Before their first album dropped The Commodores' Ron LaPread lost his wife to stomach cancer at just 23. The link below is the story behind the song, what occurred, with some details. I took a few specific details and painted the entire picture, a short story on how it could have went down. It's just 2 pages, so no Colin Powell. The story by Jo-Ann Geffin is interesting, and if you haven't read it before it will bring a tear to you. I hope my re-enactment does the same.
http://prince.org/msg/8/329302
Zoom – By Godofwine (650 words, 2 pages) [Contains excerpts of The Origin of The Song Zoom by The Commodores by Jo-Ann Geffin, January 2010 as well as excerpts from the song Zoom]
Lionel grabbed the suitcase and looked on as Ronald stood outside the airport near the street. There was so much that he wanted to say to his friend. Even being the wordsmith he was, there were amazingly few that came to mind that fit, so he remained silent.
There was only one voice that Ronald wanted to hear at that moment and they were on the way to see her.
Ronald raised his hand to hail the cab that stopped in front of him, but his voice escaped him. Lionel clasped the man’s shoulder, “I got it, brother.”
“Hey, Buddy. Could you take us to 231 Jasper Street? I’ll throw in an extra twenty if you make it fast, and quiet, man. Okay?”
The cabbie nodded.
The streetlamps shone down on the tear streaked face of Ronald LaPread, and Lionel Richie stared at the sky willing his own tears not to fall as both men got into the car.
When the cab pulled in front of the house in Birmingham, Ronald jumped out of the door and sprinted up the stairs.
“Cathy? Cathy, baby, I’m here,” he said, almost yanking the screen door off the hinges.
At the sound of her husband’s voice, Cathy LaPread leaped out of bed, past a wide-eyed nurse, ran into Ronald’s arms and kissed him happily. The couple held each other with an embrace that filled the room with light.
Cathy’s mother whispered to the nurse beside her, “What does this mean? For the stomach cancer, I mean. Is she better?”
The nurse lowered her eyes. “No… she’s not. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I can’t believe she was just in a coma yesterday.”
For a moment in time, the two lovers staved off reality.
But it was short-lived.
Cathy collapsed in Ronald’s arms, but he caught her, lifted her as though she weighed next to nothing.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Cathy moaned, embarrassed, her eyes filled with pain.
“No, it’s nothing, baby. I wanted to show off how strong I’ve gotten,” he said, as he carried her to the bed.
The nurse leaned over and gave Cathy a shot of morphine and she exhaled. Ronald laid her head on the pillow and climbed into the bed beside her.
“Shoes…shoes,” Cathy said, looking down at his feet.
“Oh, sorry, baby,” Ronald said as he kicked off his shoes onto the floor, and then laid down facing his wife.
“You are so beautiful,” he said, as he held her face in his hands and she kissed his fingers and glided her face against his palms.
“Sing to me, Ronnie.”
“Lionel and I have been working on a song about me flying home to get to you, but it’s not finished, yet.”
“Sing it,” she cajoled.
He gathered himself and sang, “I may be just a foolish dreamer, but I don’t care. Because I know my happiness is waiting out there…somewhere.”
Ronald desperately tried to steady his voice, but against all his will it quivered and began to falter so he fell silent, a shy smile on his face.
“That’s so beautiful, baby. You have such a lovely voice. I’ve missed that.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Little Cat.”
Tears rolled freely down her cheeks, and then his.
“I’m sorry we didn’t have any kids, Ronnie.”
He caressed her face in his hands. Their eyes held a lover’s stare. Neither wanting to blink and miss a second of the other.
“Don’t worry. We’ll do that later.”
Cathy took his hands in hers and kissed them.
“I don’t think so,” she said.
Cathy clinched his hands tightly for a moment, then her grip loosened, her glow faded, and her eyes closed.
Streams of tears flowed as he pulled his wife’s body close, absorbing the last of her warmth. Cathy’s mother, unable to summon the strength to keep up the façade, fell to her knees beside her daughter’s bed and sobbed.
http://prince.org/msg/8/329302
Zoom – By Godofwine (650 words, 2 pages) [Contains excerpts of The Origin of The Song Zoom by The Commodores by Jo-Ann Geffin, January 2010 as well as excerpts from the song Zoom]
Lionel grabbed the suitcase and looked on as Ronald stood outside the airport near the street. There was so much that he wanted to say to his friend. Even being the wordsmith he was, there were amazingly few that came to mind that fit, so he remained silent.
There was only one voice that Ronald wanted to hear at that moment and they were on the way to see her.
Ronald raised his hand to hail the cab that stopped in front of him, but his voice escaped him. Lionel clasped the man’s shoulder, “I got it, brother.”
“Hey, Buddy. Could you take us to 231 Jasper Street? I’ll throw in an extra twenty if you make it fast, and quiet, man. Okay?”
The cabbie nodded.
The streetlamps shone down on the tear streaked face of Ronald LaPread, and Lionel Richie stared at the sky willing his own tears not to fall as both men got into the car.
When the cab pulled in front of the house in Birmingham, Ronald jumped out of the door and sprinted up the stairs.
“Cathy? Cathy, baby, I’m here,” he said, almost yanking the screen door off the hinges.
At the sound of her husband’s voice, Cathy LaPread leaped out of bed, past a wide-eyed nurse, ran into Ronald’s arms and kissed him happily. The couple held each other with an embrace that filled the room with light.
Cathy’s mother whispered to the nurse beside her, “What does this mean? For the stomach cancer, I mean. Is she better?”
The nurse lowered her eyes. “No… she’s not. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I can’t believe she was just in a coma yesterday.”
For a moment in time, the two lovers staved off reality.
But it was short-lived.
Cathy collapsed in Ronald’s arms, but he caught her, lifted her as though she weighed next to nothing.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Cathy moaned, embarrassed, her eyes filled with pain.
“No, it’s nothing, baby. I wanted to show off how strong I’ve gotten,” he said, as he carried her to the bed.
The nurse leaned over and gave Cathy a shot of morphine and she exhaled. Ronald laid her head on the pillow and climbed into the bed beside her.
“Shoes…shoes,” Cathy said, looking down at his feet.
“Oh, sorry, baby,” Ronald said as he kicked off his shoes onto the floor, and then laid down facing his wife.
“You are so beautiful,” he said, as he held her face in his hands and she kissed his fingers and glided her face against his palms.
“Sing to me, Ronnie.”
“Lionel and I have been working on a song about me flying home to get to you, but it’s not finished, yet.”
“Sing it,” she cajoled.
He gathered himself and sang, “I may be just a foolish dreamer, but I don’t care. Because I know my happiness is waiting out there…somewhere.”
Ronald desperately tried to steady his voice, but against all his will it quivered and began to falter so he fell silent, a shy smile on his face.
“That’s so beautiful, baby. You have such a lovely voice. I’ve missed that.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Little Cat.”
Tears rolled freely down her cheeks, and then his.
“I’m sorry we didn’t have any kids, Ronnie.”
He caressed her face in his hands. Their eyes held a lover’s stare. Neither wanting to blink and miss a second of the other.
“Don’t worry. We’ll do that later.”
Cathy took his hands in hers and kissed them.
“I don’t think so,” she said.
Cathy clinched his hands tightly for a moment, then her grip loosened, her glow faded, and her eyes closed.
Streams of tears flowed as he pulled his wife’s body close, absorbing the last of her warmth. Cathy’s mother, unable to summon the strength to keep up the façade, fell to her knees beside her daughter’s bed and sobbed.
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Thanks a lot lol.
