Enthusiastic laughing caused Josh to look away from his hot breakfast. Two young men, teenagers judging from the slightly bagging pants they wore. They were rapidly talking and laughing about the double dates they were going to have that evening. One of the young men caught Josh's attention. His messed brown hair reminded him of someone. He looked closer, trying not to stare. "Eric," he whispered to himself. His mind immediately drifted back in time.
Eric Chambers had been Josh's best friend since Kindergarten. He was impressed with Eric because he ate paper and could run really fast. They did almost everything together. They even took guitar lessons from Josh's grandfather together; at least until Eric learned percussion in the Jr. High band. It was with Eric that Josh first discovered his unique ability. His "gift" as his father called it. His "curse" according to Josh. One evening after watching Caddyshack, Josh and Eric came busting through the door of Eric's home, just like the two young men who just entered Lexi's Breakfast and Beds. They were still laughing about the Baby Ruth "doodie" in the pool, when they noticed Eric's mother standing in the entryway to the living room with tears in her eyes. Laughter turned to tears as Eric's mother struggled to tell Eric that his father had been killed in a car accident on his way home from work. Eric was devastated. Eric had been very close to his father, even closer than he was with Josh; now he was gone. Eric's relationship with his mother had been strained the past few years, as Eric had taken a lackadaisical view of God and religion. His mother was very big on Jesus and it hurt her to see Eric laboring with his own relationship with God. They had many arguments about it and they had grown distant.
Two days later, Josh and Eric were sitting on the edge a creek behind Josh's house. Josh had been trying to teach himself the latest hit song from the radio, when Eric arrived. "Have you talked to her yet?" Josh gently asked his closest friend, as Eric sat beside him.
"I don't know what to say to her," Eric said without emotion, "She doesn't understand me at all." "You need to say something to her," Josh pushed.
"Don't you think I know that!" Eric yelled.
Sensing his friend's anger, Josh backed off. He decided he would play a song that his grandfather had taught him. As Josh began to play he closed his eyes and prayed that God would heal his friend's heart. The soft tunes of the song filled the air. It sounded like a cross between a country-western song and a folk song from the sixties. His grandfather had taught him the song as soon as he mastered all the cords. The song had no words, but Josh had been experimenting with a few verses. After a few seconds, Josh began to sing softly; however, the words he had written were not the words that were coming from his mouth. He sang words he couldn't understand. To Josh it sounded like he was mumbling. He tried to stop, but he couldn't, the words kept coming and the guitar kept playing his grandfather's song. He suddenly felt the urge to cry, he tried to fight it; he had to stay strong for Eric. Despite clinching his eyes tighter, tears began to flow from his eyes. What would Eric think? Was he possessed?
Finally he stopped singing and the music stopped. He opened his eyes to see Eric staring at him with an astonished look on his face. "I'm sorry, Eric, I didn't mean...," Josh started to say.
"What is that?" Eric interrupted, pointing to the ground to Eric's left.
"What is what?" Eric asked, puzzled.
"That...that right there." Eric stammered and continued to point.
Josh looked down. Next to his left leg, was a small glowing object. He reached down and picked it up. It was pulsating blue and it was in the shape of a tear. "Where did this come from?" he asked. "You," Eric said.
"What do mean me?" Josh asked.
"You," Eric said again, "You started playing your guitar and then you started singing about my dad, my mom and me and then.."
"I did what?" Josh was confused, "I wasn't singing about that, I was singing...well, I was singing...well, I don't know what I was singing, but I wasn't singing about your family."
"Yes, you were," Eric said firmly, "and when you started singing about us, I looked over at you and you were crying. I mean you were really crying. Then suddenly that...that tear thing came out of your eyes and fell on the ground." Eric was speaking quickly.
"This came out of me? You've got to be kidding?" Josh couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I swear man, it came right out of your eyes." Eric was staring at the glowing tear. He couldn't take his eyes off it. "Can I see it?" Eric asked.
"I guess so," Josh answered and handed Eric the tear.
As soon as Eric touched the tear, Eric felt like he was full of static electricity. He felt like every hair on his body was standing on end and his arms and legs felt like that do when they go numb from lack of circulation. He started to see pictures in his head. He could see his mom at home. She was sitting on the couch looking at a picture of Eric and his dad. She was praying and crying. He could hear her plainly saying, "Oh, God please help me. I am scared. I don't know what to do. I love Eric, but he hates me, or at least I think he does."
"I don't hate you mom," Eric wanted to scream. "I can't replace his father, Lord, what do I do? What can I say to him? We need each other and we need you. Please Jesus, help us both."
At that moment, Eric could hear, see and feel his mother's grief and fear. He suddenly knew exactly what to say to her. He had to let her know that he loved her and that everything would be all right.
Eric's vision was interrupted by Josh shaking him. "ERIC...ERIC!" Josh was yelling. "Eric answer me!" Eric's numbness wore off.
"I'm fine." he mumbled. "Wow, what happened?"
"You went into shock or something," Josh was now speaking quickly himself, "You went all rigid and this funny grin came over your face. I thought you were having a seizure or something."
"It wasn't like that at all," Eric said, reassuring Josh. "Look, I hate to leave you right now, but I really need to go speak to my mom."
"Are you sure you are OK?" Josh asked concerned.
"I've never been better." Eric answered quickly, "I gotta go," and he got up quickly and left.
Josh was left sitting alone with his guitar and a lot of questions in his mind. What had just happened? Stunned, he slowly got up and walked back towards his house. He promised himself he wouldn't say a word to his parents until he figured out what was going on. He was a little afraid.
The next day Eric told Josh, how as soon as he got home, he hugged his mother and told her how sorry he was for arguing with her. He told her that he loved her and that they were going to be OK. He told Josh how he and his mother and talked all night long and how they had expressed to each other the fears they had and how they had prayed together. Eric said that tear had saved his family. Josh later learned that, even thought the tear had long lost its glow, Eric still kept it in a box under his bed.
"Honey, are you all right? You haven't touched your food." Jamie was standing over him with a look of concern, her smile was gone.
"I'm fine, Jamie, thanks!" Josh wondered how long he had been sitting there. "The waffles are fine." he said.
"Okey..dokey," Jamie said, "Just let me know if you need anything." her smile had returned.
Josh's stomach growled. He cut off a slice of waffle and put it in his mouth. Josh's mind was full of fresh memories, but his breakfast was cold.
Tears of the Singer is a book that I am writing. I am posting new segments from time to time and when I am finished I will publish it as a whole for the public to buy. For those who follow my blog...you can read it for free, or you can follow it on Goodreads, even if it is one little piece at a time.
