It was the 1950s when Maritza discovered she liked this singing thing she would lay awake all night listening to the records of the moment. Music moved her from inside out. Every note was unique and special and it had its purpose to make a song whole. She would memorize most songs after one hour or so of her intense listening sections. In the other hours, she would sing into her pillow as the old big brown headphones played the songs in her ears. The next day she would sing with the exact intonation and feeling as the song she had learned to her friend Olivia, and Olivia just giggled and smiled. Maritza even was able to imitate male vocals with such precision that people in the street turned as she would sing into Olivia’s ear as they sat in the park bench and they ate their favorite ice cream.
Maritza was sixteen at the time. No much time was left for her in school after High School she was done and it would be either vocational school or stay at home mother. She did not like her options so when the Fall auditions came she tried out and was accepted at once the professor with her tears rolling down her pink cheeks hugged her and said they would win the school competitions this year with her singing. Everyone applauded as she dilated the professor with a classic song. Maritza performed the song perfectly and it was as if she had the chorus and the band there with accompanying her. It was an interesting fall for Maritza.
Maritza and her singing band left in the dust the local schools in the singing competitions and the state finals were tied as Maritza was almost disqualified by a judge that thought she was cheating somehow and that there was no way such a young girl could make such deep and powerful male voice. But when Maritza soloed the piece she got an outstanding ovation and the judged turned pink as Maritza bowed and left the stage with a smile. The Nationals were no challenge for Maritza as the professor decided it would be best to let Maritza solo and she already had a reputation after the judge incident that many in the audience carried signs with her name and some even wanted a photograph with her. The rest of the band agreed and the day came for the finals.
