Songbird in a crowd

Shelly stared open-mouthed at the man sitting across from her. “This is a joke, right?”

“I’m afraid not miss. Your great uncle on your mother's side, twice removed, has left you with a great deal of money. There are, of course, some stipulations.” The lawyer looked down at the paper in front of him.

“What kind of stipulations.” She knew it was too good to be true. No way would anyone give her two million dollars worth of money and investments.

“Looks like there is just one thing you have to do.” The older man pushed his wire-rimmed glasses back up his nose as he looked at her.

Shelly narrowed her eyes. “What is it?” She was afraid of what the answer might be. She had no idea what kind of man this great uncle had been.

“Well, it’s an odd request, but you must sing Christmas carols in Time Square.” The Lawyer looked at her with sympathetic brown eyes and big bushy eyebrows.

Shelly jumped up from her chair. “Absolutely not! I do not sing in public, for any reason.” She paced the small office. It wasn’t an unreasonable request, and two million dollars was a nice reward for facing her fear of public speaking and humiliation. But no, she couldn’t do it.

“It’s just two songs, surely that can’t be too difficult.” The lawyer closed the manila envelop and set it on a pile with others on his desk. He folded his hands and placed them in front of him.

She plopped back down in the cushy office chair and bit her lower lip. “Did he say what two songs, or can I pick any?”

“He would like you to sing Deck the Halls and O Holy Night.”

Shelly groaned. Deck the halls was easy, but O Holy Night created a bit of a challenge. She would make a complete idiot of herself. She could see it now, her voice would be shaky from nerves, and the words would croak out. The people would crowd around, laughing and pointing at her. No, she couldn’t do it, not even for a lot of money and a mansion.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”

The lawyer nodded his head and leaned back in his brown leather chair. “I understand. It was your uncle's dying wish. I’m not sure if your aware that your mother records you while you sing in your room.”

Shock fell over her face, and her mouth hung open. She couldn’t speak, so she simply shook her head.

“She sent the recordings to your great uncle. He said you had the voice of an angel.” The lawyer smiled. “And I agree.”

“You’ve heard me sing?” Embarrassment crept up into her cheeks. She hadn't meant for anyone to hear her sing.

“Of course. Not only am I your great uncle's Lawyer, but I was also his best friend. We shared a lot of things with each other.” The older man slid a folded pied of paper across the desk. “This is from your uncle.”

Hesitantly, Shelly took the paper and unfolded it. Beautiful looping letters greeted her. Her heart fluttered as she read the words her great uncle had written just for her. For a man she had never met, he knew just the words to say to get to her heart.

She swiped at a tear that trailed down her cheek. “Okay. I’ll try.”

“Good.” The Lawyer beamed with pride as he stood up from his chair. His old bones popped and creaked as he came around to stand in front of Shelly. “That’s all your uncle wanted. Just try your best.”

Shelly stood and shook the man’s hand. Lost in thought, she almost ran into the closed door of his office. Heat flooded her cheeks as she tried to regain her composer and leave the office. The young secretary gave her a sympathetic smile before returning her attention to the stack of papers covering her small desk.

Shelly walked down the street. The conversation she had with the lawyer played over and over in her head. The quiet voice in her head told her she could do this. It was no big deal to stand in Times Square and sing two songs. She didn’t even have to sing them that loud. The louder voice screamed that it was an impossible task.

Wondering the streets lost in her thoughts was doing her no good, and she wasn’t any closer to making a decision. She looked up and realized she was standing on the corner of Time Square. People scurry back and forth, cars beeped their horns as they zoomed past.

With a confident smile, she realized that singing to a bunch of people who were too busy to notice her wasn’t that big of a deal. She called the Lawyer and set a date to sing as her uncle requested. Her stomach fluttered with nervousness.

Two days later, she stood behind a drawn curtain hiding all the off-stage sound equipment. She swallowed down the lump in her throat as she peered out through a slit in the red fabric. Thousands of people stood on the other side of the stage, waiting for her to sing.

“I can’t do this.” She yanked the curtain to close the hole. “You didn’t tell me it was going to be a big thing. I thought I was just going to stand on the corner and sing.”

“I’m sorry dear. I should have explained things better. This is what was stipulated in order for you to get the inheritance.” The older lawyer patted her arm as he ambled over to sit on an empty crate.

“I can’t sing with thousands of people staring at me.” She sat down beside him.

“Do Deck the halls first. It’s easy, and you can’t mess it up.”

She smiled at his attempt to help her, but easy song or not, she would freeze up or run off the stage scared. “I just can’t sing when people are staring at me. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

“I have an idea. What if you close your eyes?”

Shelly thought about it for a minute. “That might work.”

A stagehand called a ten minute warning, and the older lawyer got up and made his way to the stage. “I’ll introduce you, then just walk out and close your eyes.”

She nodded her head and rubbed her sweaty palms down her pants. The introduction was made, and with one last big breath, she walked out on stage, waving to the crowd.

She closed her eyes, allowing the crowd to slip to the back of her mind. She was back in her room, singing to a wall full of posters. When the music started, she easily sang both songs, only opening her eyes when the last note was sung.

The crowd erupted in cheers, and Shelly couldn’t help but smile at her success. The Lawyer came out and hugged her, then led her back behind the curtain. They walked back to his office and signed the papers that gave Shelly complete control over all of her great uncle's money and investments.