a great find, or a lesson I STILL haven't learned

Perfect, right?

When will I learn?  Do you remember when I bought a used American Girl doll from an ogre a few years ago?  Do you recall how I stayed up half the night a few days before Christmas shampooing the doll's hair because it wreaked of God knows what?

I was enjoying so much success with my two pairs of beats and the iPod nano purchased on the Letgo app, that I decided to check out whether or not anyone was selling a Chicago Bears jersey.  Lad had a Bears jersey on his very short list.  Translation:  I needed to score one of these, new or used.

Sure enough I stumbled upon a new-with-tags size XL Chicago Bears Trubisky jersey on Letgo.  The tag said it was $100.  The seller was asking $50.  A deal!  The seller was in Joliet, which is about 30 minutes away.  Not terribly convenient, but I figured I would make him an offer of $40.

He countered back at $45.  Done!  It was Tuesday, a week before Christmas.  Initially he responded quickly.  He would be willing to meet me somewhere before 3:00 pm, because that's when he started work.  I texted Coach and asked him if he could come home on Wednesday afternoon in order for me to meet Mr. Jersey.  He dropped the ball and later that night when he got home, I reminded him.  Yep.  He could be home by 1:30.

The next several screen
shots I COULD attach
included things like: 
'Can you meet some time
 today?'  and
(in all caps for effect):
'I JUST
REALLY NEED TO KNOW
 IF I AM GETTING THIS BECAUSE
 I AM RUNNING OUT OF TIME'

I messaged the guy on the Letgo app that I could meet at 2:00.  No answer.  Like EVER.  OK, well he did eventually get back to me, but it took DAYS.  Talk about frustrating.  Coach came home early and I ended up going on a very disorganized trip to the mall, because I was ill-prepared.  I was just totally unwilling to waste an opportunity to run errands, since I had a live body to babysit.  

Anyway, I won't bore you with multiple screenshots detailing my many messages to this elusive dude.  While I waited to hear back from him, I looked at jerseys on line.  Nothing in an XL.  Coach, who doesn't trouble himself with  gifts, weighed in with:  'If he gets back to you while I am at work, can you just pack the tots in the car and meet the guy?'  Um, big NO.  'I am not dragging other people's kids to meet this guy who is obviously on drugs or something.'  

There was a message mid day on Thruway that he could meet whenever I had free time.  I messaged back IMMEDIATELY.  No response.  Finally around 6 hours later, Mr. Elusive sent me a message at 6:00 pm on Thursday to say he would be out my way at 7:00 pm on Thursday.  In an hour. 

Ed was home.  He was in on my desperate attempt to secure the jersey.  'Should I say the gas station on the corner?' 

'No,' he warned.  'Say the Starbucks.  More mainstream people hang out there.'  Done.