Brianna and Davy made great time. They paused by a lookout around midnight and got some sleep. When they woke it was about the time the sun rose. They watched it rise.
"This reminds me of a song." Brianna said.
"What?" Davy asked.
"Hmm let's see." Brianna thought. "Here comes the sun."
She finally responded.
"Who does that?" Davy asked.
"Its another Beatle tune." Brianna answered as they got ready to go. She climbed into the sidecar and strapped on her helmet. She hummed a little bit while she waited for Davy to strap her into her seat.
"Man they did a lot of songs, were there any that weren’t big hits?" Davy asked as he climbed onto his side.
"I don't think so." Brianna said. "Cheas more the music expert on this kind of specific thing."
"We oughta get going. We can make it home in time for breakfast." Davy said starting up the bike.
"Good, I'm starting to get hungry." Brianna said as they started to zoom down the road.
The Gilded Lily
Chea opened her eyes. She moaned as she did so. It felt
like every bone and muscle in her body hurt. She rolled over. Only then she realized where she was. She was on a window sill, and she was about to fall off onto the
street, two floors below. She gasped quietly and grabbed
part of a radiator that was next her head. She got a tight grip on it and helped bring hrself back inside the room. She placed herself on the floor. Her heart was racing, she was almost breathless. She looked around. The room seemed a bit different in the daylight. The walls were yellow, and there was a large bed in the middle. She saw Mickys feet on the bed. She got up off of the floor, groaning as she did so. She had a horrible migraine headache. It felt like every noise she made was amplified, that it was a hundred times louder than it really was.
"Micky?" Chea said making her way over to where Micky laid half on, half off the bed. His upper half was on the floor, flat on his back. "Micky?" She said shaking him.
"Whaa?" Micky moaned.
"Micky wake up." Chea said.
"I don't want to go to school mommy." Micky moaned.
"Micky, wake up." Chea said. "Come on, I won't go through my first hang over alone."
"Can you bring me my binky?" Micky murmuring. He slowly opened his eyes. "Hi."
"Hi." Chea said.
"How are you?" Micky asked rearranging himself, taking his legs off the bed and slamming them onto the floor. "That hurt, can you help me up?" He asked.
"Sure, as soon as you can tell me what binky is?" Chea laughed quietly. "Oh my head."
"It was a toy I had when I was a kid, I wouldn’t go to sleep without it." Micky said. "Last night though I wouldn’t have needed binkys help." He groaned. "Did we drink it all?"
"And recycled the bottle." Chea said.
"I'm so sorry, I should have known better." Micky said. "I had no idea what effect alcohol would have on you or me."
"Its all right. I chose to drink it, this is what I got. Part of being an adult is being able to be responsible for your actions, smart ones or stupid ones." Chea groaned. "Oh my head."
"What’s wrong?" Micky asked.
"My head is pounding." She whispered. "I woke up on the window ledge. One wrong move and I would be English muffin road pizza." She put her hands on her head. "I feel like there are midgets in my head pounding on my brain with little hammers."
"Well I'll tell Brianna and Davy to stop it. My head hurts too. That pounding seems to get louder." Micky said. Chea extended a hand.
"I'll help you up." Chea said. She squinted as she listened a little harder. "The pounding seems to be coming from outside our heads."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Cause I don't." Micky said.
"Someones knocking." Chea said letting go of Mickys hand, although Micky was only halfway up. Micky lost his balance and fell back to the floor. Chea looked at him and shrugged. She opened the door. It revealed Mike and Karen, fully dressed for the day.
"Boy you guys get up early." Chea said having no idea what time it was.
"It's ten a.m." Karen said.
"Can you not knock so hard. Micky and I aren’t feeling so good." Chea said putting her hand on her head.
Mike leaned in close to her. "No wonder. Someone tucked into the liquor last night."
"We did. We had no idea it as alcohol till we drank it." Micky said pulling himself off the ground by using the bed.
"Yeah." Chea said. "We were gonna stop but then the bottle was gone, so there was no point in stopping when it was gone."
"Oh boy." Karen said. "We need to get some coffee in you, and whatever the British equivalent to aspirin is." Karen said.
Mike went to Mickys side. He pulled him up quickly. Micky got a little dizzy from going up so fast.
"You won't do this again, will you shotgun?" Mike asked as Chea and Karen waited in the hall.
"No way." He said as they went into the hallway. Mike pulled the door shut. "And if I forget, I'm sure you will remind me."
"If he doesn't, I will." Chea said. "Someone stop the spin cycle, I think the laundry is done."
Micky and Chea walked slowly down the stairs.
Mike and Karen laughed to each other under their breath.
"Shouldn’t we check on Peter and Livvie?" Mike asked looking at the door to their room.
"I checked on them earlier. They're still sleeping. I left them a note to meet us when they can at the Beatles performance."
"That’s neat." Mike said as they descended the stairs. "I got the feeling this is going to be a good day."
