The Meeting





1982


Laura pulled into the marriage and had to come to terms with that and find herself.
parking lot to the Civic Center. A friend at work had told her about the weekly meeting some time ago, but now she finally got her courage to go. It was a meeting for former addicts and co dependents. She had been a co dependent in her. Closing the door to her station wagon, she made her way to the building. She followed the signs and found herself in a room that held about twenty people, some were talking among themselves, others were sitting, waiting.

"Hello?" she heard.

She looked down to see a woman not much older than herself. "New?"

"Yeah," Laura said self consciously.

"Let's get you a name tag."

Laura saw her waiting for her name. "Laura," she supplied.

"Welcome Laura. I'm Susie."

"Nice to meet you Susie."

Laura put on her name tag. "We have refreshments over in the corner and the meeting will gather in about . . . " looking at her watching "In ten minutes. We gather in a circle and if you want; you can talk, or just listen."

"Thanks." Laura moved on to find the refreshments. She poured herself a Pepsi and moved to look over who else was in the room. The town was a close-knit community. She had moved there two years earlier. She liked it when she was able to say hi to someone occasionally while passing them in town. Laura knew a few people in the room but only in passing.

Soon they started to sit in the circle of chairs. Laura took that as her cue to sit. She gave a shy smile and a nod of her head when she sat down. She would just listen for the first night.

A man with a name tag that read Sean started the group. "Glad to see a few new faces and a few old hats. We are here to listen and help you deal with the pressures that each of you face. We know that it is not an easy road to follow but we are here to listen."

The door opened and a last minute member came in. Susie got up to write up his tag. "Didn't know you were back in town," she remarked.

"Got in earlier today," he smiled.

Laura recognized that face, she couldn't forget that. She had watched it and listened to his voice since she was a teenager. She mentally groaned when he sat down in the circle across from her.

"Sorry," he told the group.

"Running late as usual I see Peter," a woman named Lisa remarked.

Sean took back control, "Just starting up the discussion. First anyone want to introduce themselves tonight? We have a few newer members." A man at the far end of the group sat up straighter. His tag read Kevin.

"I'm Kevin and I started drinking . . . " Laura lost track of what he was saying for she was trying her best not to look at someone she never thought she would meet in person before.

Laura listened to the weekly trials of some of the regular members of the group. Then Peter spoke. "As you know, I was on tour out east for four weeks. Some of my old stomping grounds, you might say." He put his hands on his legs and rubbed them back and forth, his nervousness showing through. "Old memories, some good some bad."

"How were the shows?" Sean asked.

"Good, good crowds. But some old friends came to see me. Didn't know I was on the wagon. I came close, the memories and such were tempting."
"So you walked away?"

"Walked away, out the door, took some long walks in the cold air." he laughed. "But I survived. It was good to come home and be able to remember what I did and how things went for once. And to come here and say I did it."
A few people clapped for him and congratulated him on his resolve.
"Anyone else?" Sean asked the circle. No one looked inclined to speak. "Well, I think the dinner spot for the night Charity's. See you there."

People got up and started straightening the room before leaving. Laura stood up and placed her chair back into a line. She turned to see Peter looking at her. She looked away blushing.

"I haven't seen anyone blush like that in a long time," she heard.

"Well it is a rare sight to meet someone I grew up admiring," she answered.

"Me? Admire?"

Laura looked at him and tried to answer. "Peter Tork, bass player of the Monkees. I watched you on tv and have your records. I would call that admire. The records give me a private moment to remember when I was happy."

"Well Laura, as you can see I am human." he said quietly.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I have my own problems to deal with then spread rumors about others."

"Thank you. Coming to dinner?"

"No, I didn't know about that. I have to get home. Baby sitters cost by the minute."

"I remember those days. Luckily Ian can watch himself now. You'll come next week won't you?"

Laura looked at him and his eyes were kind. "I think so. I just wanted to get a feel. I don't have many friends here and I need to talk out things."

"That's what we are here for. See you next week Laura."

Laura watched him leave the room. Susie came up behind her. "He's a sweet one he is."

