The story goes like this.

I was born and raised in Hawaii, where there are no pro sports teams. So, basically, if you want to go see a sporting event, you generally go to a local event. One of the more popular events are the military softball games out at Schoefield Barracks. When I say popular, there might have been 80 - 100 people there on any given Saturday.

Well, my dad liked to go each Saturday to watch the teams, and I'd go with just for the ride. Well, that and to collect aluminum beer cans to recycle them for cash. I'd also meet up with the same group of 4 kids that would go there every weekend. Some lived on base, others didnt. I just saw them on Saturdays, and we'd all hang out each Saturday and play on and around the antique cannons on base.

When I was 11, my family began to move around the globe. I moved to Australia for about 4 years, then to Michigan, then to Pennsylvania. I eventually went to school in PA, and met some people who turned me on to a job in Washington DC and moved there.

After I was in DC for about a year, I went to a party with one of my room-mates who had plans to go to PA afterwards to see his girlfriend. He was supposed to take me home before he went up there, but as the night went on, I decided I'd just make the trip with him. I've been known for doing things on a whim. Well, our trip got a late start, as we had planned on being in Slippery Rock PA by 2 am. Well, by the time it was 3am, we were only in Pittsburgh, which is an hour away yet. As sleeplessnesss was creeping up on both of us too fast, we decided to stop at my room-mates friends house and get some sleep. It was 3am, and the door was open so we went in and crashed on the couches.

Sometime about 6am, my room-mate wakes up and gets the bright idea to travel on to Slippery Rock without waking me as I must have looked comfortable or something. Well, at about 8am his friend wakes up to see someone he's never seen before sleeping on his couch. Somehow, he didn't find it odd, and just woke me up and asked for the story. After I explained it to him, the awkward situation left little to converse about.

I decided to make conversation by asking him if he was from Pittsburgh.
He said, no, and that he was born and raised in Hawaii.
I said that I was too and I asked what part he was from.
He said he was an Army brat and lived on the Army base.
Which one, I asked.
Schoefield, He said.
I told him I used to go there every Saturday as I was growing up.

We both sort of paused.

He then asked "Did you ever play on all the old cannons....."
"..... with about 3 other kids??" I finished.

It was a little weird. I played with this kid 2 decades ago, and randomly ended up on his couch in the middle of the night. Don't let anyone tell you the world isn't a small place.