Joe leaned in toward Nelly, the way he always did when he wanted to mix prophecy, pop culture, and community building into one single stream of consciousness.
“Nelly… Step by Step,” he said, tapping his finger like he was marking out the beat of the New Kids on the Block classic. “You know the Masonic steps? Same thing. One degree at a time. One step closer to enlightenment. And East Van needs that rhythm right now.”
Nelly smiled, half-curious, half-amused.
“Joe, are you saying NKOTB were Freemasons?”
Joe waved his hand. “No, no, no. I’m saying the idea is Masonic. The discipline. The structure. The rising up. Step one—heal your body. Step two—heal your family. Step three—heal your street. Step four—heal the whole East Van grid. And step five—blow the roof off the city with love.”
He pointed across the street through the window, where the Croatian Cultural Centre’s stage stood like a beacon of possibility.
“Look at that stage, Nelly. That’s our temple. That’s the East Van Lodge of Music and Miracles. That’s where we build the steps. That’s where we bring the people up out of the darkness.”
Nelly laughed softly. “You want to turn the Croatian Centre into a spiritual training ground?”
Joe cracked a huge grin.
“It already is, Nellia. It’s hallowed ground. My people danced kolo on that floor. Your people shook the Azores into the wood grain. That stage has energy. A frequency. And these girls in East Van—man, Nelly—if they lived right here, across the street, they’d be in a heavenly rapture. A vibration so good it’d knock their socks off.”
He paced like a preacher warming up.
“Step by step, Nelly.
Ooooh baby.
Gonna get to you, girl.”
Nelly shook her head, laughing.
“Joe, you’re unhinged.”
Joe placed a hand over his heart like a knight taking a vow.
“I am hinged by the Lord. And by 90s pop.”
Then, in a completely serious tone, he said:
“We build the steps.
We make the rapture happen.
East Van deserves it.”