Three Chords and the Truth by Cas Sigers

Author:Cas Sigers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Urban Books
Published: 2012-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

“Sweet Soul Music” (Arthur Conley, 1967)

Now that Monica knew about Craig and Henna, they no longer had to contain their affair to the daytime. The next evening after Monica went to Julian’s, Craig and Henna stretched across the sofa with their heads meeting in the middle of the cushion and their legs dangling over each of the ends. They quietly stared at the ceiling as Craig twirled his fingers around the ends of Henna’s hair. After seven or so minutes of stillness, Craig spoke.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

“What I’m going to do if I were to stop singing.”

Craig maneuvered his body so that he was now facing her instead of the ceiling. “What do you mean ‘stop singing’? You’re a singer, it’s who you are.”

“It’s what I do. Not who I am.”

“Maybe that’s the problem. You’re looking at it the wrong way. You shouldn’t see it as a job.”

“Once upon a time, I didn’t,” Henna said, still staring at the ceiling.

Craig waited a few seconds and then continued with his case. “Why did you choose music?”

Almost with a haunted voice she whispered, “It chose me.” Henna paused and then sat up on the couch. She tucked her legs underneath her and looked at Craig. “when I was eleven, my dad left my mom. I was devastated, which is why I have trust issues, according to my therapist, but that’s another story. But my mom listened to ‘Sugar on the Floor’, by Elton John, for a month straight, every day, all day, after they split. The first week she cried, playing the song over and over for hours. Week two she began to smile. By week four she would dance through the whole song. It’s like the song healed her. I thought . . . that’s what I want to do.... I want to heal people with music I create.”

“Sugar on the Floor?” asked Craig. “What’s the song about?”

“It’s about a one-sided relationship, when someone with so many insecurities and baggage just can’t love the other person like they should. Can you imagine feeling like sugar on the floor? I wouldn’t ever want to feel like that.

“Yeah me either” Craig said as he stared into space.

Each reflected for a second before continuing.

“When did you know that you could sing?”

“Remember the girl I told you didn’t like me because of my hair?” Craig nodded. “Well, before we were enemies, we used to do talent shows together, and she’d always make me sing lead. She said I sounded like Diana Ross.”

“You don’t sound anything like Diana.”

“It was the 1980s and we were eight. To us, everyone sounded like Diana Ross.”

“Who’s your favorite singer?” he asked.

“Etta James, something about the power in her voice. I would sing her songs in talent shows too. My friends thought I was crazy. Ooh, Etta did a version of ‘Sugar on the Floor’ too. I love it, the things she does with her voice. . . .”

Craig continued with the interrogation. “So when did you really know you could

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