Midway through their last number, Byron blew a note. Reese looked at him sharply. Byron nodded his head toward the crowd. There stood Pastor Bishop, all 6'3", 220 pounds of him; he seemed larger than life. Cold busted! Byron's first thought was to break and run; but on second thought, he would give the performance all he had. Faltering now would surely serve no purpose. Reese and the others followed Byron's lead. Being the pros they were, they kept right on singing and dancing, easily and effortlessly, finally taking their bows. Afterward,they marched on over to greet Pastor Bishop to accept whatever lecture they had coming. Each prayed that he wouldn't embarrass them too much. The club had been subdued by the presence of the Pastor. All eyes were on him, watching his reaction to seeing The Passions, his choir members, performing in a club. They all watched for the scene to unfold. "So this is what you guys do after choir rehearsal," Pastor said sternly. "Y-y-yes," stuttered Reese. The others were too panic stricken to say anything. Suddenly Pastor smiled and said, "You guys are good, better than I expected," as he hugged each of them. I heard you all have made quite a name for yourselves down here. You know word spreads like a wildfire in the community. I decided to come down and see for myself. Well, I'm not going to hang around and put a damper on things; just came by to give you my blessing. See you fellas bright and early on Sunday morning...and I do mean early." "We'll be there... on time," they all chimed in.
"Man, I can't believe Pastor Bishop came down here," Byron said. "Yeah, I almost wet my pants when I looked out there and saw him," Reese said."I thought he was going to bust us out and say...In the name of Gawd! Stop this foolishness," Byron imitated Pastor's full booming voice. They felt joyous relief that they had been found out. No longer did they feel they were sneaking. The fact that Pastor had complimented them further boosted their natural high. "Come on, let's roll; it's too hot in here," James complained. "It's still early, what are we gonna do now?" "Man, I'm gonna hop the el, gotta work tonight," Cephus said. He had recently started working at the Post Office after graduation. His father was a mailman and thought his son should pursue the security of a government job like he had. Reese, Byron, and James decided to go over to the Point. It was located on Chicago's south lake shore, behind the Museum of Science and Industry. At that time, The Point was where young people went who were not looking for trouble. As long as there were no incidents, the police tended to ignore the park's 11:00 pm curfew. The drumbeat played in the distance, drawing them closer to their destination. This was one of their favorite places to be during the summer. The breeze was boundless, the waters were wavy, the girls were gorgeous. A myriad of activities abounded. There were musicans, singers, poets, couples in love, singles seeking, and still others who just wanted to sit alone. With all this going on, it was still the perfect place to cool out. Sometimes they stayed on the lake until dawn. The group found a large rock and perched themselves on it and began to sing. Byron, trying to sing both he and Cephus' part was thrown off key. A tall, dark guy found the group interesting and amusing. He hollered over to Byron, "Hey catch," as he threw a small pocket flashlight his way, "maybe you better go in the bushes and look for your key, cause..." "You think you can do better?" Byron hollered back. "Hiilll yeah," said the tall, dark guy. "Come on and show us what you got."" The tall, dark guy joined them and sang with a voice so powerfully rich and melodious, that it commanded the attention of all in hearing range. They liked his style. They introduced themselves, tentatively at first and began to warm up to each other.
"Kingston Love? What kind of name is that?" Byron asked. "My Ma, she from Jamaica, mon. She name me that so I never forget where I come from." "So Kingston, man, where did you learn to blow like that?" Reese asked. "It's just a little something I picked up from my old man." Kingston replied. "So, are you part of a group or what?" "Naw, I really don't have time to do a lot of singing; I'm busy doing other things." They continued to sing, talk, and flirt with the girls until dawn.
About a month later, they saw Kingston again at The Peps. They were glad to see him. Kingston spotted Reese first. "Hey man, what's up ? Just stopped by to check you guys out." Reese asked Kingston, "hey man, why don't you join us tonight, Cephus had to work and we're a man short." Kingston was apprehensive, but later relented. He went backstage and warmed up with them. Kingston fit quite well in the group's lineup. They were all tall, handsome and well built. They did a darn good job on stage, stroking the crowd with a smooth delivery and professional showmanship. The crowd called for more. They gave the crowd what it wanted...more of a good thing. Girls tendered shrieks of joy as The Passions worked their show. Guys were cool, they simply patted their feet in time with the beat, smiled, and nodded with approval. They sure knew how to capture a crowd. Kingston fell right into the groove, performing like it was old hat. After the show, they trekked on over to their favorite place, The Point. They sang, talked, and flirted. Reese liked Kingston and asked him to fill in when Cephus is unavailable to perform with them. Kingston agreed. When Cephus learned of this, he was livid. He finally got a chance to meet this Kingston, and he didn't warm up to him at all. He thought Kingston was out to replace him. Kingston assured him he did not want to take his place and there was room for both tenors. They experimented and found they created quite a unique blend. They meshed well and The Passions welcomed Kingston into the group.
Later at The Point, Kingston noticed a short, cute, honey brown girl sitting under a tree with several others. She watched him very intently. She seemed to be mesmerized by the very sight of him, staring at his long, mocha tinged, slightly bowed legs that hung seductively from the tennis shorts he was wearing. She leisurely toured his muscular body, lingering at points of interest along the way. Surely, she felt the earth shift when their eyes locked. Kingston sensed her vibe and returned her gaze. Through intense eye contact and subtle body gestures, they began to mentally seduce each other. "Think someone is lucky tonight," Reese said as he nudged Kingston. "Mane, I've got to check this one out. Catch yall later,: Kingston said as he strolled toward her in his most impressive player strut. He introduced himself to Barbara Jean and began laying down his heavy rap; she blushed in between coy responses. Soon, they walked hand in hand into the darkness.
Reese and Monica had become very close. They were even entertaining the idea of marriage next year, after Monica had graduated from high school. Sundays, after church was their special time together. Oftentimes, they ventured down to Cherry's Tailor Shop. Monica sometimes helped Reese select outfits for the group. He and James were Ivy Leaguers, dressing very conservatively, preferring Brooks Brothers shirts and sweaters, cufless pants, and wing tipped shoes. Kingston, Byron, and Cephus were what was known in Chicago, as Gousters, preferring knit shirts, baggy pants, and Stacy Adams shoes. Monica made sure Reese picked stage outfits what were compatible with everyone's taste. They made a striking couple. Reese was tall, slim, and caramel colored, quite handsome, with an engaging smile, and sparkling eyes. Monica was average height, butterscotch coated, slanted eyes, and long silky hair. They both had a flair for fashion and an eye for detail. They walked along the lakefront, holding hands, sharing their dreams with each other. "Reese, I'm going to The Art Institute and I'm going to become one of Chicago's greatest interior designers; maybe one of the best in the country." "Naw, baby, one of the greatest designers in the world. You definitely have skills," Reese said as he planted a tender kiss on her warm, quivering lips. They held each other and watched the moonlight glisten over the gentle Lake Michigan Waters.
CHAPTER TWO
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