Mike, Micky, Davy and Peter arrived at a large church.
They parked the Monkeemobile in the back and started to unload their instruments.
"All right guys, this is our first gig in like three months." Mike said to the guys as they brought their instruments inside the church. "If we don't screw up, we might get another gig off of this."
"If we're even luckier, it might be the second wedding of either the bride or the groom!" Davy joked. He looked at Mike. He didnt seem as enthused about the gig as the rest of the guys. "Whats the matter Mike? You don't like weddings?"
"Not like weddings? How can you not like weddings? Theres cake and love and cute bridesmaids..." Micky counted them off on his hand. They found their place to set up and began to do so. Micky set up his drum and drummed a little.
"I'm sorry guys." Mike said as he plus his guitar into his amp. "I've had a lot on my mind."
"Is it a girl?" Peter asked him. Mike looked at him.
"You could say so." Mike said. He then started to tune his guitar, afraid to let anyone know he was thinking of a certain girl at a certain beach in Malibu. She was so beautiful with her long brown hair. The only problem is that she seemingly vanished after the surf contest they met with. He looked all summer but he could never find her. He would have looked her up in the phone book but he only knew her first name. Carole.
Mike sighed as played his guitar. He glanced over at the other guys. They were staring at him.
"What?" Mike asked.
"Nothing." The guys shrugged and went about getting their instruments ready for the wedding. They were getting paid to play the bridal theme and the reception. A lot of money for the guys...that is if everything went off with a "hitch".
The Brides Home
A mother of the bride was busy getting her daughter ready to get married.
"Come on Carole." The mother said. "We have to get your dress on."
"No!" Carole said sitting on her bed in her nighties.
"Oh come on." The mother said. "Its your wedding day."
"I don't want to get married!" Carole said to her mother as she stood her up. Carole changed out of her nighties. She reluctantly stepped into the white wedding dress her mother held for her. "I hate the groom."
"You do not hate Scott." The mother said.
"I don't want to marry him." Carole said as her mother zipped the up the back of her dress. "I'm only marrying him cause you and dad are friends with his father."
"Thats not true. You had two dates." The mom said.
"Yeah, and we hated every minute of it. It was the weirdest thing ever, mom." Carole said as she was lead over to her dressing room table.
"Let's get your hair up." Mom said.
"Mom, would you totally hate me if I say I don't?" She asked.
"I don't know." Mom said. "But your father would, I think. Hes been working on this merger with Scotts father for months..." Mom stopped and looked at Carole.
"I knew it!" She said. "This is a business deal, from start to finish, and I'm the finish."
"All right." The mom sighed. "It is an arranged marriage." Carole huffed in response. "But give it a chance. Your father and I were an arranged marriage and look where we are now." Mom hugged her. "Tell you what, we're running late. We'll do your hair at the church." She went to the door. "Who knows, you could grow to love him."
"Yeah, right." Carole said. "I swear I'm gonna run off with the first guy I see. Maybe then I can forget about this wedding and Scott, and everything." She put her shoes on.
"Are you coming honey?" Mom yelled up the stairs.
"I am!" Carole said and grabbed her jacket. "Ready or not I'm coming."
The Church
The guys walked around the church as it started to fill up with friends and family of the bride and groom. The church was nicely decorated. There were lilys of the valley, white frilly ribbons and white banners draping over the entrance and the exit.
"What time is it Mike?" Davy asked as they noticed the groom and his best men getting ready to get in their places.
"Pretty close to showtime." Mike said. They went over to their place by the organ. "We'll play here comes the bride, then pick it all up after the ceremony to go to the reception." Micky sat at his drums, Peter seated himself at the organ and Davy found his tambourine.
"Great." Mike said. "Hang on guys, I gotta use the little boys room."
"All right but hurry." Davy said as Mike handed off his guitar to him.
The back room
Carole stood in front of a full length mirror. Her hair was up in an elaborate twist. Her face was all made up. She was gorgeous, but at the same time her face gave the opposite effect. For someone on their wedding day, she was the most miserable person in the world.
She sighed. "I can't do this." She said to herself. She looked in the mirror. "If I do, I wont be happy and I'll make Scott unhappy." She said. "If I don't I will make both our parents unhappy." She shook her head. She turned to her mother and her bridesmaids. "I gotta run potty before we do this okay?"
"All right." Her mother said. "Five minutes till magic time."
"Thats right." Carole said. "Magic time, meaning I'm gonna make myself dissapear." She thought to herself as she looked for the bathroom. She carefully made it look like she went in. Then she waited ten seconds and looked out. Her mother and her bridesmaids were gone. She sighed and exited as quietly as she could with a two foot train. She bumped into a man wearing a black 8 button shirt. He had a hat.
"Oh, excuse me ma'am." He said with a familiar twangy texas accent.
Carole stood back and looked at him. Who he was didnt register with her right away. All she knew was that he was a guy, and he was here at the right time.
"You'll do." She said and grabbed his hand. She opened a door out onto the south lawn and ran out. Mike tried to follow the best he could be he hadn to make a big leap over the veil and train as it came off when she broke into a faster run. In a minute, they were two blocks away from the church and it didnt look like they were going back.
