Mixed Memories

In the summer of 1987 I saw Conway Twitty in person and fell in love all over again with his deep, rich, and sexy voice.  Never have I been a fanatical fan of anyone, but I came close that day.  As he went through his repertoire of hits—at the time no other singer had more No.1 hits (no, not even Elvis, Frank, or The Beatles)—I sat mesmerized by the Living Legend’s smooth style and charm.
This was a singer I had listened to and enjoyed for years.  His music was timeless to me and I loved every minute of his show.
 Then he stepped center state and spoke the first two words of his final song.  In that moment I was transported back in time to a night I’ll never forget.  Long story short, I had been seeing a man who had taken me on an emotional roller coaster for six months.  Though I knew part of me would always love him, it was time to let go and I told him so.  For me, our time had come and gone. “Hello, Darlin”, Conway said as the jukebox came to life.  My guy spoke softly.  “I’m leaving now, but someday when you least expect it you’ll hear that song and I’ll be there.  Then we’ll be together forever.”  A lot of years have come and gone since then and I’m certain we will never cross paths again.  Still, when I hear Hello Darlin’ unexpectedly I look over my shoulder just to be sure. 
Coming back to the moment I applauded with all the other adoring fans as Conway took his final bow and left the stage.  We had come a long way to hear him and needed to leave right away, but I understand from friends that were there that Conway signed autographs for more than two hours after the show.  While I would have liked to have gotten an autograph, I don’t need it to remember the day or the man.