It's 3:00 a.m. and All's Well! (Tears of the Singer cont...Chapter 1, Part 1)

"It's 3:00 a.m.! " shouted C.J. as he locked the doors of Ramey-Jem's. The four remaining employees responded with a tired, yet enthusiastic, "And all's well!" C.J. Allen has been the proud owner of Ramey-Jem's for over 35 years now and the customary yell and response has been repeated every night since he closed the doors for the first time. Even his managers continued the tradition when C.J. was on a rare trip out of town. The parking lot, which moments earlier was full of cars, mostly pickup trucks, was starting to empty. Hours earlier the cars occupants had filled the club to capacity. They arrived angry, hurt, anxious and troubled. All of them had left at peace, profoundly changed by the magical tears of the mysterious stranger and his "song." It had been a full house tonight; "the Singer" was in town.

C.J.'s light brown skin was finally starting to show the wrinkles of age. His hair finally showing a touch of gray. His father, Charles Sr., had owned the place for 20 years before passing away in his sleep. Charles Sr., had purchased the club at auction, when the previous owner went bankrupt. It was rare at the time that a black man could own a club in the South, but C.J.'s father added some improvements, changed the name to Ramey's and he had made it work and now C.J. proudly carried on the family business. He had inherited Ramey's from his father and had added Jem to the name in honor of his sister. Jem Allen passed away when the family home caught fire the day after Christmas, when C.J. was 15. Jem was only 12 years old. His family grieved for years. It was " the Singer" who had finally brought relief to C.J. and his mother. It was a miracle. Ramey, by the way, was the name of his father's pet cat.

As the remaining staff, continued their closing duties, C.J. looked over to the corner of the stage. The Singer was packing his guitar into his case. This was the third time the Singer had visited Ramey-Jem's. He always took cash as his payment, never a check. C.J. was not even sure what his real name was. He might have mentioned his name the first time they met, but that was a couple of years ago. He was a young man, but he rarely smiled. He had the look of someone who always had a lot on his mind. The Singer wore a worn down pair of boots, which looked like they used to be a nice pair of alligator skins, a pair of blue jeans, a wrinkled white shirt and a faded brown leather jacket. "Where you heading next?" C.J. called out to him. "Not sure," the Singer mumbled, as he snapped the case shut. The Singer had never been much for words.

Ramey-Jem had seen it's share of famous folks. Clint Black, Don Williams, Alan Jackson and even Merle Haggard had performed on the small stage. All of them bringing fans and followers with them; but none of them packed the house like the Singer did. After all, they didn't have what the Singer had to offer. While the others provided entertainment, the Singer provided more. He offered something special; hope. Hope in the form of something so small.

The Singer moved towards the main exit. C.J. unlocked the door for his guest. "You sure you don't want to stay the night at my place tonight? Ruth (C.J.'s wife) will fix you up a mighty fine breakfast." "Thanks," the Singer replied wearily, "I'd better get going!" The Singer started out the door and then stopped. He turned around and put out his hand. C.J. took the Singer's hand and shook it. As they shook, the Singer pass a small "gift" to his host. "Had a feeling you might need this tonight," the Singer said. C.J. looked down. In his hand was a small blue crystal in the shape of a tear, it was glowing faintly. "How did you know?" C.J. replied, as tears started to well in his eyes; but the Singer had already stepped out into the darkness.

Tears of the Singer is a book that I am writing. It has been a while since I have written. Thanks to the encouragement of a co-worker at Starbucks, I am restarting my project. I will post 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, even if it is one little piece at a time. To read the Prologue, click here.