A Time to Heal - 15. Chapter 15

After everyone was seated in the theatre, the house lights dimmed with a single spotlight on center stage in front of the closed curtain. The students operating the lighting were doing a great job. I was seated in the front row. I then saw Izahk step onto the stage from the wings. He stepped to the micophone. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to AngelWork Theatre for our first production". The audience applauded. "A little over a year ago, I sneaked into this old building through an unlocked back door. I could see how this old high school could be a theatre and a recording studio. I discussed my ideas with my partner, Mr Ray Branson, who surprised me by telling me to 'Go for It'. I then approached the school board about purchasing the building. With the support and guidance of Mr. Crumbee and the board, it was purchased. Then with the support of many other people, what was a dream is now a reality and you are the reason a dream is now happening..give yourselves a round of applause". Everyone who had played any part in the restoration and renovation of the building was seated in his dream at that moment. They and he were living the dream. 'And now, please join me in viewing a video presentation of AngelWork from start to Now. He stepped aside revealing a stage size screen showing the building and the work and workers from a worn-out old wreck to a Broadway level theatre plus the rehearsal areas and the recording studio. Then the curtain dropped slowly . Izahk again stepped to the microphone with a single spotlight. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Mountain Gospel Choir lead by Miss Edie"

When the curtain raised the screen had been elevated revealing the choir in all-white robes and a set designed and built to look like an old mountain church interior. Miss Edie raised her hands, the piano player..none other than the professor, began playing the first bars of an old mountain gospel song. The choir sang in perfect harmony with their bodies swaying like they did at Granny's church. When they finished to a loud round of applause, the youth choir all appeared from both sides of the stage in street clothes. Those kids looked great..young, youthful and vibrant. Izahk followed them onto the stage in his white choir robe. They stood in front of the adult choir with Izahk facing them. When he raised his hands, the professor began playing, 'Oh Happy Day'. I thought, "I sure hope that he features Jermaine singing the lead". Those kids rocked the stage. They were more animated than I had seen at the church. Young Jeramine stepped forward with even more confidence and sang from his heart. His young voice that soon would be a baritone like Izahk's sang in perfect key and then at the same point in the song, he wailed those high notes. The audience was on it's feet. They loved him..they loved the youth choir and the adults backing them all up. Rocking, swaying, dancing..it was infectious. We were all standing and swaying and clapping with them. When the uproar stopped. Miss Edie and a man with a deep bass voice stepped forward to join Jermaine. Then his sister Tracie joined them. They sang 'His Eye is on the Sparrow' with Tracie singing the lead. Again the house roared in appreciation. The stage lights dimmed while the performers exited the stage. Then I saw Izahk return in his suit accompanied by a middle-aged man in a tux. "Who is that?. I thought. Besides him, I would discover that there were more surprises to come.

In the building process, One day, Izahk and I walked into the rehearsal room to discover one of the electricians working on some lights. I could hear him singing to himself since he thought he was alone. Izahk walked over to him saying, "Eddie, what were you singing?"

"Oh it was nothin', I like to sing old Sinatra songs"

"I think it was really good, Eddie..you have a wonderful voice". Eddie looked embarassed since he had been 'caught' singing. "Keep singing, Eddie, you are good.

"Thank you, Mr Izahk" We left the area to attend to other things. At the first night, it was Eddie Johnson the Sinatra singer in a tux. Izahk stepped to the microphone announcing, "And now ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome Mr Eddie Johnson". Eddie ripped into an old Sinatra standard with the professor on piano and the student orchestra playing from the orchestra pit. I was dumbfounded. That man could sing and he had a stage presence that was contagious. I saw the seeds of what Izahk had dreamed. He would give people a chance to perform..a real stage with a real audience and top-of-the line equipment. AngelWork had started its plan. It was happening. When Eddie finished, the audience once-more was on its feet for a 'local boy'. I learned later that Izahk had coached Eddie privately without my knowing it. After the applause died down, Izahk joined Eddie in a duet. It brought them back up in applause.

The show went on. The kids from the high school and university did numbers ranging from voice to dance and instrumentals. The audience loved it. At the end, Izahk stood alone on stage in a single spotlight singing 'When You Believe". His snow-white poodle hair glowing as he sang from his heart as he always did on Broadway. Then the single light dimmed slowly as Izahk left the stage. The audience was standing, clapping, whistling, and demanding, "MORE..MORE". Then I saw the curtain raise again with everyone who had performed filling the stage. The student orchestra began playing 'America the Beautiful'. All the performers became a large choir singing the song. After the applause ended, Izahk stepped forward thanking the audience for their support announcing that in a month, the next performace would be staged inviting everyone to join the cast in the rehearsal area for a 'meet and greet session'. That room was packed with people milling around talking. laughing and congratulating the performers. After the the building cleared out, Izahk and I were alone, "You did it, Baby, the show was a hit".

"It was all because it was Angel Work. The angel told me in the hospital my gifts would heal people. I promised myself then to use my gifts to heal" Then he gave a long hug. We stood there alone holding each other. Then he kissed me. I held my angel closely. On the way home, he told me that he had coached Eddie the first time. "I was too hard on him, sir. I knew he could do it". Then he told me that Eddie looked at him saying. "I cant do it", then walked out of the rehearsal room.

"What did you do then, Baby?"

He told me that he sat down on the floor and cried. He said he looked up after about ten minutes to see Eddie walking back in. When he saw Izahk sitting there crying, he looked at him and said, "Dammit, Izahk, if you dont stop that crying, you are going to get me crying". Then he said that Eddie reached out his hand to lift Izahk up by his hand and they both were hugging and crying. "I really wanna learn to sing and dammit, I am gonna try if you'll give me another chance". Izahk said he then put his arm around Eddie's shoulders saying, "How about we do a duet?" It was then that Eddie seemed to loosen up..relax..let his heart go into the music.

"And the duet we sang tonight was the song we sang that day. I cut him a deal.... if you will sing a solo, I will sing a duet with you".

"What did he say back"

"He said that if I asked him to sing naked out front he would do it for me".

"Did you?" We were both laughing from fatigue and the moment.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..I didnt, sir",

"Well, if you do, invite me..he is handsome, Baby"

"More than me, sir?".

"Almost, but you have more hair". He punched me on the shoulder and grinned. He knew that I would always think he was the best-looking man on earth. Then he said, "And he kisses good too". I punched him on the shoulder.

'You didnt did you"

"No, but I wanted to", he said grinning from ear to ear.