Laura just nodded then headed for the parking lot. After getting in her car, she shock her head, not quite believing that she just met one of her all time favorite stars. Laura looked through her tape case and pulled out her home copy of the Monkees and sang along with it as she drove home.



The following week Laura went to the meeting. She debated with herself all week if she would say something or not about herself. She walked into the room and was greeted by Susie once more.

"Hi Laura," she smiled as she wrote out Laura on the name tag. "Nice to see you back."

"It wasn't to bad last week. It's nice knowing I'm not alone with what I feel in the middle of the night or when something happens."

"That's why we are here," Susie confirmed.

Laura took her name tag and placed it on her shirt. She walked over and poured a Pepsi, then looked around the room once more to see if she knew anyone in the room. Living in a small community, you tend to know people quite quickly.

Sean started setting up the chairs. Laura walked over and pulled a few out to help set up the circle.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Glad to see we didn't scare you off last week."

"I don't scare that easy," Laura smiled to Sean.

"Good."

The door open and few people in the room said hi. Laura looked to see it was Peter. She saw him look her way then she turned away.

Laura heard Susie say hi to Peter. We walked over to her and Sean.

"Two meetings in a row," Sean laughed. "You want me to faint don't you."

"I'll be home for awhile. We are actually taking a break from touring and recording."

"Good, it will give you some time to deal with real life," Sean told him seriously.

Laura had to admit she did brush up on her Monkees history. What she had found out was that they had separated for awhile after the show was cancelled and the movie bombed. Peter had gotten himself in to a bit of trouble. He had married the mother of his son and then gotten arrested for hash hish when he came back from Mexico which he had to serve some time for. But he still drank through the seventies. He suffered the death of his wife, who had died while he was on tour two years ago . Apparently that was his wake up call. He had a son that depended solely on him. That is what her research had found out. She was glad to see that the other Monkees had picked him up. Headquarters Inc. was an up and coming record label and Peter worked for them as well as doing solo projects.

"Nice to see you Laura. How do you feel after last week?"

"I have hope," she replied.

He flashed his smile. "Our imagination is the only limit to what we can hope to have in the future." * * Quote by Charles F. Kettering, US inventor

"Imagination, I have been rediscovering that."

"Then you have a future."

Sean moved away, looking at his watch. "Seems it's time to start."

Laura sat down in the chair behind her. Peter sat across from her. Laura looked around the room to see that there were fifteen people in the room.

Sean opened up the floor. "Glad to see a good night. As usual does anyone want to open the floor."

Laura fidgeted in her chair. The straightened up and spoke, "I do."

"Laura." Sean acknowledged.

"I'm a co-dependent." she started out, looking at the floor. "I feared in being alone and went from living with my parents to the first guy I met." She looked up to see Peter watching her. She looked back down. "I moved in with him and after a few years his parents convinced us to marry. But all during the time before and after, I lost myself, cut myself off from friends and family." She looked around the room and saw sympathy and understanding on the faces of the people in the circle. "Money was tight or non-existent it seemed. It was always his dilemma, his beer, his gambling. The phone calls for late bills, the not knowing if I could scramble enough money together to keep a roof over our heads. Then I got pregnant." She took a deep breath. "For three years, I thought my sanity was going out the door trying to keep things even for her while I never knew if he was coming home. It's not fair to put someone through that, yet I let him tread on me. Then came the next level."

Sean asked calmly. "What was that?"

"He hit me," she admitted. "That was it. No one was ever going to do that to me again nor do it to my daughter. I left him within that week. We've been on our own for four years now. He still doesn't keep a steady job and hasn't admitted that he has any problems to this. It was me, because I didn't love him." She sighed. "It was because I didn't trust him that caused this because we never mattered to him."

"What have you been doing different since moving here?"

Laura smiled, "Enjoying not having someone on the to phone tell me I owe them. Wait, I've been enjoying having a phone." she laughed at her little joke.

"The bill game, that was always fun to play." Tara joined in. "I remember those days."

"I feel accomplished that my bills are paid and that I have a roof over my head. I have some spending money and my daughter is the center of my world right now."

