Many beautiful and brave friends bless my
life. When one of those friends asked,
"Do you fancy an evening with a Bee
Gees tribute?" I was honored but hesitant.
"Can I have a think about it and let
you know?" Was my concerned reply.
The morning sun tried its best to pour
either side of my poorly fitting blackout blinds and I snuggled, spoon fashion
with my shih tzu. He smelt good, in a
doggy kind of way. Just the right amount
of musty. Snoring loudly, he felt my hug
grow tighter and moved away. Gosh, I
loved this little hairy fella. Me and
his 'Dad' were hoping for babies. It
wasn't meant to be. After heartache, we
chose this fur baby and never looked back.
Still we love him more than words.
We just do it separately now.
Organising 'sleep overs' at Dads house is fun for both of them. Since we divorced, things remained
friendly. Yet the Bee Gees was his
band. Well, him and Aunt June. Many conversations were shared between them
with a bond firmly set talking about the Brothers Gibb.
Could I see the band with the knowledge
that it might hurt a little bit? Maybe more than a bit. "How deep is your love" was played
at the oh-so-grand wedding of ours all those years ago. Many tears were shed that day. A day full of promise and fairytales. Just sometimes, life takes a different course
than the one you imagined. Yet could I
see the band?
"You're not the only single person
there, don't worry." My wonderful friend reassured me. Which was never a worry for me. Many occasions have seen me arrive solo,
determined not to let life dictate such limited life choices. It more was a case of would I cry at the
songs? Could I see the band?
Live music moves me. Recorded music moves me. Just pure voices
move me.
Goosebumps.
I decided to see the band. Almost at the point of finding the perfect
excuse of Mum not being well, I put
things into place, fixed the lipstick and drove. Off to see the band.
Walking toward the theatre in the centre of
the high street, I passed some people settling into doorways for the
night. Counting my blessings, I
remembered gratitude. Although these
people I saw seemed happy enough, no issues seemed to phase them. Certainly not a certain song attached to a
certain memory.
Doubting I would ever love again, I
strutted as if it were the 1970s and I was more than a woman. The heels, the hair flicks and swoosh, I
could do this. I got this. Where does
that strength come from? Who knows? I don't know.
Yet it seems to.
We took to our bouncy blue velvet seats and
smelled the dry ice. Watching it begin to filter the lights. Illuminating the stage were reflections from
the high hats on the drummers kit. Oh,
live music. Wonderful. Soon into the evening, sharing laughter with
my big group of friends, the band members took to the stage. Seeming unlikely we would see a warm up act,
confirmation arrived in the shape of three men dressed in black leather (tight)
trousers, sunglasses and half undone shirts revealing fairly toned chests. These guys were the more recent Bee Gees
lookalikes rather than the early Bee Gees.
Grinning and nodding towards the audience
in a kind of 'hello', some music starting with the "5,6,7,8"
accompanied by the wooden tap of two drumsticks together high in the air saw
these three men begin to lift their microphones. Crowd pleasers at every opportunity, the
audience started toe tapping. They were
good. I became entranced. At the end of the first song, the lights
darkened into black and a single spotlight lit up a very British young man
dressed in a high turtleneck and a smart, modern suit. His mic was attached to the side of his cheek
and he smiled widely. Beginning to
narrate the story of the Bee Gees. Most
of it was well known, some less so. Although likely Aunt June and my friendly
ex would know such tales. I smiled as I
listened to a story of wonder through the years, of ups and downs, of dreams
come true and some shattered. The
heartbreak of family ties floating to heaven.
Feeling a heavy chest, I was concerned for 'How deep is your love'. Needing not to worry, not a tear was
seen. Despite acting more than a woman,
I did sense my face change in surprise as "How can you mend a broken
heart" was breathed through the microphone.
Reminding myself that all is well wasn't
difficult on this night. Surrounded by
friends, I was thankful for this special time.
Gratitude filled my heart for memories of times gone by. I got this.
