Carrie Link

BROWN TRUCKS AND BLUE HENS

Last Sunday Rojo woke me up and could talk of nothing besides the Delaware Blue Hens - apropos of nothing.

"Mom, can we go to the NIKE outlet and buy a Delaware Blue Hens T-shirt?"

"Well, sweetie, they won't have one, because we, um, live really far from Delaware, and all NIKE will have is University of Oregon and Oregon State stuff, because that's what the people around here want to buy - those are the teams they support."

"But I am a Delaware Blue Hens fan, and I think they will have a T-shirt that says Delaware on the front, and a Fightin' Blue Hen on the back. Let's go to NIKE at 11:00 when they open."

After working me from 6:00 AM to 11:00 I buckled and we went to NIKE, where, guess what, there was only UofO and OSU stuff.

We circled.

Re retraced our steps.

We asked everyone that worked there.

Nothing.

He was silent in the car when I finally forced him into it. After about 20 minutes, almost home, he said, "Mom, we will go to 'Just Sports' in the mall RIGHT when you pick me up from school tomorrow. They will have a Delaware Blue Hens T-shirt with 'Delaware' on the front, and 'Fighting Blue Hens' on the back, and you will pick me up and we will go right there and get that shirt. Promise. Don't forget."

I promised. I didn't forget, and we went.

No Delaware.

All the way home he was quiet, I know he was considering asking me to fly to Delaware to buy that flippin' shirt. Right. That. Minute.

Finally I convinced him to try what I'd been suggesting since Sunday - order the shirt on-line.

Found the perfect shirt and ordered it approximately 10 minutes after walking in the door on Monday.

And ever since then?

"Can we call UPS to see when my Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens shirt will be here?"

"Are all UPS trucks the same? How do they know which one to put my Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens shirt in?"

"Do the UPS trucks come every day?"

"Do the UPS trucks know where we live?"

"I was only a little serious yesterday, but now I am DEAD serious, I want that UPS truck to come to my house today."

"I prayed all day to Jesus Christ about that damn truck."

"When we see a UPS truck we are going to wave, then that truck will get our energy, and come to our house."

Ad nauseam.


If that damn shirt doesn't arrive tomorrow there will be hell to pay. And I am DEAD serious.






(Note says: DEAR BROWN UPS TRUCK COME TODAY AT 4:25 TO MY HOUSE DON'T FORGET LOVE)