In fiction, you are often required to believe a premise which you would never accept in reality. You overlook the limitations of reality, or accept the premise as being real, in order to enjoy the story. It’s called “suspension of disbelief.” (Definition is a mashup of mediacollege.com and wikipedia.)
There is snow on the ground outside. Lots and lots and lots of snow.
We departed work mid-morning Friday, cancelled all the shows scheduled over the weekend. And it snowed. Lots.
We returned to work at 9 am this morning with the threat of more snow today and through tomorrow. Lots more snow. We cancelled tomorrow night’s show.
But as I sat at my desk and each hour went slowly by, I thought, Maybe they are wrong. Maybe it’s not going to snow.
Noon came and went. No snow. 1 pm. 3 pm. And I really believed, Maybe they are wrong. Maybe it’s not going to snow.
And then…
It started snowing.
I was chatting with my counterpart at my second favorite local venue. We are lamenting our love lives, or lack thereof. We have similar stories, And then I thought to myself, I left work early for this? And that will be the last time I date a musician/someone long distance/a guy in his 20s. We laugh.
She says, Are you going to be at the show next week?
No, I can’t, there’s this guy coming into town from Amsterdam….
And together we laugh. Because it’s everything we just lamented. It wouldn’t be called a cliché if it were more original.
The thought sits with me though. Actually, it doesn’t so much sit with me as it just stays. Uninvited, it stays, occupies space in my brain and doesn’t leave. Until I do something about it.
Until I email him and suggest that he not come.
I don’t tell him not to come. I just suggest that he’s making a special trip, amidst tons of work and traveling, to basically see me for a date. I don’t mean to ask the brutal question, but the words What’s the point? find their way from my fingers to the keyboard. I just want to cut disappointment off at the pass.
His response, What’s the point? Well, you are a good woman, sexy, intelligent, and I like to keep people like that in my life…
He comes next week. I am really looking forward to his visit.
And then…


