~*~
Jim spent the next few days enjoying the city. He went to live music venues tapping back into the music that was Memphis. He had always loved his town, and it never disappointed him. He played a few games of golf, and even bowled a couple of games at night. On one of the days he was golfing, his phone rang. “Hello?”
“Jim, this is Kerri. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Jim dropped his club and told his partners to keep going; he was done.
“No, Kerri, I am good. How are you?”
“I am good. Look, I thought about your offer. I just don’t think I can come. My mom has appointments and I have to take her. I am sorry,” said Kerri.
Jim gripped the phone so hard he thought he might break it. As he reflected on her words, he knew the right response. “I understand Kerri. Family comes first, and if I would have thought that way, maybe I wouldn’t be alone, now. Regardless, I want you to know that your voice, stage presence, and charisma is bigger than you could ever imagine. Find someone else when you can, to hear you. Enter a talent show, tryout for another talent company, or something. The worst thing you could do is to waist that God-given talent,” said Jim. He sat holding the phone waiting for a response, but all he heard was silence.
“Kerri are you there?”
“Yes-,” she finally said. Jim could hear the pain in her voice. “Thanks for believing in me Jim, but I got to go.”
Jim hung up the phone and stared out over the golf course. He had been disappointed by talent before, but this one was different for some reason. He wondered why as he walked back toward the clubhouse. It could be that she would have been a wonderful find on his way into retirement. Maybe it was that her voice was too good to be buried in a small town and should have been shared with the world. As he reached the main lobby, the real answer hit him, it was the fact that he did not want to let Fred down. Even though his friend has essentially fired him, Jim really wanted to pull this one out for him. He decided that no matter what, he would show up to the competition to support him one more time, even if he couldn’t contribute.
Write On Press Presents: The Ultimate Collection of Original Short Fiction, Volume II Page 5
