CHAPTER II: Discovered

Jimmy swept the floor dutifully.  He worked as a janitor for one of the small music studios that had opened during the disco fad and performed his duties with exactness and precision.  In this instance, his methodical and precise ways helped him excel.  Unlike when he went to school.  He managed to graduate a year after the rest of his class  but it was a struggle. The only way he made it was with his mom’s help.  That first year of junior high was particularly rough.  At least until his mom and him developed a coping system.  Every day he came home and discussed some new social situation he was unfamiliar with and together they developed a plan.  Armed with a memorized script of what to say if the situation arose again, he would go to school the following day.  Of course, what was rehearsed the night before rarely occurred two days in a row but after several months, he had enough scripts and practiced scenarios he was able to navigate school. 

One particular scenario his mom and him worked on often was how to say no.  His mom discovered he was giving his lunch money to another student simply because the student would ask him for it. 

“Jimmy,” his mom told him as they sat at the kitchen table after dinner.  “It is okay to say no.  In fact, you shouldn’t say yes to everyone.  Some people deserve your no.”

He listened but didn’t respond.

“Let’s practice,” his mom tapped her fingers on the table and thought a moment.  “Jimmy, will you run to the store and pick up a dozen eggs for me?”

He looked at her worried. She knew he hated going to the store.  Old Mr. Witherspoon scared him because he always tried to make small talk with Jimmy.  One question he hated in particular was when Mr. Witherspoon asked how Jimmy’s mom was doing.  The way he asked made Jimmy uncomfortable.

Lucy waited for her son to respond.

“Okay,” he said slowly.

“Jimmy,” she asked before he stood up.  “Do you want to go to the store?”

He shook his head slowly.

“Then tell me no.”

Tell her no?  This didn’t seem right.  He had never told his mother no.

She nodded her head encouragingly and waited.  “If you don’t want to do it, tell me.”

He swallowed.  “No,” he said softly. 

“What’s that?”

“No,” he said again.

“But I asked you to,” she said.

Again he started to get up.  She gently put her hand on his arm so that he would sit back down.  He looked at her and she shook her head.

“No,” he said again.

They practiced the scenario all evening.  This was one of the hardest lessons for him to learn but he finally was able to say no when he didn’t want to do something.  Although he used the word sparingly and only absolutely when it was something he refused to do.

Despite what that guidance counselor had said that day in the principal’s office, Jimmy was not dumb.  He learned quickly.  His problem was expressing what he knew to others.  He just couldn’t pick up social cues.  In the 70’s, that was classified as dumb.

But Jimmy had something not everyone else had.  He had a mom who was persistent and could see his potential.  With her help, he was able to graduate school and get a job.  He liked his job at the studio because he could work at night and not have to be around other people.  After a few months of learning his duties, he became quick enough that he could even spend the last half-hour of his shift messing around.  He figured out how to set up a microphone and how to turn it on.  Ever since that day he discovered his voice outside the principal’s office he found solace in singing.  That was his comfort zone.  This was the perfect job for him.

One night, when he thought he was alone, he set up the mic and started to sing.  It was a new song he had heard on the radio that he played while cleaning and now he was going to “sing it back.” The song was by a band he had not heard of before called Blondie and the song “Call Me” just had a beat that was irresistible to him.  All his singing was done acapella because he had only figured out how to turn the mic on.  He didn’t know how to add music.  But once he discovered a song, he could hear the beat perfectly in his head so he could belt out his song of choice.

He sang the song through once as practice and then paused and caught his breath.  He knew he could do better and so he sang it again.  And then he started a third time.

“Son, what are you doing?” he heard someone behind him ask.

Jimmy stopped singing and turned to see Billy Lowery, the owner of the studio standing in the doorway.  He could feel his face turn red and dropped his eyes.  “I’m sorry, sir,” Jimmy said.

Billy stared at him.  “That’s okay, son, that’s okay.”  He held his hand up.  “I had a row with the wife and was sleeping in my office.”

“I thought I was alone,” Jimmy stammered and quickly dismantled the microphone.  “I finished all my work though.”

“I believe you,” Billy said.  The studio did not have air-conditioning and he was an overweight middle-aged man which made him sweaty this hot Tennessee night.  He tried wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sweaty hand.  “You don’t have to stop on my account.  Please, keep singing.”

