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The Road Not Taken
We've all had those moments where we've come to
a fork in the road on the journey of life.
Some are monumental; some may seem
inconsequential at the time but turn out to be
life changing in retrospect.
On this very weekend, 17 years ago, I had one of those seemingly inconsequential forks in the road
that turned out to save my life and
then lead me to the woman I'm married to now.
It was July 26, 1996. The Olympics were going full throttle in Atlanta and the entire state was abuzz with Olympic Fever. I was divorced after 20 years of marriage and another 3 years of a bitter legal fiasco. Everyone I knew was sending me names and phone numbers of acquaintenances they wanted me to meet. I knew the drill and was pretty weary of it, so I had taken a break while the list of names in my wallet continued to grow.
On this day, I had agreed to break the self imposed exile to go on a double blind date to see Mary Chapin Carpenter in concert at Chastain Park, a legendary outdoor amphitheater and long time Atlanta tradition.
The catch was that my friend (who shall remain anonymous) had 4 concert tickets and I had "the list".
So he was to provide the entertainment and it was my duty to provide the female companionship. For logistical purposes, I called a very nice lady in Atlanta;
a mortgage broker recommended by my good friend and CPA, Chandler Russell. My date, being a good sport, agreed to call a friend of hers to round out the foursome.
The concert was great, and a fine time was had by all; well, almost. My date and I hit it off well, and my friend and his date were doing fine also, up to the point where he spilled the better part of a bottle of wine on her. After that slight faux pas, the evening came to an abrupt halt as soon as the concert was over.
So it is ONLY 10:30 PM on a Friday night in the Big City, and these two country boys were not ready to return to the country. My preference was to head straight for Olympic Centennial Park, only 10 minutes away, specifically to check out the live music. However my friend had other plans and insisted that we go someplace else.
So off we headed to the destination of his preference.
Little did I know that this choice may very well have saved my life. Later, as we hit I-85 heading home well after midnight, we noticed a big commotion a couple of exits away. There were barricades, flashing lights and lots of activity. It turns out that this was an exit ramp leading away from Centennial Olympic Park.
When I arrived home and turned on the news, I discovered what all the ruckus was about: there had been a bombing at the park! And more specifically the bag containing the bomb was located in front of the bandstand, exactly where I would have been.
There were 2 fatalities and over 100 more injured.
I have no doubt that I would have been one of these statistics had I stuck to my original plan and gone to check out the music at the park that night. If you
ever need to find me in a crowd at a concert, all you
have to do is head for the stage because I will
always be there, front and center.
The next morning I awoke, very much relieved and grateful to be all in one piece, in my own house,
alive to enjoy another day and another concert.
And that's just what I did. Several months
earlier I had bought tickets for an Emmy Lou Harris concert scheduled for July 27, 1996 in Atlanta,
in order to "force" myself to wade out
into the social arena again.
So I called the next person on the list, a beautiful, interesting, and talented artist
from Columbus, GA. By now, I had quit looking
for the next wife, and wouldn't you know it,
the minute I quit looking, she appeared!
(I think there is a lesson there).
Pam & I @ Emmy Lou Harris Concert
1996
Front Row of Course!
Shortly after that date, the list was shredded, and
we have never been apart since.
It's good to be alive!
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