Singsation

by Jacquelin Thomas

  “Well, you’ve been spending all of your time with Lavelle,” Deborah whispered.

  Vianca glanced across the room to where Triage and Lavelle stood at the bar. “I know. I’m in love with him. But he doesn’t love me, and this isn’t going anywhere.” She paused. “I’m not going to hang around and end up like Emerald. I’m leaving. I’m going to move to New York and try to make it on Broadway. That’s something that I’ve always dreamed about.”

  Deborah couldn’t hide her shock. “You’re leaving Lavelle? Have you told him?”

  She nodded, and motioned with her hands. “But look at him. He doesn’t care. After I told him, he looked at me, picked up the phone, and called Charles. I had hoped that maybe . . .” She sighed. “I don’t know why I thought he’d think I was the one, but I love him, Deborah. I thought that one day, we’d be married.”

  Deborah looked at her left hand, then brought it down to her side. “Vianca, I am so sorry—”

  “Hey, congratulations, Deborah. Triage just told me.” Lavelle hugged her as he and Triage stood over the piano. “Did she tell you, Vianca? They’re getting married.”

  Vianca’s mouth dropped open, then without a word, she stood and left the room.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Triage asked.

  Lavelle shrugged and sat next to Deborah on the bench. “I don’t know. She’s been acting weird all day. So have you guys picked the big day?”

  Deborah stared at Lavelle. Did he just not know what Vianca felt? Or did he not care? She sighed. There was nothing she could do. Vianca had known all the time what she was getting into. She was just determined to change Lavelle, and everyone knew that kind of thing never worked.

  “Well, we’re going to have to wait on the wedding for a little while,” Triage said, looking at Deborah for her to continue.

  “Uh, yeah, Lavelle, I have some other news. You know, I’m doing this solo album.”

  Lavelle grinned. “Yeah, girl. When are you going to start recording? I’ve got to tell you that I was a little disappointed that you didn’t ask me to sing something with you.” He laughed.

  She and Triage exchanged glances. “Well, that is one thing that I want to talk to you about. We’ve made a change, and I’m going to be doing a gospel album.”

  He stopped hitting the piano keys and turned toward her. “Really?”

  She nodded. “But it’s not the gospel that everyone is used to. I want to praise God, but I also want to get His message to people. So it’s going to be upbeat, and contemporary, and music that will make people clap their hands and stomp their feet.” Her voice got more excited as she spoke.

  “Hey, that sounds interesting. Capricorn went for it?”

  “It took quite a bit of selling, but the thing that they really went for is . . . I told them that you would do a duet with me.”

  He looked at her and smiled. “You really want me to do that?”

  She nodded.

  He leaned over and kissed her on her cheek. “I’d be honored, Deborah.” Then he looked up at Triage. “You know, you’re a very lucky man.”

  “I’m a very blessed man.” Triage smiled and took Deborah’s hand.

  “There is something else, Lavelle.” She took a deep breath. “I will always be so grateful for you giving me my chance, but I have to leave the group.”

  He frowned slightly. “I thought we agreed that you would continue with me. I don’t mind that. In fact, I think it would help both of us.”

  “It would help in terms of sales, but I’ve been praying about this, Lavelle, and I’m being led to just focus on God. What I’ll be singing is really very different from what I do with you, and if I’m trying to get God’s message out there, people will begin to wonder, which person am I?”

  Lavelle’s fingers wandered across the piano keys.

  “I’ll stay until you find replacements,” Deborah explained. “Vianca told me that she was leaving, and I’ll do whatever I have to do.”

  He stood and walked to the large window that was framed with silk curtains.

  “I’ll help you pick out the new singers, if you want,” she continued. Though she felt sad, she didn’t feel guilty. It was as if the peace of God had settled over her and was leading her the way she was supposed to go. She would help Lavelle, but under no circumstances would she stay.

