A Deal With God: The Power of One (23 page)

As Deana got ready to leave Vito’s for Morrison’s fifth game of the season, she hoped tonight would be the night for their first victory. Morrison High School was 0–4. Richmond High School was 1–3. Richmond was one of the two teams they had beaten last season.

Deana got to the game in the middle of the first quarter. There was no score yet. The stadium was pretty full considering this was not really a marquee match–up. Richmond was running a very conservative offense. Most of their plays were dives and traps up the middle. This was keeping Matthew and Mark from making a lot of plays.

The Morrison coach decided to take advantage of this. He blitzed his two inside linebackers and strong safety all at the same time. The Richmond running back got pummeled. He fumbled the football and Morrison had the ball inside the twenty. Morrison ran a half–back option pass on first down and scored a touchdown off of the play. Morrison later added a field goal in the second half and it was all the scoring they would need. Morrison won the game 10–0.

The following week Morrison had an away game. They lost 13–3. The next week the game was in Morrison and Deana was in the stands with Luke and Leon.

The beginning of the game was slow. At the end of the second quarter there was no score. It was 0–0 at the half. There was a pretty big crowd in attendance and they were getting frustrated with Morrison’s lack of offense.

In the middle of the third quarter, Morrison had already punted the ball ten times. Compton was about to punt their tenth time. Compton’s left tackle completely missed his block and Matthew came around the corner untouched. He blocked the punt and the ball started rolling toward the Morrison end zone. Johnny Rollins, the right defensive end, picked up the football and ran it into the end zone for the score.

It was the only score the entire game. Compton tried a couple of pass plays in the fourth quarter but Mark sacked the quarterback on both plays. An elated crowd left the Morrison field overjoyed with a hard fought 7–0 victory.

Morrison had a freshman quarterback. He struggled most of the season but continued to improve. With the Morrison defense as good as it was, the offense was getting lots of opportunities.

Morrison’s defense continued to excel, led by the Samuels brothers. As the season progressed, the offense was starting to feed off of the momentum and good field position the defense was providing.

Morrison lost their sixth game to one of the best teams in the state. However, they played extremely well in both of their last two games. Morrison won both games and they finished with a somewhat respectable record of 4–6. They doubled their win total from the season before.

By the time Thanksgiving came and passed, Deana was exhausted. She really could have used more than a day and a half relaxing in the cabin in the woods in Gatlinburg; it was so wonderful. The cold winter weather was starting to creep in. Having a cabin with a hot tub and a fireplace was a perfect setting for a romantic getaway with the one that you love. The happy couple made the most of their time together.

CHAPTER 19
THE POWER OF ONE – THE HUGE DIFFERENCE ONE PERSON CAN MAKE

This year, Christmas was on a Monday. This did not work out anywhere near as well as last year. Deana had to work Saturday night. She also had to prepare for two performances at church. One would be for the regular Sunday service; the second one would be for Christmas service the next day. She was always off Mondays anyway, so the only bonus was she did not have to go to work Sunday night.

The really good news was that Leon had a surprise for the family, Deana in particular. As a Christmas gift for the family he bought five tickets to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Leon got Tuesday, the day after Christmas off so he would be able to spend the entire day at the attraction with his family.

The Georgia Aquarium’s biggest show and gallery is “Dolphin Tales.” This exhibit allows guests to better understand the lovable bottle–nosed dolphin. Leon remembered how much Deana enjoyed the dolphin watching excursion at Hilton Head Island. He knew she would love this. Also, it would be a fun trip with the boys. For Deana, it was the perfect Christmas gift.

Christmas morning was spent at church and with the Johnsons. The Johnsons had really grown fond of Deana. They respected the nurturing abilities she had displayed toward the boys over the last five years. Deana was always extremely gracious towards the Johnsons.

Christmas afternoon was spent in Athens with Leon and Lester’s parents. Deana prepared a sixteen pound honey baked ham and made a macaroni and cheese casserole. However, she insisted Claire make all of the other sides. Deana did not appreciate Claire taking advantage of her.

