Country Crooner (Christian Romance)

by Rebecca Lynn Clayson

  "Give me some time and I'll put some thought and prayer into the situation. I have a friend back in California who is a financial advisor. Maybe I can call him and see if he has any good ideas."

  Chapter 2

  As Chelsea started going through the things in her childhood home, she quickly realized that her week of bereavement leave was not going to be enough to sort through all of the stuff that had accumulated over the years. Her parents had lived in the home for 32 years, she was born a year after they had moved in, and they started the radio station the following year.

  32 years of accumulated stuff resulted in quite a lot of boxes for Chelsea to sift through. In the attic, she found old boxes of clothes, records, toys, books, and holiday decorations. She was reminded of many happy times as she opened each new box and discovered treasures from her childhood. It was almost like Christmas morning, opening one box after another to discover new items that belonged to her parents.

  As she sifted through her father's office, she found quite a bit of information relating to the radio station. One shelf in the closet was completely filled with all of the recordings from the past 30 years. It was interesting to observe the different formats of the recordings; the old cassette tapes, CD recordings, and the newer external hard drives. The juxtaposition of the technology made her stop and think about the changes that had occurred over the years, and she realized the many adjustments that her father had made to keep the radio station in business.

  She found files of old scripts and interviews in the filing cabinet. The desk drawer had mementoes and small gifts that her father had received from close friends and people who had been on his radio show. There were a few boxes in the bottom of the closet with outdated equipment from the radio station: microphones, headphones, and soundboards. Jerry had always resisted technology changes, and Chelsea guessed that he had a difficult time throwing away the old equipment because he felt as though it might still be valuable.

  Going through the things in her father's office was overwhelming, and Chelsea knew she would need to allow herself to grieve a little more before she could start to clear the stuff out of that room. Each item was a representation of the kindness that her father had shared with so many people, how was she supposed to get rid of those things? She felt as though she would be throwing away a piece of her father with each item that she got rid of. Some of it should be kept to remember her father by, but it wasn't realistic to keep everything… and her emotions were too tender to make those decisions so soon after his death.

  Seeing the items helped her realize just how much her father had loved that radio station, and how the station was such an integral part of his life.

  Since Chelsea's work had given her a week of bereavement leave, she still had time to work on other parts of the house before she would face his office. She decided to work on the office later in the week.

  As hard as it was to admit, she knew it was time for this chapter of her life to come to a close, because her father was no longer around. Her father had died, and so it made sense that the radio station would die along with him. She knew that her responsibility was to make the transition as easy as possible for the community who had loved and supported the radio station for so many years.

  Chelsea was exhausted from the emotional roller coaster that she had been riding, so she walked upstairs and lay down on her father's bed. It was comforting to smell the scent of his aftershave on the pillow and to see his wristwatch lying next to the clock on the nightstand. Everything seemed the same, as though he had just run to the grocery store and would be back in a few minutes.

  Chelsea rolled over and opened up his nightstand to see what was inside. The top drawer was stuffed full of letters, cards, and notes. She picked one up and started reading it:

  Dear Mr. Watson,

  We haven't met before, but I wanted to write you a note and let you know how much of an impact your gospel radio station has had on my life. I look forward to listening to your evening radio show every night as I prepare dinner, it is the bright moment in my day that uplifts my spirit and soul.

  I realize that there are people of many faiths that listen to your messages, and I'm grateful that you share a general knowledge of Christ for all to enjoy. Those true virtues and principles of faith are the cornerstones of what our society should be, and I'm so grateful to see people like you promoting the Good Word.

  It's refreshing to listen to the positive messages that you share, and I am grateful that you have stayed true to the traditional values that are quickly becoming forgotten by the rest of the world. More than ever, people need to hear the information that you have to share.

  I'm sure that running a radio station takes a lot of time and energy, and I'd like to thank you for your dedication and effort to share these good messages with people like me.

  Through your words, I can hear that you have a close relationship with God. It has inspired me to draw closer to God in my own life, and to strengthen my faith in order to be a better person.

  Keep up the good work, and know that we are listening and enjoying your messages.

  Sincerely,

  Doris Patterson.

  Reading the letter brought tears to Chelsea's eyes as she realized how deep of an impact her father had been on the community. This letter was the first of many that she read, and she saw similar messages over and over again as she thumbed through the other papers in the nightstand drawer.

  She didn't know how many letters were in there, but the heartfelt messages were a perfect representation of the people whose lives her father had touched. Some of the letters were recent; some of them were dated 10 or 20 years ago. Chelsea randomly chose another letter to read:

  To: Jerry Watson

  From: Kenneth Jensen

  Mr. Watson, I would like to commend you on the wonderful radio station that you have produced over the years. I tune into your station more than any of the other radio stations available in this area, and I enjoy my time listening to it in the car when I am driving to and from work.

