Country Crooner (Christian Romance) (2 page)

*****

The next morning, Mrs. Bullock came over to
Chelsea
's childhood home so they could talk about the radio station.
Chelsea
had slept in her old room, and had a rough night's sleep despite the familiar furniture and surroundings.

Chelsea
looked in the fridge and pulled out homemade bread and fruit that a neighbor had dropped off. The two of them sat around the familiar kitchen table to decide what needed to be done.

"It is wonderful to hear all of the stories from the community about how people have enjoyed the radio station. I know that my father loved running it, and I'm happy to know that people loved it just as much as he did."

"Yes, that radio station was his whole life. Especially after your mother died, at that point he really started dedicating a lot more time and energy to make sure that radio station was successful."

"He knew how much the station meant to my mother, and told me a few times that running the radio station was his way of showing her that he still loved her. Plus, it helped to keep him busy when he was living alone."

"Your parents were great people, and they created a wonderful resource for the community. But I don't know how it will continue without him. In fact, things aren't looking very good financially."

Mrs. Bullock paused for a moment before continuing, trying to figure out the right things to say to help Chelsea understand the situation. "You know that I have been managing the books for many years now, and things have been going downhill for the past five years. I attribute it to the slow economy, because we've had a lot of advertisers pull out saying that they don't have the money for radio ads."

"I didn't realize that the radio station was having such a hard time, my dad never mentioned that to me. I guess he always wanted to share the good news when we talked on the phone, because he always had such positive things to say. I had no idea that the station was struggling so much."

"It's really struggling, and it's been an uphill battle for him, but he refused to give up. There were months when he didn't take a salary because he wanted to make sure that his employees were paid first. Unfortunately, he had to start letting people go one at a time. I'm the only full-time employee left at the radio station."

"Thank you for sticking by his side, Mrs. Bullock. It sounds like he really needed your support over the past few years." Chelsea felt overwhelmed thinking about the financial stress her father must have felt, and wished that he would have told her about the problems so that she could have tried to help. She knew that stress could exacerbate heart problems, and wondered if her father's heart had given out because of the stress from the radio station.

"I wouldn't have ever considered leaving the station; it was my home and my family. It's what has kept me going over the years. But I realize that at some point, all good things need to come to an end, unfortunately."

"My dad was a lucky guy to have you helping him in the office. I hate to hear that it may need to come to an end, but you’re right. If it's not profitable, then it's probably necessary to shut down the radio station."

The room was quiet for a moment and Chelsea thought about the situation. Her business training kicked in as she started analyzing everything that it would take to keep the radio station running.

"I don't have time to manage it; I’m already working 50 to 60 hours a week at my job in
California
."
Chelsea
could see the tears in Mrs. Bullock's eyes, and felt guilty about the fact that she didn't have more time to dedicate to the radio station. "But, Mrs. Bullock, I know that you've been dependent on this radio station for so long, what will you do if the station shuts down?"

There was a little bit of concern in Mrs. Bullock's voice. She smiled gently and said, "Now you don't worry about me, I'll figure something out. You already have enough to handle without having to worry about an old lady like me."

"You're not just any old lady,"
Chelsea
replied. "You’re the closest thing to family I have right now, and it's important to me to make sure that you're taken care of."

"Well, it's up to you, my dear. I will be supportive no matter what you decide. It would be wonderful to keep this radio station going, and I will help out however I can. But we're not going to get very far with the current financial situation. In fact, we've been getting letters from the bank saying that foreclosure is going to happen this month. In addition, your father borrowed money from several friends and local businesses to keep the radio station afloat. Because we haven't been able to locate new advertisers, we haven't been able to pay that money back."

"Give me some time and I'll put some thought and prayer into the situation. I have a friend back in
California
who is a financial advisor. Maybe I can call him and see if he has any good ideas."

As
Chelsea
started going through the things in her childhood home, she quickly realized that her week of bereavement leave was not going to be enough to sort through all of the stuff that had accumulated over the years. Her parents had lived in the home for 32 years, she was born a year after they had moved in, and they started the radio station the following year.

32 years of accumulated stuff resulted in quite a lot of boxes for
Chelsea
to sift through. In the attic, she found old boxes of clothes, records, toys, books, and holiday decorations. She was reminded of many happy times as she opened each new box and discovered treasures from her childhood. It was almost like Christmas morning, opening one box after another to discover new items that belonged to her parents.

