That's My Story, and I'm Stickin' to It!

Here's the whole story:

I have a really good friend of a number of years. He lived just around the corner from me while we were still in West Jordan. His kids lived at our house when our kids weren't living at his (those of you with children will understand that). He's another erstwhile musician, a keyboardist. Quite good, too, when he gets the chance to bust out and play.

But that's not what this story is about.

So, just to keep up with each other, we've started meeting up at a local all-night restaurant about every other wednesday. We have to do the late nights, because he usually doesn't get off work until 10:30, and it's 11:00 by the time he gets there.

We usually get dinner or sometimes just desert, and just blah, blah, blah, until about 1:00 or so in the morning.

But that's not what ths story's about, either.

Well, sorta, but not really.

So, this last wednesday, I was coming home from the restaurant, driving through the rain in my father-in-law's car, and a song came on the radio.

It was tuned to his favorite station (being his car), a classic country station. The song was twangin' along about a guy driving home late at night, also in the rain. But this guy had been out partying and carousing all night, and he goes on and on in the song about how his Lady's gonna be upset and sreaming and waving the frying pan in her hand.

He's desparately trying to come up with excuses and alibis to either cover his tracks or at least soften the blows. But even by the time the pedal steel solo kicks in, he's realizing that, ultimately, he knows they're all lies, and he's gonna be in trouble anyway.

So here I am, driving home from a night out with my friend, it's way, way late, and I'm listening to this song. And it hits me that I don't need aibi. I don't need an excuse.

It's kind of a funny revelation. Like I'd really known it all along, but I'd never noticed it before. My wife knows where I am, where I've been, and won't be the least bit upset by it. She won't yell at me or swing kitchenware at me. She won't doubt me or even question me about it (other than to ask if I had a good time).

We're going to have our 20th anniversary this summer. And, while like all marriages, we've had our issues, we're doing pretty well right now, thank very much. And I just realized that night how wonderful it is to live free of that fear that the guy in the song was so pitifully whining about.

I don't need an alibi.

And that's what this story is all about.

MRKH
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com