Nashville nurse Tura Lee always went where the music took her. She loved all music, but musical theater topped her list. She felt stagnant and complacent in her life, until a winning lottery ticket changed everything. Learn how the stars aligned to...
My celebration party entourage included Schuylar, Terrance, Natasha, and a few other close friends from both New Orleans and Nashville.I dressed in a frilly, floral pattered, off-the-shoulder mini dress. I wore my favorite pair of nude Louboutins, which made me at least 4 inches taller than my 5'8 stature.
The night began with a five-star dinner at Gautreau's and ended with a concert at Preservation Hall, who I always wanted to see live but hadn't been able to secure tickets for. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band was a jewel of the city, and getting tickets to their intimate shows was no easy feat. I was delighted and more excited than I'd been about anything in a very long while.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Playlist:
La Vie en Rose-PHJB
Go to the Mardi Gras-PHJB
My Josephine-PHJB
The music was exhilarating, sensual, and I felt my soul being fed and nourished by the music of my city. The humidity and history inside this building was palpable, and I never wanted this fine frenzy to end. But alas, as the final notes were played, we all knew it was time to head back to reality, so I gathered my crew and we headed out, laughing and reveling in the moment. Right as I reached the door, I felt someone slide past me, giving my elbow a solid nudge. It wasn't painful, and felt unintended. I whipped my head to the left as the unknown person turned to me.
Lin fucking Miranda.
My eyes turned into saucers, and I felt Terrence's strong hand holding me up.
"Oh! I am so sorry!," he said, holding both hands palms forward, "Guess I got carried away by the music!"
"It's...it's ok," I managed to stammer out, "You're...it's all good."
One corner of his mouth turned in a smile, and for a brief, fleeting moment.....our eyes locked.
He shook himself out from my gaze, and winked as he turned to walk out into the night. Two of the musicians stood out front, waiting for him to come out with them. He wore a grey, v-neck tee and white jeans His hair was long on the top and curled slightly out of pageboy hat. His signature goatee framed his perfect lips. But what struck me the most, though our encounter was mere seconds, was his smell. My olfactory nerves lit on fire by his woodsy, exotic scent. He smelled like a forest I wanted to get lost in.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
After he was out of sight, all of my friends gathered around me, mouths agape.
"You ok, girl?" Terrance asked.
I most certainly was not ok.
They all took turns joshing me, making fun of the way I nervously searched for words. Meeting this man, who I'd secretly fawned over for years, left me completely aghast.
I went on about my night, reeling for several days after. I supposed that if I was out and about more, maybe I'd run into him again. Maybe I'd be able to play it cooler, find the right words to say. But what words were right? How do you tell someone that they're the embodiment of love and light? How do you express to someone that they're more handsome than anyone you'd ever seen- that they were not only handsome, but the sexiest life form in your whole little fantasy world?
Maybe I wouldn't lead with that, but there you have it. I've always heard that you should never meet your idols, and my scattered thoughts only made the adage ring more true.