"What do you do for yourself?" Peter asked.

"For myself?" she asked.

"I write songs and play. That's is my passion. What's yours?"

Laura shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't taken the time to think about that."

"You can't merely exist for your daughter. You need to do something for yourself," Peter explained. "I existed for a long time till events caused me to break down and see what I was. Which was nothing." Peter told them. "I had to move on and be something so my son could look up to. So I got back into music."

Sean looked over to Laura, "Over the next week you need to make a list, of five things you would like to accomplish. It can be something short term or long term. All of us should do that. That would be a good discussion."

The group talked for another hour and then Sean called time for them to go to dinner. "Tex is the restaurant of choice," he announced.

Laura helped put a few chairs back in place and got ready to leave. Peter stood outside talking with two other members of the group. He asked when she went by if she was going to dinner with them.

"Unfortunately I can't."

Peter excused himself and followed Laura to her car. "I got an idea." She turned to look at him then looked down at his chest. "Half the fun of these meetings is the dinner, because it's more relaxed and we all talk."

"I wish I could but I can only afford two hours of babysitting."

Peter moved to lean against the back of the station wagon. "What if I had a deal for you."

Laura looked at him skeptically. "Why would you do that? You don't know me."

"No I don't know you, but I know part of what you are going through and that you want to better yourself. You are taking a step but you need to go further."

Laura shifted uncomfortable foot to foot. "Well, right now it's not feasible."

"Remember, I want to offer a deal." Peter stood up. "My son, Ian, he's fifteen. Let him baby sit for the wages you are paying and go to dinner. I can drop him off, pick you up."

Laura listened to the deal and wondered, "Why?"

"You need to heel. And keeping to yourself is no way of heeling. I know. I did the some thing at the beginning. Going home, keeping to myself and my work. But that's one of our problems, We stay within ourselves. We have to get beyond that." He took out his wallet and pulled out a business card. "Do you have a pen on you?"

Laura opened her purse and handed him her pen. He wrote down something on the back and handed it back to her along with the card. "Call me at work or at home, that's the number on the back. Let me know what you think."

Laura looked at the card and then to me. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

He laughed and smiled, "Because you have a good heart and I want to know it. You better get going before your baby sitter starts to wonder. If you don't take me up on the deal, you can still call me."

She watched him go to wondering what she was getting herself into.





Saturday night

The phone rang at ten o'clock. Laura went to the kitchen and answered it. That was her first mistake. Richard had called in a drunken state to try to talk to Megan. Laura pointed out to him that it was well past Megan's bedtime. Then Richard started to talk about his child support payments and how unfair it was to pay so much. The last straw was when he got into berating her about other matters of their past relationship. Laura finally told him that she was getting off the phone and hung up on him. The phone ran right after that.

Every few weeks it went like this; he get drunk and call late at night and give her verbal abuse for taking his daughter so far away from him, not realizing that she did it to save themselves.

This was also the times when Laura felt serious mis-doubts about herself and her resolve would start to crumble a bit on the edges.
Since the meeting, she had looked at the business card that Peter had given her several times. She hadn't called him back to take him up on his offer. She wanted to, badly, but she didn't want to take unfair advantage of him.

Laura found her purse on the kitchen table and pulled the card out of her wallet once more. She had to talk to someone.

The phone ran again. 'Leave me alone,' she mentally told the phone as it rang five times. She picked it up after it stopped and heard a dial tone. She dialed the number from the back of the card. After four rings a machine picked up. "You have reached 555-4329, please leave your name and number after the tone." It was Peter's voice doing his steady monotone monologue. The machine gave a Brahms melody then a loud beep. Laura started with, "Hi... Peter? Laura... I was just calling...I wanted to talk but it's okay. I'll talk to you later." She waited to see if someone would pick up but the tape ran out and beeped the end. With sigh she hung up the phone. 'Well I called.' She didn't give a number. She wouldn't pick up the phone till tomorrow anyway.

