Lynda and I met on an online dating website. My bio was a masterpiece, ending with a deal-breaker:
“Must love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers”.
We texted and started to get to know each other. (I never told her I was a drummer in a Tom Petty tribute band.) We discussed plans to meet over coffee, but schedule conflicts and life circumstances said otherwise. She had to leave town unexpectedly, with no idea of when she’d be back.
I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
A few weeks later, I received an unexpected text while visiting my family in Eden. It was Lynda on her way to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in Dallas with a friend. She remembered chatting with a guy she was supposed to meet who was also a fan. I was listed in her Contacts as “James (Petty)”.
At the concert, she kept texting me about what an incredible guitar player Mike Campbell was. I know, right!!
I saw an opening, so I took a shot:
“I’d love to hear more about it when you get back to Austin.”
It worked. We both worked downtown and met one evening at The Firehouse Hostel. The Byrds’ version of “So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star”, which the Heartbreakers covered, was playing while we sat and drank. I thought that was cool, and pointed it out to Lynda. Lynda did most of the talking, and she was very energetic, using her hands like a symphony conductor. I was caught up in her beauty, mesmerized. But, because of a scheduled band rehearsal, I was forced to interrupt her:
“I’m sorry, but I have to leave to go to practice.”
She cocked her head and looked at me puzzled. “Oh, Ok.”
I explained that I really enjoyed our conversation, but I had a prior commitment. I didn’t provide any other details or explanation.
On the way to rehearsal I realized she probably thought I was just making an excuse to leave, so I took a selfie behind the drums and then explained that I played in a Tom Petty tribute band, The Damn Torpedoes, and that we were at band practice.
Our “real” first date was a few days later at Pinballz arcade in Buda. We played video games and cornhole and drank a few beers. I kissed her under the full moon.
Our love for each other grew along with our love for the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
After 8 years as the founding drummer for the Torps, it was time for me to hang up the sticks at the end of 2017. Health issues, family responsibilities, and a host of other reasons, it was just time for me to leave. I felt I was being called in a different direction.
We were married April 21, 2018, and 3 1/2 years later in 2021, we purchased our future forever home in my little hometown, Eden, Texas.
The house is on Petty Street.
I guess it WAS meant to be.
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