Molly's Promise

by Sylvia Olsen

  “Paige? Jealous? Of what?” Molly asked.

  “You, of course.”

  “Me? Why?” Molly asked.

  “Your hair, for one thing. Oh my gawd, no one will believe it’s you,” Nell said. “And your voice. I hear you can really sing.”

  “You are telling me that Paige, Miss Stunningly Beautiful, is going to be jealous of me because I got a haircut? Are you kidding me?”

  “Yes, that’s what I’m saying,” Nell said.

  Molly said, “Paige thinks I’m a pathetic nobody. Now I’ll be a pathetic nobody who got a haircut. And neither of you guys have even heard me sing, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Paige doesn’t need to hear you. She’s jealous because the guys say you are great.”

  “She never used to even look at Murphy and his friends until they became soccer heroes,” Molly said.

  Dede and Fi swiveled around and gasped when Molly entered the washroom. Before Molly had time to back out the door, Paige and Nell came in behind her. Molly was trapped.

  “Hey, have you guys seen Molly?” Paige asked.

  Fi and Dede said, “Huh?”

  “Duh. Molly. You know—Molly, the little boy. She’s trying to be a girl for a change. Now that she thinks she’s some kind of jazz singer, she’s got the hots for Murphy,” Paige said.

  The other girls fumbled with their ponytails.

  “Yeah, we just saw her,” Fi said. “She’s got a fancy hairdo.”

  “She probably thinks it’ll make her win on Saturday,” Paige said. She threw her head back and laughed hysterically.

  “She’s just jealous of you, Paige,” Fi said. She stepped in front of Molly and looked right past her, as if she wasn’t there.

  Molly’s knees felt watery. When she turned to find a way to escape, she couldn’t get her feet to move.

  “She’s going to totally embarrass herself this weekend,” Fi said.

  Paige shot a nasty look at Molly. “I’m terrified.” The girls laughed. “I’m not kidding. I’m terrified she’s going to ruin the whole show. She’ll embarrass us all.”

  Molly headed for the door. “Excuse me.”

  To her surprise, Paige moved aside. As Molly passed, Paige bumped her hard with her elbow. “Don’t think you can beat me, you little creep,” she said.

  Molly dragged her soggy legs into the hall.

  Murphy was waiting there with his notepad and calendar. He had already marked that day’s date with a giant X. “Five more days, Molly,” he said.

  “That’s not long,” Paige said, sauntering out of the washroom with the other girls behind her. “Does that mean you’ve decided to be my manager?”

  Molly leaned against the wall and slithered down to the floor. She wished she had the strength to stand up and tell Paige to shut her mouth. But she couldn’t move.

  Murphy said, “I thought I said Molly.” He turned to Albert. “Did you hear me say Molly?”

  Albert laughed. “I heard you say Molly.”

  “Did anyone hear Murphy talking to Paige?” Danny asked.

  Paige’s face turned red. She swung around and saw Molly sitting on the floor. “Looks like your singer is a real winner, Murph. I’m giving you one more chance.”

  Murphy ignored Paige and said, “You okay, Moll?”

  Jeff pulled Molly to her feet. Her legs felt like wet noodles.

  “I’m okay,” she said.

  Paige strutted down the hall with Fi and Dede close behind her. Nell was pale and shaky. She put her hand on Molly’s arm. “I’m sorry,” she said. “That was horrible.” Then she followed Paige and the other girls.

  “I booked the stage in the multipurpose room for three o’clock tomorrow to practice,” Murphy said.

  “Do I have to?” Molly asked.

  “Yes, you do. Forget those girls. They’re stupid,” Murphy said. “Tomorrow we’ll have a stage and a microphone.”

  “Grandma had a stage,” Molly said. She would love to forget the girls, but the competition was making that more impossible every day.

  Murphy said, “But you need to practice with a mic. Plus Clarissa’s going to be there.”

  After school the next day, Murphy and the boys were waiting for her when Molly arrived at the multipurpose room. And sure enough, Paige and the other girls lingered in the hall nearby.

