Concerts and Memories and Old Friends - Oh, my!

My best friend calls, she has an opportunity to score CCR tickets – Creedence Clearwater Revival has re-emerged as Creedence Clearwater Revisited – and she’s hoping to get the “old gang” back together. Without hesitation, I tell her “I’m in”.

Several days later, she calls back. 27 of us are going. And she’s taken the liberty to get a ticket for “The Man”, so bring him along!

She hesitates as she shares the concert date with me. The concert is on my wedding anniversary. I cringe slightly, but am still looking forward to getting together with old friends.

I invite “The Man”, who without hesitation says “yes”. I explain that since the concert venue is 2 hours from home, this will require an overnight stay. He smiles and says “not a problem”. I add that the group is planning on getting together after the concert, and he answers “sounds good”. And I finally offer the fact that the concert is on my wedding anniversary.

He quietly asks, “is this ok with you, Kate?” and I have to tell him that it’s hard to tell in advance how that particular date will hit me, but that I don’t foresee any problem, unless he is uncomfortable with the idea of hanging out with a group of people who knew Don. He hugs me as we decide to go and look forward to a fun evening out.

Being the couple (couple? Uh- boy, that IS correct, but I sure trip on it!) with the farthest distance to drive, we don’t meet the group for dinner before the concert. Only about half of the group managed to do that. So we meet my friend Sheri outside the stadium where she’s meeting folks to give them their tickets and proceed to our seats.

The concert is great fun, and we have a great time! Only a few times and only for a few brief moments does my mind wander into the past.

After the concert, we get together for drinks at a local bar. “Hey, Harley” an old friend calls out to me (Yeah, Harley – from back in the day when I had a penchant for bad boys with bikes) “Whad’ya do, replace the old man with a newer model?”

I damn near choke. At least half a dozen quietly clue him in on the events of the past few years. “The Man” is smooth, gently guiding me away from the group and towards the nearest unoccupied pool table. Another couple joins us, and eventually the entire group has migrated and joined in various rounds of pool.

As the waitress distributes another round, another friend raises a glass and toasts “To Don – I sure as hell wish he were here!” I swallow hard as I glance up at “The Man”, while many in the group echo “To Don!” Without missing a beat, “The Man” raises his glass and says clearly “To Don – I wish I had had the opportunity to know him!"

It is in this moment that I am reminded once again how blessed I truly am.