Third Time: A Charm?

In 2006, I surprised the mother for her birthday with tickets to not only see jazz trumpeter Chris Botti perform, but to meet him in person. It was a thank-you gift from our PBS affiliate for joining.

She was very excited. I was all patting myself on the back as the mother is next to impossible to die for. This was in November; the concert was in January 2007.

She picked up a bug by Thanksgiving. By Christmas, she was seriously ill. By New Years, she had pneumonia. I finally persuaded her to go to the doctor (hogtied her and pushed her in the car was more like it) who confirmed my diagnosis. About a week before the concert, she was feeling somewhat better and was determined to go. The weather had been warmer than normal and everything seemed to be on track. Until the day of the concert.

In the day or two before, she was feeling bad again. By Saturday, she was struggling but still determined to go. We never made it. Strike one.

The next year she finally DID get to see him, but they hadn't made the meet and greet offer. Then in June 2008, they offered it again for a September concert! I renewed right away.

The concert was canceled a few weeks beforehand. TWO strikes.

Then, earlier this year, they announced that tickets to the show canceled last year was being honored THIS year, again in September. There was no mention of a meet and greet though. Bummer.

The other day, while I was taking a quick break from mowing, I saw the PBS envelope in the mail. Didn't feel like there were tickets in there -- and the show is Friday. Sh*t!

Not only were there tickets in there (FOURTH ROW from the stage, thankuverymuch) and at the Fox where there really is no bad seat -- the accompanying letter is our ticket to a meet and greet before the show! Now to see if the third time really is a charm ...