L
auren was looking at Nick absent-mindedly and, as usual, he was bragging. She had stopped listening to him a while ago. She was pensive and withdrawn, tired after her fitness session. She decided she would let them do the talking.
“You know my choir won the competition years ago. And thanks to that, I have been performing on TV all around the country and even internationally. I have been invited to the States, Australia, and Japan.”
Divine had never even heard of him prior to the competition. But she was given a brief on all the panellists back in the States when she agreed to take up the job.
“Yeah.” She caught herself almost yawning.
Lauren had heard it many times over the last few weeks during the competition preparations. He was trying to impress the pretty singer. She found him alright, but his character was a ‘work in progress’ as she liked to put it.
“I was also interviewed by BBC Radio, went on talk shows, and may be in line for an MBE. Why not?” he continued, trying to blow his own trumpet.
“Oh, really?” Lauren asked, knowing full well it was far-fetched.
She knew of his reputation in the music industry; it was mostly about making appearances rather than being the main man of the show. She almost felt sorry for him. Then Sean arrived. The dynamics of the group changed immediately. The tension was almost palpable. Nick could not stand the Irishman. He obviously felt threatened by Sean, who was the relaxed, funny, friendly type. In addition, he was a lot more talented than Nick was. He did not have to prove anything to anyone or show off. He was a natural.
“Where have you been? Down to the pub again?” Nick asked sarcastically.
He always liked to throw in some bad Irish jokes. Sean found it annoying at times, but just ignored him.
“Hi, ladies, how are we doing today?”
“Fine thanks. We’re ready for the next round of auditions,” replied Lauren with a big smile, making Nick cringe.
“Who’s your favourite choir?” asked Nick, trying to draw her attention away from Sean.
“We’re not supposed to discuss that until after the auditions,” said Divine, breaking her silence.
“We can share our opinions.”
“Nope! Not until after the auditions, I’m afraid,” echoed Sean.
“When you think about it, why decide before hearing them? We don’t want to feel like we’re ‘fixing’ the competition, do we?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just thinking that we can compare notes and share opinions.”
Nick did not tell the other panellists that he had had a conversation with the organisers. They had a pretty clear idea of the type of choir they were looking for. They had approached Nick and asked him to try to convince the others, but he was not so sure to be able to do so now. It was a far cry from what Roger had said. They did not want a choir that would go off the beaten track or off-script. They wanted an ensemble that could sing a good old hymn with a touch of modernism, but certainly not contemporary.
What was in it for him? A lot of perks, incentives, and even TV programmes were in the pipeline if he succeeded. He had so much to lose if he could not sway the group. He was trying to seduce Lauren, but she was not falling for it. In fact, she seemed more drawn to Sean by the looks of things. Divine could not be easily manipulated and Sean, well, he was unmanageable.
“Wait till after the auditions, partner,” Sean said sternly.
Nick had no choice but to drop it. He would try again later.
But he had to let the organisers know what the panellists were up to. He contacted them for an urgent meeting with his colleagues on the panel. He knew that they would not be pleased. The organiser’s representatives consisted of Alex Lynch and Sally Chapman, both MBN Senior Executives; Simon Miller, MBN Art & Music Director; and Mark Pearson, MBN Press & Media Director. They turned up just as the panel was deciding who was going to take part in the last rounds of auditions. There was a little tug of war between the two groups.
“Let’s be clear here; we call the shots and you follow suit,” said Sally impatiently.
“Oh no! We were called upon as panellists to give our honest and informed decision, not to be puppets in your hands,” responded Sean. “We owe it to all these talented contestants.”
“We need to be professional and objective in our approach,” agreed Divine. “What you’re asking for is unethical and if this gets out…”
“Nothing will get out of this room,” said Mark Pearson, “or we’ll sue you for breach of contract and confidentiality. Listen, you have to realise that we’ve invested a monumental amount of money in this. You must go along with the script here.”
“Well, you’ll have to count me out,” Sean said.
“And me too,” echoed Divine. “I can’t do it.”
Lauren was cautious. She knew that they were dealing with some of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry. They had the power to make or break someone’s career.
