The summer of changes became the Autumn of changes. Mary and I were spending more and more time together. Our relationship glacier crept slowly along while we held hands and filled our time with unusual activities like making home made taffy. Have you ever pulled taffy?
In October, we went to local forested areas to marvel at the fall colors. We went to the Haunted Castle and other Halloween themed attractions. We turned pumpkins into Jack O’Lanterns.
In November, I took her to see U2 at the Hoosier Dome. Remember way back when Keith asked me who I was going to take to the concert? I told him “The woman that would change my life.” I couldn’t have been more right.
I picked up The Unforgettable Fire a few weeks before the show to get familiar with more of U2’s music. While I didn’t like it as much as the two CD’s that I already had, it still had some highlights and is certainly worthy.
Another change that happend was another car change. My granpda took my sporty little Comet to his mechanic and that guy told him that the frame was damaged, probably from some accident of the prvious owner. Anyway, he was convinced that it wasn’t safe so I was coerced to trade it in. I ended up with a red 1984 Ford Tempo. This was only 1987 so it was almost a new car. It had air conditioning and only 5 digits of miles on it. It really looked, felt and even smelled new. An associated change was that this car had a warning tone if the seatbelt wasn’t fastened. Up to this point, my cars didn’t even have functioning seatbelts. I made a conscious decision to associate a new habit with my new car. I would fasten my seatbelt every time. It isn’t easy to force yourself to form a new habit. The warning tone was simply a reminder and not prohibitive in any way. My decision to be a seatbelt wearer was the anticipation of the seatbelt laws that were going to be going in effect soon. It was a good thing I did as you’ll see.
We were going to take my Tempo to Indianapolis for the show but it was simply too small to carry the six people that were going. Mary’s parents would only let her go if we were coming back that night. We got down to Indy with frequent bathroom breaks but no other issues. It was November but the weather was cooperative. Entering the Hoosier Dome was an interesting experience. It was a soft domed building where the Indianapolis Colts had been playing for the past 4 seasons. Basically it was like a big balloon. That dome was held up by some light framework and air pressure so when you walk in the door, you wak into a pretty impressive breeze.
Los Lobos was opening for U2 that night. For some reason, Los Lobos was running late so a substitute band, The Dalton Brothers came on for a few twangy country songs. We found out later that it was U2 in disguise. I bought a Joshua Tree shirt that night. I still have it but you probably guessed that. Our seats were on about the 35 yard line up on the left side of the stage. I remember trying to imagine a football game being played down there. It didn’t seem big enough. 20 years later, my son and I would see Peyton Manning and the Colts beat the Houston Texans there.
The U2 show was phenomenal, Mary and I danced the entire time it was a magical, transformative evening. Just like they did on the Live Under A Blood Red Sky Album, they closed the show with 40. The crowd, including us sang it all the way to the parking area. Imagine 50,000 people all singing the same song was they walked out into the November night.
It was late and my sister suggested maybe just getting a hotel and heading back in the morning. I promised Mary’s parents that she would be home so off we went. It was a long drive but we got back without incident. I dropped everybody else off then took Mary home. In the predawn hours of a mild November morning, we shared a single kiss. Since the invention of the kiss, there have been only five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
The Unforgettable Fire
Indian Summer Sky
MLK