  Lavelle sighed. “That won’t be necessary. With Emerald gone, and now you and Vianca, maybe this is my sign.” He turned around and picked up the glass he’d been drinking from. “Maybe God is trying to tell me something too.”

  Deborah smiled. “Well, you know, you could always join Capricorn with me, and we could use all of our songs to tell people about the Lord.”

  Lavelle laughed and looked at Triage. “Man, did you know that you’re marrying a preacher girl?”

  “I’m not preaching, but from now on, my music will be my ministry.”

  “Well, you go, girl.” He put down his glass. “Let me go find Vianca. I’ll be back in a moment.”

  When Lavelle left the room, Triage hugged Deborah.

  “I didn’t think it would be that hard, but I feel like I’m leaving Lavelle all alone.”

  “I can’t believe Vianca’s leaving too.”

  “We were just backup singers. He can keep going on his own.”

  Triage looked into her eyes. “Sometimes I think you just don’t get it. You guys were more than that for him. Especially you.”

  Deborah shrugged. “I don’t know what we were, but he’s at his own crossroads now.”

  “Well, all we can do now is pray.”

  CHAPTER 52

  EVERY MORNING WHEN SHE AWOKE IT TOOK A FEW moments for Deborah to remember what day it was. The long days turned into eternal weeks, and at night, when Deborah crawled into bed, her eyes closed from exhaustion before her head even hit the pillow.

  All plans for the wedding had been postponed, as Deborah’s total focus was on the release of her album. From rehearsals to marketing meetings to production reviews, Deborah had chosen to be involved in every aspect of this project.

  Capricorn Records wanted to stay with the original first-of-the-year release date, which gave them only a few months to do what normally took a year.

  Many of Deborah’s rehearsals and recording sessions were spent with Triage and Lavelle looking on. She was grateful to have them—they told her things that she didn’t know and showed her things that she couldn’t see.

  But what Triage and Lavelle couldn’t do was sing for her, and after the first month in the studio, Deborah had to take a week off to rest her throat.

  The people at Capricorn kept trying to push her back to the studio sooner, but Triage insisted she stay home.

  “Sweetie, if you don’t rest, you won’t be able to finish the project at all. Take it from me.”

  The last two songs recorded were her duet with Lavelle and then the one with Triage, which was a song they had written together.

  Despite her sore throat and aching body, the album was finally ready two weeks before Thanksgiving. She had planned on leisurely days and weeks of bed rest, but on her first day home, Triage made a big announcement.

  “We’re having a party, baby!”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “A celebration—combination engagement and launch party for your album.” He put his arms around her. “It’ll be great. We’ll fly our parents out here—even Grandma. Everyone is so excited about your album.”

  “But I’m tired,” she whined. “I don’t have the energy to do this.”

  “Come here,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to the couch. Then he lifted her feet. “See this? This is all you have to do. I have everything under control.”

  And he did. For the next two weeks, Deborah rested, while Triage worked with a party coordinator to plan the event.

  It was hard for the Petersons to leave Villa Rica for Thanksgiving, so they compromised and arrived in Los Angeles the day after Thanksgiving, the day before t
he party.

  They had scheduled their parents’ flights to come in at the same time. So while Deborah was at the Delta terminal, Triage waited at United. There would be too many people and too much luggage for one car, so Triage had hired two.

  LAX was as empty as Deborah had ever seen it. She was glad they had decided on the day after Thanksgiving. Virginia and Mother Dobson were the first ones off the plane, followed closely by Elijah.

  “Mama, it’s so good to see you,” she said, hugging her mother. Then she turned to her father. “You too, Daddy.” Finally, she turned to Triage’s grandmother and kissed her cheek. “I am so happy that all of you are here.”

  “Sweetheart, you look wonderful,” Virginia said as she stepped back to look at her daughter.

  Deborah had dressed carefully in a navy tunic and pants.

  “Thanks, Mama. How was the flight?” Deborah asked, as she took her mother’s bag and held Mother Dobson’s hand.