In the church
The brides mother and the bridesmaids appeared at the main door of the church. This was their cue to start playing the wedding march.
"Wait a minute, we're missing somebody." Davy said.
"Really?" Peter said. He counted one, two three, then again, and again. "I don't think so." He shrugged.
"Mikes missing, Peter." Micky said.
"We'll have to start without him." Davy said dropping his tambourine in favor of Mikes guitar. "I told him, don't get button fly!"
Davy quickly started playing "Here comes the bride". The others picked up behind him quickly. The mother walked down aisle after the flower girl. Then three bridesmaids followed after her. There was a long noticable pause. Micky looked at Davy and Peter who just shrugged but kept playing.
A few tense minutes later, the woman who looked like the maid of honor came into the room. She didnt have her boquet with her. She went up to the mother and whispered frantically to the mother. The mother looked around quickly and whispered something to the other girl. They went out of the room while the church congregation looked around. Davy, who was closest to the pews heard a woman say to her father.
"Whats going on?" She asked.
"The bride split, thats what." The father replied.
"Micky." Davy said as he stopped strumming. "The bride is missing."
"Not a good sign, eh?" Micky replied.
"Well you need two, and we just have one which doesnt really work." Davy said as Peter plinked away on the piano. "Peter, I think its safe to say you can stop now."
"Oh," Peter said stopping. "Is it time for the reception already?" He asked with a smile.
Outside Palisades Park.
Mike had managed to put the brakes on the speeding bride. He stopped her somewhere around Palisades Park, a Amusement park that was just barely opening.
"Now see here." Mike said affecting his tough guy voice. "What do you think you think you're doing running off from your own wedding and dragging an innocent bystander off, like me, with you?" He asked her. The brides veil had fallen over her face. He sighed and lifted it up.
"Cause I don't want to get married." The dark haired woman. Mike looked into her face. She blinked and looked up at him. Instant connection.
"Mike?"
"Carole?"
"What are you doing here?" Carole said.
"I might ask you the same thing." Mike replied.
"I was getting married." Carole said. "I don't recall my parents inviting you."
"Well we weren't." Mike said. "You might say I was the wedding singer."
"Ah." Carole said. "Too bad. I wouldnt have been around for the reception." She got up and looked around.
"You want to tell me whats going on?" Mike asked. "Or are we going on need to know basis?"
Carole wandered into the park. She paused at the entrance. "Later. Let's have some fun first. We never really had a chance at the surf contest." She walked back over and grabbed his hand.
"I don't know." Mike said. "I'd sure hate to ruin that dress."
"This thing?" Carole said. "Forget it, it's my mothers. It was salvation army bound in a week anyway."
(The Carousel Romp - "Ready to run" As sung by Mike)
"When the train rolls by
I'm gonna be ready this time
When the girl gets that look in her eye
I'm gonna be ready this time
When your momma says you look good in white
I'm gonna be ready this time"
Mike followed Carole up to a ticket booth and they both bought tickets to soem rides. The first one they went on was the roller coaster.
"Oh yeah, Ready ready ready ready...ready to run
All I'm ready to do is have some fun
What's all this talk about love"
They got in the car. After they safely got her dress in the car and all belted in they rode up and down. Carole let her arms fly in the air as they went down each hill while Mike held onto the bar in front of him like his life depended on it.
"I feel the wind blow through my hair
I'm gonna be ready this time"
Carole looked at him on the last hill. She took one of his hands off of the bar and held it in the air. Mike soon let go of the other bar and held it up in the air as well.
"I'll buy a ticket to anywhere
I'm gonna be ready this time
You see it feels like I'm starting to care
And I'm gonna be ready this time"
They went down the hill. As he looked at Carole, he realized that he wasnt as scared when he was holding her hand. The ride soon came to a stop. They got out of the car and ran over to the ferris wheel. Mike felt like he could do this all day. but was there something he was forgetting? Nah, can't be that important.
The church
The church was stating to empty out into the parking lot. It had been at least fifteen minutes since it was discovered since the bride had bolted. Even stranger Mike wasnt back from his bathroom trip.
"Hey have you guys noticed that Mike isnt back from his bathroom trip yet?" Peter asked.
"Yeah." Davy said.
"Hmm." Micky said.
"What?" Davy asked.
"Don't you think its strange that both Mike AND the bride vamoosed?" He asked.
"Nah." Peter said.
"Thats not Mike." Davy shook his head.
"Nah." Micky said.
The guys thought about it.
"We better look for Mike." Davy said. The guys were about to go out the door when the groom stopped them.
"Where are you three going?" The groom asked.
"To look for our mate." Davy said.
"Whaddya know shorty, I was too. I'm Scott."
"Shorty?" Davy huffed. "Why I oughta..."
"Easy Davy." Peter said.
"Oughta what? I'd love to see you try." Scott said.
"Look, we need to find our friend." Micky said.
"All right." Scott said. "Since there sure looks like there wont be a wedding, I might as well pay you guys."
