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Chapter 9
Alec
Five months later
Alec Abramson was a changed man from the moment he heard Grace Bailey had saved herself all this time. His heart was broken yet strengthened all at the same time. He was somehow elated and guilt-stricken by this news.
Grace was pure and pristine. She had saved herself for him and she still loved him.
He did not deserve Grace, and that hit him on multiple levels. During the months after he learned the news about her, Alec began to slowly and gradually be spiritually awakened.
It started with a feeling of gratitude. He looked up some commentary about God's grace and took a few minutes each day to read into it a little. He still wrote rock songs and listened to rock music, but Christian music had started to filter into his rotation.
There were a few Christian artists he really liked, but no one matched Alec's exact style. He found himself wishing there was more Christian music he could identify with, specifically with worship lyrics, and that feeling led him to write a song.
It was the first of many, but the whole thing came around naturally and slowly. He made time for that in addition to the responsibilities he had with Split Decision.
He never sang for Grace. He could tell it made her feel a certain way when he started to do it, so he had left that part out of their friendship intentionally. He talked with her about music all the time and even shared lyrics and melodies with her, but he never sang.
She also didn't know he was writing worship songs. It was summer when he showed his twin brother the new music, and by that time, he had written twelve songs.
Alec recorded himself playing and singing. He performed all the parts himself, patiently learning multiple parts and playing multiple instruments before layering the recordings. He had told his brother a little about the project, but he worked late at night and kept a lot of it to himself.
Alec was never much for holy-rollers and he had a hard time reconciling himself as someone who really loved God and thought about Him more than just on Sundays. He hadn't always had the best perception of Christians, but he was starting to understand that didn't mean he couldn't be one of them himself. And actually, he came to realize that Christians were just like everybody else. There were people he got along with and didn't get along with in every aspect of his life.
All this to say, that for years, Alec's heart was far from God, and even now that he was being drawn back, the transition was gradual. It had taken Alec weeks to discuss his thoughts about God with anyone else, even with Grace. He still hadn't shown her the music.
It had been a busy time. Split Decision had some traveling to do recently—once to go to the Grammys and another time to film a music video.
Alec was a different man when he was on the road with the band. They teased him about flipping a switch and going from all the women in the world to no women at all, but they liked Grace.
Everyone had met her a few times, but Alec didn't force interactions with his family because he didn't want to put pressure on her. His family, bandmates, and management knew about his change in behavior with women, but no one except his brother knew about the music.
Alec slowly developed in his love for God, and it manifested in the form of a worship album. Alec recorded it and put it together over the course of a month, and then he called his oldest brother, Ozzy, who was a professional photographer.
Ozzy made a video of Alec playing piano and singing the main parts of the songs. It was dimly lit in an intimate setting with mostly piano and vocals, along with the other tracks Alec had already recorded. Ozzy knew what he was doing with the photography, and the videos came out beautiful.
Alec wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do with the project. He thought he might start a YouTube channel where he would upload the videos. He had no idea when or if that would happen, but it was a project he needed to work out of his system, so he did it. He made Ozzy promise to keep the news of it to himself until he decided what to do with the music.
***
It was early June when Alec first decided to share the songs with Grace. He had gotten up early that day and gone to his Uncle Billy's gym to do some training. Afterward, he showered and went for a walk on the beach. He looked out at the Gulf as it lived and breathed and he knew he had to do something with his life to reflect God the Creator. He had written a song calledIn You, and it replayed in his mind.
He went home and emailed that song to Grace. He thought about sending them all, but he started with the one that had been on his mind that morning. Grace was not working during the summer, so Alec would see her tomorrow even though it was the middle of the week. They always saw each other on the weekend, but they had added Wednesdays to the mix now that she was out of school. Tomorrow, they were planning on spending the day at Alec's house in Galveston.
It was a random Tuesday morning at 10am when Alec sent the email with a link to the music video. He didn't hear back from her right away. In fact, he looked at his watch at noon and realized he still hadn't heard back. He texted Grace to see if she got the email.
Alec:
Hey, good morning. I hope you slept well. I got up and went to the gym, then to the beach. I had this song I wanted to share with you, so I emailed it this morning.
It was a couple of minutes later when he got a text back from her.
Grace:
I didn't want to text, but I've been sitting here, trying to call for the last hour, and I can't hold myself together. I hadn't heard you sing lately, and when I did, it wasn't what I was expecting. Worship? Alec, I'm losing it. First, I had to pause it and get over the sound of your voice, and then once I could listen to the lyrics, I realized that it spoke to me in a way that had nothing to do with your voice. It was just so connected to God. Then I searched the lyrics on the internet, and I realized that I think the song didn't exist. I think you might have written it. I'm sorry to text, but I cannot stop crying right now. They're happy tears, I'm thankful, but they just won't stop. I can't. I need a minute. I'll call you in a little while. Love, Grace
Alec smiled as he texted her back.
