Second Chances: An Unexpected Angel

Chapter 57

A few days later, Sméagol had his very first solo nursing home gig. He was so excited! He dressed in a purple sweater and black pants, and packed all his necessities, including his equipment, in a large bag. Well, actually, he was using my laptop and speakers. We still hadn't bought a computer for him. Hey, computers are expensive, and besides, I didn't mind him using mine. We both headed out the door together, and walked arm-in-arm to the nursing home with big smiles on our faces.

When we arrived, I helped him set up the computer and speakers, and made sure everything worked.

"Welp," I said to him, "everything's good to go."

He smiled.

"Are you nervous?"

"No," he said cheerfully, "not nervous at all, Precious. Sméagol's so excited."

I smiled. "You've got this."

"Awwwww," he cried, hugging me, "Sméagol wouldn't be here without you, Baby." He giggled and kissed my cheek.

"You ready, Sméagol?" asked Diane.

"Oh, yes," he said happily, "Sméagol's ready, Precious!"

Diane grinned. "Well, you can go ahead and start if you're ready."

I sat at the table where the computer was, so I could turn the music off and on as needed, adjust the volume, or do whatever Sméagol needed me to. He gave me a cute smile, signaling to me he was ready to start, so I hit "Play."

Sméagol's performance consisted of very soft, sweet, uplifting ballads with messages of love, hope, and friendship. Some of the songs he sang were covers. Others were of his own creation.

By the way, when it came to songwriting, Sméagol was very good at coming up with beautiful, poetic words and a breath-taking melody. However, he didn't yet know how to play any instruments, so Hayley and I wrote the music for him. Then, we recorded the backing tracks with my recording equipment and software. It was amazing how professional and clear the sound quality was.

During the show, Sméagol noticed one woman wiping away a flood of tears. He approached her, and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly and drying her tears as he continued to sing.

"God bless you, Sméagol," she sniffled when the song ended.

"Awww, God bless you, too, Precious," he responded, planting a kiss on her forehead.

By the time he finished, there was not a dry eye in the room. Everyone could feel and hear the love in his beautiful voice and see it written all over his face. They all applauded and cheered loudly for him.

He smiled sweetly, and blew a kiss to everyone with the cutest giggle. "Awww, Sméagol loves you all."