Brother Willy's Traveling Salvation Show (3 page)

CHAPTER
IV

Michelle
left in mid June to visit Tom and meet his parents. When she returned, she said very little about her engagement or anything related to her wedding plans. For all practical purposes, life was more or less normal for Michelle and Scott. They were both still looking for jobs, spending days at the beach, and they were both coming to realize their carefree way of life could not continue. Part time jobs were not going to sustain either of them going forward and they knew time was running out.

Scott
had known for some time that Michelle was Betsy and William Broughton’s niece and that Michelle was very close to her Aunt Betsy. What he had not expected was the invitation to attend a cookout at the Broughton farm on the night of July 4th. Scott knew William and Betsy well enough to speak and carry on a conversation, but he didn’t really see himself fitting into their social circles. He therefore assumed his being invited to the cookout was in deference to Michelle. Scott was wrong in his assumption and his experience on the Fourth of July would be a life-changing event.

He
was reluctant to go, but Michelle insisted she did not want to go alone and therefore, Scott had to go with her. Her argument was based on a friendship rule they made with each other while still in high school. As it turned out, his reluctance was not well founded as Betsy and William had the ability to make Scott feel as if he were part of the family.

They
arrived at the farm shortly after five thirty in the afternoon. The first thing he noticed was the beautiful two-story antebellum home. Scott assumed the house was a typical plantation home and was large enough to be impressive in its own right. Large white columns extended from the porch to the second story roofline supporting a second story walk out balcony. A very large brick chimney penetrated the roof near the center of the house. Original white clapboard siding provided a perfect contrast for the black shutters beside the windows. The front entrance was both wider and taller than normal, flanked by sidelights with a large elliptical window above the door.

Not far from the house,
Scott could see barns and grain silos surrounded by what he assumed were hundreds of acres of soybeans. The yard was thick and deep green in color with the bushes and hedges trimmed to perfection. Betsy’s flowers were in full bloom adding a large variety of colors to the picturesque landscape.

They
walked beside the house to the back yard where the others were already gathered. As Michelle and Scott turned the corner, they saw her parents, George and Sally, talking to Betsy. What he did not expect to see were Scott’s parents, Mark and Sandy, sitting next to William Broughton. It was obvious from listening to the conversations that they all knew each other quite well, yet he had never heard his parents ever mention William or Betsy.

Shortly after
they arrived, Joe, Anna, Hank and his new girlfriend Nancy came along to join the party. As they made the rounds greeting each person, Scott could not help but notice the extra attention his parents gave Michelle as his mother hugged her and his dad gave her a kiss on the cheek. Neither Michelle’s nor Scott’s siblings were at the party making them the only ones present under the age of forty-five.  

Throughout dinner, there was no shortage of interesting conversation, jokes, and stories of days and
events gone by. There was a nice variety of food and all of it had been prepared to perfection. Scott was very interested in listening to Betsy, as she was a very graceful and intelligent woman who could command attention with her soft-spoken ways. Scott was equally impressed with the more boisterous William who appeared to possess a very broad range of knowledge and experience. 

After
they finished cleaning up the dishes from dinner, Hank, Joe and Betsy took out their guitars and violin and began to play. They played an interesting variety of music including bluegrass, classical, old rock and some typical sing along songs. Two ideas crossed Scott’s mind as he watched them perform. They were each talented musicians and they obviously played music together quite often. Frequently, they would make the transition from one song to another without stopping or even looking at each other for direction. In some respects, it was as if he and Michelle were watching a prepared concert. 

What had been a nice
Fourth of July cookout was starting to become somewhat strange. William held up two fingers, apparently sending some type of signal, which everyone except Michelle and Scott understood. Without hesitation, they all stood up and began to sing the first two verses of “We Shall Overcome”. At then end of the song and without a word being spoken, they all started walking away toward the barn. 

Michelle
and Scott were sitting at the picnic table with Scott’s dad and Michelle’s mom, who remained seated with them. Michelle and Scott continued to watch the others walking away in a group and Michelle apparently shared his curiosity. “Where is everyone going, mom?”

Sally
glanced at Scott’s dad for a moment before she spoke, “Your Uncle William has a proposition for both you and Scott. 

Scott
took his turn to question Michelle’s mother as he watched Michelle’s expression. “Is this like a job offer?”

Sally
knew where Scott was going with his question and took the opportunity to bring his Dad into the conversation. “Mark, I think I would describe it as a chance to broaden their horizons. What do you think?”

Mark
nodded his head. “I agree with Sally and I would add that it is a job and also a chance to gain some insight into your life.”

Michelle
started laughing as she turned to Scott. “It sounds like a commercial for the US Army. Can you be more specific?” 

Neither
Scott’s dad nor Sally so much as smiled, indicating they were both very serious. Sally was rather direct in her reply. “I would suggest you take this as a serious matter because it is a one time offer.”

Scott
came quickly to Michelle’s defense and was equally serious with his response. “It would be hard for either of us to consider the offer when we don’t know what the offer is.”

Michelle
also pointed out something that Scott thought should be obvious to all. “Mom, you do remember I am getting married, don’t you?”

Scott
’s dad chose to reply to Michelle’s question. “Little girls, big girls, engaged girls and married women should always be aware of their options. Many women go through life never understanding their choices. Being married does not deprive you of your right to choose your course in life.”

