Play It Again

FREE PREVIEW The cypress tree was over two-hundred years old. Its arthritic, gnarled branches twisted, reaching towards the sky, had been a major selling point for Amy when she and Daniel had purchased the home. She was glad the developer of the subdivision had thought to build the homes around this rare tree. To add a burst of color, Amy had decided to plant brightly colored petunias in white, yellow, red and violet around the base of the tree. Her work complete, Amy sat back on her knees. She took a long sip of water and admired the beautiful touch the flowers added to the front yard landscape. Her mind still on the flowers, she absentmindedly started humming to the song playing on her outdoor radio. Slowly, as realization set in, her hands started to shake so hard the water bottle she’d been holding dropped to the ground. The song was one she knew by heart, because she had listened to it many times over the years on her CD player after her son’s death. He had died just two months short of his twenty-first birthday and had left behind a body of music that had never made it to the mainstream music world. Today would have been his forty-second birthday. “All alone, I’m headed for the other side. All alone, just headed for another life. I live now, can’t have another try. What it comes down to, I don’t wanna die.” The song was melancholy yet sweetly melodic, just as she remembered it. She found it hard to breathe, swiping at tears with her dirty glove, leaving streaks of potting soil on her face. For many years after his death, it had comforted Amy to hear his voice on the professionally recorded CD. The songs had since been transferred to a digital file, but she hadn’t listened to her son’s music in quite a while, and felt a jolt hearing it on the radio, today of all days. Every word, each note were exactly the same as she remembered. The singer’s voice was different, though. Yes, she thought, it was a good voice. Strong and a little rough, similar to Alex’s, but unique. Amy felt dizzy. Why was someone else singing the song her son had written and performed so long ago? And why was it being played on the radio, today? Alex’s songs had never made it on the air during his lifetime. Just then, Amy’s husband, Daniel, pulled up in the driveway. He was a retired independent building contractor and although he had a gruff, businesslike attitude, he always had a ready smile for his wife and family. He grinned as he got out of his car, seeing Amy on her knees in front of the tree. She loved planting flowers. He was glad that something so simple could bring her great joy. Amy looked up at him and his smile faded. “What’s wrong?” In several long-legged strides, he walked over to her, taking her tear-stained face between his hands. Amy could be strong, yet he knew she had a fragile side that needed protecting. “Listen.” Still kneeling on the ground by the cypress tree she pointed towards the radio. “I live now, can’t have another try. What it comes down to, I don’t wanna die.” The haunting, tragic words were so familiar that Daniel’s face lost some of its color. “Is this some kind of cruel joke?” He looked quizzically at Amy, knowing she was as much at a loss for an explanation as he was. The last note of the song played and the radio announcer said, “That was Jonah Nelson with his latest single, ‘What It Comes Down To’.”