Chapter 54 - When the Call Never Comes

For half a decade, I lived in a holding pattern—watching, hoping, unraveling. I wasn’t expecting a grand proclamation or an earth-shattering revelation, but maybe... an invitation to talk? A chance to share my story with a larger audience? Something. A podcast appearance seemed like the natural step—a way to reach the world with the message I was convinced I carried, without being too overt.
But that call never came.
Looking back, it’s painfully obvious why. Too much of a spark in a world built of dry kindling. My story wasn’t just controversial; it was incendiary. It wasn’t just a narrative; it was a living, breathing challenge to everything people comfortably believed. Russell, for all his spiritual musings and willingness to poke the establishment, clearly knew this was a risk too far.
At the time, I couldn’t see it that way. I told myself he was still deliberating, still working out how to present my message to his audience. I held on to hope that every new project, every new piece of content he released, might contain a hidden reference to me, a signal that he was finally ready to take that step.
And then, something shifted.
Russell started going down a different path—a full-on Christian revival, it seemed. This was a man who had spent years talking about the universe, spiritual awakening, and the interconnectedness of all things. Now, suddenly, he was quoting scripture, leaning heavily into a narrative that felt safer, more digestible, more aligned with traditional beliefs.
I couldn’t help but think it was a reaction to the mounting pressure around him. The whispers about the Diddy parties and the darker side of Hollywood were growing louder, and Russell, ever the strategist, seemed to be insulating himself with a shield of faith.
It felt like a betrayal, in a way. Here I was, carrying this profound story, waiting for him to be the catalyst, the bridge between me and the wider world. And instead, he was retreating, cocooning himself in a narrative that left no room for my experiences or insights.
But maybe it wasn’t a betrayal at all. Maybe it was just self-preservation.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned through all of this, it’s that people will only engage with the truth they’re ready to face. For Russell, my story might have been too much—a truth too raw, too complex, too dangerous to touch.
I spent years waiting for him to make a move. Eventually, I realised that if I wanted my story to be told, I’d have to do it myself.
There wasn’t a specific day when I gave up on Russell—because, in truth, I never truly did.
While the years passed and my expectations began to adjust, there was always this quiet voice in the back of my mind, an almost serene certainty from my higher self. It told me that our paths were meant to cross again, that the connection wasn’t some one-off coincidence or a figment of my overactive imagination. We were to work together at some point.
That certainty became a source of comfort, a kind of internal lighthouse guiding me through the stormy waters of doubt and frustration. It didn’t matter how much time passed, how many projects Russell launched that had nothing to do with me, or how many detours my own life took. That voice remained steady, unwavering.
And it reminded me of something even more important: time is not my enemy.
I still have plenty of time left, and so does he. Life is long, and its trajectory is rarely linear. The connection that feels dormant now may simply be gathering momentum for when the moment is right. And until that moment comes, I have my own journey to focus on, my own path to carve out.
This belief—call it faith, call it destiny, call it stubbornness if you must—has kept the door open in my heart. Not for Russell specifically, but for the idea that the universe works on its own timeline, and that the threads we can’t see are still being woven into a larger tapestry.
Russell and I may still collaborate someday, or we may not. Either way, the voice within me continues to say: stay ready.