Jennie Pearl-The Final Chapter

I asked Jennie what had happened to her. Why had she decided to stop singing. She looked at me with a little far off expression and said, “I don’t remember.” I thought to myself, how cute that was and I must have smiled because Jennie suddenly sat a little forward and with a face that had gone from pleasant to concerned confusion she said, “No, I mean I really don’t remember. I had a serious car accident and was in a coma for awhile. When I awoke from it I had lost a lot of my memory. I have a lot of holes in it to this day. And the one thing I don’t remember is why I stopped singing.”

I sat back suddenly. I too had been the victim of a severe accident, mine was in 1986. Part of my memory was also gone, but mine was from the massive quantities of pain medications that I had been living on. I knew at once what she was referring to. It wasn’t just the injury from the accident, but the onslaught of what happened afterward that made her forget.

“Do you WANT to sing again,” I asked her in deadly earnest. “If you had the opportunity, would you sing for people again?” She looked at me for a moment and I saw her eyes start to glisten. “Yes, I’ve wanted to very much. I just don’t know if I can any more, it’s been so long.”

It was the answer I had been praying for. Jennie Pearl was ready to meet her public again. Jennie wanted to sing, and she wanted to once again play an instrument. She told me she plays piano to this day and sings to herself sometimes.

Suddenly I was euphoric again! I told her that I sing almost everyday. She looked at me and said how and where. I told her about a website that I frequent where you can sing and record with tracks very similar to the original recordings. The site is called SingSnap. www.singsnap.com. I told her we could set her up a free account where she could record and even keep her songs private until she got enough confidence to post them publicly. She could practice to her hearts content. I offered to her that she come over to my house and I’d show her the site and let her see what I was talking about.

Jennie was glowing at the prospect of singing again. I think it was like I had given her permission to be herself again. She said she’d love to sing with me sometime. I was thrilled and still am thrilled by that prospect. I can’t wait to hear her sing her own little song again and open her heart to the world again.

We drove home and I sat in the backseat next to her and told her how much this evening had meant to me. She put her hand on mine and said it meant a great deal to her too. I asked her if it was ok for me to contact Chuck and let him know that we had spoken and she was thrilled that I reminded her of that again. “I used to have such a crush on him back then. I was going with Dan Young at the time, but I always thought Chuck was so cute and talented.” Jennie’s husband Alan had perked his ears up over that part of the conversation but smiled knowing he had no ghosts to fight! Jennie offered to bring me the album to listen to of the Peoria Anthology Folk Group. I was so excited at the prospect. After we arrived home Jennie showed up at my front door about thirty minutes later with the album.

I brought Jennie into my computer room to take her online and show her the website for Singsnap. I told her that she could find my songs under my user name Sweetnote. I pulled up one of my songs hoping it would please her. She was very complimentary about my singing and said she was even more excited now to begin recording. I showed her how to use the webcam, how to record and save her songs and how to access them. She got up to go home but before she left she turned to me and said, “I really need to do this don’t I?” I wasn’t sure if she was really asking me or not. I told her that yes, she did need to do it for herself. She asked if I really sang every day and I replied that I had to. It was my own addiction of sorts. I have to sing. “I know how that must feel.” I think she truly does. As I sit and listen to the album of folk tunes I think about the fifteen year old Jennie Pearl, who had no idea her life would lead her away from the thing she loved most at that time. I thought about the adult Jennie Pearl Hayes and how I had actually seen her revert ever briefly into that fifteen year old for a second when I showed her how to record on SingSnap. I know the story of Jennie Pearl is nowhere near over. In fact it’s just beginning.

We had a neighborhood barbecue the other evening. Jennie and I sat at different tables, but I overheard her talking to one of our other neighbors. A couple of women were there with an autoharp and a guitar playing background music for our cookout. Jennie was smiling and laughing and I heard her say, “Yes, I used to sing and I intend to get back into it again. Londie and I are going to sing together sometime.” I was thrilled! She wasn’t just reaffirming her interest to me, she was now wearing it like a badge of courage. The Jennie Pearl that so many people around the world had come to know and love through a simple little song is once again going to return to the public that loves her. I take great pride in being a part of that return. I’ll keep you posted as she moves along. Hopefully we’ll find Dan and the reunion concert will be a tangible future venue for her. Jennie Pearl? Yes, I know her, she’s my neighbor, and I’m proud to say, my friend.