  Last year, I went through a heartbreaking divorce; I found out that my wife had been cheating on me for some time and she decided to leave me for another man. I was devastated, especially because I was clueless about the fact that there was anything wrong with our relationship.

  When she left, I felt completely alone and didn't know what to do with my life. Your radio station helped to me to remember that God is always aware of my situation, and so I turn to Him for the comfort and peace that I needed. Because of your teachings about the Bible, I was able to draw closer to God. I am a better person despite my trials, and some of the credit should go to you.

  Thank you for your diligent work and the light that you share with the world. You are truly a man of God.

  Chelsea was touched by the handwritten notes, recognizing that her father had impacted the lives of people that he knew on a personal level, as well as strangers who tuned into his radio station on a regular basis. Over the years, his main focus was to help people find their way to Christ, and the letters were proof that he had made a difference in his work.

  The thought occurred to her was that there were probably more messages like this in his e-mail and through the contact form on the radio station's website. Her father had not used much online technology with the radio station, but he had hired someone to set up a basic website five years back and he knew how to check his e-mail. Surely, more people sent him thank you notes via email since digital communication became more common in recent years. Chelsea made a mental note to look for computer passwords so that she could access his online accounts.

  The bottom drawer of the nightstand held several volumes of journals that her father had written. She opened one of the journals and saw her father's familiar handwriting, and started reading through some of his entries.

  November 10, 2011

  Today I started working to put together the schedule for the Thanksgiving broadcast. As I was going through script plans, I
took a moment to ponder on the things in my life that I should be thankful for: my daughter, a comfortable home, so many great friends, and the opportunity to share the message of Christ with the listeners. I am so grateful to be in a position where I can preach the Good Word to those who want to listen.

  Some days, it's easy to get caught up in my own struggles and worries, but those are the times when I need to step back and remember everything that God has blessed me with. He never said it would be easy, but it definitely will be worth it.

  Chelsea flipped through the journal to see that her father had written consistently over the years. Many of the journal entries were short, but they all had good insights.

  February 24, 2012

  I am concerned about the financial state of the radio station. Now that the holiday season is over, I had a few more advertisers choose to not renew their advertising contracts. I know that God will provide, but I still find my faith weak at times. I need to remember that God is all-knowing, and even if I don't understand the final outcome... everything will work out in the end.

  I am grateful that I am blessed with strong faith and trust in God, and I really hope that things turn around soon. At this rate, I'm not sure how long I can keep the station going if I can't locate any more advertisers.

  Chelsea was touched reading her father's words, and she picked up another journal volume and opened a random page in the book to continue reading.

  March 2, 1989

  I am so happy to finally have found a career that is meaningful and enjoyable. After years of hard work, we are starting to see success with the radio station. It is great to talk with the listeners and hear that they are enjoying the messages that we are broadcasting.

  I need to keep pushing forward and sharing the messages of hope and love with my listeners. I feel as though I have finally come to understand my life's mission, which is to tell people about the light that can be found in Christ.

  As she read, flipped through other pages; she saw that he wrote about the joy that he experienced as he encountered various people who had listened to his radio show. She read about his feelings and emotions as he struggled to decide what he should do to increase the revenue of the radio station so that they could stay afloat.

  In his journal, her father didn't seem to hold anything back. It was as though those pages were his friend and confidante, a listening ear where he could turn to in times of struggle and in times of celebration. What a history he had left! Chelsea was so grateful that he had taken the time to record his thoughts, because she would be able to keep those words with her forever.

  The words on the pages helped her to understand the connection that her father had with this radio station and how much he had agonized over the financial decisions that he had to make. Reading the words of her father made it more difficult for her to think about the idea that the radio station would be closing. She couldn't bear the thought of closing the doors on something that had meant so much to her father.

  However, there was no way possible for the radio station to keep going. There was no one available to manage the show; someone needed to schedule and handle interviews. Mrs. Bullock was the only one left, and she didn't have the time or resources available to keep it going on her own. It was impossible to undertake such a big task with just one person, and there weren't any funds to hire more people to help.

  Chelsea knew that she could not manage the radio station from her home in California because she already had enough on her plate with her own job. She had worked for years to move into her current position with the company, and she couldn't throw that career progression out the window for a small-town radio station. Many sacrifices had been made on a personal level so that she could achieve the career success that she desired. She couldn't step away from her dream.

  She had created a new life. She loved her friends, nighttime entertainment, and the high-end restaurants that they enjoyed in California. She loved being close enough to be able to take weekend trips to the beach, and enjoyed the fast-paced environment of the office where she worked. She was on-track for a big promotion next year, and couldn't mess up her career opportunities by spending time on a small town radio station.

