Jennie Pearl-Part 3

“Maybe In Another Year”"

And maybe in another year.

You’ll come back to cheer me.

And when, I mean and if you do, I will give my love to you.

And on that day we’ll laugh, and cry, and we will close our eyes

To the hate of the world and the evil that looks our way

And in the end what is the answer

Will you love the other, or me,

And in the end what is the answer will there be another year for me?”

I don’t know how many times I sat and tried to imagine my conversation with Jennie. I was afraid of scaring her and appearing like a stalker with the enthusiasm I had been inundated with. I imagined how I would try to ease into the conversation. I thought of the different scenarios of how to back peddle if I seemed to be making her ill at ease. I don’t think I could have been any more nervous than if I’d been interview John McCain or Barack Obama!

The night finally came for the dinner. We had chosen a local fish house called “Jonah’s” and we had decided we would eat in their “Oyster Bar.” I worried over what to wear, what my first words to her would be and then checked my makeup one more time to make sure my mascara wouldn’t run because when I become excited I tend to ooze sweat and oil and I didn’t want to terrify her either! My husband went out to the car and backed it out of the garage onto the driveway. I walked around the car and was about to put my purse into the back seat when Jennie came out of her front door. My stomach tied itself into one more knot. She was so pretty and looked so happy. I think I mumbled something about hoping I was “casual” enough for the oyster bar and we laughed lightheartedly. My heart was beating in my eardrums now and we sat together in the back seat of the car.

I told her how I’d been looking forward to our night out together. I decided to wait until we were actually at dinner before I’d spring all the questions on her about her music. Alan came to over to the car and got in and we were off for Jonah’s.

We had a pretty private table in the back of the very busy restaurant. Alan remarked how surprised he was because he’d been there before during the week and it was always so quiet. I secretly rejoiced in the noise of the other patrons knowing that no one would really overhear our conversation.

Again I worried about how to begin. We ordered and just before they brought our drinks, I dove in. “Jennie, I have something to admit to you and I’m so afraid of embarrassing myself or you.” She looked at me quizzically and I continued. “Jennie I am one of your newest and biggest fans.” She looked at me still with the questioning look and suddenly I saw recognition in her face and eyes. “You are?” she asked and smiled. I explained to her how I had read the articles, seen the photo, and lastly how I had heard her song. I told her how deeply that sweet song had touched me and from what I’d read, had touched so many other people as well. “Really?” she said.

She was honestly touched, but there was more in that “really?” It was honest disbelief, realization, and the sudden impact of the reality all at once. I asked about how the song came to be. She explained that when she was with the Peoria Anthology Folk Group, they had decided to make an album. She had picked out a song, but was told because of royalties that it would be too expensive for her to sing it. They told her she should write her own song for the album. She smiled and said, “I just went off into a corner, sat down and came up with it in just a few minutes.”

I sat there with my mouth wide open. She had just come up with it. Gosh I’ll bet all the song writers would love to say that. She didn’t slave over it, in fact she thought it was too simple. It was decided they would use a piano instead of a guitar, and the song was born. I told her how I was amazed at one so young could come up with such a complex melody, and how it was such a heartbreaking little song. Alan had told me he thought it had something to do with her father having left her family while she was still young. So I had this lovely romantic image of this young girl pouring her heart out to her father in song. I said this to Jenny and she smiled. “No it had nothing to do with my dad, I just made it up.” I was in shock for a moment. “Really? Wow”…I was speechless for a moment.

Jennie commented on how surprised she had been when she’d gotten the call from the New York Times Reporter. He asked her if she was Jennie Hayes and had she been Jennie Pearl from Peoria who had recorded a song with the Peoria singing group and she answered yes. He said it was a little disconcerting to hear the grown up voice from someone he’d come to know and admire from the recording. Jennie was fifteen when she recorded the song. He had asked her if she’d known she been being sought for for a long time and that she indeed, had quite a following. Jennie said that she had been speechless when he told her that. She had not known the song had been picked out from all the songs across the USA to be included on the “Wayfaring Stranger:Ladies From The Canyon” CD. She hadn’t known that royalties had been sitting unclaimed for her for the sales of the CD. And then she told me that her favorite part had been that it put her back in touch with an old friend, Chuck Perrin. This is where I was certain I was going to be perceived as a stalker!

I admitted to Jennie that I had been in touch with Chuck and that he was wanting me to help convince her to again return to singing and that he wanted to return to Peoria for a reunion of the PAFG. Jenny smiled and even laughed. She thought it would be a wonderful idea, but she no longer sang. And so I sat closer to the table, looked directly into her eyes and said, “Jenny, why did you stop singing?” Her answer stunned me! TO BE CONTINUED!!!