What Could Have Been...Twice

My dreams of seeing U2 in concert have been deferred twice. Todd and I purchased tickets to see them down the street in Oakland next week but Bono injured his back and needed surgery. He's laid up for awhile and their North American tour has been postponed until sometime in 2011. No dates have been set yet...there's nothing to look forward to.

When we purchased the tickets to see the 360 tour Todd asked "Will you finally stop telling the other story now?" I agreed. But now that we're not going to see U2 anytime soon, I have to retell it here because it is something I will never forget as long as I live...

Todd and I had been married for a year or so when the Vertigo tour came through in 2005. I was busy working in the classroom and Todd worked for a company that had ties with different concert promoters. We were able to get tickets to quite a few fun shows through his job. On the morning of the U2 concert at the LA Staples Center one of Todd's buddies called him and said "Hey, I've got a pair of tickets for the show tonight. The seats are in a VIP box. If you want the tickets they're free and they're yours."

Here was my husband's response: "Thanks man, it would be great. But my wife's a teacher and she goes to bed early on school nights. Maybe another time."

I was completely unaware that this conversation took place that morning. Todd didn't bother to call me at work to even check to see if I'd want to go. He assumed he was taking care of my sleep needs by refusing the tickets. At home that night he casually mentioned that he was offered tickets for the show and I literally had to lie down on my bed to keep my composure. I wasn't angry. I wasn't hurt. I was in pure utter amazement. This could only happen to me kind of amazement.

After I stopped hyperventilating and he realized what a colossal mistake he had made I crawled into bed that night in a fetal position and eventually drifted off to sleep from my semi-catatonic state. I would have walked on a bed of nails and crawled on hot coals to be there! Screw going to bed early on a school night! I didn't care if I had to call in sick the next day because we didn't get home from LA til 2am!

Shock. Still. To this day.

It's no surprise why Todd doesn't want me telling this story. It wasn't his finest moment as a husband. It wasn't my finest moment as a wife, for that matter.

So hopefully the third time (sometime in 2011) will be a charm. I'm waiting for Bono and I have to believe that he's waiting for me, too.