Tiger Moths (22 page)

“Okay, you guys, time to huddle. Now you know I’ve been in a low spot for a while, and I just want to thank all of you for staying close and not giving up or giving in. Tonight we are here for the right reason. I want you all to know that this is not a publicity stunt, despite anything you may have heard. This week here on the island has given me time to reflect on a lot of things. If I was not here tonight to entertain those people out there, I would not step foot on the stage. Now you guys know me, and you know that’s the truth. Most important, you know I love you all like family. Now forget about the reasons this concert was scheduled, and remember our reason for ever playing. Guys, let’s go have a good time.”

“All right, let’s do it,” they answered in unison.

Johnny walked behind Dale as he approached the stage. “Hey, you! Make it a good intro for me, okay?”

“Johnny! Hi! I didn’t get a chance to thank you for how you took care of Gracie today. You were wonderful. Thanks so much.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure. She is a great kid. Say, is that you I see running on the beach in the morning? I like to work out in the mornings too. Do you want to run together tomorrow morning?”

Dale was taken slightly aback. “You pick the darnedest time to ask people questions like that, but I run every morning, so if you want to join me…”

The stage director grabbed Dale’s arm again. “Captain Grayson, I hate to interrupt your conversation, but can we chit-chat later? The crowd is getting anxious.”

And indeed they were. The chant, “We want Johnny” was growing louder and louder. She wished she could see Gracie. She knew her little godchild was right in there, screaming at the top of her voice.

“Okay, let’s get going. And Johnny, I hope you enjoy the surprise we have for you when the curtain opens.”

He watched her disappear from the rear to the front of the curtains. Intrigued by her, he chuckled to himself. He was not accustomed to surprises in his show, but this was not just any show.

“Ladies and gentleman, good evening and welcome to the largest concert in Guam history. We are honored to have with us tonight the fastest rising star in country music. And we are all pulling for him to be the next entertainer of the year. Please join me in welcoming, all the way from my home state of Tennessee, Mr. Johnny Clark.”

Dale ran to get out of the way as the curtain lifted, and the crowd erupted in mad applause. The band played, in a subdued fashion, as Johnny ran out and waved to the crowd. Unlike most of his concerts, he did not immediately jump into his first number. Instead, he went to the standing microphone and spoke into it.

“How y’all doing tonight?”

Again screams and yells of “Johnny” rose from the crowd. Uncharacteristically, he hesitated for a few seconds. This was the first time he had ever been taken aback by what he saw. It was a small crowd of only two thousand, but every single person there wore orange or white glow sticks. In that moment he was completely overwhelmed. The sight somehow took him to a time before the fame, a time when a stranger told him his name would be in lights. He glanced offstage and saw Dale standing there, holding her glow sticks and swinging them from side to side. He smiled and winked at her.

“Wow, you guys look great tonight in your orange and white! Thank you so much; I love it. And I want to thank you for having me here tonight to perform for you. But before I go on, I want to thank all of you for what you do. You are America’s finest, and because of you we have the freedom to be Americans and to express ourselves. If it wasn’t for you, we would not be able to do what we do. So we thank you. And we dedicate all the proceeds from tonight’s concert to your family support center.”

Again the crowd cheered wildly. Someone to the right of center stage yelled, “We love you, Johnny.”

He laughed and said, “I love you too!” Then he continued. “You know I’ve been on your beautiful island for a week now, and I have loved my time here. It has given me some time to remember what matters, and to reflect on what we are all here on this earth for. And you know I’m no different than all of you, ’cause we all are here for one reason, and that is all about love. So tonight, before you go to bed, let the one you love know it. Now I met someone today who told me she loved me. And that was just so great for me to hear. I want to introduce her to all of you and ask her to help me out with this first song, because she swore to me that she knew every word. So I am going to ask my good friend Gracie to come on up and join me. Gracie, come on up here, sweetheart.”

Gracie’s eyes almost popped out of her head. None of them could believe that Johnny had called her up. She was frozen for only a moment, and then she jumped out of her seat like a rocket. Gracie ran to Johnny’s side and gave him a high five. He lowered the microphone to her height and cued the band. Gracie and Johnny sang side by side, and she did not miss a single word. The crowd ate it up.

Out of the corner of his eye, Johnny caught Jason standing backstage and smiling widely. He knew Jason viewed this as the ultimate PR move. But to Johnny it was just his down-home style.
It’s all going to be okay now, Jason; I’m back where I belong.

When Johnny looked to the other side of the stage he saw Dale still standing there. She was laughing with sheer delight as she watched Gracie. He caught Jason staring at Dale and could see that she was so in his blood that he had to have her. He remembered the feeling of that kind of love. The knowledge that you would do anything for the one you love, and that she would see that you were meant to be. No one in the world could love her as much as you did. If she would just give him one more chance she would see. Johnny could see it in Jason, but not in Dale.

In fact, Dale never saw Jason the entire concert; she never moved from where she stood. She knew Laura would understand would join them as soon as it was over. For now, she just stood and watched and listened to the young Café waiter who had grown into a true star. There was a quality in his music that she had never experienced before. Johnny sang from his heart; not just to people, but for them. He had a way of putting what most people thought or felt at some time in their lives into music.

In his music she relived her childhood, her struggles and triumphs, her friendships and her disappointments. She recalled her mistakes, and the lessons she had learned; her dreams she had let go of, and the ones she fulfilled. It was more than a concert to her; it was a renewal that she had much needed. As the concert drew to a close, she understood why everyone loved Johnny.

