Zoe's First Love

My youngest daughter has her first real crush. It's so dang sweet. I remember

my first crush. I was in love with a musician, too. But this about her not me.

Here's how it all started: Mr. Wonderful and I are huge fans of a local Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute band called Voodoo Blue. These guys are awesome.

The lead guitarist is a Hungarian guy who is totally obsessed with SRV. His name is Tommy Katona. He's the sweetest, most humble, most talented guitarist I think I've ever heard. One night, Mr. Wonderful and I decided to take Zoe along with us to hear them play. I think at first, she was a little blown away by all the noise but once she got a good look at Tommy, she was hooked.

She really likes the fact that we are friends with the band members, so we get to talk to them a lot and they sit with us during their breaks. All three of the guys are super nice and they always make a fuss over Zoe. She gets hugs and guitar picks and sometimes, they even dedicate songs to her. Pretty dang good for a 11 year old, don't you think?

At first, Zoe would simply stare at Tommy and would not say a word. If he spoke to her, she'd duck her head and blush furiously. When he gave her a hug, she'd instantly turn into a statue and not move a single muscle. When we'd listen to music, Mr. Wonderful and I would be bobbing our heads and tapping our feet and screaming praise when the songs ended. Zoe on the other hand, sat stock still. There wasn't a blink or muscle twitch and she'd barely applaud. It's like she was transfixed in a suspended state of animation. If we tapped her shoulder or asked her if she was having fun, she'd scold us and tell us to behave.

We finally got to the point where he had to have a chat with her and let her know that it was rude not to show any appreciation. We showed her how to bob her head so it looked like she was actually listening - not posing for a portrait. Her first attempt at "getting into it" consisted of her barely tapping her foot. We pointed out that it was dark in the venue, so she'd have to be a little more animated. After 3 or 4 outings, the girl actually bobbed her head! Mind you, it was only by a fraction of a centimeter, but I saw it. After the show, Mr. Wonderful and I got to listen to Zoe tell us how she really rocked it and was getting into it like a crazy banshee. We couldn't see it, but in her mind she was a wild woman.

It's been over a year that we've been going to hear the band and Zoe has really loosened up. She hugs the band members, taps her feet and bobs her head a lot. To top it off, Tommy is giving her guitar lessons. She wasn't able to speak during her first lesson, but I'm sure that with time, she will calm down and say a word or two. Maybe some day she will get to get up on stage and play with her heroes. If so, she'll probably tap her foot and bob her head. A little.