A fan once more.

Should he or should he not?

When my husband started his career as the Graphic Artist with the Caps six and a half years ago he gave up a lot more than time spent with his family.  He gave up going to games as a fan. No longer could he wear the countless amount of jerseys lined up in the closet, No longer could he sit down with me from start to finish as we rooted for the team we loved so much.  Don't get me wrong. I am pretty sure he wouldn't give up going to every single home game even if it is sitting in the press box-which he claims is one of the best spots. And I don't think he would trade the few months spent traveling for the team if you asked him. No I don't think he would trade any of these. But sometimes, every now and then he has mentioned how nice it would be. To go to a game, as a fan again.

Its game time

Which is how the whole idea of mine started to begin with. Right before the beginning of the season, which now seems so far ago. Andy mentioned that he would like to go to a road game, with his brother and father. Make it a guys weekend sort of thing. I know they were talking about a Hershey trip more than a Caps game, but still.  For two months, I plotted and planned. I looked over schedules and home games and figured out which would be the best. Turned out the last game of the season just happened to fall on his birthday against the Rangers...and there was no home game the night before, or after for that matter. And so I got the  tickets-and cringed because I had to sign up as a Ranger fan in order to do so- and tried to hide my excitement so not to give it away..somehow it worked and I managed to pull it off. The only thing I wasn't counting on was the fact that he suddenly had no desire to take his brother nor his father. But opted for the very wife he got the tickets from.

Now I will be honest. Andy had warned me about going to a game in another teams turf. Be respectful. Don't wear a jersey unless you want to get shitted on for the entire game. No smarting off. He had warned me so much I wasn't exactly sure I even really wanted to go.  And yet, there was no way I couldn't not go either. Still we decided that we would go, as the respectful in disguise fans. Because we wanted to actually enjoy the game instead getting the shit kicked out of us....

Just before the game. Andy and I.

Of course even the most thought out plans are never set in stone. Which is why the moment Andy saw several Caps fans walking around the city, he had second thoughts about leaving the jersey back in our hotel....so for the first time in six and a half years my husband threw on that red jersey and walked into Madison Square Garden as if this was a Caps home game. I must admit I was a bit nervous, ready for the gloves to come off and all hell to break lose. Thankfully neither of which happened. We actually sat amongst Rangers fans who seemed to be more pissed off at the fact their team was looking so busted up than they were at the fans sitting beside them. Of course Andy and I did take some care celebrating the four Caps goal silently and amongst ourselves rather than the alternative. Which probably helped our anti beating up campaign. And when the final buzzer went off and the scoreboard read 4-1 in favor of the Caps, the only thing we heard was, have a safe trip home. Which in all actuality was kind of disappointing considering I was expecting a fight of some sorts.

In the end, the experience was far better than I ever thought possible. And just seeing my husband back in that jersey he loved so much, that was well worth the price and the four months of Rangers emails I received along the way.