  “Oh, hey, Murph,” Paige said, feigning surprise to see him. “What are you doing here?”

  “We’re on at three,” he said.

  Paige said, “I’m on tomorrow afternoon at four. You’re invited.” She pushed her hips a little closer to him. “If you want to watch someone worth seeing, that is.”

  Danny said, “Don’t you ever quit?”

  Murphy ignored Danny and Paige. “Okay, Moll, I googled using microphones, and I’ve got some stuff we need to go over.”

  “I’m listening,” Molly said.

  “The first thing is distance—the mic can’t be too far or too close from your lips.”

  “Sounds good,” Molly said.

  Nell appeared in the hall. She walked past Paige and stood in front of Molly and Murphy. She waited for Murphy to finish and then she said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Hey, Murphy, can I watch Molly this afternoon? Maybe I can help.”

  “Are you switching teams?” Danny asked.

  “Yeah,” Nell said. “I want to be on Molly’s team.”

  “Nell, are you kidding?” Paige said. “You’re my stage manager, in case you forgot.”

  Clarissa and Veronica came through the door. “Your playing is exceptional,” Clarissa was saying to her. “You might want to think of accompanying a singer sometime.”

  “Like Molly,” Murphy said, overhearing the conversation. “That would be awesome.”

  “No kidding,” Veronica said. “But let’s wait until after the competition. Can I join you guys for Molly’s practice?”

  Murphy nodded. “For sure.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Testing. Testing,” Jeff said, tapping the microphone.

  Molly sat on the edge of the stage with Nell. “Thanks for being here,” she said.

  “I’m so sorry, Moll. For everything,” Nell said. “I’m soooo done with Paige, Fi and Dede.”

  “Are we all ready?” Murphy asked.

  “Ready,” several voices said.

  “Then the show is all yours, Moll. Take it away,” Murphy said.

  Molly took her time. She held the microphone and breathed. It was quiet in her head. She looked out at the little crowd. They wanted her to sing. She waited until she heard music in her brain. She tapped her foot. She found the note. And she began to sing, “Summertime…”

  When she finished, everyone jumped up and cheered.

  Nell ran onto the stage and hugged Molly. “I can’t believe it. Why didn’t I know you could sing like that?”

  Clarissa turned to Murphy and said, “No wonder you want to manage this girl. You’ve got a star on your hands.”

  “Okay,” Murphy said. “Enough! We’ve got business to do here. That was great, Moll. But you have to use the mic more. And remember to stand straight. No slouching. How did you feel up there, Moll?”

  She didn’t want to say, “I love being on the stage.” But that was exactly how she felt. “Okay,” she said. She stepped forward and then back, trying to find the right distance from the microphone.

  “Hang on, Moll,” he said. “Clarissa, do you have any suggestions?”

  “No,” she said. “Well, I could say two things. Molly’s a star performer, Murphy is a star manager, and these guys in the audience are a star audience. So I’m thinking you guys have a winning team. Let’s hear it for all of you.”

  Everyone clapped.

  Clarissa turned to Molly and said, “Just make that mic part of your body.”

  “We’re ready when you are,” Murphy said.

  Molly put her lips up to the mic. “I go out walking after midnight, out in the moonlight…”

&n
bsp; The sound reverberated off the walls of the multi-purpose room. Her voice surrounded her like a blanket. It was like the wind, the sun and a rainy day all wrapped in one. She could feel the sound and taste it. She could see its color and shape. It was as if she could reach out and touch her voice. She sang high and low, loud and soft. When she finished, she felt ten feet tall.

  Clarissa shouted, “Oh! My! Goodness! Girl!” and the audience erupted.

  “Sit down,” Molly said. She pulled the mic out of its cradle. “I can’t sing properly just standing up here. I need to move around.”

  Danny jumped onto the stage and pulled the microphone stand out of the way.

  “Thanks, Danny,” Molly said. She held the microphone in one hand as if she’d used one all her life. “Now, once more, Mr. Murphy Manager,” she said.

  She walked the stage as she sang. The music was alive—she was alive. She looked out into the dark room. This is for you, Mom, she thought.