  She loved her job, why would she want to add even more stress into her overflowing schedule? Of course, the day-to-day work of contacting clients and trying to make arrangements with online advertising clients could be exhausting at times, but she dealt with it because she enjoyed the lifestyle that the money provided.

  Even if she wanted to give up her life back in California, there was no way that she could earn enough with the radio station to pay the bills. It was already struggling so much financially, that she wouldn't be able to earn an income because all of the cash flow would need to go towards paying off debt.

  Plus, the radio station had been her father's source of fulfillment; not hers. She enjoyed the time that she spent with him in the studio when she was younger, but as a young girl, she never had the desire to grow up to manage a radio station.

  Chelsea was feeling so torn about what she should do with the radio station. One part of her wanted to figure out a way to keep it going because she knew that her father loved it and it was such an inspiration to the people in the small town. Another part of her knew that the station faced a lot of problems, and the likelihood of success was slim. It would be much easier to close the doors and walk away, and she was inclined to follow the path of least resistance.

  She stood up from her father's bed and decided to head back downstairs to get a snack. She found some leftovers in the fridge from one of the casseroles that a neighbor had dropped off, heated a serving in the microwave, poured herself a glass of juice, and sat down at the table to eat.

  As she was chewing her first bite, she heard a knock at the door and got up to see who was there. Probably another neighbor, stopping by to express their condolences, Chelsea thought to herself. Out of habit, she peeked through the peephole of the front door to see who was out there.

  She could see a tall guy standing on the doorstep, with thick dark hair and baby blue eyes. He was looking off to the side, and she could see the strong line of his jaw and the five o'clock shadow of not having shaved in a day or two. He looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties-- and aging well, with a masculine look and the perfect balance between maturity and youth.

  He was wearing clothing that was typical of the small town: a pair of fitted wrangler jeans, a plaid button-up shirt filled out by well-built shoulders and arms, a pair of worn boots, and he held a cowboy hat in one hand.

  This guy looked vaguely familiar, and as she peered closer, she realized that she recognized the face. It was Kurt Arbuckle, she knew him from high school. They were never friends because he was two years older than she was, but she'd seen him around the school. In fact, every girl had seen him around the school. He was the type of guy that every high school girl went home and dreamed about at night. Some of her friends referred to him as "Mr. Popular."

  Kurt's family moved into the area when he was a senior in high school. Even though he was the new guy, he quickly made a lot of friends and became the heartthrob of the small high school. He always seemed to be off in his own world with his buddies, and didn't pay much attention to the people who weren't within his social circle.

  Chelsea knew that he had pursued a music career after graduation, but didn't know what had happened to him because he fell out of the spotlight a few years ago. She was surprised to see him outside because she had never seen him around town when she was home visiting each summer during the Fourth of July.

  Chelsea opened the door, curious to see why he was knocking.

  "Hi there! I'm assuming you’re Chelsea, right? I'm Kurt Arbuckle." He reached out in greeting to shake her hand, and noticed her acrylic nails and leather house slippers.

  "Yes, I'm Chelsea! It's nice to see you Kurt; I didn't know that you still lived here. It's been a long time."

  "I'm sorry," he stammered, "h
ave we met before? I knew your father, but I’ve never seen you around here. He mentioned that he had a daughter and told me a little bit about you, but I was pretty sure that we'd never met in person."

  "Well, we kind of met in high school. I was a sophomore when you moved here your senior year. We were in the same home economics class for a semester."

  Kurt thought for a moment and tried to remember talking with her in high school. It had been too long, and he couldn't place her in any of his high school memories.

  "It's hard to remember everyone that I met that year, because I was new to the school. I do remember that home economics class, though. It was a fun class."

  "Not a big deal, we were only in one study group and did our final project together." Chelsea said jokingly, but half-serious. Even though their group had spent a few hours working together on their final project, she wasn't surprised that he didn't remember her, because he always seemed to be self-absorbed during class.

  "I have the worst memory, and can never remember small details like that. Plus, my attendance wasn't great the last semester before graduation." He paused, and they stood there for a moment in uncomfortable silence. The breeze gently blew his hair and he squinted in the sunlight, as if he was waiting for Chelsea to invite him in. "Anyway, I know that you're probably busy, but I wanted to talk to you for just a minute. Is it all right if I come in?"

  Chelsea hesitated, should she invite a strange guy into the house? He didn't seem like he was dangerous or threatening in any way, so with a small mental shrug she stepped out of the way and opened the door so that he could come in.

  "I was just sitting down to eat some leftovers for lunch, are you hungry?"

  "No thank you, I just ate." Kurt looked around the front room and noticed a pair of patent leather high heels in the corner next to a designer handbag, a Cosmo magazine, and a bottle of Fiji artesian spring water. The accessories seemed out of place in the small town, humble home.