Steelerland Express, Part 2

Steelerland Express, Part 2

Tim Dyer, Literary Editor

Editor’s Note: This is part two of a work in-progress.  Click here to read part one.  

Friday morning: (The rest of this is all imaginary) Tim wakes up and walks outside. He sees a car approaching. When the car door opens, he sees Nana, Poppy, and his great-grandfather.

Poppy: Tim! Get in.

Tim wakes up and walks outside. He sees a car approaching. When the car door opens, he sees Nana, Poppy, and his great-grandfather. Poppy: Tim! Get in. Puppa (Tim’s Great-grandfather):

Tim! How are you?

Tim: Good.

The car starts moving again as they start making their journey to Butler, PA in the Pittsburgh area.

Hours later. The family arrives in Butler. Tim gets out of the car and takes a deep breath.

He texts his mother: Just took my first breath of the Steelerland air. It’s like Weird Al in the song Inactive (parody of “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons) where he turns Dan Reynold’s deep breathing (I’m breathing in the chemicals” into an alarming wheeze of an in[1]haler (I’m using my inhaler now).

Mom: Good for you! You’ll have to tell us more when you get back!

Tim: Steelerland! Just as I pictured it.

Sunday, October 31, 2021: Tim and his grandparents, along with his great grandfather, are visiting Poppy’s cousins. The Steelers are playing the Browns and Tim sits down on the couch. The Browns take the opening drive of the game down the field but have to settle for a field goal.

It’s 10-3 Browns. The Steelers respond with a Najee Harris touchdown run.

Tim: Touchdown! Everybody in the room cheers. However, the two-point conversion pass fails.

The Browns are forced to punt, and the Steelers are now at the Cleveland two yard line. It’s fourth and goal and the Steelers are going for it. Ben Roethlisberger fires a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Tim: Yes!

The Steelers punt and then they stop the Browns on a fourth and twelve on the first play after the two-minute warning.

Real World. Friday, November 19, 2021.

Tim: How was Steelerland?

Poppy: It was great. You’re actually glad you missed it. We’re headed to Seattle tomorrow and we can’t get sick. Mary’s daughter, Annie, came from the Alabama football game and everybody got a cold.