Story Scene: โOh Freedom, Where Do I Begin?โ
In a quiet cafรฉ in Vancouver, the rain taps softly against the windows.
Nelly Furtado stares down at her tea like sheโs searching for an answer inside the steam.
โSometimes,โ she says, โI feel like every step of my life is being examined by doctors and experts. Charts, diagnoses, interviewsโฆ it never ends.โ
Across from her sits Joe Jukic, flipping through a small Bible.
Nelly sighs and half-laughs. โYou know that line from my song Party? I keep hearing it in my head lately.โ
She looks up and quotes her own lyric:
โOh freedomโฆ where do I begin?โ
Joe nods slowly and turns the page toward her.
โMaybe here,โ he says, pointing.
He reads aloud from Psalm 91:
โWhoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.โ
Joe closes the book gently.
โThatโs security,โ he says. โNot committees. Not psychiatric interrogations. Just faith and a quiet life. If someone needs to confess something, they go to a priestโnot a panel.โ
Nelly leans back, thinking.
Joe continues, half-smiling.
โAnd if you want greener pasturesโฆ weโve got friends. Even warriors.โ
He gestures jokingly like a bodyguard arriving.
โMarko Perkoviฤ Thompson will protect us.โ
Nelly laughs at the absurd image.
Joe shrugs.
โIโm serious about one thing though. People act like weโre trapped. But weโre not.โ
He points out the window toward the gray Vancouver skyline.
โWeโre not living behind the Berlin Wall.โ
He spreads his hands.
โWe can pack a bag, get on a plane, and go somewhere peaceful if we want. Nobodyโs stopping us.โ
Nelly looks out at the rain again.
โFreedom,โ she murmurs.
Then she smiles faintly.
โMaybe thatโs where the party actually starts.โ ๐ถ