Song 4

A - (Bill Withers – “Lean On Me”, YouTube, dtC1W-6hwIU)

They stand there, face to face, each trying to convince the other that their opinion is the right one.  Neither wants to yield but they both know that one of them must yield for them to move forward.  These two have been through things together that no one else can understand.  

“Why can’t I go with you?  I know Chicago.  I have contacts who might assist us.  You can’t go alone.  You tend to barge in and ask questions later and this time it may cause more harm than good.  I thought that we had decided that I would go with you to help find your son.  What changed your mind, Todd?”

Todd anticipated her question and had an answer ready.

“Evangeline, I can’t risk it with you.  I may need to do some things of which you might not approve, and I don’t have the luxury of wasting time justifying my actions to you.  Please understand that I am looking out for your best interests.”

Evangeline’s brows raised when Todd said, ‘wasting time justifying my actions’ and in any other instance she would have taken offense, but she knew that Todd was really thinking about her.  

“That’s exactly why you need me to go with you.  I can keep you focused and help you find solutions of which we both will approve.  You bend the rules when you rush into things and yes, we probably won’t have time to discuss every decision, but we can minimize the ones that break the law.  Before you make your final decision let me say this, you have been there for me Todd, when I was blind, when I needed encouragement, you were there with your wise cracks to make me laugh.  Let me be here for you now.”

Just as Todd began to respond he heard Evangeline say,

‘Lean on me/When you’re not strong/And I’ll be your friend/I’ll help you carry on/For it won’t be long/Till I’m gonna need somebody to lean on

Just call on me brother/When you need a hand/We all need somebody to lean on

If there is a load you have to bear/That you can’t carry/I’m right up the road/I’ll share your load/If you just call me’

Todd couldn’t help but smile and just shook his head.  “Okay friend, let’s go find my son.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

B - (“Friends”, Kevin Olusola cover of song by Marshmello & Anne-Marie, YouTube zD9Sddo0IlY)  

The Capricorn Club wasn’t too crowded tonight, but it was busy.  Antonio was working in his office and Layla was mingling with the customers.  The music was good and if only she could enjoy it, but she knew that she could not delay doing this any longer.  She tried several times to make her point clear, but it wasn’t working.  This was a last-ditch effort because she couldn’t take this any longer. Gee, golly she was the one who had been blind, but she could see well enough to know that the two of them would not work.  She tried talking to him in private but that didn’t work, as a matter he grew quite aggressive in trying to convince her that she was wrong, and she would not risk that again.  

So here she is in a public venue, hoping that such a surrounding will temper his response.  Finding a booth reasonably situated should she need to make a quick exit; she awaits his arrival.  The wait was not long.

“Okay I’m here Evangeline.  What did you want to talk about?  I already told you that you are wrong about us.  We would be good together.  Why won’t you give me a chance?”

“As I said before Cristian, I don’t feel that way about you.  I know that you were there for me when I was blind, and I really appreciate all that you did for me then, but I don’t have any romantic feelings for you.”

“Do you even know what you’re saying?  You didn’t seem to mind me being there when you were blind but now you just want to kick me to the curb now that you have your sight?  I know that you feel something for me Evangeline.  You’re just confused.”

Evangeline had to breathe deeply and count to ten before responding.  This would not be pretty for either of them, but she could not allow Cristian to continue misinterpreting her actions.  She said:

‘Don’t go look at me with that look in your eye/You really ain’t going away without a fight/You can’t be reasoned with,/I’m done being polite/I’ve told you, one, two, three, four, five, six thousand times/Haven’t I made it obvious?/Haven’t I made it clear?/

Want me to spell it out for you?/F-R-I-E-N-D-S/ F-R-I-E-N-D-S’

Evangeline knew from the look on Cristian’s face that he finally understood that friendship was all that he would get from her and if he pressed the issue that he wouldn’t have even that.