But Jimmy already had the equipment put away and was heading out the door.  He was sensitive to smells and Billy had an odor that was making Jimmy slightly sick.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Lowery,” Jimmy managed to mumble before closing the door behind him. 

Jimmy couldn’t sleep when he got home.  He wondered if he was going to be fired.  By the time he went for his next shift, he was positive that Mr. Lowery would fire him.  But that didn’t happen.  In fact, when he arrived, no one was in the studio.  It was just like any other evening at work.  Except Jimmy didn’t dare sing he just worked.  To be safe, he didn’t sing the next day either.  That lasted a couple of weeks.  He showed up, no one was in the studio, but he didn’t dare sing.

But singing was what helped him find his center.  Singing was his solace and his comfort zone.  One evening when he was weighed down with thoughts of his mom.  By this time, she was a widow and could barely make ends meet.  Jimmy wanted to move out and be on his own but how could he leave his poor mother alone?  The thought process started to overwhelm him because he couldn’t think of a solution.  So, he started to sing.  He didn’t hook up any mics, he used the broom handle as an impromptu mic as he swept.  With each song his voice grew louder and more confident.

The next night when he showed up for his shift Mr. Lowery was waiting for him.  “Son,” Mr. Lowery said in his thick gravely voice.  “We need to talk.”

Jimmy was sure he was about to be fired.  “I’m sorry,” he said.  “Please don’t fire me.  I need this job.”  If he lost his job, what would happen to his mother?

“Fire you?” Mr. Lowery asked.  “Son, I want you to hire me.  As your manager that is.”

Jimmy’s brow furrowed.  This was a new social cue he was unfamiliar with and couldn’t think of which of his memorized scripts would best apply.  “Excuse me?” he asked defaulting to the general response his mom taught him if he didn’t understand something.

“Son,” Mr. Lowery said, “I’ve been leaving the recording on at night for the past month hoping to hear you sing again.  I heard you last night and I am positive you need to share that voice of yours with everyone.”

Jimmy was still unsure of what exactly was happening.

“I want to help you share that voice of yours with people. You have a talent, my boy, and it should not be hidden under a bushel.”

Jimmy looked down at his feet.  “I’ll need to ask my mom about it.”  He needed her to help him navigate this unfamiliar terrain.

“Absolutely,” Billy said.  “How about if I come over around 1:00 tomorrow.  Will that give you enough time to discuss this with your mother?”

Jimmy nodded.  That was the hardest and longest shift he ever had to work but he managed to get all his duties done.  Even though he was in a hurry to get home and tell his mom about Mr. Lowery’s offer, he made time to sing a couple of songs first.  He needed that release.

When he arrived home, his mom was in bed sleeping.  He woke her up and told her what Mr. Lowery had said and that they would have his company at 1:00.  Neither one slept that night. 

When Mr. Lowery showed up at the expected time, Lucy Peternelli was ready for him. She knew exactly what to say because she had rehearsed it all night.

“Mrs. Peternelli,” Mr. Lowery said after being seated on the sofa, “thank you for meeting with me.”  He looked at the mother and then the son then back at the mother.  “Your son has a talent that needs to be shared.”

Lucy’s face twisted in a weird grimace.  “I don’t know about that.  He’s not one to perform.  It makes him uncomfortable.”

“It’s not normal for most people.  He can learn that.”

Jimmy perked up.  If there was one thing he had grown quite well at accomplishing, it was learning and memorizing skill sets he needed to make it through a day.  This would be no different.

Lucy looked at her son and could tell by his face that he was interested.  “I don’t know,” she said slowly.  Just by the look on his face she knew he would not say no.

“Mrs. Peternelli,” Billy Lowery went into his salesman charmer mode, “I know talent.  Your son is abounding in it.  It would be a crime not to let other people partake in his ability.  People need a songbird like your son.  I will make him a star.”

Even though she still wasn’t fully convinced it was a losing battle.  Somehow the tide had turned and the two Peternellis were being swept up in it.  James Bernard Peternelli, the songbird, was on his way to becoming a household name.  

Chapter III coming March 16

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