Red Ruffansore was not going to suffer the situation any longer.
Though veterans all of such pre-game preliminaries, his gang in the parking area outside IU’s Memorial Stadium had been trying for almost an hour to get a fire in the grill. To no avail, and to the bemusement of other tailgaters in the immediate vicinity.
Red — his nickname used per his request — looked at his watch. Then gazed toward the stadium, with a look of time and distance calculation in his eyes.
Taking one last glance at the cold grill, then at his companions, Red checked a pocket for his ticket, and, head down eyes forward, headed toward the gridiron with dispatch.