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We had a few weeks break after the initial rehearsals together. Jerimy and Doug went back to Oklahoma, and I continued my daily existence at the radio station and with Mama Sharon Kasserman.

Mama Sharon was in her 50’s, and was an esthetician* at a swanky salon in Green Hills. I met her at a party that Devon hosted at her stables, and she was a close friend of Hoss Burns.** Shortly before all of the events I’ve been telling you about, I found myself without a place to live. Sharon offered me her spare room, as her daughter had recently moved out and gotten married. I jumped at the chance to live in Green Hills in a cute apartment, and to hang out with Mama all the time. She was so much fun. She would laugh so much that it was hard to breathe and she’d take these huge gasping inhales and start all over again, sending anyone around her into hysterics. Sharon’s elderly mother lived across the hall from us. She was a cross between Sophia Petrillo from the “Golden Girls” and that crotchety old woman who played the mother on “The Five Mrs Buchanan’s.”***

Everyone received a package in the mail from Delious containing cassettes of the songs that we would be recording for our showcase demo package for Atlantic Records. The songs included, “To Me,” “Talking to Strangers,” and “One of a Precious Few.”

We had a conference call a few days afterwards for everyone to figure out what parts they would be singing, when to take a lead and other production notes. We were all so excited, THESE songs were going to be the first part of our album that we would record. They were good songs and each had a chance to be a solid recording.

During this period, I began talking to Jerimy and Doug on the phone more often, they would call and ask me questions about what to expect next, how the recording process would work, and what life in Nashville is like. Most of the time though, we would just talk about life in general, and got to know each other pretty well.

I wasn’t exactly open about being gay yet. Yes, some people knew at work, but that wasn’t because I told them… but at some point in my conversations with Jerimy, I told him that I am gay. He was the first person that I ever actually said the words to. He was completely unfazed. He told me that his favorite uncle is gay, and I didn’t have anything to worry about with his attitude toward me. I have to admit that I was quite surprised by his reaction. I expected more of a… well… Oklahoma Teenage Boy Freak Out.^TM

Jerimy thought it would be best if he told Doug, though.

* Sharon claims this term is just a fancy way of saying “Professional Zit Popper.”

** I just realized that I really should have written a character synopsis before I got into this story. Too late now. I’ll introduce you to Hoss soon.

*** Eileen Heckart. Why does no one else remember this show?