Sorta Like a Rock Star(64)

The Hard-Working Brothers kick in with the drums and the bass and guitar and then the horns too.

The people in the audience are standing now.

Their hands are swaying back and forth over their heads.

I listen to the lyrics and understand what Sister Lucy is telling me—and then I’m crying like a baby.

Jared puts his arm around me during the saxophone solo.

From Das Boot, Chad reaches up and holds my hand.

BBB licks my under-chin.

Toward the end of the song, Sister Lucy really starts to push it—showing off her vocals—and this is when I know that she is indeed a true bona fide diva.

I’m so proud of The KDFCs, who sound and look great.

There is still a light that shines on me, I think as Sister Lucy sings the line.

Listening to Sister Lucy sing—backed up by The KDFCs—I feel like JC is there with me, and that everything is going to be okay somehow.

It’s a pretty powerful moment.

Maybe even holy.

And then the song is over.

“Let it be, Sister Amber, let it be,” Sister Lucy says to me. And then, to the crowd, she says, “Childress Public High School—you people ready to dance your butts off?”

The crowd cheers, and then Father Chee hits some funky old-time piano chords on the synthesizer, The Hard-Working Brothers start playing, and Sister Lucy is rocking “Think” by Aretha Franklin.

The KDFCs are shoulder dipping, booty shaking, making circles with their open hands, and whenever Sister Lucy points at them, they all shout, “Think!” or “Freedom!” They are rocking so hard—I’m amazed.

The crowd is going frickin’ nuts.

There are people dancing in the aisles.

Everyone is on his or her feet.

And when I look down at the first row, Donna is dancing with Private Jackson. PJ sucks at dancing—but he is dancing! That’s a miracle!

So I start dancing with Jared and Chad and BBB—and then I even try to get Ricky dancing, but that doesn’t fly so well.

Sister Lucy runs through “Come See About Me,” “Baby Love,” “O-o-h Child,” “I Want You Back,” “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You Been Gone,” “Freeway of Love,” and when she gets to “Respect,” everyone on stage is soaked with sweat—and everyone in the audience is drenched with sweat too.

The roof is officially off the Childress High School Auditorium.

Sister Lucy rocks the Aretha Franklin signature song, and The KDFCs get to shine on this one too, as they do all kinds of hand movements, shoulder dip with tons of attitude, and sing, “Sock-it-to-me, sock-it-to-me, sock-it-to-me. Just a little bit. Just a little bit.”

When they finish the set, the crowd claps and whistles for ten minutes, and The KDFCs are beaming with pride.

JC is definitely in the house tonight.

Sister Lucy announces the names of the band members and The KDFCs, making all the Koreans in the house cheer like mad, which is when I realize that The KDFCs’ families have come to support them, thanks—no doubt—to Father Chee. And I think, Cool, we’re bringing people together tonight.

I can’t believe how well The Save Bobby Big Boy Variety Show has gone.

I’m so amazed.

I’m so thankful.

But then Franks is telling me that Ty is going to post the total amount of money we raised on the big movie screen at the back of the stage, and that I’m supposed to thank the crowd for coming, so I do, with BBB in my arms.

When I turn around and point to the movie screen at the back of the stage, behind The Hard-Working Brothers’ drum set, Ty does his computer thing, the $0000.00 numbers on the huge screen start to spin and “We’re Not Alone” by Dinosaur Jr. starts playing very loudly, probably because Ty knows it’s one of my very most favorite songs.

$375.15 flashes on the screen.

People cheer.

I nod and think, not bad.

But then the numbers start to spin again.





$657.15


Nice!

People cheer even louder.

$2,019.89

People start to cheer like mad.

$3,998.23

I’ve accomplished my goal!

I’m so happy.

$5,002.11

Could we have possibly raised that much?

What will we do with the extra money?

I look back behind the stage curtain and Franks and The Five are smiling at me. People are clapping like mad now. Everyone is smiling, and I notice that there are people crying in the audience, which makes me feel very strange.

$7,628.54

This can’t be right.

$23,425.76

I almost crap myself.

$62,981.72

“What is going on?” I yell to Franks, sorta laughing now, because there is no way we raised that much money.

He winks at me from offstage.

$121,521.09

Suddenly I notice news cameras in the aisles, camera crews and news reporters.

$215,671.87

The last number flashes on the screen several times and then the words Grand Total appear for a few seconds.

Suddenly—Bobby Big Boy and I are standing on the stage alone now, and the auditorium is completely silent.

The screen goes blank.

What the hell is going on?

These words flash up on the screen:


A Message From Amber’s Nemesis