With the overwhelming hardship of losing a beloved performer a few days ago, I thought I'd try to cast a little happiness and tell the world about how, today, I met Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
Would never happen, right? But yes. It actually happened. And here's the story:
I was able to take a free class at SoulCycle today (first off, love it) in Beverly Hills due to the kindness of a teacher that I've been taking classes with. I go into the room, and the class was tiny. Maybe about 12 people. Most were in the front. But I noticed there were two girls in the back. And after only needing about half a second of analysis, I confirmed that it was, in fact, the Beyoncé. I was within feet of her. Her glow nearly graced my shoulder.
That whole class, my mind was racing with fantasies. Maybe she'd be so impressed at my mediocre SoulCycle skills that she'd invite me to lunch. Then she'd invite me to take a ride in the back of her Escalade or whatever celebrities drive these days. In this fantasy, we quickly become lifelong friends and I become the primary babysitter of Blue Ivy. Well, that didn't happen, but this next part did.
The class ended, and I thanked the teacher for the free class, obviously to see if I could snatch a few more moments with the Queen. She stayed to speak to the teacher so I left the room. I'm at my locker, thinking the moment is gone, until:
BAM! She walks up and stands next to a locker directly next to me. I'm shaking. This isn't happening. To say she's a vision is an understatement. She's wearing little make up, but she still shines. Even though we've been sweating for 45 minutes straight, her hair cascades down in perfect waves. She's wearing sneakers by some designer I can't even pronounce. I didn't even know designers made sneakers.
As she speaks with her friend, I close my eyes. Ok Alex. This is the most once-in-a-lifetime chance of all once-in-a-lifetime chances. Say something. What the hell do I say??? "Danny DeVito, I love your work!!" No. Too far. So with a deep inhale, I turn to her and say "Hi, Mrs. Carter. I just wanted to say I saw you perform at the Rose Bowl last weekend, and you were incredible. You're one of my favorite performers."
For just a short moment, she examines me, before saying "Hey! Thanks so much. Glad you liked it!" I'm sure she's gotten that a million times, and this is just an ordinary example. But her response was so honest. Of course there were a million things I wanted to say to her, from her innovative and unprecedented music career to her support to the LGBT community to her uplifting messages to dreaming little girls everywhere. But obviously, that's all I got out.
Her bodyguard escorted her out the secret exit of the club. And I stood there in shock, trying not to stare. I thought that was our last moment. Until I got to the elevators (lawlz). As I'm waiting for an elevator, she arrives there as well, along with her party. Like that girl in the opening sequence in The Devil Wears Prada, I decided to not attempt to enter their elevator. So I just stood there and waited for the next one.
But right as her elevator doors close, I snag one last glance (cause I'm an idiot). And right before the door completely closed, she looked at me and smiled. And for that moment, we connected.
I later sat in my car for 20 minutes after the class, sweaty and in silence, pensively rerunning the past hour of my life over and over again. The moment was brief and has probably escaped her mind since its occurrence. But for this brief moment in time, fate did a funny thing, and I was brought face-to-face with this walking diva herself.
Beyoncé, thank you for gracing my life for just a moment. And thanks for all you've done for our community. Maybe someday, I'll have something more interesting to say.