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He turned back to the camera and continued, “Phoenix is the most amazing singer-songwriter I know, and he’s graciously agreed to let me share his music with all of you. If he looks familiar, by the way, it’s because he has a famous twin named Dallas. They’re both talented, but they have very different styles, as you’re about to see.” He turned back to me and asked, “What are you going to sing for us?”
“This is a song I wrote a couple of years ago called ‘Lost and Found.’ It was a time in my life when I was feeling really alone, and I tried to put it into words so it didn’t seem so overwhelming.”
I exhaled slowly as my fingers moved over the strings. It was a simple melody, but I’d always thought there was something starkly beautiful about it. A few moments later, I began to sing. I told the story of a boy who could never shake the fear he’d end up alone, even though he grew up surrounded by friends and family. As he got older, everyone left him one by one, until finally his worst fear was realized. But at the very end of the song, he met a man just as lonely as he was and took his hand.
When I finished, I took a few deep breaths. I was afraid to look at Harper. What if he thought it was corny, or clichéd? But then he whispered, “That was so beautiful.”
I turned to him and was surprised to see tears in his eyes. “Do you really think so?”
He pulled me close and kissed my forehead before saying, “It’s the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard, and it broke my heart, right up until those last two lines. All of a sudden, there was this little ray of hope. It felt like being lost at sea for weeks, then finally spotting a ship on the horizon.”
“That’s a poetic way of putting it,” I said, as I set my guitar aside and wrapped my arms around him. “It makes me think you should be a songwriter.”
“That’s definitely your department. You keep writing the songs, and I’ll keep cheering you on from the sidelines.”
He kissed me tenderly, and then I put my head on his shoulder. When I caught a glimpse of the camera, I said, “Um, the green light is still on.”
“Yup. I’m still recording.”
An embarrassed laugh slipped from me. “I thought you shut it off when the song ended.”
He shook his head and smiled at me as he brushed the hair from my eyes. “I wanted everyone to get to know you a bit, not just as a singer.”
“I hope I didn’t say anything stupid.”
“No, that’s usually my job.” He turned to the camera and said, “That’s it for now friends, thanks for watching. We’ll be back soon with another video, but if you want more of Phoenix’s amazing music in the meantime, check out his YouTube channel.” Then he clicked the remote, and the light on the camera turned red.
“Do you think that was okay?”
“It was brilliant,” he said, “and I’m planning to upload it the minute we get back to the house. Sorry about ambushing you with that last bit, though. I thought you knew we were still recording.”
As I sat up and packed my guitar in its case, I said, “No, it’s fine. It surprised me at first, but it’s actually just what I needed. I can get really awkward when I know I’m being filmed, and that let me just be myself.” I stretched out beside him on the hammock again and kissed him before saying, “Thanks for doing this for me. I appreciate it.”
“Thanks for accepting my help.”
“I have to stop being so stubborn. I’d really latched on to the idea that I had to make it on my own, but let’s face it, that’s not getting me anywhere.”
He asked, “Have you ever thought about saying fuck the record labels, embracing the fact that you’re indie, and selling your music online?”
“I actually tried that for a long time,” I said, as I rested my head on his chest. “My best year, I made a whopping hundred and sixty-seven dollars, which was a fraction of what it cost me to rent a studio and record my songs.”
“You know, I can rent you a studio. Or, hell, let’s build one in my house.”
I looked up at him and said, “I really don’t mean to sound ungrateful, and I know you’re trying to help, but we’re here in this gorgeous location and all we’ve been doing is talking about my career. Can we maybe switch gears?”
“Definitely.”
I grinned at him. “You know, when you first pitched the idea of saying yes to all your suggestions for the next few hours, my mind went to a very different place.”
