“When do you have to leave?”
“In a couple of days, but I’ll be back, though, around Christmas. Kandi’s having a big party News Year’s Eve and wants to…” Bradley’s voice died when she saw the stricken look on Desiree’s face. “I don’t want to leave you,” he confessed. “I don’t want to lose you, Desiree. You mean too much to me.”
“Follow your heart, Bradley. If you don’t, you’ll regret it.”
“What about you?”
“I have to follow mine,” she murmured, her heart breaking.
Bradley was up at the crack of dawn. He’s spent a restless night contemplating his situation. He loved Desiree more than he’d ever imagined.
Heavenly Father, I need your help, he prayed. I don’t know what to do anymore…
When he was done, Bradley lay on his bed playing T.C.’s sermon over and over again in his head. “Am I for real or for show?” he whispered. He went over his reasons for coming to Summerset in the first place. Bradley had to acknowledge that his motives weren’t pure—hadn’t been in a long time.
Until now he hadn’t really considered that the ensuing results were the consequences of his actions. He’d let his selfishness and bitterness color his attitude which carried over into his work. Sadly he admitted he hadn’t really been a nice guy in a real long time. He was blessed in that Desiree could see through it all. She loved him unconditionally.
“How can I hurt her like that?” His heart was heavy because of the way he’d treated Desiree and the choir members, but what pained him most was the way he’d allowed his ego to separate him from God.
Bradley’s eyes grew wet. “I’ve always known You were my strength and that if I trusted You, You would make all things right. I just didn’t trust You enough, heavenly Father. I know that I should rejoice in the privilege of serving You….” His voice broke. “I know that I am exactly where You want me to be right now. I know that—I wasn’t ready to accept it before bu—”
The telephone rang, cutting him off.
Bradley picked up the receiver. “Hello.”
“It’s Kandi.”
“Hi, I was just about to call you.”
“I have something you tell you all,” Desiree began after everyone had gathered in the choir stand. She stole a glance over at Alton and gave a sad smile.
Nina was immediately at her side. “Let me tell them,” she whispered.
“I have to do it.” Desiree cleared her throat. “Bradley—”
“I’m here,” a voice uttered from behind her.
She turned around to face him. “Bradley, what are you doing here?” Desiree asked in a low whisper.
Looking into her eyes, he replied, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. This is where I belong.”
“Bradley, are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” He turned to the choir and said, “Okay everybody, let’s get started.”
Smiling, Desiree walked up to the choir stand, joining the other members. As Bradley listened to them sing, he knew in his heart he’d made the right decision.
After the rehearsal, Desiree waited for Bradley beside his car.
“What happened to make you change your mind?”
“You and God. I think I knew from the moment I set foot in Summerset, Texas that this was where I belonged—at least for the time being. I just didn’t want to accept it because I wanted so much more. I love you so much, Desiree. Nothing is more important than spending the rest of my life with you.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t leave,” Desiree confessed. “I kept looking for you to call me and tell me you weren’t going, but when you didn’t…”
“Desiree, I still want you to be my wife.” Bradley pulled a tiny box out of his jacket pocket. He opened it to reveal a solitaire diamond ring. “Will you marry me, Desiree Coleman?”
“Yes. Yes, I will, Mr. Bradley Rhodes.” She held out her hand.
Placing the ring on the ring finger of her left hand, Bradley grinned. Onlookers in the parking lot cheered and clapped.
Desiree burst into laughter. “This is going to be all over town in about fifteen minutes.”
“Then we’d better head on over to your parents’ house right now. I don’t want them hearing about this from anybody else before we can tell them.”
Desiree rushed over to her car and got in. Bradley followed her in his car the short distance to her childhood home.
Chapter Fourteen
The Peaceful Rest choir received a standing ovation after their performance.
“There’s something I want to say,” Bradley announced off-stage after the choir took first place in the Statewide Gospel Competition for the fourth year in a row. “I want you to know just how proud I am of all of you. Y’all showed out.” He laughed. “I’ve learned a lot from you and I want to say thanks for allowing me to take part in this historical moment. This has truly been a humbling time for me.” His eyes traveled to Desiree and he smiled. “This will always be a special time in my life.”
“Don’t you have something else to tell them?” Alton pushed.
“Yeah, I do. Sorry.” Bradley drew his attention back to the other people standing around him. “Kandi Tate has asked me to be her manager and I—”
“You’re leaving,” someone from the back interjected. “I knew it.”
“Let him finish,” Desiree replied. “Just hear him out.”
“It’s easy for you. You’re going to be married to the man. First Grace leaves and now Bradley,” a woman beside Desiree huffed.
“I’m not leaving,” Bradley announced. “When I first came to Peaceful Rest Church, it was because I wanted to manage Veronica—I didn’t know she’d died until after I arrived. I was looking for the next rising star to put me back on top. But it wasn’t until I met you all and Desiree that I realized I’d been called to Summerset by God. This is where I belong—at least for the moment. As for Kandi, even though I didn’t take the job, the choir will still be working with her.”