“You also have to understand that we may lose credibility if we choose undeserving winners who do not appeal to the public and the audience. This may even cause a media frenzy. People may ask questions and challenge our decision. We can’t just pick a winner without justification. We have to agree to a set of criteria,” Sean insisted.
“But that’s what’s it’s all about. We want you, the panel, to agree to our criteria.” Simon was doing his best to try to convince them.
“No matter what, you’ll have to let us decide,” said Sean adamantly. “Now, you guys should go and let us do our job.”
They all looked at each other. They had no choice and had to get going. They were already behind schedule. The executives marched out of the room furious that things were not going according to plan.
***
Keisha was in her room, trying to pull herself together. Zack had been a little distant recently and it was hard for her to cope. Linda seemed to be the centre of his attention. The stunning Brazilian also appeared to be around him a lot. Keisha was having a tough time dealing with it, but she could not blame him. She was the one who asked him to slow down and give her time. Tanya had gone gallivanting with her friends somewhere in the hotel. It gave Keisha some breathing space as the girl had been asking her a lot of questions that she was having a difficult time answering. She took a while to pray for grace, strength, and peace.
Afterwards, she found her composure again and went down with the rest of the choir for the next round of auditions. They were going to sing a re-arranged version of Oh Happy Day. Zack and the choir had spent a lot of time working on it and were hoping that it was going to be their ticket to the final stage.
“When are we singing?” Keisha asked Agnieszka.
“You guys are near the beginning, if I recall correctly.”
“Oh, that’s good. Then we won’t have to wait around. It saves us from getting stressed and suffering from stage fright.”
The Abundant Life choir came together for a time of prayer. They were praying for the grace to sing well and for the favour of God. They needed to stay focused. Jay and the choir sang exceptionally well at the second audition. They thought that there were two or three other choirs that also did well. They believed that they should be among those going through.
***
The panel was deliberating. Again, they had about an hour to decide and there was a heated argument between the panellists. Nick wanted the choir from Berkshire to be among the finalists.
“There was nothing special about the way they sang. They’re not better than the choir from Wales, for instance – they were impressive, to say the least,” said Sean, annoyed.
“I was wowed by the London choir. What’s their name again? Oh yes, the Abundant Life choir I think they are called,” Lauren stated.
“Me too! I agree, they should go straight through along with the choir from Wales,” said Divine.
“That’s correct; their choreography was out of this world,” added Lauren.
“So, we agree that the choirs from Wales and London should be selected, right?” Sean asked.
“Okay, that’s fair enough. But now let’s decide who should be the third choir to get their ticket to the final round,” Nick responded.
He was very agitated as he was having a hard time trying to convince the other panellists to agree with his and the organisers’ choice.
“I think the Berkshire choir is a good choice to act as a counterbalance. The other two choirs are contemporary. The Berkshire choir has a more traditional feel to their singing. My argument is that it will keep the balance.”
“But then the choir from Northern Ireland was just as good if you’re looking for traditional,” remarked Sean.
“I don’t agree with you. And I hope you’re not biased because they are from Northern Ireland…”
“I beg your pardon. I’m not like that at all. It has nothing to do with that. I just want us to do right by these guys; we owe it to them. They’ve worked hard,” an offended Sean protested.
“What is it with you? Why are you so determined for this choir to go through? There’s no justification for it!” Divine intervened.
“I think they harmonised very well and brought something special,” argued Nick.
“I have to agree with Nick. I think they blended their voices well, and you could feel the peace and harmony in their song. It worked well for them, I must say,” stated Lauren, siding with Nick.
“That’s nonsense!” Sean interjected.
“You’re being disrespectful to the lady,” Nick told him, trying to cause trouble between them.
“I’m just voicing my strong opinion, that’s all.”
“That’s a bit too strong, isn’t it?” Nick queried.
“Anyway, I don’t agree. I’m not sure whether we were listening to the same choirs. The choir from Belfast had something much more special going on than the Berkshire choir, and we all know it!”
The argument between the two men went on for a while, with neither one willing to give in. Divine started praying silently: ‘Please, dear Lord, help us.’
“Well, guys, the rule states that if there was a tie, we could pull the ace card, which counts as double. However, we only have one ace card and no more,” stated Lauren.