  “Deborah Anne, I have never flown first-class before,” Virginia said. “I could get used to this.”

  “Yessiree, sweetie, that first-class was something else. They actually had real silverware,” Mother Dobson said.

  Deborah laughed as she led them through the terminal and then outside, straight to the curb where the driver was waiting.

  “We’re going by Triage’s first to drop Mother off; then we’ll go to my house.”

  “That’s fine,” Elijah said, as he helped Mother Dobson, then Virginia into the long black car. When just the two of them were standing on the curb, he whispered, “Deborah Anne, is this what you travel in all the time?”

  She chuckled. “No, Daddy. I just wanted to make sure there was enough room for all of us.”

  “All righty now!” he exclaimed, as he slid into the car.

  As they maneuvered from the airport onto the freeway, Deborah pointed out sights that she thought would interest them.

  “I’ve seen all this before,” Mother Dobson said, and they all laughed. When they drove up the driveway that was behind the gate and stepped from the limo, Virginia and Elijah gasped with excitement, while Mother Dobson smiled widely.

  “Milton lives here?” Elijah asked. “Who in the world needs this much space?”

  “Milton told me he bought it just because he could,” Mother Dobson said as she tapped her cane on the ground.

  As they stood outside marveling at the mansion, another limousine cruised into the driveway behind them, and Triage jumped from the car first. For ten minutes, the families hugged and kissed, before Triage whistled, halting the chatter. “Hey everyone, I paid the mortgage. We can go inside.”

  They laughed as they made their way into the house, but Triage and Deborah lingered behind.

  He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Well, baby. Here we are with the Petersons and the Waterses. This is going to be the first of many years of family gatherings.”

  She sighed as she looked up at the house. “It’s going to be tough keeping them all entertained, you know.”

  “Naw! It’s going to be a piece of cake. Let’s get inside and watch the games begin.”

  Triage had hired extra staff to help with the evening, and the moment Deborah and her parents stepped through the door, she could feel their presence. One man took their coats, while another asked if they wanted champagne or sparkling cider.

  Just as they took their glasses, Triage came over to them.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Triage said, kissing Deborah on the cheek. Then he kissed Virginia and shook hands with Elijah. “I thought you would’ve been here a bit earlier, Ms. Guest of Honor.”

  “I couldn’t get these women out of the house,” Elijah grumbled, then he smiled. “But I couldn’t be too mad when I took one look at them.”

  Deborah smiled. She had chosen a simple black halter jumpsuit trimmed in rhinestones, while Virginia wore a gold, crinkled-gauze floor-length dress that Deborah had picked out for her.

  “We do look good, don’t we?” Virginia said, as she placed one hand on her hip.

  They laughed.

  “I have to go into the kitchen for a moment. Take your parents into the den—everyone’s in there.” The first person they saw was Lavelle, who greeted Virginia and Elijah as if he’d known them his entire life.

  “I know you’re proud of your daughter. Have you heard the CD yet?”

  “Not yet,” Virginia said, sipping her cider.

  “You’re going to love it.” Lavelle smiled brightly. “I couldn’t believe it when she said she was leaving me.” He pouted playfully. “But when I heard the entire CD”—he stopped and fanned his face—“I knew she was going to the top with this one. And to think she’s doing it all for God.”

  Elijah beamed. “I understand you sing a song with Deborah Anne, Lavelle.”

  He nodded. “Yes sir, and I was happy to do it.”

  “Maybe we’ll hear more of that from you,” Elijah boomed, and stepped away from where they were standing.

  “Excuse us.” Virginia smiled.

  “Don’t pay any attention to my father, Lavelle,” Deborah said. “He’s like that with everyone. And he’s really protective about my music. He never said anything, but he didn’t like what I was singing before.”

  Lavelle swallowed what was left in his glass. “After listening to you, I think your father is right.”