Going back into the living room, Laura found her headphones and popped in a tape of Beatles. She wouldn't be getting any sleep for awhile while her nerves were on end. She found her notebook, she still had the assignment of what she would like to accomplishment to get down for the next meeting.

Sitting on the floor in front of the sofa she wrote down her wishes.
1. A teacher... history or geography teacher.
She had been wanting to go back to school and get a degree in teaching. Her passion was places. She traveled quite a bit when she lived at home. She had seen most of the United States and liked talking about them.
2. Learn to play the guitar.
She liked music. She could read music and play some different instruments but guitar would be neat.
3. To learn to laugh again. To have fun and maybe relax enough to be able to go out on a date.
Right, she thought, you can count on one hand the number of men you been with. No, trying to feel comfortable with herself was going to take a lot of work.
4. ?? She got stuck on the fourth and fifth. she smiled and wrote

4. Sing in a public place.
Right. She sang in chorus and such but with the coming of karoake, she had yet to been convinced to get up to sing.

5 ?? She asked herself. She looked down at herself.
5. Self improvement.
She had to think. It had been nice, she wasn't eating the junk she had been for she wasn't depressed but she had to get off the pounds that accumulated from the previous.

When she looked up it was two in the morning. She had gone through six tapes and she had written in her journal some more about what she felt and worked on her list.

Laura looked over the list and thought it was a pipe dream to achieve those things. But if it could happen it would be a nice achievement She stood up and stretched letting her back click with fatigue. She headed to her bedroom to get some sleep before Megan woke.

*** *** ***



Sunday afternoon Megan was in the living room working on a castle with her toys when Laura took a moment to call Peter again. He must have heard the message by now and thought she was crazy or something.

The phone was answered on the third ring. "Thorkelsons," a younger male voice answered.

"I'm calling for Peter."

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Laura, the girl from the meeting."

"The Mystery lady. Hold on." She heard the phone move to be covered then heard. "Dad! It's Laura." Then the phone moved again. "He'll be with you in a second."

"Thank you." Laura sat down at her kitchen table looking at her notebook, thumbing through the pages, waiting.

The phone moved again and she heard a cautious "Laura?"

"Hi," she said meekly. "Thought I'd call back after leaving that cryptic message last night."
"I got your message but you didn't leave your number." Peter sat down on the bar stool next to the counter. He saw his son looking at him and he motioned him to move on.

"It wouldn't have done you any good, I wouldn't have answered the phone." Laura thumbed through the pages of her journal.
"Why's that?"

"Richard called." Laura explained as simply as she could. "He has a tendency to call back, a lot, when he is in a mood, and I finally hung up on him."

"Oh honey, I'm sorry. I wasn't listening for the phone last night. I was working on grouting in the bathroom."

"Grouting in the bathroom?" she asked. She didn't expect an answer like that from him.

"I'm renovating my house, top to bottom. I have scrapped the upstairs bathroom down to the walls and currently putting in a shower stall and a Jacuzzi tub."

"I'm impressed. I never thought of you as a hands on type." She sat back in her chair.

Megan came in. "Who are you talking to Mommy?"

"Hold on Peter." she shifted the phone. "A friend dear. What's up?"

"Just wondering what you were doing."

"Talking. Are you done playing?"

"Yes."

"Did you pick up your toys?"

"No."

"I think you better then we'll see about going to get something special."

Megan gave her a hung and went back into the living room.

"Sorry about that."

"Kids, they come first."

Laura thought back to what they were discussing before Megan came in. "How did you become hands on?"

"Well I can read books on how-to and it keeps me busy."

"You're going back to that bit about making something of yourself." Laura could see where this was going.

"Kind of. Did you work on your list yet?" Peter sounded hopeful.

"Last night after I couldn't get you on the phone. I get keyed up."

"Let's hear it."

"You sure you want to hear this?" Laura flipped her notebook to the page that had her list.

"Please?"

"One, go back to school and get my teaching degree. Two, learn how to play the guitar. Three, learn to laugh again and have fun. Four, sing in public. Five, self improvement, that is work on my self to feel better."

"That is a great list. Different mixes there."

