A.J. had been sunbathing by his pool when his mother called and asked him to dinner that evening. Never one to pass on a home-cooked meal, he accepted.
He pulled his silver Ford Explorer next to an unrecognizable blue Chevy Cavalier in his mother’s driveway at 6:30. He hadn’t realized that she had company. Shrugging, A.J. strolled into the house without knocking and saw Denise conversing with an older, Latin man he didn’t know.
A.J. hugged his mother in greeting and she, in turn, introduced the gentleman as Stephen Nasi. "He contacted me a few weeks ago and said he had to speak with you about something urgent."
Stephen nodded his head. "I needed to give you something, Alex." He reached into the inside pocket of his sport jacket, retrieved a familiar-looking envelope and handed it to the younger man. "I was given strict instructions to deliver this in person, in case you had questions." vA.J. stared at the envelope for a moment before tearing it open with a shaky hand. When he finished reading, he couldn’t control his sobs. "How?" he managed to asked as Denise took his hand.
"She was driving home for the weekend to see me. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it home," Stephen’s voice cracked. " There is a dangerous intersection when Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue cross. A truck was trying to speed through a yellow light. The doctors assured me that she felt no pain. She was killed instantly."
"No," A.J. whispered disbelieving that he would never know who is precious J. was. He glanced at the letter again. "How did she know?"
"A.J. somehow knew her life would be short-lived. She was clairvoyant that way I guess."
Denise stared at Stephen then back to her son. " Did you just say A.J.?"
The man nodded. "Alejandra Jae." A.J. glanced up not certain he’d heard correctly. "You never knew?"
He shook his head. "I only knew her as J. Mr. Nasi, my full name is Alexander James. Everyone calls me A.J."
Stephen gasped. "Oh my god," he shook his head in disbelief. "That explains the connection. She always said you were connected."
"I felt it, too. Can you tell me more about her? Her hobbies. What she did in school. How old was she?"
"She was a senior in college studying musicology and communications with hopes of doing something public relations."
"A senior so that would make her?"
"Let’s see she would have been 22 on January 9."
A.J. heard his mother’s voice express her surprise and he had to agree. January 9, 1978 was his birthday. This was becoming downright spooky. "Did you know that she had written the song?"
"I did. You were an incredible inspiration to her, Alex. It was only appropriate that you gave her a means to be heard. I can’t thank you enough, son."
A.J. smiled and reached over to give Stephen a hug. "It was my pleasure." Denise watched as Stephen and her son continued to discuss the life of Alejandra Nasi. She listened and marveled at the similarities. Alejandra had been born in Florida. Her parents were divorced when she was younger and she had barely seen her mother since then. It was as if A.J. Nasi and A.J. McLean had lived parallel lives.
* ~ * ~ *
A.J. McLean stepped out of his rented Ford Explorer. The frigid wind forced him to quickly close his jacket tighter around him. It was this New England winter chill that made him thankful for the humid Florida summers. His feet crunched beneath the snow as he climbed the hill to his destination.
He withdrew a red and a white rose from inside his jacket before lowering his body to place them carefully on the ground in front of him. His gloved fingers ran over the cold granite stone in front of him as he read the inscription with a sigh.
"Hi, sweetie. Bet you didn’t expect to see me, but I couldn’t forget you," he said in a hoarse whisper. "Your dad came to see me in Florida. He is such a wonderful man. I actually visited him before I came here.
"I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, but your letter and life story kind of spooked me. How was I supposed to know you were my soulmate, Alejandra? I keep re-reading your letter and it still doesn’t make this whole thing clearer for me.
A.J. withdrew the note from his pocket along with the photo of Alejandra that Stephen Nasi had gifted him. He stared into the green eyes and caressed her face as though she were there with him. He could almost feel her soft skin beneath his fingertips.
He read the final paragraph of her letter once more. "As much as we tried to be together and as much as I wanted you to hold me in your arms, this wasn’t our lifetime. But we will be together. There is too much love between us to escape fate."
He smiled through his tears. "Alej-Jae, our song is number one. It has been for three weeks now. Everyone wants to know who you are. The guys know, but I don’t want to share you with anyone else. They are talking Grammy, though. Record of the Year.
"We make a good team, so don’t make me wait too long, okay?" He paused for a moment. "Who am I kidding? I’d wait another lifetime for you. Hell, I’d wait forever as long as I can hold onto what we’ve shared."
A.J. rose and returned the photo and letter to the safety of his pocket. "I miss you, A.J." He kissed the tip of his right index finger than brushed it across the letters of her name. "Until we meet again."
Host’s Note: As sad as I am to see “A Song in Every Silence” come to an end, I thought that it was one of the most compelling, unique pieces I have had the pleasure of reading! Hopefully, you feel the same. I urge you to send Cheryl your comments (and compliments!) on the long awaited conclusion of “A Song....”; she most definitely deserves your acknowledgement! Please remember, writing fan fiction is a relatively thankless hobby, and a kind word or two only takes a moment and often provides encouragement and/or inspiration. ~Jessi
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