Scene Four

Mama PC

My whole senior year, I watched Papa JC from my busy side of life and I continued to date the youth pastor. Don't ask me what I saw in "Bill". I think it was originally infatuation and the fact that he "needed me". I organized youth functions, created the whole church bulletin weekly (his job), cleaned they guy's apartment! (what was I thinking!?!) and any other miscellaneous thing he could get me to do. He was USING me. We talked of marriage, and he proposed several times, but he and I both seemed to know that it was not God's will for us...but didn't know how to break it off.

In April of 1978, Papa JC arranged an instrumental song for me and several other girls to play for competition, and we made it to District. We (a youth group of approximately 20, plus Bill and Papa JC) traveled to Dallas, and the whole time we were there, "Bill" visited with all his old college girl friends and totally dropped me! I was SICK!

August of 1978, the small instrumental ensemble traveled with Papa JC and my parents as chaperones to Kansas City. I remember during that trip that I hoped that JC would notice me. I was still young (18) and he was an old man (26) and he had only business and propriety on his mind. I was still in the relationship with Bill, but after the year of being used and not knowing if I could trust him, my heart was willing to consider someone else. I liked this strange little man named JC. But, I couldn't tell anyone. I remember going to a swimming pool on the roof of the hotel where we stayed in KC. The other 2 girls went back to the room, but I stayed out there, gazing at the clouds overheard and wondering where John was and what he was thinking. This was my secret.

The last day in KC, the 4 of us went for a stroll on the downtown streets, and, when they became bored, the two other girls went back to the hotel. This left JC and me alone, walking in the early evening on beautiful brick sidewalks, wind blowing our hair... I put my arm into the crook of his arm, and we floated down the street. Of course, neither of us could say anything! It was too wonderful to be true.

By the way, our ensemble won second place at the National Competition. JC playing piano for our ensemble - me on flute, my sister on clarinet, and a friend on violin... playing JC's arrangement of "There's a Sweet, Sweet Spirit in this Place"...

The next day, we drove the long way home with JC driving, with me next to him on the front seat. We never talked about "us", neither did either one of say anything to ourselves, each other, or anyone else of our sweetness on one another. He told me years later, that he had always thought I was a sweet little girl, or young lady, but never saw himself as the type of guy that I would want, or doubted that I was the type of girl that God would want for him...even though he liked me a lot.