Tuesday morning, Leon, Deana and the boys jumped in Leon’s truck and headed to Atlanta. The aquarium was a little over an hour away. When they arrived at the gallery section of the aquarium, they were amazed at the entrance lobby that featured an expansive underwater dolphin viewing window.

“What do you think of that, Deana?” Matthew asked her. “You can see their entire habitat through that big glass window.”

“I think that’s pretty amazing,” Deana answered. “I can’t wait to see the huge theatre and its show; it’s supposed to be really something.”

Dolphin Tales theatre is a State of the Art enclosed facility. It’s both a spectacular theatrical and musical production. It features humans interacting with dolphins, dramatic costumes and amazing special effects.

“The actual story is a mysterious, seafaring adventure,” Leon explained. “The main character gets help from the dolphins and other aquatic mammals to defeat the villain of the ocean.”

Deana liked the fact the show stressed the importance of caring for and about aquatic creatures.

The show did not disappoint. The show utilized video, strobe and flash lighting, special effects and amazing audio pieces. It took place in a five level theatre. The theatre overlooked a thirty foot show pool.

“This show is unbelievable,” Mark said. It’s like there’s a bond between the humans and animals.”

“Dolphin Tales is the best show I’ve ever seen. Everything is so huge. Maybe we can come back for my extra Special Day. Would that be all right, mom?” Luke asked.

“I would love to, Luke,” Deana happily agreed. “I had so much fun. Leon, Thank you. What a wonderful gift. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Deana,” Leon said appreciating her gratitude.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day were extremely cold this year. Deana and Luke wanted to go fishing anyway but got outvoted. Leon, Matthew, and Mark wanted to watch football. Pro football was on Sunday and college was on Monday, New Year’s Day.

Leon rebuilt the burn pit for New Year’s Eve. Everyone enjoyed the warmth the burn pit provided and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows around it. Leon fired it up both Sunday and Monday nights. It was an enjoyable yearly tradition.

Tuesday afternoon, Deana took the boys to the movies like last year. It was something they all enjoyed doing together. That night was Matthew’s night with Deana. They went on a long walk and talked about his new girlfriend.

“Sandy is way cooler than Cherie,” Matthew said with a smile. “She’s more fun, has a better personality and is easier to talk to.”

“Those three things are definitely important; it’s part of what they call chemistry between two people. Without chemistry the relationship will struggle to endure.”

Matthew agreed with Deana.

The following Monday night, Mark had a funny story for Deana.

“My English teacher loves to burn television shows and clips off of the internet and play the DVD in class instead of lecturing. At first it was cool because it was different. But it got old pretty quickly. Most of us think he’s really lazy. He sits on his butt, uses a remote control and says and does as little as possible. My friend, Joey Horton, came up with a great idea. He got his hands on a very small universal remote. It was so small he could keep it in his pocket, so no one could see it. Every time the teacher would cue up the part he wanted to use to teach the class, Joey could cause the DVD to go forwards or backwards. Sometimes Joey would mute the teacher’s DVD or sometimes he would freeze the DVD. It was flat out funny.”

Mark paused to catch his breath before continuing.

“The teacher spent weeks trying to figure out the problem. He never found out it was Joey messing with him. He had to go back to teaching the way we were used to and liked better.”

Deana really enjoyed her walks with the boys. It was a great bonding experience.

Matthew, on the night of his birthday, wanted to spend the evening at the movies with his girlfriend. It was a Friday and Deana had to work, so Leon got to drive the young couple around.

Leon’s birthday was on a Sunday. Deana asked for the night off from the restaurant and Mr. Vito said it was all right, after clearing it with Delores and Peggy. After church, Deana butter basted six pounds of fried chicken, made a big loaf of corn bread and fried up some okra. She put it in a big picnic basket. She added a gallon of her home made sweet iced tea and she and the boys threw Leon a birthday party at the lake.

They enjoyed a delicious meal, sang “Happy Birthday” to Leon and got in some quality fishing time. Deana had bought Leon an ice cream cake during the week. The boys devoured that when they got home that evening.