“Oh yes, I completely forgot about that,” said Divine, relieved. God had answered her plea.
Divine was to announce the shortlisted choirs. They were all present in one of the MBN auditoriums.
“The time has now come to announce the three choirs that have been chosen for the final. Let me tell you, it was not easy! We argued and debated on and on. We almost fell out. We even ended up punching each other in the face (laughs). I’m joking. I did have to pray at one stage, but fortunately, God answered my prayer. We, the panellists, have finally come to an agreement. The choirs that are going through to the final deserve to be there. Without much further ado, the finalists are the Berkshire choir, London’s Abundant Life choir, and the Welsh choir.”
The three choirs and their fans were overjoyed. This was such an achievement already!
“But wait, that’s not all,” continued Divine. “Lauren over to you.”
“Well, we have a little surprise for you all. Some of my colleagues and I thought that there was a choir that also deserved another chance. We didn’t want to see them go just yet. They showed astounding musical skills and there was an amazing bond between the singers. They have a great presence. So, we thought that it was only fair to them. Our first ever wildcard in the history of the competition is the Belfast choir.”
The Belfast choir had surprise written all over their faces. They had not expected this at all and were ecstatic. They had made the cut. What a delight it was, especially as they had come all the way from Northern Ireland. Everyone was happy, celebrating their qualification to the grand finale.
Nick was wondering how he could convince Lauren to side with him for the final. He had to work on her before the time came, so he invited her for dinner straight after the announcement.
“There’s a nice three-star Michelin restaurant not far from the MBN building. Why don’t we go there this evening?”
“That would be very nice. I would love that!” Lauren was a big fan of gourmet cuisine, a fact that she had mentioned to Nick.
“Chef Marco Risoli has made a name for himself in the last five years. His restaurant serves his signature dish, ‘Linguine alle Vongole’, which is linguine pasta with clams in a white wine and garlic sauce. It’s mouth-watering and exquisite, an experience of its own that you will never forget, I promise.”
He was trying to seduce her and, if not, to win her over. That way, he could manipulate her more easily for the competition if necessary. Sean and Divine had proven tough and had shown that they were not easily swayed. He had to find a way to keep Lauren under his control. He was planning on getting her drunk or even spiking her drink. Who knows what might happen? But Nick was in for an unexpected surprise.
Lauren, on the other hand, was not deceived. She could see right through him. She decided to play along and enjoy the moment, the food, and the wine, but that was about it. She would then play a fast one on him and disappear when it was convenient for her. She laughed in her heart. What a fool!
***
Later at the restaurant, Nick asked Lauren, “Which choir do you most like?”
Lauren decided that she was going to pretend as if the wine had gone to her head and loosened her tongue. After all, he was her host. She did not want to disappoint him. She told him what he wanted to hear.
“I agree with you. I think the Berkshire choir is dope.”
“Really?”
He was super happy. His job was not going to be so hard after all.
“Yes, I think I’m going to vote for them.”
“I’m glad that you’re on my side.”
He did not realise that she was playing him. He really was gullible, she laughed to herself. Deception was the name of the game. She suspected him of working with the organisers anyway. That would teach him to try to use her. It had just cost him an expensive Italian dinner with wine. He even attempted to come on to her.
“Maybe you and I can have a little something going?” he mustered the courage to ask, but only when he was a little drunk.
Lauren herself was a little tipsy, but not enough to fall for him. He was simply not her type.
“Nick, we’re just having a nice time. You know, this lovely restaurant, the ravishing food, the exquisite wine. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Come on. Things could work between us.”
“I don’t think so. We’re having fun here. Let’s not spoil things.”
“Why don’t you give me a chance?”
“Because I already have someone in my life.”
This was a half-truth. She was interested in someone else, but she did not know whether the feeling was mutual. It was still at an early stage.
“I’m not good enough for you. Is that what you’re saying?” he said with a little aggression.
“Look, don’t turn weird on me. I’m just being upfront with you.”
“Alright. I think we can go now.”
He was a little disappointed, but at least he had partly got what he wanted – she would vote for the Berkshire choir. Or so he thought.