“Thank you all so much, may God bless you all, and may your country always pay tribute to you!”

The crowd cheered and cheered. It had been more than any of them had dreamed, and for Johnny it had been the best time he had had since the early days in Julio’s place. He walked backstage and grabbed a towel. Then he walked quietly over to Dale.

“Dale, those glow sticks were awesome. They reminded me of something that happened to me a long time ago. I was just a kid in Myrt….”

Jason cut him short. “Johnny, you were fantastic! I think you nailed the entertainer of the year award in this one concert. Wait until you see the press this will generate. Go on back and cool down; I’ll bring your VIPs back for photo ops.”

“Okay. Oh and Dale, you need to listen to this guy. He really does care about you, you know.”

“Yes, well, I’ll meet you both backstage. I have to go get Laura and Gracie. Laura is going to wonder what has happened to me.”

Dale found the two still in their seats. Gracie was talking non-stop about the concert and Johnny Clark. She had the time of her life, and would be talking about it for the rest of her life. Dale listened and smiled. It had been a magical night for the youngster. She knew full well what a profound mark this would make on young Gracie’s life.

The three walked backstage and waited for the crowd to thin. Dale excused herself for some punch, while Laura and Gracie waited to talk to Johnny.

She poured the punch and drank it thirstily. It startled her when she realized it had been spiked.
No punch for any of us from this bowl.
Her eyes watered from the sudden jolt to her system.

“Careful, two cups of that stuff and it’s not safe to drive.” Jason said.

His words caught her completely off guard. She jumped a little but managed to keep the punch in the cup.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He touched her arm to steady her. “Here, I think you need some food. Come on over. I’ll show you the best stuff.”

Dale replaced the punch with a bottle of water and followed Jason to the food table. A push-pull feeling still tugged at her heart as she watched him. There was still a spark there for Jason, she could not deny it, and what Johnny had said to her caught her off guard.
Does Jason care enough about me to talk to Johnny about us? Guys don’t do that unless it is a really big deal. Do they?

“Here, Dale, try the pizza; it’s the best you’ll ever put in your mouth.”

“Okay, you know I like pizza.”

She lifted the box top and started at the toppings arranged in a message: “I still love you.” Waves of emotion sent her stomach into uncontrollable spasms.

He met her eyes and she saw once again what she had seen in him. After all the years, through all the pain, there was still, deep-seeded in her heart, that enduring love for him.

“Jason, you know you hurt me so much. You hurt me because I gave you my heart. I don’t know if I can do that again.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“The only thing that was in our way before is out of the way now. No more lies or deceptions. I love you, Dale, and I want to be with you. I want us to have the wonderful life we both dreamed about all of those years ago. You make me a better person. We are meant to be here, to have this one more chance. It is our destiny. Please don’t give up on me, on what was meant to be. I will support you in your career, anything you want.”

“About my career, I am going back home for good. I am getting out of the Air Force. It has been a great experience for me, and I’m not sure what is next, but it’s time to go home.”

“I’m so happy to hear you say that. You see, the timing is perfect. You can come back to Tennessee, and we can start right where we left off. We can fall in love all over again. Dale, destiny has given us this gift; we have to take it.”

She fought the urge to fall into his arms. She wanted to open up then and there, and start rebuilding what they had at one time. But she held back, like she had done years before. She was still afraid to take the final leap. Emotion is not love.

Jason put both hands on her arms and kissed her forehead, like he had always done before. It was warm and tender and she welcomed it. Slowly she lifted her arms and put them around his neck. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly, she returning his kiss.
Be careful of your heart, my daughter.

Across the room Johnny and Laura were talking and caught the reunion. Laura nearly fell off of her stool. Johnny was perplexed but managed to catch her.

“I just can’t believe it. Johnny, this really is the land of miracles. I never thought I would see that.”

“What’s the story with those two?”

“Well, they were in love in law school, then she found out he was married. It tore her up; I mean she just about fell apart. Dale and I were roommates, but I wasn’t much of a support person for her. See, I had just found out I was pregnant with Gracie. It was a real pathetic story. The father didn’t want her. He wanted to pay for me to abort her. I was not about to do that, but I didn’t know where to turn.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me; I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to have that beautiful kid.”

“Yea, well he was an idiot and ended up doing jail time for dealing drugs. A real winner that one was. Well, despite her broken heart, Dale hung by me and Gracie. She finished school and supported us for quite a while, until I met my husband. That is why Aunt Dale is so special to Gracie and me. She is more than like family, she is family. And I swear to you, if he hurts her again I am not responsible for my actions.”

“Well, I can tell you he does love her. There is no doubt about that.”
What’s not to love? If it wasn’t for Jason I could fall for her. But I have to do unto others…

“She’s a special one, Johnny. I’m not sure Jason really appreciates that. I’m not sure many guys would.”

“I hope he does, Laura. I’ve only known her for a short time but I feel like I’ve known her all my life.”
Dale, you make me feel like a schoolboy again.

It had been quite an amazing night for them all, and Dale had a lot on her mind. So the next morning, while Gracie and Laura slept in, Dale moved quietly around the house and out the door. It reminded her of the old days, when she would run in the morning. Then she would bang around in the kitchen until Laura got up and cooked breakfast. Some things had not changed at all; she still ran and she still could not cook.