Ever since Deana’s birthday last August, Mr. Vito had been trying to figure out ways to recapture the festive, packed house excitement he witnessed at her party. His restaurant did very well on the weekends, but he was looking for a way to increase business during the week.

Mr. Vito discussed it with Peggy.

“One weeknight, we should run some kind of special event. Something that could help fill the restaurant during the week.”

Peggy smiled as she thought of a great idea. “You do realize you have one of the best singers in all of Dothan on your wait staff? What if you had karaoke night on a Tuesday or Wednesday night? Deana has a voice worth paying to listen to.”

“True, and if the customers don’t want to sing Deana can go up and perform. I could hire a KJ one Wednesday night and give it a test run. It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

KJ is a karaoke jockey. He or she runs the karaoke “sing fest.” Karaoke is a form of interactive entertainment in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music. The lyrics can be displayed on a video screen if so desired. KJ’s can “rip” entire libraries of songs onto their laptop computers and play those songs and lyrics in a bar, restaurant or someone’s living room.

When Deana arrived at work, Mr. Vito informed her of his desire to try having a Wednesday evening karaoke night.

“Oh my,” Deana exclaimed. “That would be so much fun. I’d love to participate.”

Two Wednesdays later, after some advertising and finding a good KJ, Karaoke night was on at Vito’s. They decided to start at 7:30pm. This was usually when the restaurant started slowing down on Wednesdays. But tonight, quite a few people were coming in to check out Dothan’s new Wednesday night entertainment spot. Mr. Vito ran specials on all his appetizers and even printed out a special menu just for this event.

The KJ sang the first song. It was a good way to check all the equipment and get the show started. Deana sang the second song. She got a lot of applause and everyone seemed into it, but no one wanted to go third.

There was a little girl sitting close to the small portable stage who seemed fascinated with Deana’s singing. Deana asked the girl if she would come up and do a duet with her. The little girl agreed. Deana patiently taught the girl how to time the lyrics as they were displayed on the KJ’s video screen.

Deana and the little girl sang a very popular song and it sounded great. The crowd enjoyed it so much they were cheering and hollering

Next, a four year old boy wanted to sing with Deana. Then an eight year old boy sang with her. Next, Deana got the first little girl who sang the duet with Deana to try singing by herself. She did fine.

The mother of the four year old boy went up and sang and then the adults started going up to sing. Vito’s was rocking until 11:30. Mr. Vito was thrilled; Karaoke night was a success.

Many people came to hear Deana sing at Vito’s. They would tell Deana she had a beautiful voice and they enjoyed listening to her.

In response, Deana told everyone the same thing. “If you like what you hear at Vito’s, you should check out the music I perform at Dothan Christian Church every Sunday morning. I play with two other very talented musicians and we have a wonderful sound together.”

Deana lived out her faith. She loved her church and enjoyed helping Pastor Beckmann increase the size of the congregation. If someone saw her sing Karaoke and it inspired them to come to church, Deana was happy.

As the month of May came to an end, the boys finished another school year. All three had very good grades. Matthew was hoping Deana and Leon would buy him a used car or truck. He was now sixteen and Leon had helped him learn to drive and get his license.

Deana did not want Matthew to get a job over the summer; she wanted to be with him and train him for the upcoming football season. Over the years, she and Leon had maintained respectable balances in their bank accounts. As a reward for getting good grades, training hard for football and being a respectful son, they bought Matthew a truck. It was a used 2008 Dodge Dakota quad cab. Deana shopped around and got a really good deal on it.

The boys were getting too old to ride the bus and it would make it far easier when their football practices started. Matthew agreed to help take Luke to his soccer practices when Deana couldn’t.

The September after Deana and Leon married, Deana asked Leon’s permission to combine all of their individual bank accounts into joint accounts. She explained it would be much simpler for her when she needed to pay the bills. Leon agreed. One September day in the year 2013, Leon deposited his work check and was in for a surprise when he saw the new account balance. There was over fifteen thousand dollars in their new joint account after Deana transferred her money over.