" Good morning or afternoon, my brothers, sistas, and other good folks. For a change, I don't have much to say today because haven't you heard of the latest hit? Well if you haven't RadioRic is here to serve you with the sweet sound of Sapphire's Haven't You Heard."
Months had become the new days for Delilah and Michael, to the point that they could no longer recall the time or date.
Life's clock had sped rapidly as their careers were flourishing it was inevitable that they'd go from calling every day to every other day.
However, for the last few weeks they completely forgot about calling each other.
Michael was now halfway through making his debut film and, in the meantime, writing and recording songs for his album that will be released early next year.
Delilah had spent most of her time working tirelessly on her album, and it wasn't until recently that the press was raving more than ever about Sapphire.
With her promoting the album release and upcoming duet with Jackie Lee, followed by another smash single, she stoked a fire that had Television show hosts clamoring for an appearance from left and right.
Especially after her latest appearance on the 'Say What!' show starring Fred Harlow.
" Okay so, I have another 'Say What' question for you miss Sapphire. You're fresh to the music industry and may I say I am a big fan already. I know it can be hard to be seen as authentic being a female artist and recently there's been a few comparisons. How does it feel to be called the next Donna Summer?"
Letting out a slight chuckle Delilah shrugged and shook her head. " Well I'm me, the next Sapphire and the only Sapphire. Just like Ms. Summer is the one and only."
" We get that but how does it feel." Fred egged and Delilah realized that he wanted more than a boring professional answer.
Delilah chuckled to herself. " I mean what else is there to say? Better than the next Riva Love." her statement earned oos from Fred and the studio audience.
" Well after that burn folks I think we need to cool down for a moment. We'll be back after this commercial break." Fred playfully covered his mouth.
As expected her words were the new magazine craze as they made that six-word sentence into their own six-page story.
Saturday
May 6th
Delilah sat in between Valentina and Ocean on the sofa while they waited inside of Dezzel's office for some unspecified reason.
" Awe shit you on the cover again chica. Aye, did you see that Riva Love about to be in some crazy space movie bullshit?" Valentina snorted and handed Delilah the magazine.
Delilah smirked while reading it. " A galactic musical extravaganza we should definitely see that." The girls laughed at the heavy sarcasm.
" So what you think he got us in here for this time?" Valentina wondered as Delilah shrugged.
" Probably this Riva Love bullshit."
" Or probably because of how you cursed out that Jackie Lee nigga yesterday." Ocean butted in with a slight chuckle.
" What!" Valentina exclaimed. " So not only did you meet him without me but you cursed him out! "
Ocean nodded and popped her gum." Yup she told his ass off right before recording the song."
" And y'all recorded the song already? I thought that was today! "
Delilah shrugged." You would've remembered if you weren't so busy with Sane all the time."
" We not finna start this shit again Lilah." Valentina rolled her eyes.
" Whatever and don't even get me started on Mista Jackie Lee, he deserved every word I said to him." Delilah shook her head in remembrance.
One Week Earlier
He and Delilah were working together on a duet by the name of 'Very Special', a light song that matched the nice summer weather.
The song was originally for Sapphire's album but after a while of debating she agreed to give the song to Jackie for his first solo album.
Delilah sat on the roller chair next to Carlitos and Ocean, sighing heavily as she checked the clock for the second time. It was almost an hour into the session and Jackie Lee was nowhere to be found.
They only had the studio for a brief period being that Delilah needed to prepare for her appearance on the 'Say What!' show.
"This is crazy," she said as she snatched her clutch purse, dismissing Carlitos and Ocean's calls for her to come back.
Delilah rolled her eyes and grabbed for the doorknob - that opened unexpectedly before she could touch it.
Behind it came Ryan Staples, Jackie Lee's manager, and Jackie Lee, who was complaining to one of the janitors about almost tripping over a wet floor sign.
" Did you see that shit? I almost lost my fucking life!" Jackie scoffed to the manager. Ryan's expression was angry and uninterested in Jackie's coked-out self-made problems.
" Mr. Carlitos, Ms. Sapphire, my deepest apologies ... we had to make a few stops along the way." The four of them then turned their attention to Jackie, who had another outburst, this time spitting his food into a napkin.
" I asked for no onions! It's onions all in this shit Staples! Come fix this shit."
" But you specifically said extra onions in the car."
" Well now I change my fucking mind."
Ryan approached him in a cautious way to settle Jackie's random temper." Jackie please, we're already behind as it is you think I have time to be picking onions out of rice?"
Jackie mugged him up and down." Make time."
Throwing her purse back in the rolling chair Delilah gritted her teeth. "Okay look here, you already a hour late and got the nerve to be taking even more time to eat and nitpick about some damn onions. Who the fuck you think you are? The damn president?"
" Nah even better princess, I'm Jackie Lee and Jackie Lee moves on his own time."
Sizing him down Delilah gave him a disgusted look at the audacity he had to look at her through flirting eyes. " And I'm Sapphire and Sapphire has better shit to do right now than to be sitting in a studio waiting on a struggling solo artist who, by the way, can't make a real hit so he had to have someone like me sing on a song with his pathetic ass." she snapped, cocking her head to the side at the silence that he gave her.
Jackie Lee was a former member of the duo, The Brothers, which recently came to an end due to Jackie's narcissistic behavior.
His partner, Pharaoh, eventually couldn't take it anymore and they split on a drunken night coming from a club after the 20th Annual Grammys.
That only being February and Jackie had already been working on his solo album and on his way to being an official artist on Limelight Records.
Jackie eventually smirked and stood from the couch. " Okay, you got spunk, let's see if you as good as you claim."
