It happened to Nancy

Saturday, April 14

8:01 a.m
I can't believe it. Tonight's the night I been waiting for forever. at least it seems like forever since February 10th, when El's Aunt Pauline picked up the tickets. Imagine me going to a concert. A Garth Brookes concert! A few months ago El and Red and Dorie and I whined and nagged and groan and moan because we weren't allowed to go to the U2 concert. Now we're going to see Garth! Garth! I heard on television that he's loud-loud-loud and that he jumps off a high platform, and grabs a tope and swings high out over the audience, with strobe lights flashing in all different colors and everything looking sort of smokey. Plus all sorts of wolf, woolly and wacky stuff. It's going to be almost like going to a real rock concert, which, boo-boo, none of our mothers will allow us to attend.

6:45 p.m
Oh chips, isn't out strange how slowly time goes when you want it go fast and how fast out goes when you want it to go slow? Anyway....for now....life is great!...it's good!...it's wonderful!...it's fun!...it's fab!...it's sunshiny inside- and why don't they come? Why, why, WHY? WHY don't they hurry up and pick me up? I've tried everything in my closet, plus every combination of everything in my closet, and I've redone my hair 97 1/2 times.
Oops, there's the doorbell. My chariot and friends have arrived. I, Cinderella, am off to the ball.

2 a.m
Its 2 a.m. and I can't sleep. I don't think I'll ever sleep again. I can't believe what happened tonight. It was like a movie, only better, louder, more exciting than any movie could ever be! Red and El and Dorie and I walking into the concert auditorium trying to look like we weren't excited! So excited that w could hardly keep from jumping up and down and squealing!! We were also pretending Aunt Pauline want with us. And grown-uply endeavoring not to giggle_ but that was impossible! There was so much excitement in the air that you couldn't help feel it. I mean really feel out, like it was crunchy fall leaves or sort clothes or something... maybe solid but squishy or gauzy and wispy and changing, ever changing, like a planet or galaxy weaving through space.
When the strobe lights turned on, they flashed absolutely through my body. We were during next to a big speaker, and the music pierced every molecule in me. It was mag! Really magnif! I was part of it, and it was part of me, a new dimension!
Then, uggggg, about halfway through the concert a couple of rednecks came in and tried to suit in front of us. They claimed those were their seats. The people sitting there said they weren't. A scuffle started. Almost immediately cops appeared from nowhere and literally surrounded the area. Aunt Pauline tried to herd Red, El, Dorie and I away from the confusion, but, wouldn't you know it, I feel down. For a moment I was panic-stricken because people were almost walking on me, and someone grabbed my purse. Then, I didn't even care about that. I just wanted to crawl out of there alive. When I finally got out of the line of fire, I tried attention of a policeman to tell him about my purse, but they were trying to get people to sit down as they dragged two nutsos away, or they were trying to get to there own posts.
Amazingly, most of the auditorium wasn't even aware that there was a problem_they kept it so isolated. I leaned against the post trying to become invisible, because I had started to have an asthma attack. I was so terrorized, I couldn't breath, and I was alone! More alone than those thousands of people than I had ever been in my life. I was hyperventilating and about to pass out, and no one seemed to care. They didn't want me, our anything else, for a matter to interfere with their wild and woolly enjoyment.
Just as I was beginning to feel the darkness dragging me completely under, I sensed a soft hand on my shoulder and a gentle voice whispering in my ear, "Relax, relax. I'll get you out into the center hall, where you can sit down and get some air...shh...relax....relax. You'll be all right... I'll take care of you."
He put arm around my waist, and we walked down, down, down, down the endless row of stairs. It hadn't seemed like there were nearly a many when we came up.
By the time we got into the foyer, I felt better. My historical terror was being replaced by a calm peace. The guy said he was Collin Eagle. He sat me on the bench and handed me a Coke, then began softly rubbing my back and quietly telling me to "relax...relax" and I did! How could I not with his soft voice and his positive presence?
We moved over by the fountain, and it was nice. The music from the concert drifted out to us,  and the dripping and the splashing of the water seemed to take over the melody line. Collin and I talked like we had known