  “Let me go find my parents. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  Deborah wandered through the room, smiling, waving, and chatting with all the people she’d met over the past year. When she found her parents, Virginia whispered excitedly, “I saw Patti LaBelle. And then we saw that actor from that show . . . I can’t think of the name, but we watch it sometimes on Thursdays. Deborah Anne, did these people all come to hear your new album?”

  Deborah nodded. “I’ve had so much support with this—things have happened that should never have happened.”

  “That’s when you know it’s nothing but God,” Elijah said.

  Deborah hugged her father. “I hope you guys like the album.”

  “Honey, when you exalt the Lord, you know we’re going to love it.”

  Deborah walked with her parents through the crowd, introducing them to the Capricorn executives and others. When the Petersons found the Waterses, Deborah couldn’t tear the parents apart.

  She was standing on the balcony when she heard Triage call her name. He had set up a small stage in the corner of the living room. She joined him as the crowd of over seventy guests gathered around.

  Triage took her hand and said, “I want to thank all of you for joining us tonight. This is an exciting time in our lives. First, and the most important thing, is that we are here to celebrate our love. In case you don’t know, in case you missed every headline in America, Deborah and I are engaged.” The crowd cheered, and Deborah and Triage kissed. Triage raised his hand, signaling that he had more to say. “But while that is the most important reason to me, there is another reason, near and dear to my heart. My baby is going solo!” The crowd cheered again. “But this is not an ordinary album. As Deborah says, this one is for the Lord. I’m going to let Deborah tell you more about it. So please, put your hands together for the love of my life, Deborah Anne Peterson.”

  Deborah was trembling when she kissed him. She had learned to stand and sing before thousands, but this was her toughest crowd yet.

  “First, I want to give glory and honor to God because He is the reason that I’m here.” She was surprised at the cheers that came from the group. “Second, I want to say that this album is my future, but you don’t have a future without a past. And I have been blessed with an incredible history, and overwhelming love from my parents, whom I want to thank tonight.” She stretched her hands toward her parents, and they beamed. “I love you, Mama and Daddy.

  “I feel like I’m standing at the Grammys giving my award speech.” She laughed.

  “You will be!” someone from the crowd yelled out, and the cheers continued.

&
nbsp; “Over a year ago, I was a little country girl, being blessed with the opportunity to sing with Lavelle Roberts. It was beyond my wildest dreams. And it was an important thing for me to do, because it led me to this place. There is nothing wrong with what I’ve been doing,” she said, looking directly at her parents. “It’s just that where I want to go now is on a different path. I could go on and on, but I think now, it would be best for us to introduce the album.”

  With a background tape, Deborah sang “The Secret Place,” one of the songs she and Triage had written, but the guests went crazy when she and Triage did a duet, “Ordained by God.”

  “My love for you is real,

  So powerful, consuming and oh, so true,

  I’ve found happiness that I never knew

  Because it’s been ordained by God. . . .”

  Deborah was sure that the ovation they received was the longest she’d ever gotten. Triage hugged her, and their parents joined them on the stage. But as the crowd continued their applause, the thing that touched Deborah the most were the tears that had filled Lavelle’s eyes.

  A week later, the album was released, and the reviews were immediately positive. The single, “Ordained by God,” had made three Billboard charts, and several times she and Triage heard it being played on the radio.

  But it was the call that came five days later that made Deborah drop to her knees.

  “Deborah, where have you been?” William asked. “I tried calling you on your cell phone too, and there was no answer.”

  “I didn’t know you were trying to reach me. What’s up?”

  “What’s up? What’s up is that the single has just gone platinum! This is incredible, Deborah. Congratulations.”

  The moment she hung up, she dropped to her knees, lifting her hands and praising God for success beyond what she could have ever imagined. “Lord, this is what You wanted me to do. Thank You, Father, for Your guidance and Your patience and Your goodness and Your mercy. . . .” She continued to pray through tears of joy, and she was still crying when Triage came to her door.