About 1:30 Friday night we were loading out of Jack of the Wood in Asheville. I was standing on the sidewalk watching the last drum cases go in the van when a young woman walked up to me. She wore tight cut-off jeans and cowboy boots, and when she smiled her eyes shone maybe a little too brightly. She had a cigarette in her hand and wanted a light. I couldn’t help her.
“It’s been a long day,” she said.
“Yes,” I said, “a real long day.”
“So,” she said, “did you make a difference?”
Thank you, Meredith. That’s the best question anyone has asked me in a long time.
