CHAPTER 4

After a late night beer spree, Eric suddenly woke up by a call. Still sleepy, he reached for his phone from the corner table. He looked at the name of the caller and answered, "What's up? It's only eight in the morning," he said. He and Dexter had great time at the bar last night that they ended around three in the morning. This was a usual scenario for Eric and Dexter to go home late. However, if such was the case, Eric usually wakes up around ten in the morning since he has nothing to do.

"We have been looking for you," Dexter worriedly said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Eric mumbled as he got up from his bed. He sensed the nerve-wracking in the voice of Dexter. He knew at once that something was up. Dexter was already familiar of the daily schedule of Eric. He wouldn't wake him up if it weren't an emergency.

"You have to go here at the radio station. We have an urgent meeting," Dexter explained.

"What for?" Eric tried to think of the reason for an urgent meeting. Surely it wasn't about their schedule since his program is permanent and the monthly events to be hosted were already distributed. If ever this is so urgent, it could only be for one reason. "Is there a problem regarding last night?" Eric asked.

"I don't know but all of us have been called up for it. You have to be here in thirty minutes," Dexter clarified.

"Thirty minutes?"

"Yes, I have been calling for an hour now but you're not answering my calls."

"Okay! Okay!" Eric dropped the call. He quickly took a bath and prepared himself. Fortunately, it would only take him five minutes drive going to the radio station. Yet, he still feels the kick of the late night beer spree. His mind was occupied by possible reasons for meeting. Was it because of the reading of the letter during the last segment of his program? Would Luther burst and wax wroth on them about station policy? But Lea and Ryan could easily manage to persuade him. Different ideas entered his mind from special assignment to listeners' complaint but none could be persuasive enough to convince him as the reason for the urgent meeting. He had a devil of a time thinking about it in addition to the lack of sleep and hangover.

After twenty minutes, Eric entered the lobby of the radio station. Dexter was nervously waiting for him. He was walking back and forth from one corner to the next until he saw Eric. "Great! Now everyone is here." Dexter sighed.

"What's up? Did you find out the reason for this urgent meeting?" Eric asked as they walked towards the conference room. When Dexter opened the door, everyone was already there. Close to the door, Lea and Ryan were sitting comfortably on the executive chairs around the large dark wooden oval-shaped conference table with indirect lighting above it. The brothers, Wesley and Lindsey Floyd, were busy with their laptops at the far end of the table. They are the other sound technicians of the radio station. While Chedline Sexton, Casey Pace and Cathy Ingram, the so-called triple Cs of the station, were looking at bundle of letters.

Eric and Dexter approached Lea and Ryan to get a hint on the possible topic of the meeting, when suddenly Luther entered the room. He asked everyone to take their seat, as they are about to begin the urgent meeting. Luther looked around and announced, "Mark and Anthony couldn't join us since it's their program at this moment. Let's get into the business then. As you know, I called for an urgent meeting today because of what happened last night." Eric, who was seated next to Ryan, became edgy and the words, 'last night' was stuck in his mind. "Wesley, is it prepared?" Luther asked as his glare was fixed on the laptop in front of Wesley.

"Yeah. It's ready," Wesley answered.

"Last night, one of our evening programs has broken a record. The telephone line was so busy even up to this morning, due to a public reading last night. The telephone almost gave up for more than one thousand calls, I was informed." Luther looked at Eric, who felt guilty, thinking that what he did last night resulted into chaos. A guilty conscience needs no accuser. Eric didn't want to cause a stir at the station especially he was the youngest among them. However, he was in for a better surprise. "Casey would you like to add something?" Luther asked.

"Yeah. Of course!" All of them were looking at Eric. It seems everyone except Eric and Dexter knew what the topic is going to be. "Actually, I had to alter my usual program after Eric last night. Incoming calls continued to shower the station. Many of which are reactions to the letter that Eric read. Let me read some for you," Casey explained.

Before Casey could flash the reactions to the projector, "Eric, would you mind if you would read the letter to us now?" Luther asked. He sat and sipped from his glass of water.

"Okay," Eric said. He stood up, reached for the book from his bag and started reading the letter. He read it slowly like the way he read it last night. Everyone was attentive to the message of the letter. Even Lea, Ryan and Dexter were still affected even though they had read and heard it yesterday. The Three Cs were emotional as well. Casey and Chedline were already teary-eyed while Cathy was still trying to hold herself but was obviously moved.

When Eric was done reading, he sat down and waited for the reaction of the group. Luther stood up. He stared them in their faces and whispered at Casey to flash the comments. "Here are some of the comments last night that Casey has to entertain. He looked at the screen of the laptop in front of Casey while the rest read through the projector.

"Here is a good one. From Queen Ayers of Mount Adams, 'My heart was pounding in sorrow as I listened to the letter. It was filled with emotions, painful yet full of love.'" Luther read.

Luther sat and asked Casey to read the next. "From Kyle O'Connor of Seventh street, 'It made me remember my own father. It was touchy. It's not yet father's day but it allowed me to recall the man behind my father's manliness." Eric's face started to brighten up, as most of the reactions being read are positive.

"Here's a better comment coming from Marcus Payne of Sycamore Street, 'Curiosity got the best of me. Can you please find out who the father and daughter were and if ever they have reconciled? It's such a waste if they didn't.'" Casey glanced at the group, "These are only some of the comments we received from the telephone calls last night," she added.

Luther stood up. "It's not just the telephone calls even our website and emails are packed with messages and comments on the letter coming from different streets and even States. Safe to say, most of them are positive and some questions regarding the identity of the writer." Eric sighed in relief. He knew that he is safe now. "Even those bundles of letters are about last night from our listeners," Luther added as he pointed at the bundles in front of Chedline and Cathy.

"What do you want then to happen?" Ryan asked while he and Luther smiled as if they have already talked about it before the meeting. True enough, Luther had consulted Ryan and Lea about his plan for the meeting and they seem to be amenable to it.

"You see, one of the mails that we received, contains a possible lead to the identity of the writer." Everyone was caught off guard. They became more attentive to Luther, wanting to know this clue. All eyes and ears were on him as they waited for the next wave of statements from him. Knowing that he had aroused their interest and caught their eyes, Luther just beamed and looked at their reactions.

"What's the content of the letter?" Dexter excitedly asked.

Luther opened the envelop attached to his folders and unfolded the letter. He took a glimpse of them before reading the letter.

Dear WJRQ 103,

I was listening to your evening program last night and I happened to hear about the letter, which was read by one of your DJs and another entertained the comments and questions from your listeners. If you are really interested to know the writer of the letter, come to Highland Café, eight o'clock tonight and I will tell it to you.

Sincerely Yours,

G. C.

After hearing the letter, Eric was glad. He gave Luther the once-over signifying that he volunteers himself for the job. Yet, he realized that the call time was caught in the middle of his evening program.

"How can we be assured that this is not some kind of prank?" Dexter asked.

"Well, this was given to me personally by one of the workers at Highland this morning since he knew me. However, he did not want to divulge the identity of the sender of this letter," Luther explained while waving the letter. "Who would want to talk with the sender of this letter?"

No one was answering. Some of them have already planned out for tonight. Dexter, Eric and Casey are due to have their programs. Eric would love to go and discover for himself the identity of the father yet he knew Luther would not allow him.

"Why not let Eric and Casey go since they were the ones who read and entertained the comments of the listeners last night. Lea and I were talking awhile ago that we will get their slots just for tonight," Ryan suggested while Lea nodded.

It was actually the plan of Luther, to send both Eric and Casey at the coffee shop but since he has to find people to fill in for their programs, he asked Ryan and Lea to take it and both willing agreed.