It was several summers ago and I was dating a girl that lived in Deep Ellum in Dallas. As I was driving around and around Deep Ellum trying to find a parking space, I noticed a shiny and black Porshe parking in front of me. As I sat waiting, I noticed this guy had a man holding a parking space for him. I was distracted and fiddled with my radio. I looked up again and a man of short stature and jet black eyes and hair was walking in front of my Jeep. I stared at him because I found his face familiar. Oddly familiar. He motioned for me to go around him and I obeyed, driving by him slowly - I was still trying to determine how I knew this guy.
I parked the Jeep and walked across the street to Club Dada. The Dallas club icon was vibrant with laughter and music. Edie Brickell was on stage and the place was alive with sounds of her soulful voice. I met my date at the bar and she introduced me to several of her friends. After some small talk and ordering drinks we shuffled our way to the back of the crowded outside stage. After weaving my way past throngs of people and barely able to see two people in front of me, we found a high perch next to the sound mixer booth. I looked straight-ahead and watched Edie Bricknell do her weird and funky sing-dance vibe with the mike attached to her lips.
A throng of people walked past me and knocked me into a fellow standing next to me. Before this incident, I hadn't noticed anyone standing next to me. I weaved into his shoulder and looked sideways to apologize for invading his space. Two inches from my face was Paul Simon. It dawned on me then that it was Paul Simon I saw in the parking lot. It was Paul Simon standing inches from me listening to his girlfriend Edie Brickell sing. I put on my calm face and apologized for almost knocking him over. He grinned at me and said it was no problem, that he was used to big music crowds. I found that funny, because I knew who he was and imagined he had stories upon stories to tell about the crowds that come to see him sing.
He saw me giggle and asked me if I liked the concert. I told him I had loved Edie Brickell since college and that she was one of my favorites. Before I thought about it, I blurted, "I think we have something in common, my last name is Simon do you think we are relatives?" He stood back to stare at my features and grinned somewhat amused, "Simon huh? He asked again and I said, "Yes my name is Andrea Simon." He looked at me again and said, "We'll we are both short and our hair and eye color are the same, maybe we are." I shook his hand and told him I had listened to him since I was young, because my parents loved his music. He smiled and said thank you and looked back to stare at Edie Brickell.
I stood there for a couple of songs and eventually followed my party to another part of the bar. I don't think I realized then that I had met Paul Simon. He was humble and so average-Joe that I tucked that memory far back into the recesses of my mind and almost forgot about it. Until a few months ago, as Amber and I listened to his music and then the memory came flashing back. Yep, that was the day I met Paul Simon and who knows maybe we are related?