“What are you talking about?” Inez asked.
“You all will be going to Dallas in a couple of months to record Kandi’s new album. She wants the Peaceful Rest adult choir to accompany her.”
“You’re kidding,” someone stated. “The Kandi Tate wants us to sing with her?”
Bradley nodded. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but I have every confidence that you all will rise to the challenge.” He reached out and embraced Desiree. “I have one more announcement. My fiancée and I have set a wedding date. We’re getting married in July. The twenty-second of July.”
They were soon surrounded by choir members and other well-wishers who heard the announcement.
Desiree wrapped an arm around Bradley. “I love you,” she mouthed.
“I am so blessed to have you in my life,” he murmured loud enough for her to hear.
“Why are you being so quiet?” Desiree asked Bradley later when they were sitting in the lobby of the Omni Austin’s hotel waiting for Nina and Alton to come down.
“I was just trying to figure out how I got so turned around. I stopped singing secular music because it no longer fulfilled me. Eventually I told myself that it was because I wanted to sing and write music that glorified God—that’s when things just got crazy. The truth was that I missed the excitement of being on top. I figured gospel music was another way to get there. It was about the show and not the glow.”
“Excuse me?”
Bradley went on to explain. “I was listening to my friend on television—he used to be pastor at Peaceful Rest …”
“Reverend Holloway?”
He nodded. “He talked about how Aaron had a show, but Moses had a glow. Moses glowed because he was having communion with God. He was hearing and receiving God’s Word. He even compared this to marriage. When we get married and if we’re not having a devotional life together, our marriage is in danger of becoming a show without a glow. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I do.”
“I was about the show and I thought because I was doing it in God’s name, that I was going to have everything I wanted. Listening to T.C. put me on the path to figuring things out. I was guilty of the very same things I accused all those singers I worked with. I had my own agenda which didn’t line up with God’s.”
“I think we’ve all been there. We’re human.”
“I know and I’m not beating myself up over this—I’m just saying that I’ve changed in a lot of ways. I’m finally on the right track, so to speak. Once I decided to stop looking for the light of the sun and start looking for the light of the Son of God, I feel such peace now. I haven’t felt this way in a long time. This is my ministry, I know that for sure. Everything I do going forward will be for the glory of His kingdom. Like Chronicles 5:13 says, ‘Indeed it came to pass when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music and praised the Lord saying “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud.’”
Taking Bradley’s hand in hers, Desiree replied, “Amen.”
THEN SINGS MY SOUL
Francis Ray
Acknowledgments:
Special thanks to my parents,
Mrs. Venora Radford and the late
Mr. Clinton Radford, who always believed in
me and taught me to always trust and believe in God.
—F.M.
Chapter One
“Caleb and Grace, I have wonderful news. Summerset’s city council wants you to work together to put on a gospel concert for Summerset’s Annual Harvest Celebration,” Harold Jenkins announced with a broad grin on his angular face.
Caleb Jackson barely kept his jaw from dropping at the Summerset Junior College president’s announcement. He didn’t have to look at Grace Thompson sitting stiff-backed beside him to know she was experiencing the same difficulty. For some reason she was the only professor in his music department who hadn’t immediately supported him during his first year as chair. From the polite but distant way she’d treated him since the beginning of the fall semester three weeks ago, the rest of the year didn’t promise to be any better. However, she was one of the best and most conscientious teachers he had.
“Took you by surprise,” President Jenkins continued jovially, his hands loosely clasped on top of the polished oval conference table. “I don’t mind telling you that the Board of Regents and I were very pleased and honored that the city council chose to recognize two of our teachers for their talent. You two continue to make us proud and put Summerset Junior College on the map. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”
Murmurs of agreement and approval came from around the oblong table where the dean and the chairs of the other fine arts department were seated. Caleb tugged at the knot in the black tie he kept in his office for “official” meetings. With President Jenkins smiling like a proud parent and knowing he had heeded Caleb’s advice and helped push through the increase for Caleb’s department’s budget for the current school year, Caleb was trapped. There was no way he could say he’d rather walk barefoot through a briar patch than work with Grace, and the feeling was mutual. “We’ll do our best,” he finally managed to reply.
“This is an undeserved honor,” Grace mumbled.
Caleb’s head snapped around to stare at her sharply. Was she taking a swipe at his musical talent?
“Well, I better let you two get to it. The celebration is less than two months away.” Standing, President Jenkins shook their hands. “As I said, I know, as always, you’ll make Summerset Junior College proud.”
“Yes, sir,” Grace said, another of those polite but strained smiles on her heart-shaped, cinnamon-hued face.
“Thank you,” Caleb felt obligated to add as the other people in the room crowded around to offer their own congratulations.
Trying to keep his own smile in place, he opened the conference room’s door. Grace shot him a narrow look as she passed. She must really be aggravated. No matter how much he’d sensed she was annoyed with him in the past, she’d never let it show, keeping her emotions under tight control.
