Pen Pals

Chapter 3

Adam was anxious. Everyone could see it. No one knew why. Chris was busy with finalizing his departure and getting ready for what he was doing next. They had secured a new baritone and would be starting rehearsals with him before their spring tour started. Adam and Ericha were having more marital problems than ever before.

So much so, that he had moved into a guest bedroom. Well, she moved him into a guest bedroom. He wanted to remain in the master bedroom but she wasn't interested. Not only was Adam anxious, he was very depressed. He knew it was only a matter of time before she filed for divorce. Adam was talking with a close friend of his who advised him to pack up all his D&D stuff and get it out of the house before she filed.

Adam asked his friend to go over and pack it all up for him while he was on tour. He was still anxious. Days dragged on. Luke boarded the bus one morning with mail for everyone. Adam didn't normally get mail. He sat there not-so-patiently waiting. The longer it was, the more his heart began to sink. When his name was called, he practically jumped up. Luke handed him his one and only letter. Adam rushed back to his bunk to read in peace.

"What the hell was that?" Tim raised his eyebrow as he stared down the hall.

"Not a clue." Rob laughed softly, "Whatever it is, I hope it makes him feel better."

Adam read the letter several times. His pen pal had a beautiful name. She was in prison for murder?! Why did that surprise him? She was only doing ten years for it? He was really curious at the circumstances of why she was in prison now! He quickly grabbed his notepad and pen and one of the envelopes the prison sent. He kept her letter close so he could look at it. For some reason, he couldn't quit whispering her name out loud. "Celestia."

     "Celestia!

     What a beautiful name! I've never heard it before. Yes, I knew I'd be writing to someone in prison. Why did I choose to be a part of the program? Well, I guess I needed someone who didn't know me to talk to. Someone who didn't know my friends or family. I know it's selfish and I hope you can forgive me.

     Will you have to do all ten years or will you be able to get out for good behavior or something? No, being in for murder doesn't bother me. I'm surprised and I have no idea why, lol. I will admit that I am curious as to what happened. If you are comfortable with telling me, I'd love to know. For the record, it won't scare me away :)

     I'll do my best to explain what a beatboxer is. Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines, using your mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve vocal imitation of turntablism, and other musical instruments. Sorry if that sounds so technical! Maybe one day I can give you a demonstration.

      So you live in North East Texas? The bass singer in my band lives in in South East Texas! Yeah it can get really cold up in here in the winter. I guess if you're not used to the weather conditions it can be really harsh. I'm not sure I could live where it gets as hot as it does down south so I guess we're even :)

     Can I get a little personal with you? If you don't want to answer, don't feel obligated. What's it like in there? The only knowledge I have are tv shows and I'm pretty sure those aren't accurate. I've heard rumors about the men's prisons but again, I don't know how accurate those rumors were. What's your typical day like? What do y'all do?

      Forgive me if I got too personal. If you don't want to answer, that's ok. If I haven't said it, I do want to know what happened that put you in prison. And yes, I do want to continue writing you. I didn't think I'd be this excited when I received your letter this afternoon. I hope you'll continue writing me too. I need to get going. We have sound check to do. Take care of yourself in there, ok?

     Adam"

As soon as he'd written it, he got Luke to send it off. Tim couldn't help but wonder what it was all about but said nothing. Adam seemed a wee bit happier as they did their soundcheck. He wasn't completely out of the depression but he wasn't as depressed as he was before. He did his parts even though his mind was worlds away. What was it about this woman that he seemed to gather his attention so?

He couldn't wait to hear back from her. It gave him something to look forward to. Not that he didn't love what he did for a living or didn't love their fans. He loved them dearly. This was something different although he couldn't put his finger on it. His friend texted him one day and said Ericha had let him move all his D&D stuff out of their basement and it was all sitting boxed up in his house garage. Adam thanked his friend repeatedly for his help.

It didn't take nearly as long for her to receive letters from people as it took for them to receive letters from her it seemed. She was replying to her family when she received a new letter. She wondered who it was from. Until she remembered her pen pal. It was hard to suppress her smile as she took the letter from the guard. Instead of finishing her letter to her parents, she ripped open the envelope from Adam to read his letter.

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