| Chapter 81: All or Nothing 5 months later “So what do you think Lau? You like this cut?” Laura showed Lauralee the sketch. “I think I like the other one better,” Lauralee grabbed a sketch from the already growing pile on the kitchen table. “The cut seems more modern.” “True,” Laura gathered up the pile and put it in her bag. “So which color?” “I’m partial to pastels myself,” Lauralee looked at the swatches. “How about this periwinkle?” “Eureka! That’s what Kevin said he liked,” Laura grabbed the swatches. “Periwinkle it is. OK, dresses done, now mine,” Laura grabbed another pile of sketches from the table. “Damn, so many to choose from.” “It’s your wedding dress. You have to be choosy about it. After all, Kevin will remember what you look like in that dress for the rest of his life.” “I got plenty of time,” Laura sighed. “On that note, I’m sick of this stuff. How about a dip in the pool?” “Heaven. Let me get my…” Lauralee was interrupted by the phone and answered it. “Hello?” “Is this Lauralee?” “Who is this?” Lauralee was out of eyesight of the Caller ID. “You may not believe me, but this is Michael Greene.” Lauralee looked wide-eyed at Laura. “The president of N.A.R.A.S.?” “That’s the one.” “Well, what can I do for you Mr. Greene?” “First of all, I want to express my sympathy on behalf of N.A.R.A.S. about Veronica. She was a true talent.” “Thank you.” “On that note, the Academy would like to invite you to perform at this year’s Grammy’s. We want to do a special tribute to Veronica and we would like you to perform as part of that tribute. Usually I have a representative contact performers, but I figured this should be personal.” Lauralee’s eyes continued to bug out of her sockets. “Wow, uh, I would like to discuss this with the others. We will get back to you as soon as we have an answer.” “Good, talk to you soon.” “Goodbye.” “Goodbye.” “Lau, what’s going on? You look like you had the wind knocked out of ya,” Laura faced her as Lauralee hung up the phone. “We need to talk. All of us.” Lauralee called up Elizabeth and Bianca. ~*~ “OK, what’s this all about?” Elizabeth took a seat on the couch. “Michael Greene called me and he wants us to perform at the Grammy’s as a tribute to Veronica,” Lauralee sat down as Angel climbed on to her lap. “You’re kidding,” Bianca leaned forward in her seat. “So what did you tell him?” “I told him I would discuss it with y’all first.” “OK, so what you all want to do?” asked Laura. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Lauralee looked at the girls. This was the turning point, do or die. She knew if they turned it down, Elegance was over, beside the fact they had decided to stay together. If they accepted, she knew they were going ahead with their careers. “This is a group effort girls. Do we do it or not?” Lauralee asked. “Truthfully… I’m scared about performing again,” Elizabeth avoided Lauralee’s gaze. “Me too. I mean…” Bianca started. Lauralee stopped her. “Look, months ago we said we were going to perform again. This is a sign people! We’ve been so wrapped up in our own lives that we forgot about the group! This is more than the Grammy’s. This is our future!” Lauralee took a deep breath. “We’ve all been scared to go back on stage, face the public. We’ve been recluses since May. The ‘perspective’ we said we were trying to gain was pushed aside. Fear took over. I want to go back out there, to let the world that we aren’t afraid anymore. I say the first one should be for V. So what do you say?” The room took that silence again for a few moments, with Lauralee holding her breath in anticipation. “I don’t know about the rest of you,” Laura stood up. “But Veronica wouldn’t want us sitting on our asses all the time. She’d be the first one to say ‘Go for it.’ I say we do this and get our lives back on track. I’m in.” “You’re right,” Bianca stood up. “We gotta stop living in the past. I’m in too.” “Well, if everyone else is in…” Elizabeth stood up. “I guess Elegance is resurrected!” She jumped up and the girls got together in a hug. “It’s our time now,” Lauralee whispered. “It’s our time.” ~*~ The Grammy Awards The girls took the back way into the Staples Center, avoiding all press. The girls were going to be a surprise performance, as Michael Greene was going make a speech about Veronica and announce them. They knew the right song to sing and were sitting in a private room. Riley walked inside the room as the girls were just finishing their vocal warm-up. “This is it. You all ready?” “I just wish the guys could be here,” Bianca wringed her hands. “But I know the fans are a-callin’.” “You’re gonna be great. The whole world will remember this night for a long time.” Riley put his arms around the girls. “You ladies could not make a man more proud. Through it all you have persevered. Veronica wouldn’t be more proud of you too.” Lauralee smiled. “OK, let’s do this.” The girls were directed to the dark stage as the applause died down after Michael Greene was announced. Laura leaned into Lauralee. “Reminds you of old times huh? Us, a dark stage, no one knowing we’re here.” Lauralee smiled as they turned their attention to Michael. “The music scene this year has had many up and downs, but one down in particular shocked us. It was a year ago tonight that we saw a new group performing, winning two Grammys for Best New Artist and Best R&B Album. Their name was Elegance.” The applause was heard as Michael continued. “It seemed like Elegance was on its way to putting out a second album, achieving more success than the first time around, when tragedy sideswiped them. On May 1, Elegance and the world suffered a tremendous tragedy when one of the members, Veronica Passaro, was killed in a tragic accident. The world was shocked to lose such a young talent, making us realize our own mortality. She was a tremendous person, as I met her a few times over the course of Elegance’s career. In honor of Veronica, N.A.R.A.S. would like to have a tribute to her. Performing one of her last songs written and coming back to the world stronger than ever, here is Elegance.” The screen above the stage flashed some pictures of Veronica as the stage slowly lit up to the girls. Lauralee locked her knees together as for the first time they performed. They can say anything they want to say Try to bring me down But I will not allow Anyone to succeed Hanging clouds over me And they can try hard to make me feel That I don't matter at all But I refuse to falter In what I believe Or lose faith in my dreams 'Cause there's a light in me That shines brightly They can try But they can't take that away from me From me They can do anything they want to you If you let them in But they won't ever win If you cling to your pride And just push them aside See I I have learned there's an inner peace I own Something in my soul That they cannot possess So I won't be afraid And darkness will fade 'Cause there's a light in me That shines brightly They can try But they can't take that away from me From me No They can't take this Precious love I'll always have inside me Certainly the Lord will guide me Where I need to go They can say anything they want to say Try to break me down But I won't face the ground I will rise steadily Sailing out of their reach Oh Lord They do try hard to make me feel That I don't matter at all But I refuse to falter In what I believe Or lose faith in my dreams 'Cause there's a light in me That shines brightly They can try But they can't take that away from me From me Lauralee couldn’t contain her emotion as she sang the last note. The tears fell as the turned to the crying girls and gave them a hug. She looked out at the standing ovation given to them, not a dry eye in the place. Their strength had returned in those few minutes, feeling a new light in their hearts and minds. She kissed her hand and pointed to the sky, hoping Veronica was getting the message. She knew. Chapter 82 Contents Chapter 80 |