  On the way out, Veronica caught up to Molly and said, “You don’t need me playing with you. You don’t need music at all.”

  “But I’d love to try it sometime,” said Molly. “It would be really fun.”

  Paige and the girls were standing outside the multipurpose room, talking in low voices. From their sullen faces, it appeared they had heard Molly sing. Normally Molly would have avoided them. But today she looked first into Paige’s face, then into Dede’s and then Fi’s. They were all silent. And for some reason, the nasty things Paige might have been planning no longer mattered to Molly.

  On her way home from school, Molly thought about her promise and felt okay. One day she would sing to her mom. Just like she had this afternoon.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “One more day, Riverside,” Ms. Clarkson said over the PA. “I want all the competitors and their managers to meet in the multipurpose room at 12:15. I have a few announcements from the organizers.”

  By the time Murphy and Molly arrived, the room was almost full.

  Nell shouted, “Over here!” Nell and Danny had saved some seats up front. Paige, Fi and Dede were seated a few rows behind them.

  There were so many people in the room, it was hard to tell who were competitors and who were supporters.

  When Veronica came in, Murphy squeezed over to make room.

  “Thanks, Murphy,” she said.

  “Hello, hello,” Ms. Clarkson said too loudly. She needed Murphy’s help with the microphone. “Attention, everyone.”

  The audience quieted.

  “Congratulations. You’ve all put a ton of work into this. Now, I want all the contestants up on the stage to introduce yourselves. Not just your names. Tomorrow you’ll be asked to say a few words about yourselves.”

  Slowly the contestants lined up beside the principal. Veronica and Molly were the last ones onto the stage.

  One by one the competitors introduced themselves.

  Paige was fifth in line. She walked up to the microphone with a swagger, flipped her ponytail and said, “My name is Paige Nelson. I’m in grade seven. I go to Riverside, but of course all you guys know that already.” She giggled. “Why did I say that? Oh, and I’m going to perform a jazz dance called Dancing in the Streets.”

  Paige was right—she needed Murphy to manage her. No one had taught her about stage presence.

  By Molly’s count there were three singers, three singers with guitars, seven dancers and one pianist. When it was Molly’s turn, she took the microphone out of its cradle and said, “My name is Molly Jacobs. I am in grade seven at Riverside. I am really excited to get to sing Billie Holiday’s version of ‘Summertime’ at this talent competition. Thank you all for coming.”

  Ms. Clarkson ushered the competitors off the stage after their introductions. “What a good showing, Riverside students!”

  While Ms. Clarkson read the rules for the competition and Murphy wrote in his notepad, Molly gazed at the stage and thought about how wonderful it had felt to hear her voice echo through the room.

  Murphy elbowed Molly. “You better listen to this stuff. Twenty-three kids from the valley have entered.” For the first time, Murphy sounded nervous.

  “Finally,” Ms. Clarkson said, “we’ve just learned that not only will the winner receive a cash prize and a trip to Winnipeg, but Channel 2, which broadcasts across the entire province, is going to be at the competition tomorrow. The top three contestants will be filmed for thousands of people to watch.”

  Murphy jumped out of his seat. “Moll, did you hear that? You might be on TV!”

  Molly froze. She thought about her promise. If she was in the top three, her mom might hear her on TV. If that happened, her mom wouldn’t have to come home to hear her sing. Molly felt numb. Why hadn’t she been told this before? If she had known, she would never have entered the competition.

  Finally Molly understood why her promise was so important. She wanted there to be a reason for her mom to come home. Without that, she might never return.

  Molly’s eyes welled up with tears.

  Nell sat down beside her. “Moll, what’s the matter?”

  “Nell, my mom,” Molly said between sobs, wiping her face with her sleeve. “She might hear me on TV.”

  “That would be so cool,” Nell said.

  “No, Nell,” Molly said. “She can’t hear me that way. I promised. I want her to come home to hear me.”

  Murphy sat down on the other side of Molly.

  “A promise? What’s she talking about?” Nell asked Murphy.

