I drank five glasses of water before leaving home that morning.

Two hours later, I was standing outside, sweating out at least six glasses worth.

It was a dog day of summer.

There I was in a dress shirt and khakis, patiently waiting the Route 146 bus on Aug. 1. I had already taken a train from Naperville to Chicago and walked the mile to the bus stop.

Nothing, not even a lack of private transportation, was going to keep me from missing NIU’s football media day at Soldier Field.

The afternoon was fairly calm. I ate lunch, listened to speeches by Athletic Director Jim Phillips and NIU coach Joe Novak and interviewed the players.

But as I sat down for lunch, I began to hear whispers.

“Hey, did you hear Ben took the bus to get here?” “No way.” “Yeah. I hear he walked a mile, too.”

Soon enough reporters, media staff and even Phillips started to joke around with me about the trip.

And that’s when it happened.

“Ben, do you need a ride home?” Novak asked.

At first I said I would be OK. I didn’t want be a nuisance.

He asked one more time. And that’s when I realized this wasn’t NIU coach Joe Novak offering me a ride home. This was Joe Novak, a friend, offering me a lift.

I accepted his offer.

At first I didn’t know what to talk about. But within minutes any sense of awkwardness disappeared.

We shared stories about our past, families and future plans. When we finally arrived at my house, I couldn’t believe two hours of rush-hour traffic had gone by.

I meant to send a thank you card, but was told it was a conflict of interest until after the season. But I like to think that Novak knew how much that ride meant to me.

But just in case, here it goes:

Dear Coach Novak,

Thank you so much for the ride home from Chicago. It was much more enjoyable than the combination of the bus, train and walking that I took to get to Chicago.

However, what I really enjoyed was the conversation we shared.

My mom wants to thank you even more than me. You know those good Jewish mothers hate to send their boys on public transportation alone into the city.

Thank you again, and I hope you get that boat soon.

Sincerely,

Ben Gross