As she sifted through her father's office, she found quite a bit of information relating to the radio station. One shelf in the closet was completely filled with all of the recordings from the past 30 years. It was interesting to observe the different formats of the recordings; the old cassette tapes, CD recordings, and the newer external hard drives. The juxtaposition of the technology made her stop and think about the changes that had occurred over the years, and she realized the many adjustments that her father had made to keep the radio station in business.

She found files of old scripts and interviews in the filing cabinet. The desk drawer had mementoes and small gifts that her father had received from close friends and people who had been on his radio show. There were a few boxes in the bottom of the closet with outdated equipment from the radio station: microphones, headphones, and soundboards. Jerry had always resisted technology changes, and
Chelsea
guessed that he had a difficult time throwing away the old equipment because he felt as though it might still be valuable.

Going through the things in her father's office was overwhelming, and
Chelsea
knew she would need to allow herself to grieve a little more before she could start to clear the stuff out of that room. Each item was a representation of the kindness that her father had shared with so many people, how was she supposed to get rid of those things? She felt as though she would be throwing away a piece of her father with each item that she got rid of. Some of it should be kept to remember her father by, but it wasn't realistic to keep everything… and her emotions were too tender to make those decisions so soon after his death.

Seeing the items helped her realize just how much her father had loved that radio station, and how the station was such an integral part of his life.

Since
Chelsea
's work had given her a week of bereavement leave, she still had time to work on other parts of the house before she would face his office. She decided to work on the office later in the week.

As hard as it was to admit, she knew it was time for this chapter of her life to come to a close, because her father was no longer around. Her father had died, and so it made sense that the radio station would die along with him. She knew that her responsibility was to make the transition as easy as possible for the community who had loved and supported the radio station for so many years.

Chelsea
was exhausted from the emotional roller coaster that she had been riding, so she walked upstairs and lay down on her father's bed. It was comforting to smell the scent of his aftershave on the pillow and to see his wristwatch lying next to the clock on the nightstand. Everything seemed the same, as though he had just run to the grocery store and would be back in a few minutes.

Chelsea
rolled over and opened up his nightstand to see what was inside. The top drawer was stuffed full of letters, cards, and notes. She picked one up and started reading it:

Dear Mr. Watson,

We haven't met before, but I wanted to write you a note and let you know how much of an impact your gospel radio station has had on my life. I look forward to listening to your evening radio show every night as I prepare dinner, it is the bright moment in my day that uplifts my spirit and soul.

I realize that there are people of many faiths that listen to your messages, and I'm grateful that you share a general knowledge of Christ for all to enjoy. Those true virtues and principles of faith are the cornerstones of what our society should be, and I'm so grateful to see people like you promoting the Good Word.

It's refreshing to listen to the positive messages that you share, and I am grateful that you have stayed true to the traditional values that are quickly becoming forgotten by the rest of the world. More than ever, people need to hear the information that you have to share.

I'm sure that running a radio station takes a lot of time and energy, and I'd like to thank you for your dedication and effort to share these good messages with people like me.

Through your words, I can hear that you have a close relationship with God. It has inspired me to draw closer to God in my own life, and to strengthen my faith in order to be a better person.

Keep up the good work, and know that we are listening and enjoying your messages.

Sincerely,

Doris Patterson
.

Reading the letter brought tears to
Chelsea
's eyes as she realized how deep of an impact her father had been on the community. This letter was the first of many that she read, and she saw similar messages over and over again as she thumbed through the other papers in the nightstand drawer.

She didn't know how many letters were in there, but the heartfelt messages were a perfect representation of the people whose lives her father had touched. Some of the letters were recent; some of them were dated 10 or 20 years ago.
Chelsea
randomly chose another letter to read:

To: Jerry Watson

From: Kenneth Jensen

Mr. Watson, I would like to commend you on the wonderful radio station that you have produced over the years. I tune into your station more than any of the other radio stations available in this area, and I enjoy my time listening to it in the car when I am driving to and from work.

Last year, I went through a heartbreaking divorce; I found out that my wife had been cheating on me for some time and she decided to leave me for another man. I was devastated, especially because I was clueless about the fact that there was anything wrong with our relationship.

When she left, I felt completely alone and didn't know what to do with my life. Your radio station helped to me to remember that God is always aware of my situation, and so I turn to Him for the comfort and peace that I needed. Because of your teachings about the Bible, I was able to draw closer to God. I am a better person despite my trials, and some of the credit should go to you.

Thank you for your diligent work and the light that you share with the world. You are truly a man of God.

Chelsea
was touched by the handwritten notes, recognizing that her father had impacted the lives of people that he knew on a personal level, as well as strangers who tuned into his radio station on a regular basis. Over the years, his main focus was to help people find their way to Christ, and the letters were proof that he had made a difference in his work.

