I Shoulda Rolled Solo

Please forgive the tense changes...I was sleepy when I wrote this and don't feel like going back to change past tense to present tense or vice versa....

So, the Ery.kah B.adu and Ro.ots concert was tonight. I went with an old acquaintance named Marina. She was my last minute companion as my other plans fell through. Let me back up for a minute.

Originally, when I bought the tickets, I had no idea who I was gonna go with. I wasn't dating anybody at the time, but I figured that in the month span, someone would pop up on my radar. As it became obvious to me that wasn't going to happen, I came up with my back up plan. I was gonna go with my sister. She was the one that introduced me to The Ro.ots back in the '90s and I know she hardly ever goes out without her kids. I figured it would be cool. We used to do stuff like that a lot. We've been to a couple of Pri.nce concerts together, taken a couple of trips to Chicago together (my brother came too once), so I figured that it would be cool to hang with my big sis before she moves next month. Unfortunately, her kid's grandmother died this week, so she had to go out of town to take them to be with her ex husbands family in the country somewhere. So, I was back to square one. I found out about this on Tuesday night.

That left me 3 days to find someone to go with. Well, really 2 because I forgot for most of Wednesday. I thought about who I wouldn't mind hanging out with for 3 hours and came up with a short list. My work crush couldn't get the day off of work (she works until 10 like me.) My other work homey was going out of town. Kristie had stuff to do. I went to bed Thursday night/Friday morning not knowing who I was gonna roll with. I wasn't really stressing it, but I probably should have had a greater sense of urgency. Woke up Friday afternoon, like 6 hours before the show and remembered that Marina really liked Badu. I sent her a text, which she promptly returned saying she wanted to go. Now, to be honest, I hadn't talked to Marina for like 4, 5, 10 months. I only had her number still because it was written on a book of matches that I haven't used from like 2 years ago. Anyway, she was down, so my search was over.

I went to get my haircut, (pictures when I feel like uploading them) and while I was in the chair, Marina called me to confirm. I told her it was on and that I would call her when I got out the barbershop (this is not the actual barber that cut my hair, but he works in the same shop.) She called 2 more times before I was done. The first time I answered and told her I was still getting my line up, the next I was like "what have I gotten myself into?" I remembered why I had stopped calling her. Marina is one of those people that need instant gratification. She will keep calling until you pick up. While if the nature of our relationship was different, I could possibly give her a pass, we weren't that kind of friends. Eventually, I just stopped answering altogether and she stopped trying. But dumb Rashan just had to rekindle the friendship fires.

Leaving the barbershop, I called her. We came up with a place to meet. I wasn't planning on driving to the Fox, I was gonna take the train. She lives out in Cobb County, I'm out in DeKalb, so it didn't make sense for one of us to drive across town to pick the other up. We made plans to meet at the Marta station at 7:30. I went home to print out the tickets, (yes, I know I should have done that way before now), and my printer is not working. I switch it out with my old cheap printer, and that one is out of ink. Not knowing anyone nearby with a computer, I went to Fe.d.ex/Ki.nk.os to print the tickets. Marina calls me again. She asks if we can meet somewhere else. I'm like whatever. Just get there. Tickets are printed, and all of a sudden the skies open up and monsoon like rainshowers fall. I treacherously drive home, iron my clothes, jump in the shower and I'm ready to go. Marina calls yet again: This time she's telling me that it'll be 8 before she gets there. That's what time the show started, but I understood. The rain made traffic a little worse than usually, and when you throw in the Memorial Day traffic, its just that much worse. So, I drive to the Avondale train station. Park my joint, find the right train and get there like 7:45. By then the rain had stopped falling, so that was good.

Marina calls again. She is supposedly looking for a parking lot that isn't full (there are no trains out in Marietta). I see the line in front of the Fox and know that I'm already gonna miss some of the show. Marina finds a spot and calls me and tells me where she is. I walk down to her to meet her halfway... we hug hello and I usher her as quickly as possible to the door. It's now 8:15....and we aren't even inside yet. (This is getting too long, so the rest of the post will be on fast forward)

I see some people I know in line... Say what's up, give dap and hugs... Didn't introduce Marina... Marina introduces herself as "Shawn's date."... Resist urge to ask what that was about... get inside... Marina talks me to death... "I don't know this song"... "What'd she say?"... "Is that incense?"... no its weed...Thinking to myself, "shut up and listen" or "I know I can't hear you, but that's no reason to grab my shoulder and yell in my ear."... See some more people I know...give them the head nod...Marina sits closer to me...damn near on my lap... wonder how she managed to get that close with the armrest being there...Marina asks me more questions that I can't hear...show's over...get ready to leave...someone steps on her shoe...exaggerated limping...wish she would suck it up and stop making a spectacle of herself...walk her to her car...tells me she had a great time...she misses her friend...I should call her more often...I'm thinking see you in another 4, 5, 10 months you annoying annoying woman...feel like a big loser for having to reach waaaaaaay back in the archives to find someone to go with...get over it quickly...get a text from work crush asking me about the concert... find out that the coworkers are going to Ve.lvet Ro.om for the after party...hop on the train back to Decatur...Get to the car...Marina called to tell me she was home...decide to pass on the club for the evening...come home...watch some movies...have some conversations...write a long ass blog post....the end....

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention this: The concert was great!!! More on the actual show later, or not. We'll see.