"Well that is what came to mind last night."

"Have you thought about my proposal?"

Laura timed her fingers on the table for a moment. "Yes, thought about it off and on. I'll give it a try."

"Well, don't be happy about it." Peter joked with her.

"It's not that." she shifted in her chair. "You were right. If I am to get things changing, I need to commit to the whole thing. I sat on the floor in the living room thinking that I couldn't take this alone anymore."

"You don't have to be alone." Peter agreed with her. "So where do I pick you up at?"

Laura gave him the address and directions from the main road near by.

"What time should I be there?"

"Six thirty. I'll have dinner for them ready. Is he a vegetarian like you?"

Peter laughed, "Ah, you know some of my habits already. No, he craves hamburgers and any thing of that sort."

"Okay, burgers and the fixings."

"See you then." he smiled. "And Laura?"

"Yes?"

"If you need to talk, call me."

"I will."





Laura looked through her closet and tried to find something to wear. "All I got are jeans and shirts," she mumbled to herself. Megan sat on the bed watching.

"Mommy? The guy picking you up is on those albums we listen too?"

"Yes Megan. The one that sings Auntie Grizelda and Shades of Grey."

"And he's the funny one on the show?"
"Correct."

"Why is he going to the meeting Mommy?"

Laura put on a purple polo shirt then her jeans and thought for a moment. "He has a problem like your Dad. But he saw that he had the problem and changed his habits. He goes to the meetings for support to keep healthy and remember."

Megan moved to hug her mom. "I've seen a difference in you."

"How so?"

"I've seen you smile."

"I smile, all the time."

"No Mommy, you smile now." The door bell ran and Megan ran off saying she got it. Laura watched as Megan left the room.

Megan opened the door and Ian and Peter stood. "You must be Megan."

"And you are Peter, I've seen you on tv and listen to your songs." She said in a long sentance.

Laura came into the living room. "Megan let them in."

Peter and Ian stepped into the living room. Laura went back into the kitchen to see that the burgers were nearly done and that the macaroni was a minute to being done. She popped her head in the living room, "Dinner will be up in a few minutes, sit down and relax till I get the food served."

Peter sat down on the couch and Megan started asking questions. He answered the child's curiosity and Ian laughed at some of the answers.

Laura served up the meal and called Megan to the table. Ian and Peter followed.

Ian gave a big smile at the two hamburgers on this plate. "This is worth it alone."

"Hey my food isn't that bad." Peter tried to defend himself.

"It's not bad, just different." Ian sat down.

"Emergency phone numbers on the fridge. Bedtime is nine."

Peter added, "We'll let you know which restaurant after the meeting."
"Sure Dad. Things will be okay, won't they Megan?"

~~ ~~ ~~
Peter walked Laura to his car, a Silver Mercedes. He opened the passenger door.

"Mercedes?" she asked.

"My practical car. I have a restored MGB in the garage. It's my little British beauty. But this is a practical car to have in the business."

Laura nodded like she understood but didn't.

Peter got in the drivers seat and headed towards the civic center. They walked in together into the meeting room. A few heads turned when they stopped at the table to get their name tags.

Sean was making up the circle. He saw Laura and Peter walk in together. he smiled to himself. Don Juan was up to his works again. But he did feel something different in regards to Laura.

Peter asked about her drink choice and went off to the bar. Laura went to help Sean set up. She took a chair and moved it into position. "Nice to see you Laura."

"Hi Sean."

"Did you make your list."

"I did."

"And it's a good one." Peter chimed in since he heard the question.

"We'll discuss it after normal talks."
They sat down next to each other and saw one new face and few that Peter recognized. Sean began the meeting. Several people discussed their trials of the week. Laura spoke up when it was next turn. "I got the bi monthly call"

"The drunk call." Kris mentioned.

Laura nodded. "The pretense to talk to his daughter but not at eleven at night. That's when he turns ugly and tells me all the things I did wrong. And I'm not worth anything." She took a breath. "That's when I question everything I've done. I know why I did what I did but he belittles me."