"Mikes the one who handles the money." Peter said.
"Yeah, we'll have you talk to him when we get him, ok?" Micky said.
"See you in a bit then." Scott said then went to talk to his family.
"We gotta find Mike and this chick before he does." Micky said. "Or Mikes in big trouble!"
Palisades park
"Scott and I met almost a year ago." Carole said eating her ice cream. Mike bought them both an ice cream sundae, like the ones he got the first time they met. "We went on a couple dates. No sparkage." She said.
"Then why were you gonna marry him?" Mike asked.
"An arranged marriage." Carole said. "Scotts father owns a business. My father owns a slightly bigger one. They figured it would be a nice part of the merger that the son of one mogul would marry another." Carole shook her head. "I don't love him but I have to marry him."
"If you really wanted to marry him, then why did you run?" Mike asked.
"If I marry him, I make everyone but me happy. If I said no, like I could do, I would make everyone unhappy but I would be very happy." Carole said dumping her ice cream in the garbage. "I don't know what to do, I am like so confused right now."
"I know what you mean." Mike said.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Mike said. "A few months ago I met this wonderful girl on the beach. Then she was gone, and then she came back. I could have went back to the church at any time and told them where you were but I didn't." He said. "Cause I followed my heart."
"Sounds nice." Carole said. "Thank you for not doing that by the way."
"What you have to do now is go with your heart." Mike said. "What do you really want to do, in your heart, right now?"
"Well, I want to go to art school. I draw with pastels, really really well. Since this whole marriage thing came up I had to put them aside. A wife doesnt sit around all day drawing when she could be doing things for her guy." He nodded. "I also want to kiss you so badly right now." She said quickly. Mike looked at her a little startled but secretly a little pleased.
"Me too." He said.
Their faces closed in each other. Just as they were about to kiss someone poked Mike in the hat.
"What?" Mike looked up quickly. It was the guys.
"Where have you been?" Micky asked.
"And what are you doing with the bride?" Davy asked.
"Nothing." Carole said. "I'm Carole." She said. "From the beach. The surf contest."
"Oh yeah." Peter said.
"Look we gotta get you back to the church before your fiancee finds out you are here." Davy said.
"I don't care about Scott." Carole said. "I'm not going anywhere with that CREEP."
"You think so?" They heard another voice. They all looked behind the other guys and saw Scott and two of his friends.
"Scott." Carole said.
"Hello sweetie." Scott said. "I was gonna get married to this cute girl. Have you seen her? No wait, I just found her with a bunch of monkeys."
"Thats monkeys with an E." Peter pointed out.
Scott stared at him. He withered back.
"I don't want to marry you." Carole said.
"What?"
"You heard her, she doesnt want to marry you." Mike said.
"You stay out of this." He said to Mike.
"Oh I'm in this." Mike said.
"Okay." Scott said. "Are you willing to fight for her?"
"What?" Mike gulped. He looked at Carole who was pleading with her eyes. "I sure am."
"Fine, then meet me over at that game." Scott said. "First one to make a ring toss at a target I select gets teh girl." Scott said pointing at it.
"All right." Mike said. They went over to the ring toss.
"Careful Mike." Peter said.
"Yeah." Mike said. "I know what the stakes are." He said looking at Carole. Scott paid for the rings.
"You have to make that ring in the back." Scott said. "I'll go first." He took a ring and threw it very badly. It landed on the floor with a heavy clank.
"Your turn." Scott said. He picked up a ring and got ready to throw. "Don't forget, if you miss I get her anyway."
Carole looked at Mike wild eyed. Suddenly the pressure was on. Mike threw the ring, it bounced off the lower spike, plinged against a row of cupie dolls then landed on its intended target.
"I won!" Mike said.
"Yay!" The guys cried.
"Well, no one can ever call me a poor sport." Scott said. He held his hand out. "Congrats."
"Thanks." Mike said. He noticed the money in his hand.
"For the wedding that never was." Scott said and walked away.
"Yay!" Carole said. "So what do you want to do with the money? Go on more rides?"
"Nope, but you are going to art school young lady." Mike said pressing the money into her hand. "This ought to cover it." Davy, Micky and Peter were shocked he gave their money away, but they understood.
"Really?" Carole said. "Why?"
"Cause I believe that when you have a dream, you have to follow it no matter where it leads you. I had a dream of being a musician, and it lead me here. It may lead me to other places, I will just have to wait and see." Mike said. "Go follow your dream. Be an artist, and add some color to this dreary world."
"Thanks Mike." Carole said hugging him. "I will never forget this."
"Your welcome." Mike said as they let go. Carole picked up the cornerse of her dress and went on her way. She stopped at the corner and waved. The guys waved back.
"That was a nice thing to do Mike." Peter said.
"Thank me after we get our next gig." Mike said.
"Let's go. Maybe we can still make the dollar buffet." Davy said. They walked away. Mike looked back at Carole who was now crossing the street, walking away from him, following her dream. Would she ever be back in his life? He didnt know for sure, but as in every life, the unexpected always happens.