“Professor Jackson, I think we should discuss this,” she told him as soon as he closed the door, the usual soft cadence of her East Texas drawl sharp with disapproval.
“Let’s talk about it without an audience,” he said, glancing around the busy hallway as staff, faculty and students passed them in the administration building. He’d ceased trying to get her to call him by his first name as everyone else at the school did when they were not around the students. But in that, at least, she wasn’t singling him out. “Room C should be available.”
Nodding curtly, she headed down the hallway toward the exit to the fine arts complex, her back straight and her head high, disapproval in every line of her slim body. A body that Caleb had thought on more than one occasion was put together rather nicely. Repressing another sigh, Caleb shoved his hands into the pockets of his well-worn jeans. Grace probably hadn’t liked it that he had shown up in jeans for the meeting instead of a suit. Letting him dress casually was another concession by the president and the Board of Regents.
He’d always been the laid-back, casual type. On the other hand, he’d never seen Grace wearing anything except a suit or a dress with a jacket. The suit she wore today was navy blue and white with a straight skirt. He felt hot just looking at her.
The temperatures during summers in East Texas could easily reach a hundred degrees. Grace never seemed bothered by the heat. She’d never been anything but perfectly dressed and she was usually perturbed that he wasn’t. They were direct opposites in too many ways to count. He wasn’t looking forward to their conversation, but there was no way around it. Lord, give me strength, he thought as he followed her toward the Meadow Fine Arts Building.
Arms crossed, Grace waited for Caleb in the soundproof music room, the toe of her low-heeled navy-blue pump tapping out an irritated rhythm. That man is as slow as molasses, she thought. The only time she’d seen him move with any degree of speed was when he was directing Revelation, the school’s nine-member Christian ensemble. And in her opinion, he showed too much enthusiasm. She was pleased for the college to finally receive statewide recognition for its music department, but she was troubled by the music’s upbeat tempo.
Caleb apparently had the ability to inspire and galvanize his young students, but he didn’t have to do it with that finger-popping, earsplitting music or by trying to dress hip and act like them. He refused to lead by example, something she had always been taught by the teachings of the Word.
She could hardly believe her eyes when she’d met him at the reception to introduce him to the faculty last summer. He’d worn jeans and a tan, raw-silk sport coat like some rock star and had been unapologetic for doing so. He was nothing like his predecessor, Dr. Abbot, a kindly man whose demeanor and dress were always respectful and above reproach. Just as important, Dr. Abbot had been as dependable as the sunrise and as steady as a rock. You never knew what Caleb would do or suggest.
Summerset Junior College had lost a wonderful teacher when Dr. Abbot retired after forty-five years of teaching. He’d been with Summerset since its beginning thirty-five years ago. He’d worked tirelessly to build and increase the prestige of the music department. It seemed almost unfair that an arrogant man like Caleb was able to do in a year what Dr. Abbot had never accomplished.
The door opened. For an endless moment she and Caleb stared across the room at each other. She attributed her increased heart rate to her growing annoyance. Her gaze lowered to his long legs disgracefully encased in revealing blue jeans. Dr. Abbot always wore a bow tie and a suit. That it was a bit rumpled was endearing. He wouldn’t have dreamed of meeting with the president in his shirtsleeves.
You’d think Caleb could dig up a jacket and a pair of dress slacks fro
m wherever he’d gotten that pitiful black tie. She’d learned early that he didn’t defer to anyone. “I’ve been waiting five minutes. I have class in thirty minutes.”
Releasing the door, he let it swing shut. “Since as chair of the department, I help make and approve the schedule, I’m well aware of yours, Grace.”
Her lips pressed together for the briefest second, then she forced herself to relax. She would not allow Caleb to upset her. She’d get this over with, then do what she had done in the past, stay out of his way unless absolutely necessary. “Knowing how busy you are as chair, I’ll be happy to take on the entire gospel concert by myself.”
Caleb folded his arms across his wide, white-shirted chest. “No way.”
“If you’re worried about me taking all the credit, I assure you that wouldn’t be the case,” she told him. She’d always thought he liked being in the limelight.
“You mean you’d lie?”
Grace gasped. She was so shocked, so incensed that for a moment she couldn’t speak. “Of course not!” she retorted. No one had ever questioned her integrity, but then she’d never met a person who provoked her as much as Caleb Jackson.
His long arms slowly dropped to his sides. “Then how do you plan to explain my absence at the practices if President Jenkins or one of the regents or city council members just happens to stop by?”
She didn’t have an answer, but she wasn’t ready to concede defeat. “Perhaps you could come to a few.”
“No dice.” He came to stand within a foot of her. “You’re not jeopardizing my job or my reputation because you and I disagree on how the music department should be run. You’re not a band director and you would be lost trying to fill in for me. The only musical instruments you can play are the piano and the organ. I play several others.”
How Sweet the Sound Page 9