Here I was. Six months after my wife of 30 years passed. I was sitting alone at the amphitheater waiting for the Pixies to come on stage.

We bought these tickets ten months ago and looked forward to seeing them again. The band came on and I had to wipe a tear as the first song started. This was my first real outing by myself since she passed. My kids had been keeping me company, but after six months, I had to start doing things on my own and this concert was a way for me to start on that road.

As the band took to the stage I felt myself going through stages of mourning again. For the first few songs, I was going through a denial that she wasn’t here standing beside me. I then started to tear up for the next few as the realization that we never would go to a concert together again hit me. Then it was tears of happiness for the middle part of the show as I remembered all the great concerts that we enjoyed together. For the last part of the show, I was able to lose myself in the music and start to move on.

Towards the end of the show and before the encore, I noticed a woman a few rows in front of me. She was wearing a The Specials jacket. The Specials are another of my favorite bands.

She turned to her side and looked down at the empty chair beside her and I saw a tear in the corner of her eye. She looked similar in age, mid to late fifties, as me.

Now I am not looking to start a new relationship, but I had a feeling I would regret not connecting with this woman.

I pulled out the notepad that I carried with me in the event a Literotica story idea struck me. I quickly scribbled. “My name is Ted. We look similar in age. I like the Pixies and The Specials.” And my phone number.

I didn’t know if I was going to be able to talk to her, but maybe at the end of the concert, I could get her attention in the crowd and pass her my note.

As the show ended, I saw her leave. After a few frantic minutes, I managed to catch up to her. I got her attention and passed her my note before she disappeared into the crowd.

I looked to see if I could find her after I finally got out of the venue, but I couldn’t find her. Well, at least I tried.

A week later, I was preparing dinner for myself when the phone rang.

“Hello?” I said.

I heard a tentative woman’s voice on the other end of the line. “Is this Ted?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“You passed me a note. I was wondering why?”

“You know, I don’t know why exactly. I was alone at the show, and you appeared to be alone, I saw that you were wearing a The Specials jacket. They are one of my favorite bands and I just felt that I should reach out to you.” I said. “I’m sorry if that wasn’t appropriate.”

“Why were you alone at the show? She asked.

I sighed. “My wife passed six months ago.”

There was a sniffle on the other end of the phone. “My husband passed five months ago. He would have loved being at that show.”

Over the next ten minutes, Rose and I talked and decided to take the chance and meet. We picked a food court in a mall that we both knew.

She texted me when she arrived and we found each other. I went and got us coffee. It became like a therapy session. She told me about her husband and her family. I told her about my wife and my family. I asked her how she and her husband met.

She said. “Well, it was over thirty years ago. I met him waiting for a bus outside of the Opera House, you know that dive that shows bands?”

I nodded that I knew the place.

“The Breeders had been playing that night. After the show he found me crying. He asked me what was wrong and if I wanted to go for a coffee to talk about it. During that coffee, we talked and just connected.”

“Why were you crying? I asked.

“Well, I saw this guy at the show. He was kind of cute and wearing a Ramones t-shirt. I got up the nerve to say ‘hi’ to him. He acknowledged me, did some kind of sign language, and then walked away. I was devastated. I was shy back then, and it took so much for me to approach him. I ran out of the place and that is where George found me.” She said.

I thought. “Wait. Were you wearing a Ramones fanny pack?”

She looked at me astonished “Yes.”

“I’m sorry, but that was me. The sign language was me trying to indicate a wedding ring on my hand. I just got engaged.”

We both sat there silently for several minutes.

She finally said, “Wow, well at least things worked out well for both of us.” She smiled and we continued talking.

We got together for dinner several times over the next months and went to many concerts together. We never needed to go to a concert alone again. I introduced her to Bad Religion at the Danforth Music Hall and she introduced me to PJ Harvey at History.

Then things got a little complicated. I was on the phone coordinating the next concert with Rose. I heard a knock at the door. I was expecting my daughter, so yelled come on in. I then said goodbye to Rose and hung up. I turned around and my daughter was staring at me with a concerned look on her face. “Who is Rose?”

I tried to explain but was getting nowhere. She wasn’t reassured when she left. I called Rose and she thought that she might get a similar reaction from her kids. It wasn’t that we were hiding our relationship, we were just friends going to a concert. However, it wasn’t a year yet since our spouses had passed, so thought we should get everyone together to get them on the same page so that they wouldn’t think we were hiding anything from them. They lost a parent, after all, so they were also still grieving.

We arranged for my daughter and my two sons to meet Rose and her son and daughter for dinner. We wanted a straight discussion, so we asked for the spouses and grandkids to be left at home.

We told them how we had met, and assured them that this was just so that we could go to concerts with someone, and the fact that that person was also still going through the grieving process, gave us some therapy as well. I think after the dinner was over, our kids started chatting with each other and by the end of the meal, realized that there wasn’t something nefarious or untoward happening.

I saw them exchange contact information. We didn’t need their blessing, but Rose and I were happy that we shouldn’t get any grief from them over this.

We both were fans of The The and were looking forward to their show at Massey Hall. I had heard their new song Cognitive Dissident and was looking forward to hearing their other new songs off their new album. It had been almost 25 years since their last one.

In the week leading up to the show, I got wind that the Specials were touring in the UK in March. I had always wanted to follow a band through a tour and as it was only six nights, it was something achievable. I also really needed a vacation. I thought I would offer the idea at dinner before The The.

She paused as I mentioned it. “I think it would be fun to go, but how would that work?”

I asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, sleeping arrangements?” she said.

I thought for a minute. “Well, to save some money, we could find hotel rooms with two beds. I think we are adults, so can handle us sleeping in the same room.”

She was quiet for a minute. I think this was a big step for her. Technically, this would be the first vacation for both of us since our spouses had passed and this trip would be two months after the anniversary of my wife’s passing and a month after her husband’s.

We went to the show, but she was a bit quieter than she had been at other concerts. Towards the end, she did get back to normal and enjoyed the rest of the show.

As we left the venue, she turned to me smiling. “Let’s do it.”

We arrived in London the day before the first date of the tour. We both found the trip exhausting, so after getting our bearings in London we crashed early for the night to get some needed sleep.

The next day we did a bus tour of London. We saw places like Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London.

The show at the Roundhouse was amazing. The Specials had the crowd all energized. As we left the show, Rose grabbed my hand due to the crowds and we held hands all the way back to the hotel.

The second show was at the Engine Rooms in Southampton. Before we went to bed that night, she gave me a good night kiss on the cheek.

The third show was at the Academy in Birmingham. Again, an amazing show. We recognized a few other people who were also following the band and went out for drinks with them after the show. We swapped stories about seeing The Specials over the years. When we got back to the room, we exchanged a good night kiss on the lips. She turned red in embarrassment. I think it was the first kiss on the lips for either of us since our spouses had passed.

The room was a bit cold. In the middle of the night, I felt someone shaking my shoulder. She was standing by my bed.

I asked. “Are you OK?”