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Tammy played the opening chords, and I instantly knew the song. There was an entire band behind us that I hadn’t noticed before. I mean, I knew there was a keyboard player, but other than that, I was too busy worrying about tripping or saying something stupid to notice any details.
Suddenly, the room filled with music from the band.
Tammy sang the opening line for (Grandpa) Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days, and I instantly got emotional. She sang the first line, and Martha sang the second, then we all joined in for the chorus.
I could barely take my eyes off them, and when I gazed out over the audience during the guitar riff in the middle of the song, something strange happened. My fear drifted away. In fact, just like Gabe had said, I felt the magic of being onstage. Some folks hung onto each other, while others were visibly emotional. No one danced. They were captivated by what they heard, what they watched—three women who needed them more than they needed us.
We went right into Rockin’ With The Rhythm Of The Rain after that and made it even more energetic than the last time we sang it. A lot of folks sang along with us as they clapped out the beat.
I felt the same love coming up from the audience for every song. At one point, I tried to walk off the stage and give it to these two amazing women, but they wouldn’t allow it, and neither would the audience. They more or less forced me to stay, even when I didn’t know all the words and flubbed my way through the song. I thought I’d get tossed off the stage for all my mistakes, but everyone cheered even louder when we finished the song. I’d never experienced anything like it before. Usually when I messed up, the world came down on my shoulders… or at the very least, Natalie blew a vein.
Ever since I started planning her wedding, my self-worth had dropped to a level I’d never experienced before, and I hadn’t been aware of it until this moment. This moment of acceptance was exactly what I needed, and it came from a totally unexpected place.
When the set ended, and it was finally time for a break, everyone cheered and clapped like we were rock stars. I couldn’t relate to the feelings that surged through me. I’d truly never felt anything quite like it before and didn’t know how to react.
“You were fabulous, doll,” Tammy said as she slipped her hand around my waist, and we walked backstage.
“How do you feel?” Martha asked, looking better than I’d ever seen her. I’d known her for most of my life but never really knew her, at least not this way. She had always been in the background, cooking or cleaning or gardening. I’d never paid much attention to her before. Cody’s dad was the dominant of the two, so he stood out in my mind.
She’d done something to her hair, like she’d made it a creamier white, and she had a new exciting style, with one side longer than the other. Her hair had looked good before, but now it looked amazing. Plus, if I weren’t mistaken, she’d added some thin strips of lavender, pink, and blue. She wore a leopard print top, ripped jeans, and black cowgirl boots. She looked positively stellar. Like she belonged onstage. Both of them did. Tammy always looked as if she were a performer, with her big hair, tiny waist, and big, round breasts that she always accentuated with a thick belt. Today, she wore jeans and a white fringed Western-type shirt.
Unfortunately, I’d worn black jeans and a black shirt, which was my mood when I’d left the cabin.
“Like a million bucks,” I told her.
“Well, sweetheart, you don’t look like a million bucks, but we might have a little something for you to wear for the second set,” Martha said, grinning. The woman even wore a deep-red glossy lipstick.
Who knew?
She’d been hiding in plain sight for all these years, and I’d never seen the real Martha.
“Oh, no. No. No. There’s no second set. Maybe for you two, but certainly not for me.”
“They’re expecting you, doll,” Tammy added as she directed me to a backstage room I knew well… a room that held some bittersweet memories… a room that might make me sad.
“I can’t,” I said, stopping in my tracks.
“Sure, you can,” Martha said. “If I can, you can. You were always the spunky one of the three when you were growing up. That part hasn’t died, has it? I love my kids, but they didn’t drum it out of you, did they? They tried to get me on that plane the other night, but I wouldn’t go. Sam went, but I’m staying. I told him it was my turn now. If he wants me, he knows where to find me.”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Of what?”
“Being without him? Failing? Being alone? Having your kids angry at you? Any number of things.”
I followed Tammy into the band waiting room, where an entire rack of spangly tops waited to be worn.
“Of course, I don’t like any of those things, but those things held me back for way too long. They’re either going to come around, or they’re not. Either way, I’m performing again with my sister. We’ve still got it, and while we do, we’re going to make the best of it.”
“Damn straight,” Tammy said.
Those two words brought me to my knees. Before my heart had the opportunity to break, I looked Martha right in the eye and said, “I’m in love with your son. Probably have been since I was a kid. And not only that, but I have feelings for Gabe and Dustin. We thought, or at least I thought, I would join them on their concert tour. I’d join them on stage. It was all set, until something happened, and they changed their mind.”
Martha sat on the sofa for a moment. “All three of them?”
“Yes, all three of them.”
“It’s a new world, Martha,” Tammy said. “I got two country bands that are regulars here, who live like that. They love each other. One of those bands even have their kids as part of the mix. I know it’s a lot to take in, but as long as no one is getting hurt, whatever makes you happy… well… I’m nobody to judge. Let’s not forget Dave London and our trip across the country.”
