Nashville

I made it back from Nashville safe and sound, but it was an adventure. The flights were fine (Southwest has non-stops between LAX and Nashville and was able to grab an emergency row seat both ways) and I enjoy the city. Most importantly, I was able to meet up with someone special.

Lynn and I have known each other since junior high school. She was my first love. Right before we started high school, her mom re-married and moved to the Midwest. I was heartbroken. Being the hopeless romantic, I sent her flowers for Valentine’s day and her birthday. Each month or so I would record some music and read her poetry on a cassette tape and put it in the mail. When I got them from her (less frequently), it made my month.

Then, there was great news…after being gone for two years (shit, then it seemed a whole lot longer) she was moving back! But, it was too good to be true (for me, at least). As quick as she got here she found someone else (a Cuban guy I knew) and was hoping that we would be “friends”. Let’s just say that did not work out so well. After some long nights of drinking and gnashing of teeth, I mentally let her go. After high school I ran into her one more time (she was working at a fast food place near my parents’ house) and that was that. And she was out of my mind for good. Or, so I thought.

Fast forward to 1998. My wife and I were living in Boston, but I was coming to LA on a pretty regular basis for some clients. My cell phone rang and it was her. She had called my parents and gotten my number. She was married and had a couple of kids and was living in the desert, but getting ready to move to the Midwest. We had a nice conversation and she said some things that made me feel good. Our schedules didn’t allow for us to get together, so I figured that was that.

A couple of more years passed and she called again. She was still married, though things were going downhill and working at a law firm in Knoxville, a coincidence since I went to grad school there. Again, we had a great talk on the phone, but this time it stuck with me since it was the second time she had sought me out.

After that we would talk once or twice month—I’d call her during layovers when I was traveling. While I was somewhat wary, it was a joy getting to know her again and rediscovering why I had fallen in love with her in the first place. As it turned out, we had lived somewhat parallel lives in the LA music business (me in radio, she and her husband did sound for a lot bands that I listened to). There were many concerts and club shows we had both been at, but didn’t run into each other. When I asked her why she had treated me as she did when we were kids, it was easy to accept her apologies and move on.

In October of 2001, the firm I was with was having a partners meeting in Atlanta. I asked Lynn if she would meet me there the night before for dinner and she agreed. On the flight from LA I don’t think I could have been any more nervous. I had a layover on the way and got stuck for a while. Some asshole had broken security at the Atlanta airport--something about not wanting to miss his flight to Jacksonville for the Georgia-Florida game—so my flight was delayed by about 2 hours. That was just what I needed.

I finally got there at met her at my hotel. If I was ever happier to see someone, I don’t recall it. We had dinner and heard some jazz. It was a great “date”. Since then, we have talked/e-mailed/im’d almost everyday. Speaking of chatting, she’s been into the internet dating thing for a while. There was one guy she met (I don’t recall his name) who was always blowing smoke up her ass (I’ll give you this, I’ll do that for you, etc.). Apparently, he was quite the jealous type in that one night she and I were talking while she was chatting with him. He insisted that she get off the phone with me so they could chat. She refused and he ‘broke up’ with her. Hence the name Chat Wrecker.

OK, you’ve hung with this long enough to get to the Nashville story. Lynn drove to there to see me so we could have dinner. We were leaving my hotel to go for a drink when she twisted her ankle while we were walking to the bar. It swelled up like it had an egg in it, so we called 911. We get to the hospital to find that she has chip fracture in her talus and a severe sprain. The fit her for a splint and away we go (fortunately, the hospital was close by). After a stop to pick up her prescriptions we ordered some pizza and got some beers (to help the pain killers, of course). She spent the night with her foot elevated (thank goodness for the cylindrical pillow). She felt well enough to drive home the next day, even though I offered to drive back and forth from Knoxville and/or meet her son halfway. When I spoke to her later that afternoon she sounded like shit, but happy to be home. Talk about your bad days.

I won’t do a travelogue of Nashville, but it’s a fun place to hang out for a few days, even if you’re not into country music. I stopped by Gruhn Guitar and go the HB a pick (he loved it).