When I fell in love - with a rockstar

before the election:

monday, i saw a rockstar.


i was at the corner of 47th and lake park and noticed there was no traffic. the cops had blocked off the intersection and no one could pass. busses were at a standstill and then cops were at every corner. cops were posted above the overpass and then my anticipation grew. it makes sense. a rockstar was coming through. oooooooo weeeee... i got giddy. there were a couple of us on the sidewalk and quite frankly, i was hesitant to get too close to the curb. this is chicago, and i wasn't sure how tough they were gonna be. but then again, who would worry about an overweight tall girl with an ill fitting hat, (it's warm and i don't care), CEDA jacket, untied gym shoes, and a grin as big as the UFO that landed on top of soldier field...

the hush of the lack of traffic and the steady foom fooom foom of my heart was soon replaced by the whirring of helicopter blades, cutting through the air... then the reflection of the emergency lights of the lead police cars illuminated under the metra station bridge grew until the first car emerged.....

4-5 police cars streamed through with the kind of urgency that begs no interference or to your detriment will fate you should you get in the way....then 3 black crown victorias, hugging the road with a swiftness that surprisingly for their size moved with sportscar like precision..... YAY!!! YAY!!! yay. yay. yay? SECRET SERVICE. i held clumsily on to the cameraphone that i knew the video would end up lookin like a blur, but logic wasn't present in that moment... then a gap in the traffic, though only for a moment.... (and my cheeks hurt now) Here he comes!!!! 3 big black SUV''s which one?!? WHICH ONE?!? fuddle with phone, fuddle with phone.. fuck it... the voice in my head broke through calmly... look up, silly.

2nd suv. Mr. President Elect Barak O-fucking-BAMA!!!!!! LESS THAN 6 FEET FROM ME!! in a flash i catch him as he looks out the window in a quiet, stately, repose..knowing.... appreciative... inspired..... his personal fan fare of 6 people. myself, my sister, a mother and 2 girls, one man... he looked out the window and he saw me. i saw him. he looked at US. crazed and in awe at the mere fact that we were blessed with this offering... his presence....though fleeting....elation can't fully describe the feeling.

just as quickly as he came, his car was gone, then this fantastical moment was equaled with a palpable dosing of reality, when i saw that his lead suv and trailing suv had a load full of white, corn fed, dressed in all black, Special Tactical "I will shoot you dead, play with me, fool" government dudes with hands firmly gripped on the rifle that will end all your days looked out with a seriousness that will melt glass came through. and after that... another cop car and an ambulance. AN AMBULANCE.

he was going home. a happenstance occurrence, for me, but one i will never forget in my life.