Black and Gold (Card)

It was Black and Gold day today.
What is that you ask? So did I. My kids informed me that it was Spirit day today and they could where Black and Gold or any kind of Saints gear to school instead of their uniform.
"Oh, neato." I thought. And off we went to the mall. When we got there we were greeted by 10,000 other parents who were looking for the coveted black and gold shirts, jerseys, anything with a fleur de lis...anything with Bush or Brees on it.
"Hmmm...all the schools must be doing this," I thought. And they were. All schools. And every single parent of every single school in the state of Louisiana had gathered there in JC Penney at the Mall. Apparently, everyone was out of Saints stuff everywhere else. We went through cosmetics and saw the aisle laden with black and gold ahead...Arianna found her favorite shirt right away. Then...I saw it...draped over a hanger - all alone on the youth rack. It was a number 9 Saints Jersey. I grabbed it, looked it over, thought it was too big for Eli, looked at the tag and gagged - decided it was too much money to spend on one kid for silly Spirit Day and just then, as I started to put it back I was suddenly surrounded. Surrounded by at least 10 sets of parents...foam dripping out of their mouths as they asked, "Are you going to get that?"
Well I wasn't - but suddenly I thought..."I'd better."
"Yes...'" I said.
Yes I am going to buy the overpriced, black and gold, 100% nylon, Official NFL Jersey, with breathable mesh, flat-knit ribbed with v-neck collar in honor of the great Drew Brees and America's Team, the New Orleans Saints. Yes I am. And after I do, I'm going home to face my husband and explain to him why, after just selling our house to get out of debt, we were BACK in debt...over a jersey....for Spirit Day."
Against my better judgment and all common sense, I took the Jersey and Ari's shirt to the register. Some followed - hoping, no doubt, that I would drop it on accident so they could descend on it (like a Saint on a Viking fumble). Other fretful parents approached me.
"Where did you get that?" they asked.
"It was the LAST ONE," I said - laughing with glee on the inside.
The last one. And it was mine.
It was a long night. Rob was still depressed over his Vikings loss - how would I convince him that I spent all his boat money on an NFL Jersey for a team he had just barely decided to root for.
"But honey, it was the last one. It was like the Christmas that people fought over the Tickle Me Elmo doll. I had to have it. I wanted it because everyone else wanted it - We can all take turns wearing it on Sunday for the SuperBowl...I'll mow lawns on the side to pay it off..."
He forgave me for my knee jerk, impulse buying and before they headed to school this morning I heard Rob dressing Elijah in his room.
"You're getting peanut butter on your jersey. Don't do that. You can't have brown on your nice Black and Gold."
"Wonderful," I thought...He's been sucked into the Saints Vortex of Fandom..he cares about the JERSEY!
Imagine my surprise, as I picked up the kids today, I counted over a dozen Drew Brees jerseys. And then at Karate class - there were more.
"Where did you get yours?" I asked one parent.
"Family Dollar," she said. "They had replicas."
Go Saints.