Lonesome Town

Thirty years ago today, my first divorce was finalized. It was a traumatic event, because it was a first in my family, and in hers. Nevertheless, in many other ways it seemed almost inevitable. Debi and I married young and grew up in different directions. She loved to shop. I loved sports. At one time, we even loved each other, just not enough to sustain us beyond our youthful expectations of what marriage should be.

On the way home from my divorce hearing, an uninsured woman veered into my lane and caused a few hundred dollars worth of damage to my car. I guess she heard that I was now available and wanted a chance to hook up with me. While we did manage to exchange phone numbers, I never called her. I have to confess I’ve never been attracted to women without car insurance.

Later in the day, things went very right for me. I saw Rick Nelson perform in Fort Worth and he put on quite a show. Even though his most recent hit was Garden Party, Rick wisely decided to play the songs that made him famous, much to the delight of the crowd. I still love to sing along with Lonesome Town, and most of the other Nelson hits. It makes me feel young again, if only for the duration of the song.

Thanks for allowing me to take this trip down Memory Lane. Even though many of my memories of that day in 1979 were bittersweet, my best recollections are decidedly more sweet than bitter.