He looked at his wife as she was sewing up a slight tear in her daughter’s t-shirt and said, “You look worried”.
“Shouldn’t I be?!? He’s not moving nearly as much as he was two weeks ago!!” she replied in a half-exasperated, half-frightened tone.
“Everything is going to be alright. The doctor says it can happen anytime. The baby will come when he’s ready.” He tried desperately to comfort her.
The child was due a week prior. Back in those days, there were far fewer ways to know what was going on with unborn children and tardiness was never a good sign when it came to the impending birth of a child. Without Ultrasound or MRI or 3D imaging, expectant couples often feared the worst.
“Okay, that’s it!” Her husband shouted.
“What?” she inquired.
“We’re getting out of here. Four days we’ve been sitting here just waiting and doing nothing. We’re going out.” Clearly, he had had enough.
The man went into the living room of his Richardson, Texas home and picked up the telephone. He dialed (rotary) one of his good friends and began speaking in an animated voice. His wife couldn’t quite make out what the conversation was about, but he returned several minutes later with a well-packed travel bag in one hand and his car keys in the other.
“Let’s go”, he said.
“Where? Where are we going? I can’t go out looking like this.” She said sheepishly.
“Trust me, where we are going, no one is going to notice.”
As they approached the stadium, his wife looked over at him, half grinning and half astonished, “Oh my gosh. Are you serious?” she asked.
“What? It’s a big game and it gets us out of the house. Bill and Donna will be there.” He replied, hoping he wouldn’t feel the hard left cross of an overdue pregnant woman. She seemed to acquiesce to the idea, mostly because she too had been cooped up for days on end with no idea what to expect, or when. She wasn’t a football fan by any stretch, but getting out and seeing some friends was a welcomed change of pace.
After parking the car and a short walk, they were in their seats at the stadium to watch Dallas play a football game. As the game progressed, the fan noise increased until the sound was like the games played today at the Swamp in Florida or when Ohio State plays at Michigan. The stadium trembled beneath the fans’ thunderous applause. Suddenly, the woman began to feel her baby moving, but not like before. Now the baby was doing his best impression of an Olympic gymnast. As Dallas iced the game in the final quarter after trailing for most of the contest, she asked her husband to take her home. He looked at her face and knew not to question it.
That night, she could not sleep. The baby was more active than at any point in the nine-plus previous months. As morning came and the sun began to peek through the bedroom window, she touched his shoulder and said, “It’s time”.
Hours later, I was born.
My mother remembered what my dad said as he saw the doctor hand me to my mother, “He’s going to be the biggest Dallas fan ever”
So, you see, I couldn’t be a fan of any other team for the most obvious of reasons. I grew up watching Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Robert Newhouse, Doug Cosbie, Randy White and others. I have plenty of stories about how the Cowboys were, at times, a steadying force in my life. I wept when Jackie Smith couldn’t make the grab against Pittsburgh in one Super Bowl. I couldn’t contain my joy when Golden Richards made his over-the-shoulder catch in another. Maybe I assigned too much (emotionally) to them, but it is what it is. They are my team, above all else, no matter what.
Even though BTB’ers may disagree, at times, on things relating to the Cowboys, it is important to step back once in a while and remember what connects us. In a room together, we’d all agree that we want me to HAVE to change my name to 6Blings, then 7Blings, etc. etc. sooner rather than later. It’s that connective link that transcends the differences in how our team gets to the top of the mountain. What’s important is that it is OUR team. Many of us have traveled a unique path to get to this place that we call Cowboys fandom. During this Bye week, I thought now would be as good a time as any to share mine. Care to share yours?
GO COWBOYS!!!
