About
The Book
O.C. Byrd is hard-working, handsome and newly married to the
woman of his prayers. With his sights firmly set on becoming a Gospel recording
artist, his determination is beginning to pay off, earning him a windstorm of
recognition at the local level.
But will both his widespread notoriety and his marriage be
jeopardized through the accidental discovery of his wife’s former lifestyle?
About
The Author
Dr. Congress is a Best-Selling, Award-Winning Wordsmith, Literary
Advisor, Publisher and creator of C.H.O.C. Lit™ Flavored Books (Christians
Having Ordinary Challenges).
She holds a BA in Human Relations, Masters in Theology, Doctor of Ministry degree in Christian Counseling and is a Certified Christian Life Coach.
She holds a BA in Human Relations, Masters in Theology, Doctor of Ministry degree in Christian Counseling and is a Certified Christian Life Coach.
Buy
Links:
Social
Links:
Facebook.com/DocVMC
Twitter.com/DocVMC
Email: littlelightprod@aol.com
Website www.DrViviMonroeCongress.com
Sneak
Peak
Chapter Ten
“Okay, let’s hit that once more from the top,” directed one
very perfection-driven recording engineer. Enoch “Z-man” Zimmerman is, by far,
the most on-point dude I know; nothing gets by him—musically speaking—and if
his name is attached to it, so is excellence. If I hadn’t known this about him
beforehand, I would’ve ended this session an hour ago. Old dude is dipping into
my pockets—deep. But, it’s all good. There’s no price tag on quality or knowing
that your creative vision is being birthed and we did cover a lot of ground in
these last two days. However, I was trying to come in under a budget since I
still have to get updated headshots and that, alone, can cost a mint. Needless
to say, the budget needs a budget.
From within the encapsulated sound booth, I quickly prepare
myself for a retake by clearing my throat and rolling my head to work out neck
and shoulder tension. This is the last track we’re recording, also my favorite,
and I can’t risk anything getting in the way of my sound. I’ve reworked the
lyrics and rearranged the music to Will Downing’s All About You and in a
play on words, I decided to use the working title, All About Him, for my
CD. Z-man, who was previously in a zone setting the levels on the control
panel, gives me his ‘look,’ the one that says, any minute now…waiting on you.
Closing my eyes, I ease into the moment by thinking of the
unending blessings God has poured into my life, most recently the love and
devotion of a woman who loves Him as much as I do. I give Z-man a thumbs up,
our non-verbal cue that I’m ready to record. Through my headphones, I hear the
music intro and seconds later, Z-man‘s voice comes through in a word,
“Rolling.”
Swaying side to side, I’m feeling it and without forethought,
I take ownership of the musical moment and sing, “I’m not a perfect man, I
do the best I can…”
Inside of four minutes, Z-man shouts, “Perfect!” and just
like that we’re done. Demo complete, mission accomplished. Talk about feeling
good … man!
Collecting my sheet music from the copy stand, I give the
booth the once-over and scan the small space for other belongings I might have
overlooked. As if handling a Ming vase, I carefully place the headphones on the
overhead hang. Lord knows the last thing I need now is to have Z-man add
something else to my currently swollen studio tab.
“You know, O.C., I believe your voice has gotten much
stronger. Not at all like when I first recorded you a few years back. You’ve
got a more mature sound.”
Beaming with pride, “Man, a lot has gotten stronger and
better with me.” I strike an impressive bodybuilder crab pose, careful not to
flash the shiny new article of jewelry that now resides on the ring finger of
my left land. We both laugh and post up a high-five on it.
“Oh, I know that look. Had it once upon a time myself,” Z-man
reflects. “That’s the look of a man who’s found his better half. Congrats
again, man. I wish you the best.” His voice fades as though he’s been a
casualty of love. And while his wound may still be fresh, he is no love reject;
he’s recovering from the death of his wife earlier this year.
“Thanks, Z,” I respond. Placing a sympathetic hand on his
shoulder which serves as a point of contact as well, I whisper a brief prayer
for his healing. “That means a lot, man.”
“I miss her, O.C.” his voice slightly cracking, “I miss her a
lot.” Z-man’s body slowly slumps in his chair, his eyes misting despite his
best efforts to blink back the tears.
Identifying with his pain in the presence of my own joy is a
real challenge, but I do my best to console him anyway.
“You and Maggie…watching the two of you was…was…well,
inspiring. Y’all were so in sync. I’ve never seen anything like it except for
my Mom and Pops, of course.” Although I did my best to encourage Z-man, Goddess
is the pro at this kind of thing since she deals with death and sorrow every
day for a living.
I watch as a nostalgic smile sweeps across Z-man’s face. I
must’ve said something right. Unfolding his grief-tormented body, he sits
straight up and releases a fraction of his pain through a loud exhale,
“Remember this…if this were your last day on earth, what would you look at more
closely, more intensely? What would you appreciate? What would you want to
savor? What would really be important to you?” He pauses and appears to
be thinking about his next words.
Autograph Copy
THANK YOU for blasting with me!!
ReplyDeleteContinued blessings,
Doc V
Wish you all the best Dr. V
ReplyDelete