"What happened?" Sean asked.
"I finally told him enough and hung up on him. Then after awhile I sat down and wrote down my list."

"Well she did do one thing that she didn't mention. She did try to call someone to talk to. But I failed her. She tried to call me but I was into some remodeling work."

"Laura, you did take the step to talk it out. And once you are more comfortable there will be others to talk to." Sean looked around the group. "Now for the lists. Laura, how about you?"

"Okay," she stuck her fingers out as she listed, "One, go back to school and get my teaching degree. Two, learn how to play the guitar. Three, learn to laugh again and have fun. Four, sing in public. Five, self improvement, that is work on my self to feel better."
"That is a unique list. I think we can get your number four done easy enough. Sometimes we do karaoke at one of the restaurants we eat at." He looked around the circle, "Next?"

A few others made their lists. Then Peter sat up. "Guess you kind of wonder what list I could come up with." Peter asked the group. "One, I want to show my son there is more to life than going by on looks and handouts. Two, that I can build something with my own hands and say I did it. Three, show to my friends that I was worth saving and that I am there for them. Four, to learn to enjoy the treasures I have now in my music and work. And five, to help others who are willing to take the giant step to a new life." With that last point he looked at Laura.

They listened to several others, but Laura didn't quite hear them. She looked at Peter once more and tried to think abut his fifth point. She heard Sean call the meeting to an end. "Dinner at Kinders."

Laura and Peter helped put the chairs back in order. "We'll see you there Sean. Talked Laura into coming."

"Good, I'll see you there with the others."

Laura walked outside with Peter to his car. "Your fifth point?"

"Yes, what about it."

"Interesting point." she mused.

Peter leaned against his car. "Well after what happened Saturday night, I kicked myself in the head. Here I tell you that I'll be there, and here I let you down the first time."

"You didn't let me down."

"Yes I did. I know how hard it is to just reach out and pick up the damn phone." Peter looked at his feet. "It took me four months to pick up the phone to call my best friend to tell him I needed help. Luckily for me, he was there and waiting for me to say the words." He took a deep breath and looked up. "I'm still learning to be the friend to them that they needed, that I need."

"I think they know that Peter. Through thick and thin you have been there for each other more ways than one."

"Well, I need more than the three of them. They have their own lives, than baby sitting me. Maybe we can help each other."

"What do I have to offer a public icon?"

"Normalcy? A regular person who didn't drool and ask for my autograph at first sight. That takes brains to let me be me. And from what I've seen you have a great personality. Someone to get to know."

"Friends? With me?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Just odd." she commented. "I can go with it. I could use some friends here."

"We'll talk more at dinner. Kinders is good."

"I hope not to expensive."

Peter smiled at her, "Don't worry, just pay the baby sitter, I'll pay for dinner, okay?"

She was about to protest but Peter was already guiding her into the passenger seat of the car so they could go.








Peter pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. He opened her door and walked her into the restaurant. Sean and some others were waiting in the lobby.

"Looks like we maxed out our table. Some of us will have to sit away from the group."

"I'll take Laura." Peter smiled at her.

"An old hand with the newbie. Don't scare her off now Tork." Sean kidded with him.

"I'll do my best not too Sean."

The hostess took them to a table for two in a small room. Laura looked around at the decor. "I feel out of my league here." she commented to Peter.

Peter looked at her then himself. "It's just a place to eat."

Laura opened her menu and gave a slight choke. "You weren't joking about dinner were you?"

Peter looked at her. "Laura, don't worry about it. Have anything you want. It's my treat."

Laura looked at the menu. Prime Rib, it had been a long time.

The waitress came by to take drink orders. "Iced tea, Laura?"

"Cherry coke." she answered.

"Ready with your orders?"

"Next time around, we're not in a hurry."

Laura sat back. All she could do is look at him. "Not in a hurry?"

"I imagine Ian is having fun with Megan and you need to get out of the house longer than a quick meeting. This is time for you." He sat his elbows on the table and looked at her.

Taking a deep breath, she had to agree with him.
"What shall we talk about?"