Sally
chose to approach Michelle’s concerns from a different perspective. “You do not have to make any decision tonight. All you have to do is agree to a few simple rules and then you are free to take this opportunity or leave it.”

Michelle
was the type of person who rarely drifted far from her comfort zone without knowing what she could expect and tonight was no exception. “What are the rules?”

Sally
began to speak after glancing at Mark. “Michelle knows, and I suspect Scott is quickly learning, that her Uncle William has a flare for the dramatic. Before he will make you an offer, he wants to know that each of you have the ability to act.”

Scott
’s expression should have easily revealed his sense of astonishment. “Do you mean acting as in being in a movie or on stage?”

Mark
nodded his head and replied, “That’s all there is to it. You will be given a script to read and then you will be asked to improvise for a few minutes.”

Michelle
spoke without hesitation, “We don’t know anything about acting”.

Mark
took issue with Michelle’s proclamation. “Actually, we think both of you have a natural talent that William would like to evaluate.”

Sally
spoke immediately after Mark finished his statement. “Here are the other rules. Once you agree to begin William’s evaluation, you have to stay with it until the end. In addition, you may not question or object to the directions you are given.”

Mark
and Sally stood up from the table at the same time he was giving Michelle and Scott their final comments. “You have ten minutes to make your decision. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, come to the barn. We are your parents and you have our word that we believe this is something in your best interest.”

Sally
was about to turn away, but remembered one final condition. “Betsy will be the director. You are to take instructions from her and only her. You have no obligation to listen to anyone else.”

When
their parents were too far away to hear their conversation, Michelle turned quickly to Scott. “Did you put them up to this?”

Scott
was assertive with his defense. “You invited me to this party, so it wasn’t my idea. Besides, they’re your family so how should I know what they are doing?”

“Well your mom and dad were here too, so it’s not just my family. In any case, what do you think they are up to?”

Scott answered her question only after a few moments of deliberation. “I don’t know, but my dad was serious. I can tell when he’s joking and he was not playing a game tonight.”

Michelle
wrinkled her nose suggesting her confusion was growing. “Mom wasn’t joking either. Do you want to take a chance and see what it’s all about?”

Before
Scott committed to the plan, he wanted to make Michelle aware of his observations. “Did you notice near the end when William held up two fingers, everyone knew what to do without any discussion? It was like they were all behaving in accordance with some prearranged plan.”

“That was so strange. It felt like you and I
were the only ones that didn’t know what was going on. I wish you could have seen the look on your face when everyone started to sing at the same time.” She replied.

Scott
glanced at his watch before speaking. “You were just as surprised as I was. Anyway, we’re running out of time. You’re getting married and going up north to live and I plan to leave New Bern at some point, so I guess this is your decision to make.”

Michelle
appeared either frustrated or perhaps resentful with his suggestion. “Scott, this is not my decision. This is our decision to make together.”

They
talked for a few more minutes and agreed to see what was going on with their families. Scott put his hand on her shoulder just as they reached the barn. “I want to talk to you alone about something when we get finished here tonight.”

Michelle
looked up at his face and replied, “Yea, I think we do need to have a very serious conversation.”

Betsy
met them at the door leading into the barn. Michelle’s mouth opened wide as her level of disbelief matched Scott’s sense of amazement at what they saw. The barn was made to resemble a theatre with the stage to their right as they entered. Placed before them were at least fifteen rows of chairs with ten chairs in each row. All of the cookout guests were scattered around in the seats in the last four rows. William and Hank were seated at the sound and light control board in the very back of the room. The lights on the stage and in the seating area were all dim as Betsy led Michelle and Scott to the stage. 

Michelle
and Scott were left alone on the stage for a minute or so while Betsy went to pick up the wireless microphones. Michelle was astonished with her surroundings and kept looking at Scott with an expression of both disbelief and slight confusion. Scott kept watching her until he realized Michelle wanted him to offer some sort of explanation that he clearly did not have. A nervous smile appeared once she realized by his facial expression that he shared her confusion. 

Scott
moved closer to Michelle to whisper in her ear, “We can still make a run for it if you want to leave.”

She whispered her thoughts quickly
when she saw Betsy returning, “This is too weird even for my crazy family.”

Betsy
attached a wireless microphone to Scott’s shirt collar and she hooked one on the neckline of Michelle’s tee shirt. She then asked Michelle to say several sentences in order for Hank to adjust the microphones. Michelle turned to face the small audience while holding up an imaginary statue. “I would like to thank all the little people who made this award possible. This award belongs to so many people I can’t begin to thank them all, so let me just say thanks to my mom and dad who believed in me.”

Betsy
then pointed at Scott, and like Michelle, he turned to face the audience before speaking. “I suppose by now many of you are wondering why I have asked you here tonight. And to be completely honest, I have been wondering the same thing.”

Betsy
took several pieces of paper from the table giving a copy to Scott and one copy to Michelle while keeping one copy for herself. “I will give you a few minutes to read over this and then ask you to perform this scene. Michelle, you are waiting to board a train and the year is 1965. You are leaving town to make a new life for yourself in the city. Scott, you have come to the train station to tell your very close friend goodbye, but you hope you can change her mind. Do either of you have any questions?”