Groupie Again?

Some of you who know me well may worry when you read this post and the margarita post too. My life does not have all the typical "trappings"(for lack of a better word) of a Christian life. I am not a legalistic person. I believe the title is all about relationship with Christ, not being "good". Of course, I do try to be good. I just probably have a looser definition of what that means than other people I know. I don't think saying a "bad" word or drinking a margarita will send me to hell in a handbasket, but I love to joke about it with friends that I know really do kind of believe that.

Anyhoo, last night my sister-in-law and I went to a bar. She is visiting from Ohio with her teenage daughter and niece. I thought perhaps her children could come over and hang out here while my kiddos slept and she and I could go out. It is a local bar with a beer garden and really we weren't dying to go out and go to a bar. It was kind of weird, actually. I called her up.

Me: "Do you want to go to Skinny Bill's(name changed to protect the guilty) tonight? I was thinking that Alyssa and Kelsey could come over here and hang out and then my girls could just already be in bed?"

Marla: "Yeah, that sounds good. What time?"

Me: "We could leave at 9:30?"

Marla: "Wow, that's late."

Me: "I know."

Marla: "I don't have anything to wear. "

Me: "It isn't that kind of bar, it is casual. Anything goes. (Oh boy, was that the understatement of the night!!)

Then I proceeded to straighten the house a little, got the kiddos tucked away in dreamland and started getting ready to go out. Wow, it has been a long time sice I went out. I wanted to look good for a certain man, but invisible to all others. That, my friends, is a tall order. So she got here right about 9:30 and after we all oohed and ahhed over the gorgeous kittens, we headed off. I found a parking spot on the street and had to parallel park. I did ok.

We giggled about how funny it was to be going out. I talked about my bar-hopping days when I was 19-20 and she just smiled. She did not go to bars before she was old enough. She was a good girl. Then I laughed and said, "Well of course I was a bad girl, I married your brother." We laughed again. We make our way into the bar which is smoke free and totally uncrowded. Wonderful, I think. Then we go out into the beer garden. Oh, here is where all the people are. The band is on break and the drummer comes over and plants a big old smooch on me. He was HOT!!( and a little sweaty. heehee.) Then we are greeted excitedly by the entire band and ushered to THE table to be known as table one all night-not because of anything other than the people seated there. We hollered and clapped after each song and for the band member intoductions.

We got our drinks, diet coke for her and water for me. We had way more "scenery" than we had signed on for. We got much more info from a certain band member than we ever wanted. We had our table bumped by a very inebriated couple holding each other up-I mean dancing. She got to see a woman beating her man about the face (I missed it, facing the wrong way-story of my life). We got to see two very pretty girls dancing together seductively. We also were close enough to know they were just up there to have a conversation and just touched alot to make the boys a little crazy(they were).All these people out having "fun". The "fun" they have is sad. I remember well when I was having the same "fun" and it brings back feelings that ought not be resurrected.

The real thing we came to see though was Erik, my husband, her brother, our favorite drummer. He did not disappoint. It was as though I was seeing him for the first time. (It was really the millionth time.)He was so happy and full of energy. He was doing something he was made to do. He doesn't really even look up. He just smiles alot and is totally engrossed in the music and the other musicians. It was the first time I have ever really seen him in that light. He was great. He knocked my socks off. He is a really good drummer and he loves it. I was so proud of him and proud to be his "groupie". Yet, the surroundings were so awkward. It is so hard to overlook the boobs, butts, groping, drunken slurs. I wish there was another way for him to be this good and this happy without all the "scenery".