Nevertheless, it was still very exciting to learn that one of her stops for her Greatest Hits tour was Saratoga, a city about 20 minutes from Sunnyvale. Her show was last Sunday at 7:30pm. As the event grew closer and closer, I talked myself out of watching because one, I thought I should be over Jewel and since I now think in diapers, I thought the ticket money could be put to better use. Two, her concert was on a Sunday; the same Sunday before my first day back at work. Three, the venue was in Mountain Winery, a really pretty place, but it's up on a hill...I'd much rather be home with Stella.
Each day before the concert Gary would ask me if I bought my ticket yet and I'd tell him I'm not really planning on going anymore. Not really up for it.
Then Sunday came. I tried not to think about it but regret started creeping up on me. What are the chances that I'm here in the same country, in the same state, in the same county as the singer whose songs make the soundtrack of my life? And there I was sitting up in my room, missing something that I'm not even sure I'd ever have the chance of experiencing again. At 6:00pm, I started to crack. I admitted to Gary tearfully that I'm regretting letting such an opportunity go.
"Go get dressed, we're going," the husband said.
"It's too late! The show starts in an hour, we don't have tickets, and I haven't even showered yet," I told him like the brat that I am.
I looked at Gary and I couldn't decide whether he's irritated (by me for not buying the ticket when I still had time) or amused (by me for not buying the ticket when I still had time). It's one of those times when Gary balances my craziness so well. He grabbed his iPhone, went on StubHub and purchased two tickets right there and then.
"You're wasting money! Why would you pay for a concert when all you'll see is half of it? The show starts 7:30pm, it's already 7:00pm!"I complained.
"We'll be there by eight, and she should have front acts," he said calmly.
"It'll only make me feel worse if I don't see the complete show," I'm extremely irritating, I know.
What ensued was the most taxing hour of my life. Now I always pictured myself all made up when I saw Jewel in person. Instead I found myself getting out of my sweatpants and into whatever clothes I could grab. And then the printer, out of all the days that it could run out of ink, suddenly decides Sunday was the day to do it. How on earth could we get in if we didn't print our e-tickets?! I swear if the darn printer had life, I would have murdered it and not feel an ounce of guilt afterwards. I called my co-worker, Gary called his cousin, but nobody could help us. Gary said we were running out of time so we decided to go to the venue anyway, hoping against hope they'd take the confirmation e-mail we received from StubHub.
As Gary drove his car--I could've sworn he was going 60 on a 55 limit--I was concocting excuses in my head as to why we didn't have printed copies of our tickets, putting on some lipstick, and navigating for the husband all at the same time. When we reached the venue, I was nauseated by the uphill, spiraling road, the tension of catching Jewel perform even just one song and hunger. Like icing on the cake, Gary showed me we're out of gas. On a hill. With both our cellphones about to die.
When we finally reached the ticket center, the ushers acted coolly, like it was no big deal that all we could show them were snapshots of our tickets. And yes, they said, Jewel doesn't go up the stage until 8:45pm. We were 15 minutes early. I heaved a sigh of relief as Gary and I found our seats and waited for Jewel to make her entrance.
This post is not about what a great artist Jewel is. It's not about the rush I felt at the first sight of her. It's not about how my heart sang when I heard the first riffs of You Were Meant for Me. It's not about the wonderful time we had at the show. It's not even about my innate ability to stir drama and trouble--okay it's a little bit about that too--because more than anything, this is about Gary's soft heart. For me.
During the concert, Jewel shared the story behind her new song "Breaking Hearts." She said she was in some hotel and saw a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary (or something like that) and she asked the lady what it's like to be married that long. The lady answered, "It feels like it's been five minutes..." and then added "...underwater." The crowd broke into laughter and Jewel said, "It looks like y'all here are married." Which is true. Marriage is not a walk in the park. It's trying to love someone as much as you love yourself, and anyone who says that's easy, or that it comes naturally, is clearly deluded.
Small acts of love, however--like Gary beating the odds to give me just an hour of happiness listening to music he doesn't really appreciate--help you get there one day at a time. I can only hope I give him little gifts like this often enough whether intentionally or not. In the end, only kindness matters (wink* wink*).
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| Greatest Hits Tour tickets |
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| my dream come true |
