Page 9 of To Believe In You
Tim wouldn’t understand, so the longer they talked about Awestruck’s current bassist, Philip, instead of its former bassist, the better.
“Philip quit what?” She sipped her coffee.
“Awestruck.”
Her throat closed, blocking her swallow. She gulped, got the liquid down, and coughed. “What? Why?”
Tim took a breath, but Adeline’s voice cut in first. “Personal reasons.”
The firm tone, so different from her norm, must’ve carried extra weight with Tim because he clearly had more to add but kept his mouth shut.
Lina swiveled to face Adeline. “Has this been brewing for a while?” She’d seen Matt’s dismissal coming from a mile away, but she’d never suspected trouble that would inspire Philip to leave. He’d only been with the band two years.
Adeline paused and tilted her head. “Maybe on his side, but we found out about the possibility last week.”
Last week. Tim had been hounding Lina to recruit Matt for the teaching position since long before that, but the man was sharp. Had he foreseen Philip’s departure sooner than anyone else? If so, he might have wanted Matt back in the band’s orbit in case they ended up needing a bassist down the line. Or had he simply wanted to stockpile resources?
Either way, with Philip leaving, Tim would be even more motivated to move Matt closer, first as an instructor at Key of Hope where he could prove himself, then as the band’s next bassist.
As if Gannon and John, who’d founded the band and made up the other two members, would rehire him. Though Awestruck was a secular group, its founding members were both outspoken Christians who liked the band to model a better way to a hurting world. Matt certainly hadn’t helped that cause.
Yet Tim watched her with an intensity that seemed to promise he’d get his way.
Didn’t he know it was a lost cause? Even Matt was against the plan.
What in the world could’ve inspired Philip to quit now? The band had just landed a lucrative new contract. Philip might not want to be away from his kids as much as Awestruck’s schedule demanded, but if the children motivated the choice, Adeline and Tim would say so.
Would Lina ever learn the whole story? A press release was probably already in the works, but it was sure to be vague. Using that as her model, she’d likely have to craft equally vague social media posts about the change.
She glanced at the calendar on the wall. “You have to find a new bassist before they go to the studio? In two weeks?”
While John was gone on his honeymoon?
“Philip’s going to record this album, then he’s out.”
“Then you have a couple of months.”
Tim’s phone sounded before he could confirm. “Word travels fast. I’ve been fielding calls since yesterday.” He rose, leaving the chair next to her desk, and claimed the jar of soup. He lifted it in silent thanks. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
And he was gone again.
Adeline shook her head as if she didn’t understand Tim’s reason for stopping by Key of Hope, but Lina knew. He wasn’t giving up on bringing Matt in. First as a teacher, then as a band member.
But if the teaching position was the stepping-stone Tim seemed to think, applications ought to pour in now that the band needed a bassist.
She refreshed her inbox. A few companies had emailed to offer services.
Only one individual had sent a message: Matt Visser.
So much for standing by his commitment to the family business.
3
“Itried everything else to feel happy, and none of it worked.” Matt rested a hand on the podium next to the notes he wasn’t using and looked out at the kids. “The good always faded, and it left consequences I’m still paying for. Some will literally show on my body the rest of my life. I mean, right?” He pointed at the panther on his arm.
The kids chuckled uncomfortably.
Thanks to his past with Awestruck, he’d filled the community theater. If he were a more polished speaker, he could leverage his resume to fill bigger spaces. But even before modest crowds, he felt like a fraud. His testimony was only powerful because of how badly he’d messed up. Normally, he found comfort in using his failures to showcase God’s transforming goodness, but how much had he really transformed? He’d just been fired again, this time from the family business. What right did he have to stand on this stage and tell kids how to live?