" Oh I am, betta ask the charts." she made sure her shoulder bumped him as she made her way into the booth causing Ocean to snicker as she followed suit.
...
Delilah scrunched her face once her recollection of what transpired ended in her mind ." Well I wouldn't say I cursed him out." she claimed as Ocean and Valentina simply twisted their lips at each other.
The door bursting open stopped their conversation from going further as they all glanced in that direction. It was Carlitos with a strange look and a shaking head. " Brace yourself songbird." he barely spat out before Robert came rushing in.
Confused but furthermore excited Delilah stood to hug him." Rob-."
" I've been gone for like a month and you're causing trouble." he peered at Delilah causing her to huff and plop back down on the sofa.
" I don't know what you talking bout."
" Oh, you don't? What's this?"
Carlitos began to back away slowly." Um, I have business to take care of so yeah - I'll just see you guys later." he rushed out the door.
Delilah smacked her teeth." Okay fine but I barely said anything."
" Well barely saying anything on shows like 'Say What' is saying a lot in this industry." Robert stressed.
" I mean she got the people talking that should be a good thing." Valentina shrugged earning a stern look from him that made her sip her drink instead of continuing.
" She got the people talking yeah but about the wrong thing. You don't want to start drama with someone who has been in this business for years and you're just starting off."
" What? So she gets to steal my song and say whatever she wants to me but I can't bite back?"
" It's not about that De. Riva has fans - die-hard fans that love her and if things like this blow out of proportion then you have a bunch of Riva fans hating you." he slapped another magazine on the table.
" Hm, that's a nice picture of me." Delilah pointed out as the girls agreed.
Robert stared at her blankly causing her to sigh." Look I don't know what you want me to do what's done is done."
" What's done?" Dezzel entered his office causing Robert to show him the magazines." Oh yeah, it's been all over the place."
" And?" Robert trailed off expecting Dezzel to have a similar urgent reaction. To Robert's dismay, Dezzel didn't see this as a problem in fact he loved the attention.
" Well, it's great. Since all eyes are on Sapphire now just before the album release the sells are gonna skyrocket."
" Possibly yes but on the other hand, this can also negatively affect the album."
" But why even think like that?" Delilah expressed with a scrunched face earning Robert's full attention.
" Because it's something that should've been taken into consideration in the first place. Delilah, you're too early into your career to be in drama with an artist like Riva Love."
" What's that supposed to mean?"
Robert eyed Delilah for a second and as much as he wanted to give her a tough reality check he took a deep breath and decided against it. Riva Love regardless of what they thought of her was a living legend verses Delilah who just walked through the door. He didn't want Delilah putting her career on the line to temporarily embarrass Riva for revenge.
" Look I'm not being a dad nor paranoid, I'm talking on a business level. Riva has over a decade under her belt which means she has over a decade worth of fans that can become your haters. The press is unpredictable they will turn something as simple as what you said into something so bizarre and it'll either make you or break you once it's out to the world."
" Look." Dezzel butted in." I get your frustrations and worries and what not but even if she gains haters for this - haters still gonna listen and trust me once they hear Sapphire - Riva's gonna be gone with the wind."
" And if not?" Robert cocked his head to the side.
" It ain't a if not - I'll see to that," Dezzel assured before going behind his desk leaving the rest of them to glance at each other wondering what he meant by that. " But like she said what's done is done so let's move on to the good stuff."
Valentina then leaned over to Delilah." Aye wasn't your uncle supposed to meet us up here?" she whispered. He was supposed to meet up with them but he was nowhere to be found, just like last week when he was supposed to be at her studio session with Jackie Lee.
With a confused frown, Delilah looked at her." I don't know maybe something came up this not like him though he would've called."
" I'm saying... I hope he good." Valentina said causing Delilah's mind to wander. Her thoughts didn't get too far before the door opened and in came four people carrying in two easel stands - covering whatever was displayed on it with white cloths.
Delilah turned her attention to Dezzel as he rubbed his hands in excitement. " Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you the cover art of Sapphire's first album." he gestured his hand for them to remove the cloths.
Delilah's mouth fell agape at the sight. A beautiful painting of her, Valentina, and Alyssa. An idea that Robert woke up with from a dream and immediately came to Dezzel with the vision. They were all in awe of how well it came out.
A Taste Of Honey. Delilah couldn't process the many emotions that it caused her. Alyssa's face, her angel wings, and beautiful halo as big as her fro. Delilah's imperfect angel always there by her side through the good and bad, that's what Alyssa was on earth and now in spirit.
Her tear-filled eyes snapped towards Robert who smiled at her with watery eyes as well.
" There's more kid." he gestured for them to then reveal the backside of the album.
Betty Boop, Alyssa's all-time favorite but designed to look like her. Delilah's tears couldn't hold back any longer as she glanced over to Robert. " I love it." she covered her mouth as she began to fully let it out.
Robert took her into his embrace and immediately felt himself crying along with her. Eventually came Valentina joining in the hug with just as many tears rolling down her face.
" Yes, this definitely calls for a group hug." Dezzel abruptly blurted and made sure to find his way against Delilah.
She was too emotional to even care if he had been hugging her. Once Ocean joined Delilah began to laugh causing the rest of them to laugh too.
Delilah didn't know why the rest of them had been laughing but she knew her reason behind it.
There was a time that she almost gave up on her dream and now she was moments away from releasing her first album to the world.
The world that she had been calling for so long and hadn't received an answer until now and she was going to make sure that they never forgot who she was.
Thoughts on this chapter?
I appreciate everyone's patience with me, I've been so busy and just not in the mood to write at all but I'm digging myself out of this hole of depression and I feel good!
Thank you so much for 34k!