  “It’ll be okay, Molly,” he said.

  “No, Murphy, no. My mom can’t hear me on TV. She’ll have no reason to come home if she does.” Molly got to her feet and ran out of the room.

  Murphy and Nell followed her into the hall. She slid down the wall until she was sitting on her heels. She buried her face in her arms and cried. Murphy and Nell kneeled beside her. Soon the boys, Veronica and Clarissa were gathered there too.

  “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” everyone asked at once.

  “I can’t sing in the competition,” Molly said, sobbing.

  “What are you talking about?” Danny said. “You’re going to win.”

  Murphy told them about Molly’s mom and frowned. “I don’t really get it either.”

  After school, Molly and Nell waited for the bus with the boys.

  “You quit just like that, Moll?” Murphy said. “Come to my place and talk to my mom. Maybe she can help.”

  “Okay, but I can’t do it. I just can’t do it,” she said.

  Molly felt like she was in a blender. Her words and feelings whirled around and turned into a thick, soupy clamor. She was dizzy and a little sick to her stomach.

  When the bus stopped, Murphy jumped off and ran into his house. Nell and Molly waited outside. A few minutes later, he came out with his mom.

  “Come on, girls,” she said, opening the door of her car. “Get in. We’re going to Molly’s. I’m going to have a talk with Trev.”

  When they got there, Celia handed Murphy a twenty-dollar bill and said, “Take the girls for something to eat at the market.”

  “What did you say to her?” Molly asked as she followed Murphy and Nell down the path to the store.

  “I told her about your promise, about the TV, about you crying, and I said you weren’t going to sing. She went into one of her rages and said she was going to talk to your dad.”

  “I’m so sorry about all this,” Molly said. “I’ll try and sing. But I can’t get in the top three. I just can’t.”

  “I don’t get it,” Nell said.

  “The problem is, Molly made a promise to herself a long time ago,” Murphy said. “That’s why she never let anyone hear her sing until now. She was saving her voice for her mom, so she would have something to come home to.”

  Nell still looked confused.

  Murphy shrugged. “It makes sense to Molly.”

  “Doesn’t someone know where her mom is?” Nell asked.

  “I don’t t
hink so,” Murphy said.

  “That’s crazy,” Nell said, putting her arm around Molly. “I’m so sorry, Molly.”

  “I’m the one who should be sorry for getting everyone into this,” Molly said. “I just wanted a reason for my mom to come home. If she hears me on TV, I won’t have that anymore. It might sound crazy, but it’s what I believe.”

  “I think I understand,” Nell said.

  “I don’t think anyone really understands,” Molly said.

  They all stopped and looked back as they heard the front door slamming. Molly’s dad had bolted from the house and jumped into his truck. Celia appeared in the doorway. “If you don’t tell her, I will,” she shouted after him.

  The tires squealed as the truck took off and disappeared around the corner.

  The kids hurried back and joined Celia on the front steps.

  “What’s going on?” Molly demanded. “What is it you’re not telling me?”

  “Your dad has to tell you the story, Moll,” Celia said.

  “Oh man. We have one day—not even that,” Murphy groaned. “We could have won tomorrow.”

  “This is not about winning tomorrow, Murphy,” Celia said. “It’s about Molly singing. And singing, for Molly, is about her mom.”

  “I need her,” Molly sobbed. “My voice is a gift for my mom. I’ve known it since I first listened to music and sang in my head.”

  “No, honey,” Celia said. “Your voice is your mom’s gift to you.”

  “What do you mean?” Molly asked.

  “Like I said, your dad has to tell you the whole story,” Celia said. “But I will say that your mom is the most incredible singer I have ever heard. Well, let me correct myself. Your mom was the most incredible singer I had ever heard until I heard you sing. You are even better than her. Way better. But you sound exactly like her. You even sing the songs she liked. That’s why your dad can’t stand to hear music. Your house was full of music when he lived with your mom.”

  And all of a sudden, things lined up in Molly’s head. She had heard her mom’s voice before. Of course she had. When she was a baby, she would have heard her mom singing.