Love Notes

2- The Competition

Sunday's services went well and the duet with Michelle and Beyoncé was awesome. The choir nailed it and the two women sang the church house down. Their song even got the pastor and first lady out of their seats. The sermon ironically was about knowing your self worth. It was something that Beyoncé struggled with. She was just beginning to really find who she was. She came from a troubled past. It wasn't bad but it wasn't all good either. Her past was why she was so jaded. Beyoncé didn't want to be arrogant but it had to do with how she was raised.

Beyoncé grew up in a super religious house and was the child to two preachers. Her parents were well known in Philadelphia. Together they pastored one of the largest churches in the city. It was a given that five out of the seven days in the week she was at church. She grew up sheltered from the world but by middle school began to experience what the world was like through her friends at school. It was during her eighth grade year that she realized she liked girls. By the time she got to high school she knew exactly who she was. She had grown into a well-rounded, intelligent young woman. The summer after she graduated she decided it was time to tell her parents who she was. It was one of the most painful things she had experienced. After telling her parents she was gay, they disowned her and told her never to return to their house. In a matter of minutes she had lost her entire world. Her parents not only disowned her but they also withdrew all the money that they had put out for her first year of college. Beyoncé ended up staying with a friend and finding a job. She worked for two years before deciding to go college.

She graduated college summa cum laude from Virginia Union University. Went on to work in the IT field and worked her way to where she was now. Now she was in charge and had a lot of people working under her. She hadn't spoken to nor contacted her parents in ten years. Beyoncé wasn't sure that she even wanted a relationship with them. She did know that people in their church questioned why she disappeared and hasn't been seen since. She kept in contact with her best friend that she had stayed with when her parents kicked her out. Kelly was the one person who knew exactly what happened with Beyoncé and her family but she never spoke on it. Kelly and Beyoncé made it a point to always keep in touch with each other and have each other's backs.

Beyoncé was on her way to choir rehearsal. For once she wasn't running late, she smiled as she parked her car and entered the side door of the church. She had decided on teaching the choir "Lift Every Voice and Sing". Many people knew the first verse because it was the part most commonly sung but the song actually has three verses. She quickly wondered what Michelle would decide to teach. As Beyoncé entered the choir room she took in the scene before. Michelle and Kevon were sitting in the corner having a conversation, Dallas was working on something with the band and most of the choir members were just strolling in.

Michelle briefly looked up when Beyoncé entered the room. She looked a little stressed but beautiful as always. Michelle was still trying to figure out her attraction to Beyoncé. There was something drawing her to the woman like a moth to a flame. She just couldn't resist looking at the woman, who this week was sporting her natural hair color with auburn highlights. Both women trying to take in each other's appearances on the sly.

"Oh Chelle, there's you woman. Go talk to her." Kevon said on the sly.

"No. No. I can't talk to her. She doesn't like me." Michelle responded.

"Girl, talk to the woman and stop being scary."

"I'm okay. I'll talk to her later."

Soon it was time for the actual rehearsal to begin. Kevon stood up and got everyone's attention by clapping his hands and whistling. Quickly all the choir members moved to their sections. Everyone's attention was on the choir director as he began to tell them what would be happening in rehearsal today. When he finished the pastor was walking in and took a seat to the side of the choir. Michelle went first and taught the song "How Great Is Our God," she did pretty well. She only messed up on the second chorus when she gave the altos the wrong note. Toni went next then Dennis. Beyoncé opted to go last and taught the song, it went very well; she even was able to teach the harmony of the second and third verses.