football at my school isn't just a sport, it's a religion. every sunday morning people go to church and every saturday afternoon people devote their lives to the crimson and cream on the football field. while any encounter with a football player is newsworthy, a meeting with one of the coaches, especially the head coach, is treated more as a brush with the angels.

and i, my friends, have been touched by an angel.

my ex-roommate shelby and i, in our vague attempt to become legitimate charming young women of the south, occasionally forego our daytime uniform of sweatpants and t-shirts to dress up a bit and hit the town as ladies who do lunch. somehow an iced tea and a chef salad help us to forget that we really are just poor college kids.

the other day, shelby and i decided to try out a new restaurant/bar called louie's which opened a few weeks ago literally ten feet away from everyone's favorite shoe store. halfway through our meal, shelby directed my attention to a table of people towards the back of the restaurant. the three guys and one girl sitting there were gazing intently at us. after deciding that we both definitely did not know any of those people, we tried to ignore them. and they kept staring. and shelby stared back. and they kept staring. and shelby muttered threats. and they kept staring.

the only thing which finally blocked their line of vision was the exit of the people sitting at the table directly next to us. the man who had been sitting a mere two inches behind me excused himself and walked around our table towards the exit.

and by "the man" i really mean The Man as in Bob Stoops, God of All That Is Football.

shelby held me back as i lunged to hug the man who makes my every fall saturday complete. now, as i watch the football games, i will gaze down at my good friend bob on the field and remember the times we shared. ok, just the one time. but it meant a lot to me.

boomer sooner. we're going all the way this year.