In The Parking Lot

There are white lines painted on the parking lot outside the auditorium of Austin High -- white lines every five yards, I suppose. And at this time of year, the few weeks remaining before the start of school, the band is out there every day. In the heat, in the sun, sometimes in the rain, they are out there rehearsing their music and practicing their marching.

As I drive up, the kids are in some kind of formation. They are looking in different directions, talking to each other, walking a little bit to and fro. I park along the curb and get out to watch.

Band! Ten-HUT!

The kids snap to attention and shout a single response. Heads up, eyes straight ahead, arms at their sides, not one of them moves.

Horns, UP!

Although none have instruments, their arms snap up as if they did. You can almost see the trumpets between the their hands, the trombones, the flutes.

A few beats of introduction, and then they all start counting in unison.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9...

They move in different directions: some forwards, some back, some sideways, and some barely at all.

...10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18.

Then they come to an abrupt halt. A few teeter to catch their balance. A few scurry to get to where they are suppose to be.

The sky in the north darkens. It begins to drizzle. The director calls them to attention again, and they continue marching from where they stopped.

I retreat into the dryness of my car, turn it around and continue my commute to work.

Before I make the last turn, I steal a final glance at the parking lot. The rain is coming down harder now, but the kids are still there -- standing at attention, waiting for what comes next.

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Austin High School Maroons Marching Band Camp
Austin, TX

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