Let me be myself today, Let me look a different way, Let me find a voice that's me, Let me try to be the woman I was always meantto be.
Say good-bye to your baby, Say hello to someone new, And maybe then, dear Mama, You'll see I'm really you.
We do the chorus again and we 're adding more verses. The agent likes it. You've got to hear it with music, but I think you get the idea. Phoebe, you wipe off that smirk. I remember how you made fun of country music, but I also know in your heart of hearts, you liked it.
I'm hoping to bring a copy of the taping when I see you two at Teal's party.
Now as to boyfriends. I do have someone I'm sweet on. He's a guitar player, the younger brother of a more famous country guitar player, and his name is not Willie or Boone, Phoebe. His name happens to be Thomas, and not Tom either. He likes Thomas, Thomas Caton. His great-granddaddy fought in the Civil War and not for the Yankees.
Mama said if I marry him, I'll be living on the road or in trailers or whatever, but then I asked her where she's living and she laughed.
I thought you didn 't want to be me, she said.
I guess she doesn 't know I do in many ways. Maybe she's learning that and that's why we're closer than ever.
Yesterday, I was thinking, when we crossed that desert together and survived, we crossed a lot more than just sand and rocks.
We crossed from one world to another. Maybe someday I'll be able to write a song about it and sing it, with Mama or not. Then I'll know it's finally all put away. There are lots of ways to bury pain, but in my business, you make it work for you.
Don't I sound sophisticated for a country girl?
Stop laughing, Teal. Teal, Phoebe . . . howmany, many times I've muttered your names like a prayer.
Can't wait to see y 'all.
Love, RobinOn a summer day Robin and I were flown into the Albany, New York, airport and Teal met us at the gate. We were all too excited to wait for the others to stop talking.
“Wait,” Robin cried. “Y'all just got to learn how to take turns. Where's those manners I heard y'all bragging about?”
We laughed and hugged and hurried out to get in the stretch limousine. Teal made it clear we were going to be spoiled and we were to be impressed no matter what or her mother would leave the country.
We couldn't get enough of each other and I thought we would talk ourselves hoarse.
Finally, we were all quiet. Our smiles rested on our faces like tired birds lighting on a branch, and we stared ahead and the limousine continued to sail over the highway.
It really didn't matter where we were going.
We were there already. We were there the moment we all met.
Together again.
Later, Robin sang her song and we locked it forever in our hearts along with all the promises we knew now we would fulfill to each other as well as to ourselves.