The thought occurred to her was that there were probably more messages like this in his e-mail and through the contact form on the radio station's website. Her father had not used much online technology with the radio station, but he had hired someone to set up a basic website five years back and he knew how to check his e-mail. Surely, more people sent him thank you notes via email since digital communication became more common in recent years.
Chelsea
made a mental note to look for computer passwords so that she could access his online accounts.

The bottom drawer of the nightstand held several volumes of journals that her father had written. She opened one of the journals and saw her father's familiar handwriting, and started reading through some of his entries.

November 10, 2011

Today I started working to put together the schedule for the Thanksgiving broadcast. As I was going through script plans, I took a moment to ponder on the things in my life that I should be thankful for: my daughter, a comfortable home, so many great friends, and the opportunity to share the message of Christ with the listeners. I am so grateful to be in a position where I can preach the Good Word to those who want to listen.

Some days, it's easy to get caught up in my own struggles and worries, but those are the times when I need to step back and remember
everything
that God has blessed me with. He never said it would be easy, but it definitely will be worth it.

Chelsea
flipped through the journal to see that her father had written consistently over the years. Many of the journal entries were short, but they all had good insights.

February 24, 2012

I am concerned about the financial state of the radio station. Now that the holiday season is over, I had a few more advertisers choose to not renew their advertising contracts. I know that God will provide, but I still find my faith weak at times. I need to remember that God is all-knowing, and even if I don't understand the final outcome... everything will work out in the end.

I am grateful that I am blessed with strong faith and trust in God, and I really hope that things turn around soon. At this rate, I'm not sure how long I can keep the station going if I can't locate any more advertisers.

Chelsea
was touched reading her father's words, and she picked up another journal volume and opened a random page in the book to continue reading.

March 2, 1989

I am so happy to finally have found a career that is meaningful and enjoyable. After years of hard work, we are starting to see success with the radio station. It is great to talk with the listeners and hear that they are enjoying the messages that we are broadcasting.

I need to keep pushing forward and sharing the messages of hope and love with my listeners. I feel as though I have finally come to understand my life's mission, which is to tell people about the light that can be found in Christ.

As she read, flipped through other pages; she saw that he wrote about the joy that he experienced as he encountered various people who had listened to his radio show. She read about his feelings and emotions as he struggled to decide what he should do to increase the revenue of the radio station so that they could stay afloat.

In his journal, her father didn't seem to hold anything back. It was as though those pages were his friend and confidante, a listening ear where he could turn to in times of struggle and in times of celebration. What a history he had left!
Chelsea
was so grateful that he had taken the time to record his thoughts, because she would be able to keep those words with her forever.

The words on the pages helped her to understand the connection that her father had with this radio station and how much he had agonized over the financial decisions that he had to make. Reading the words of her father made it more difficult for her to think about the idea that the radio station would be closing. She couldn't bear the thought of closing the doors on something that had meant so much to her father.

However, there was no way possible for the radio station to keep going. There was no one available to manage the show; someone needed to schedule and handle interviews. Mrs. Bullock was the only one left, and she didn't have the time or resources available to keep it going on her own. It was impossible to undertake such a big task with just one person, and there weren't any funds to hire more people to help.

Chelsea
knew that she could not manage the radio station from her home in
California
because she already had enough on her plate with her own job. She had worked for years to move into her current position with the company, and she couldn't throw that career progression out the window for a small-town radio station. Many sacrifices had been made on a personal level so that she could achieve the career success that she desired. She couldn't step away from her dream.

She had created a new life. She loved her friends, nighttime entertainment, and the high-end restaurants that they enjoyed in
California
. She loved being close enough to be able to take weekend trips to the beach, and enjoyed the fast-paced environment of the office where she worked. She was on-track for a big promotion next year, and couldn't mess up her career opportunities by spending time on a small town radio station.

She loved her job, why would she want to add even more stress into her overflowing schedule? Of course, the day-to-day work of contacting clients and trying to make arrangements with online advertising clients could be exhausting at times, but she dealt with it because she enjoyed the lifestyle that the money provided.

Even if she wanted to give up her life back in
California
, there was no way that she could earn enough with the radio station to pay the bills. It was already struggling so much financially, that she wouldn't be able to earn an income because all of the cash flow would need to go towards paying off debt.

Plus, the radio station had been her father's source of fulfillment; not hers. She enjoyed the time that she spent with him in the studio when she was younger, but as a young girl, she never had the desire to grow up to manage a radio station.