Somewhere far away
Davy and Brianna pulled up a short dirt road to where Davys parents lived. Their house was on a slight hill overlooking a body of water, though Brianna couldn’t tell whether it was part of the lake or part of the ocean. Whatever it was, it was beautiful. The house was two stories, and it was clearly older than whoever lived in it now. Brianna and Davy looked at it in awe as the sun bounced the light off its windows, playing shadows all over the roof and the rest of the rest of the house.
"This is me home, what do you think?" Davy asked as they continued to drive up to it. The road changed to a driveway.
"Its really nice, but it somehow reminds me of those creepy houses in VC Andrews novels." She said.
"Who is that?" Davy asked as they pulled to a stop.
"Some writer. I caught my college roommate reading them like religiously." She said.
Davy put the kickstand up. He then took off his helmet and placed it on the handlebars. He dusted himself off. He went to Briannas side and unhooked her seat belt. He then put his hands around her waist. He lifted her up and out of the sidecar. He dusted her off as two people emerged from the house.
"David!" A woman said.
"Ma!" Davy went over and hugged his mother. He shook the hand of who Brianna assumed to be his father.
"It's been a long time me boy." Davys father said.
"Yeah, it has been." Davy said. "This is Brianna. My girl."
"Nice to meet you Brianna." Davys mother greeted her. Brianna hugged her politely but couldnt help noticing her stiff response.
"Its nice to meet you too, Mrs. Jones." Brianna said, her voice taking on a creaky sound. She cleared her throat. "Sorry, dust allergies are affecting my voice."
"We'll get you a drink of water." Davy said. She nodded.
"Come in, you can tell us all about America and how you're doing." Davys dad said.
"You are both very filthy." Davys mom said. "You must both have a shower, and then I'll put some of me home cooking in your tummies."
"Gee thanks, ma." Davy said. "I been waiting for so long for some of your cooking."
"You are very thin." Davys mother said. "We'll fatten you up."
"Sure." Davy said. "Doesn’t a shower sound nice Brianna?" He asked her.
"I have nothing to change into." Brianna said as they went into the house.
"I will find you something to wear. I will drape it over the door knob so you can find it." Davys mother said.
"Why don't you take your shower first? Me parents have a lot of catching up to do with me." Davy said putting his arm around his mother.
"Sure." Brianna said. "If its not too much trouble."
"None at all dearie." Davys mom said. "None at all."
The Gilded Lily
Karen and Mike escorted Micky and Chea into the club part of the inn, the same place they played the night before. After getting the still slightly overhung duo some pain relief for their headaches, they decided to have something to eat. It had been a while since anyone had anything to eat. Luckily they were in time for breakfast. A blonde woman came up to them with some menus.
"Table for four, ma'am." Mike said.
"Sure." She said. "Will anyone be joining you?" She asked.
"We're not sure. We have two other friends still asleep." Karen said.
"Okay, I will set you over here at the big table in case your friends decide to join you." She said. "My name is Phyllis if you need anything." Phyllis said leading the quartet to a table next to the window. The morning sun rose over the buildings, creating a wonderful view for them to look at. Since it was dark when they arrived, they didn’t have a chance to see the sights. For the first time, they got a good look. It was beautiful country.
"This is a beautiful part of the country." Chea said admiring the view. "No wonder Davy speaks so fondly of it. He must really miss his homeland."
"I don't know about the scenery." Micky said. "I have a beautiful view of my own right now." He said sighing. Chea turned to look at him. He looked at her with awe. She blushed.
"Looks like someones feeling better already." Chea giggled.
Karen smiled. She looked at Mike who had a perplexed look on his face. "Mike what’s wrong?" She asked.
"Yeah, you look like you are trying to divide 354 by 23." Chea said as Micky kissed her on the cheek. "Micky we're in public!"
"I have the feeling I've seen her before." Mike said.
"Of course you did. She was here two minutes ago." Micky said giving himself an imaginary rimshot.
"No, before today." Mike said. "She looks familiar."
"How can you tell?" Karen asked looking at Phyllis.
"She doesn’t seem like a local. She has no accent." Mike said. Karen squinted. "I mean she has an accent but its not a accent you would hear around here."
"He's right." Micky said. "In fact, as I run what she said through my mind, she has the slightest twang sound." He mused.
Phyllis came over with her pad. "Are y'all ready to order?"
"Phyllis?" Mike asked getting up.
"Yes?" Phyllis said.
"Are you Phyllis Barbour?" He asked.
"I am." She said. "Mike? Mike Nesmith?" She said dropping her pad. "Oh my god!"
"Yeah, it's been so long."
"I know!" She said and hugged him. "How are you?"
Karen stared at the scene. "Wow, how neat. Mike found a friend here in England." She thought. Chea had a different reaction, however.
Karen, I'm going to go powder my nose." She said to her. "Will you come with me?"
"Why hon? Do you need someone to hold the puff? I can do that." Micky said.
"Its a girl thing, in the girl code you cant go to the bathroom without one other girl." Chea said getting up from her seat. She took Karens hand. Karen, now a bit dazed and confused, got up and followed her. As they got around the corner in the pub Chea stopped Karen cold.
