You ever have one of those moments where you are running and then you turn your head sideways for just a second and you see something so amazing that it causes everything around you to move in slo-mo? I had such a moment in the Dallas Fort-Worth Airport around 8:05pm when I sprinted past Paula Abdul on my way to the 8:00pm connection I was trying to catch.
Paula had just purchased a drink at one of the concession stands and a teenage girl asked to have her picture taken with her. I thought for a second about grabbing my camera too, but I just couldn't pull it together quite like Cindy would have. If Cindy were with me at that moment, she would have said screw the flight, tossed our bags on the ground, pushed me next to Paula and mouthed "say cheese."
Some of you may recall that Cindy and I had quite the track record of bumping into the stars. From Matthew Broderick (photograph below) to Bernadette Peters to Eddie Vedder to The Beastie Boys, we have photographs or autographs of them all.
In fact, Cindy always made me keep a black Sharpie in my purse and in my glove compartment just in case we came across anyone famous. I don't know how or why Cindy got to be so good at meeting celebrities--she actually did not care at all about them as people, she never watched an episode of "E! True Hollywood Story," and she did not care to read Entertainment Weekly. But, anytime she took me to a concert, she would make us wait 2 or 3 hours after the show ended to meet the rock stars. During my time with Cindy, I met Michael Stipe, Duran Duran, Arcade Fire, and INXS among others.
The most grueling experience, however, was in March 2005 when we waited 3 hours outside Constitution Hall in 20-degree temperature to meet our favorite R&B singer, Jill Scott (see photograph below). Before the hypothermia kicked in, Cindy had been going on and on about Jill Scott's amazing four-inch gold heels that she wore during her performance. Cindy had even prepared what she was going to say to Jill if we got to meet her (something along the lines of "Your show was incredible as usual and girl, those heels were to die for!"). Unfortunately, by the time Jill Scott emerged, we were both frozen solid and the only words that came out of Cindy's iced-over lips were: "Good shoes." Jill looked confused as she signed Cindy's poster and CD.
In 2004, Cindy and I actually met Paula Abdul in the Phoenix airport (see photograph below). Seeing her again tonight, without Cindy, is what made time stop for me as I was running to my terminal. I wanted to show Paula the old photograph of Cindy and her in the Phoenix airport (I have it on my iTouch). I don't know why, but I wanted Paula to know that Cindy had passed away. And I really wanted to express to Paula the sentiments that Cindy wished she had told Paula in hindsight: that Janet Jackson would be nothing today if not for Paula's choreography during the Control era.
But, I did not stop running. Cindy would have been so disappointed if she knew I was this close to Paula and did not take a photograph. I don't know why, but I just could not halt this time for Paula. Something kept propelling me forward and I wanted to get home.
5 comments:
Funny, your encounter was totally different from what I imagined! An old friend?! There must be something special about Dallas Airport because I had a surprise encounter there too. A few years ago, Veronica told me she would pick me up at my destination in Santiago, Chile but she was on her way back from Paris and surprised me in Dallas, where we were both changing planes. I had just bought some food & nearly dropped it when I saw her.
That would have been cool if you spoke to Paula this time but it makes sense you were in a hurry.
These pictures actually really surprise me, since I know Cindy disliked having her picture taken.
That is too funny. I remember you showing me the pictures of Paula a long time ago, but I never knew about all the other encounters. I love the picture with Matthew. Chris met him when he was working at Lowes Ventana. He got to meet a lot of people there. I never get to meet anyone special and Chris would definitely never wait outside of a concert with me. Well once I guess we did it was a small show for Concrete Blonde.
Funny that you've seen Paula Abdul in the airport twice now. What're the odds. Like Cindy, I also love the wall-of-shame encounters, only I'm not nearly as bold about it (hence my lack of awesome photos). That said, I have vowed to carry on the tradition next chance I get. I did see Doris Roberts crossing the street the other day, but I was driving and she'd disappeared by the time I made the illegal U-turn.
This story reminds me of the time we saw the whole Seattle Storm team waiting for a flight at the airport, and I chickened out of going up to them - even with our twin babies as a buffer. How dumb am I? Next time I'll think, "What would Cindy do?"
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