Yes, I took a little reprieve from the blog
world. What with the election going on I
just couldn’t put into words my feelings.
I didn’t want to offend anyone. I’m obliged – as acting Mayor – to keep
my constituents happy. Therefore, I do
not voice my opinion about any politician (well, except maybe to my nearest and
dearest). But the whole campaign process
– I just can’t…I couldn’t. I hate
it! I hate it! I hate it!
Both sides of the aisle were just ruinous toward each other. I won’t tell you whom I voted for, either. It doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s all done and here we are.
Anyway, what’s been happening in the interim you
ask? Well, d’Oasis has a few new
residents. This edition of the d’Oasis
narrative will be devoted to our newest inhabitant – Fermina Colquitt. She is the new music teacher over at the high
school and her entrance to our population was greeted with joy and inquiry. Why inquiry, you ask? This tight knit community is always curious
of the lives of new personage. Well, she’s just as cute as her name sounds and
has the most beautiful hair you have ever seen.
She is kind of a quiet sort but you can tell there is an abundance of
intelligence behind those eyes. Lou
Coalhouse Dixon displayed an immediate crush on this new teacher. And having never sung in his life, altered
his daily class schedule to include choir. You’d be surprised to find out he
has the most sonorous bass voice.
Word around town, via the younger d’Oasians, was that
Fermina was a whiz at producing the most glorious sounds from the voices of the
dHS Choir. Students not enrolled in Ms.
Colquitt’s classes were often herded from the doorway to the choir
room. It is as if we now had our own Pied
Piper. As I’m sure you know, music is good
for the soul. The new enthusiasm at the
high school is palpable. Grades are
going up and the sports teams are succeeding as never before. You know how they say a butterfly flapping
its wings in China can cause a tropical storm way across the ocean. Well, d’Oasis is proud to welcome its newest
butterfly.
As excited as the students were for their newest
faculty member, I can assure the rest of d’Oasis was on pins and needles to
attend the first dHS Choir Concert led by Ms. Colquitt. We just knew it was going to be something
special when the announcement flyers started appearing in shop windows
downtown. It was fun to observe peoples’
head cock to the side – like a puppy to new sounds – when they read the title
of the concert on the flyers: How Great Thou Art Garfunkel. We’d cornered Effie’s boy, Lou, in the Eat
It, Too to inquire about the content of said concert. I mean, it did sound exciting even with the
play on words. He assured us it would be
a night of inspiration.
On a Saturday evening, in the Fall, it seemed the
whole of the town packed into the dHS gymnasium for the concert. Choir concerts were usually held at the
d’Oasis Public Theatre (d’OPT), but ticket sales required a new venue. I settled into front row seats on the
gymnasium floor with Meems, Teensy and Effie and the whole place was
abuzz. I appreciated their care for the
floor of the gymnasium as it was covered with a marley flooring to protect
against non-sneaker shoes. We looked all
around at the anticipatory faces and were immediately drawn to the set up of electronic
equipment in front of the stage. There
seemed to be three or four electric keyboards, a computer and one of those
things that looks like a tile of pads that sometimes sounds like a drum set – I
can’t tell you what they’re called.
The lights changed slowly which settled the audience
into attentiveness and Fermina took her place in front of all the machinery
facing the stage. She stood in front of
the contraptions and signaled the students to make their entrance. I suddenly recognized a low humming sound,
which must have come from those keyboards, and the choir members slowly glided
into place. They were
adorned in robes usually reserved for church choirs and I assumed that was in
tandem with the “How Great Thou Art” portion of the concert title. Those high school students looked so excited
to present to us their offering.
Fermina turned to the full auditorium and gave a sweet
little welcome with an explanation of the concert’s offering. We would hear the greatest hits from Simon
& Garfunkel arranged with a gospel construct. My gal pals and I leaned forward in our seats
sitting high with glorious anticipation.
Ms. Colquitt turned back to the choir and they all took a deep breath
together. Then, a lone chord ever so
lightly escaped the machinery in front of Fermina. It slowly increased in intensity and we
noticed the voices of the young singers added with the increase of the chord.
A lone voice in the middle of the choir began the
lyrics to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and the rest of the choir echoed or
“aahhhhhed” underneath and the musical chord became the sound of a pipe
organ. The lyrics, music and voices
began to move a little quicker and other instruments were added, prescribing the
story of the song. Every eye in the
auditorium was transfixed to the stage and to Fermina and to her hands dancing
around the machinery in front of her. I
could feel myself breathing with the movement of the music. We’d never heard anything like it – from the
singing of the high school students to the cacophony of instruments
transporting us. Why you’d have sworn
there was an entire orchestra in front of that choir. It truly was magic.
When the last chord of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
bowed its head toward the audience, there was just a second of awe and silence
and then an eruption of applause and bravos and bravas and some joyous stamping
of feet up in the bleachers. I’m sure I
saw Meemaw wipe a tear from her eye – I mean, who could blame her. I believe the ovation must have gone on for a
good ten minutes. Ms. Colquitt simply
turned and bowed with her choir over and over.
She finally put a single hand up in thank you and the gratitude slowly
died down in anticipation of what else was to come. What an amazing evening of music. Our favorite tunes were the opening, of
course; “The Sound of Silence” (the quietest, most beautiful thing you’ve ever
heard); “America;” “I Am a Rock;” “A Hazy Shade of Winter;” and finally,
“Homeward Bound.” I’m pretty sure I saw
a few praise hands go up in the audience during some songs – as some Baptists
are prone to do – such a true compliment to what Fermina had given us all.
Not a single body moved from its seat the whole
concert. Not a single infant screamed or
cried or wiggled. Every soul in that
auditorium was swaying together and leaning in awed. The final number was met with a second
extended ovation until Ms. Colquitt finally released the choir from their
places on the stage. She was then
surrounded by a giant congratulatory group of d’Oasians – me and mine
included. There were hugs and “Thank
yous” and invitations to meals and more.
Meemaw was finally able to push through the crowd and plead with all to
give Fermina some room to breathe. She
pulled that sweet child out of the crowd and mouthed to us, “Eat It, Too.”
Ms. Colquitt was the guest of honor at our table that
evening. I suppose, as acting Mayor, it
is my right and duty to entertain our newest d’Oasian. We gushed on and on
about how amazing the choir sounded and the instrumentation provided by her
electronics and she sweetly thanked us and nodded and smiled. She is just as humble as she can be and you
can tell the joy that music brings to her life.
We are lucky that we get to share in that joy. Keep spreading your wings butterfly.
Until tomorrow….don’t be tacky….Peggy.
