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“How are you here?”
“My father took over Pastor Steele’s church, Lighthouse WCR, over on Reynolds St. It was an opportunity to take over a larger church, so of course, my father jumped at the opportunity, plus our church would be a good spot for a new pastor since it is a smaller seasoned congregation.”
“I guess I better tell my parents I have a boyfriend, there is no way I can keep this a secret with you being here.”
“Do you want me to be there with you?”
“Nope, don’t think it would help. At all.” I tell him, laughing.
“If you change your mind,”
“Okay, I will keep that in mind.”
“When will you tell them?”
“Soon, why?”
“I wanna take you out, and I can’t do that if your parents don’t know about us.”
“Well, I guess it’s no time like the present. If I think the mood is right, I will tell them tonight.”
“You don’t have to rush, tell them when you feel comfortable. I get to see you every day now. I can wait.”
We talked the rest of the way, and those two miles went by like it was a couple of steps and not a couple of miles. But that walk became a regular thing.
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CHAPTER7
Gabe
The school year went by in a blur. I have to go for my final fitting for the tux this weekend for prom. Soul chose for us to wear black and white, for numerous reasons. I got a job working at a country club as a valet. It was a great job, and it had great pay. I turned eighteen a few months after school started, making me eligible for the job. I have been saving my money to give Soul the perfect prom night and also to buy myself a car. Soul had to go toe-to-toe with her parents when she revealed she had a boyfriend. Her parents were not happy, but she reminded them that they said she could have a boyfriend when she turned sixteen. It helped when they found out I am a preacher’s kid in the same denomination. Her parents kept a close eye on her for a while, but when they saw that I wasn’t a distraction for her and she was happy, they finally relaxed some. Well, it was all of that and the fact that her sister went to bat for her, telling them that they couldn’t keep her bottled up.
If they only knew the number of nights I snuck in the back door of their house, up the backstairs, and into Soul’s room, they might have had me arrested. I would pull my bedding out, make my pallet on the floor between her bed and the wall, hold the hand that she would dangle over the side, and talk to her all night. On the nights she had her period and was cramping, I would come baring snacks, get in the bed with her, and rub her back, stomach, and feet while she ate and fell asleep. Of course, there were plenty of nights when we would quietly do it, trying our best to keep quiet so we don’t wake anyone up. If they knew they would have for sure forbid us from seeing each other, but they didn’t know.
It’s rainy and cold today at the valet stand. The rain is keeping most people away from the country club, giving me time to think about the song we will learn tomorrow at choir rehearsal. My father put me over the choir when we took over Lighthouse since I love singing, arranging, and rearranging songs. I want to take an oldie but goodie and modernize it. Mentally, I listen to the drums, piano, saxophone, trumpet, and keyboard as they rise and fall with the fast-paced song. The sound of the door closing behind me pauses the song as a guy walks up with his ticket for his car. There are regulars, but this guy isn’t one of them. I think he was a guest of a regular.
“I’ll be right back with your vehicle, sir,” I tell him, taking the ticket and finding the corresponding keys, heading in the direction of where I parked his car. As soon as I step away, the song comes back online like someone unmuted it. I hurry to the car, unlock it, get in, and start it up, heading back to the valet stand. I park in front under the covering that ensures guests don’t get wet or have to stand in the blazing sun in the summer.
“Nice song,” the man says, startling me.
“I apologize, sir. I didn’t realize I was singing,” I tell him honestly. He hands me a hundred-dollar tip.
“No need for apologies.”
“Thank you, sir,” I tell him for the tip as he climbed into his hundred thousand-plus dollar car and pulled off.
“The answer is NO!” my father bellowed. It’s been a month since the fateful day, so imagine my surprise when I came to work and he was there. He introduced himself as Julian Cross, a music executive for one of the largest labels, Kaleidoscope Records. He explained that he was impressed with my singing and wanted to sign me to a contract. It would be a two-year contract with a hundred-thousand-dollar advance, and I would also get about forty percent of the proceeds. After two years, I have the option to renegotiate or terminate my contract. It seemed like a good deal to me, and even though I was eighteen, I wanted to run this by my parents. The only other thing I want is for Soul to come with me. I want her to have her own contract, too. Not only is she an amazing songwriter, but she is also a dynamic singer. I need her by my side, but with her only being sixteen, she would have to get her parents’ permission.
“Dad, I am eighteen. I do not need your permission,” I tell him.
“You are my only son, my only child. Your path is the pulpit, to take over when I retire,”
“No, Dad, that is your path. Not mine.”
“You have been raised for this all your life, the camp and every position you’ve held in church is all in preparation for you becoming the next pastor. That is your calling!”
“According to who? You?”