"This is weird." Chea said.
"Why? Its inevitable that Mike would run into a friend of his somewhere." Karen said. She looked at Chea. "Is something wrong?"
"There is." Chea said. "You don't know much about the Monkees real life history like I do."
"I don't." Karen said. "Why, is she an ex?"
"Worse." Chea said. "Phyllis Barbour was Mikes 'real' first wife."
Karens jaw dropped, and her eyes went wide. Chea watched as her friends expression turned ashen. Chea groped for a second and found a chair. She slipped it under Karen as she felt her knees go weak.
"Oh my god." Karen said.
"I know." Chea said.
They watched Phyllis and Mike chat. Now Karen could see they were close, but how close were they really? She couldn’t tell.
Davys parents home
Brianna got her shower done 20 minutes later. She found the dress on the doorknob where Davys mother said she would find it. It was a light beige and the dress flowed to her mid calf. She put it on and it fit like a glove. After fixing her hair into a recognizable shape, she went to the top of the stairs leading back down. She stopped by a picture of Davy when he was smaller...younger, she corrected herself. It was with a horse and a girl. They looked close. She smiled at it and turned to go down the flight of stairs when she heard bits of conversation drift up to her. She crept down to about the middle of the stairs so she could hear it better.
"Its time for you to accept you responsibilities boy." His dad said.
"What do you mean?" Davy asked.
"Getting married." His dad responded.
Briannas ears perked up. Married? They were barely together six months, and Davys parents want us to get hitched now? She crept forward to the bottom of the stairs. She looked around the corner to see that they were talking in the living room. She moved forward to try to hear more but she jostled a plant stand she didn’t see. It came crashing to the ground before she could catch it. She scurried around trying to clean up the dirt and the plant. She got it set back to its rightful place. She then turned to see three pairs of eyes looking at her. Her clumsy actions, much to her displeasure, did not go unnoticed.
"I guess you heard." Davy said.
"Not everything." Brianna said. "What marriage?"
"Davy was entered into an arranged marriage when he was 10 years old with the daughter of a friend of ours. Jeanne Carter." Davys mom said. "They were going to get married when they reached the right age. That was last year."
"I was supposed to come back and marry her." Davy said. "Then I met you and I forgot all about Jeanne and the money."
"What money?" Brianna asked.
"The Carters were going to give us a part of their fortune when they married." Davys dad explained. "But since Davy hasn’t come back, they gave us one more week to have him marry their daughter, or the deal is off."
"I wasn’t going to come back." Davy said to his parents. "I only came back to help a friend, not to have anything to do with this wedding business. I am with Brianna now." He said putting his arm around her back. "Nothings going to change that, no amount of money."
"That’s too bad." Davys mom said. "But you're just gonna have to dump her. If you don't marry Jeanne we won't have enough money for the mortgage. We'd lose the house. So I'm sorry dear, but you're just going to have to stop seeing this unfortunate American."
"Oh my god." Davy said. "That is something to think about."
Brianna looked at him. "Are you actually considering it?" She asked him.
"Brianna." Davy said. "There are a lot of factors here."
"I see just one." She said holding up her fingers. "Money. Pure and simple." She shook her head. "I'll make your decision easier. I'm out of here." She went to the door and opened it. She went through it and slammed the door. Davy promptly followed.
"Brianna, there must be something we can do about this situation without one of us getting hurt." Davy said. "I really thought this girl was married already by now."
"Your parents obviously hate me. They want you to marry someone else. Some girl you haven’t seen in years. They want you with someone else besides the unfortunate American!" Brianna sobbed. "Well, tell them they don't have to worry about me ruining their plans for you and that girl. I'm leaving." She said grabbing her coat off of the motorcycle.
"Wait, Brianna, please stay." Davy said. "I can talk to them."
"You can talk to them till the cows come home." Brianna said. "You can never change a mind thats set in stone." She said walking out the door. "I'll be going back to Liverpool."
"Its miles away!" Davy said. "Wait, I'll come with you." He said grabbing her hand.
"Don't bother." Brianna said. "If they rather have you with this girl than the unfortunate American, they can have it." She said. "I don't care if I have to walk all the way back." She said freeing herself from his unexpectantly strong grip. "Goodbye Davy. Maybe this is whats best. Parents always know whats best. I learned that a long time ago." Brianna said walking down the road. Davy stood helplessly at the front door.
"Maybe its best me boy." His mother said. "I only do whats best for my boy, and for us." She continued. "Come now. Now that shes dumped you we can get you married to Jeanne." His mother went upstairs. "Its whats best." She finished.
"You may think so." Davy said. "But I'll never love Jeanne the way I love Brianna."
"It'll come with time." His mother said. "Now go to bed, we want to be well rested for the wedding tomorrow."
Davy sighed, looked out the door, he tried to find any trace of Brianna outside....maybe she will come back. He wiped a tear away and closed the door.
