I’m not a live music person, and my taste in music remains frozen in what I loved in childhood. My two very favorites are the Indigo Girls and Paul Simon, both of whom I’ve loved as long as I can remember.

When I was a junior in high school, during the brief second that I dated Ron Rogers, Paul Simon came to Austin, touring with the Born at the Right Time album. A friend of mine from church, Brandon Wert, and I were both completely obsessed with Paul Simon, and our dates (his date and my date ended up dating for years after that night — perhaps this was the start of their big romance?!) agreed to come along. Karen Andrews, one of my very best friends at church, was how it all happened.

Glum Ron, me, Karen, Mike, Amy, Brandon and Karen’s brother Kevin before the best concert ever.

Some of the history is hazy. I don’t know how — even knowing as little as I know about tickets, concerts, and how it all works as I do these 20 years later — we got 5th row seats for $90 each. I have never had that proximity (except, awesomely, at a much later Indigo Girls concert, but how I achieved that is no mystery — I showed up at 8 a.m. to the venue without seats and sat there all.day.long) to a super star before or since.

Also, one person along — Ron, was it your mom? — well, anyway, one person’s mom would NOT let them go if we were to miss any school at all. So, with that constraint, the Andrews family took over. They agreed to pick us up immediately after school, spirit us to Austin, get us dinner and to the concert, and then DRIVE US BACK ALL NIGHT LONG. These are Texas distances, not short distances. This was a labor of love — but not for Paul Simon; they didn’t even go to the concert. This was their labor of love for Karen and her beloved church friends. They even brought Karen’s little brother, because both parents needed to be there in order to drive us safely back from midnight until 3 a.m.

So, with the permission of everyone, and the miracle of astounding tickets, and the willingness of all parties to pretend to love Paul Simon as much as Brandon and I did … we set off. The drive was, as many things are with that many teenagers in that small a space, hilarious and loud. The dinner was hurried. The concert: The concert was transcendent. I swear Ladysmith Black Mambazo was still touring with him, and when Paul Simon sang “Born at the Right Time” I … well, I’ve never had a musical experience that compares, then or since.

Even now, when things are hard, I sing Paul Simon (“Still, tomorrow’s going to be another working day, and I’m trying to get some rest … that’s all I’m trying, to get some rest”). And when I sing Paul Simon, I picture his face at that concert.

My mom: unable to drive all night alone. Many parents: Unwilling to sacrifice that much for a crazy whim of their daughter and her friends. The Andrews family: Willing and able, and much beloved for it. Thanks, dear Mrs and Mr Andrews, for giving me one of the best nights of my life.