

So, I guess I need to back track a bit. It has been one year since Dad left us, and it has taken a toll on me. Dad was my rock and the way we connected was through baseball. Ever since I was a little girl, Dad has taken me to every Cardinals Home game I can remember. We would sit right up front, behind home plate, and watch the game. We did this for as long as I can remember. But, as time went on, I started getting older and not having time to invest in the games. I loved having that dad and daughter time, but school was consuming and so was my boyfriend of that time. Dad seemed to understand, as he would just say "next time, bug," when I would have to cancel. He was the best. What dad didn't tell me was that he was sick, and that game he invited me too last year would have been the last one we would attend together.

To say I got bitter after that would be an understatement. Not going into detail, I completely let myself go and said, "fuck you'" to baseball. I left St. Louis and moved to SC. Everything back home reminded me of dad. For the longest time, I refused to watch the games. I buried myself into work. No personal life, just work and home. I honestly didn't know how bad it had gotten until mom pointed it out. While I still had friends, I was doing nothing for me. It took until earlier this year that I actually turned a game on. I remember that feeling of guilt rushing over me. The guilt of not going with dad when I had the chance. Fortunately, I was able to see past the bad and into the good. Dad would want me to keep up the tradition. So with all that in mind, I was fully invested into Cardinals Baseball; hence why I needed to travel and see the game. So with that in mind, I packed my things, booked my ticket, and started getting excited for my trip to St. Louis.