"Tell me what you have been doing in the music industry. And what the others are up too." She hadn't done much research in regards to the Monkees, she would be interested to hear what the others were into.

"Ah, get the attention off you for a while. Well, I've done some studio work on some friends albums here and there. We all have our own projects but we have a company called Headquarters that we work with for our albums and promotions."

"Headquarters, like in the album."

"Like the album. But we do our own things and passions. Micky directs. He just returned from England. And he just adopted a little girl about Megan's age. Abby can't have children so they adopted. Ami and Molly stay with him when they want to be in LA. Mike, well his a confirmed Bachelor after his divorce with Phyllis. He got a law degree and is the business head of the company."

"Sounds like him. And not doing to bad with his inheritance." She had seen the articles when his mother had passed away.

Peter chuckled. "Who would have thought to have him be so rich. He's started his side venture with that money. Videos for music. Seems our work in the 60s is making a come back. Set your single to an action sequence. Mike is working on that angle."

"And it will be very good, knowing that Mike gets what he wants."

The waitress came with their drinks and basket of bread and butter.

"So that leaves Davy." Laura remarked.

"Ah Davy. Well he's still singing and being showy and all." Peter took the loaf of bread and started cutting slices.

"What wife number is he on?" Laura took the offered slice from Peter.

"Four. Seems to be working, it's been about five years. This one is a bit over the top though. They live in Beverly Hills and she does the Beverly Hills clubs and social scene."

"Doesn't sound like she fits in with you guys. Since you and Mike are from normal families, and if I remember right Micky was somewhat normal."

Peter laughed at that. "Micky is saner with Abby and that is great. We are family oriented but Davy and Felicia, Felicia has her times." Peter emphasized.
"But what does Davy do now?"

"Does night shows. Done some Broadway and West End shows back in England. He has a talent for singing and dancing show tunes."

"Think he'll gain a following from it?"

"They still want him for Davy and the Monkees. It's our curse."

"Your twenty years is coming up. It would be neat to see you all on tour. I've been a fan since you started."

"We haven't discussed it yet. I'm kind of scared to do it myself."

"Why's that?"

Peter sat back in his chair. The look on his face changed a bit, more closed and sorrow. "We toured a few years ago. Melany got sick. She told me to keep on the road. She never let on how bad she was. By time I got word on how sick she was, she died before I got home."

"Peter." Laura hadn't heard that part of the story. She just knew that his wife died while he was on tour.

"I was a drunk and took drugs for 15 years and I never stopped to think of her or the others. I had to stop for I was alone and had a son who didn't even know who I was."

"But you realized that."

"Took me about a year to really get my head on straight. If it wasn't for the guys,..." He shook his head. "But I did survive. Ian and I have a relationship that I could only dream of with my father."

"And you have your music."

"That too," he smiled his dimple smile. "So tell me about yourself."

The waitress came by to get their order. She took their order and disappeared once more. "Back to you." he reminded her.

"Me? Only child to loving parents but burned her bridges when she moved in with a guy who was her first. He was nice and all but... things were never easy. I worked regular but never saw anything but the four walls around me."
She picked up her fork and played with it. "I kept wishing things would get better."

"How long did that go on?"

"Three years. Then I got pregnant. He tried, at first. But things got back to the point where he left her at the sitters, or he forget to pick me up and money disappeared again. I refused this time around to take on the guilt of trying to make things work. And the final straw came when he came home drunk and wanted to have sex and I told him no and he got mad." She closed her eyes for a moment. "It's sad. I can tell you something that might surprise you."

Peter sat forward, "Nothing surprises me."

Laura, "I've only been with one man. And without the trust factor between us, that isn't saying much."

"Man, you do need a work over."

"I moved out here for a new start."

"That is a good point to start with. New surroundings."

"And slowly developing friendships."

"Friends are good. And you have one with me."

"Who would have thought. I have a Monkee for a friend."

Peter lifted his glass. "A toast," he announced. Laura lifted her glass. "To a new friendship."

"To a new friendship."

 

@ 2005 Tommy Boy fan fiction * design and content by Paula C. *