The story takes place early season 2. Rewatching the show as an adult, I can easily picture everyone not quite as innocent as the show portrayed them. So this is my take on the life of Keith Partridge - a little less innocent but much more interesting for him….
Chapter 1
Shirley was making breakfast as was the normal weekend morning routine – waffles, bacon and fresh squeezed orange juice. The difference this morning was that she had sent Laurie upstairs to get everyone moving instead of letting them sleep in, they had a plane to catch – well some of them did anyway. Shirley was not looking forward to telling Reuben that she, Chris and Tracy were not going to be able to leave until Tuesday.
Reuben had worked out a meeting with the most sought after young record producer in the industry and tied it in with a week's vacation to sunny Florida. They were on their way to Miami to be the guest of one Kip Randall. He was putting them up in a suite in his posh hotel/nightclub right on the beach. Every single member of her family was over the moon about the vacation and even more so about the meeting with Mr. Randall. Especially Keith, who wanted, no needed to impress him enough to have him work on their next album. It would be quite the coup for such a young songwriter. He had been hounding Reuben for any inside tips on what would impress Kip Randall most.
Reuben had been able to negotiate a family vacation to coincide with Mr. Randall's visit to his latest investment, the biggest, flashiest, most popular new nightclub and hotel in the city. The family was planning on spending the last week before school started relaxing and impressing the heck out of the new producer in their spare time.
"Hey Mom, everyone is up and moving, but Keith wasn't in his room. Have you seen him?" Laurie said as she walked back into the kitchen having mostly accomplished the task she had been sent to do.
"No I haven't. Did you look in the garage?" Shirley waved her spatula in the direction of the back door. "I heard him come home from his date last night, so I know he's around here somewhere."
"On my way." Laurie said as she headed out the back door looking for her brother. "Oh, hi Reuben. Mom's in the kitchen making breakfast. Let yourself in…."
Reuben waved and continued on to the back door where he'd been headed before almost running into Laurie. He could already smell the bacon and coffee through the open half of the split door. Good he was in time for breakfast. He knew Shirley would invite him to eat if he showed up while she was cooking. He was starving. It was one of the perils of being a confirmed bachelor who preferred anyone's cooking to his own.
Laurie silently opened the door leading into the garage and paused as she heard Keith playing a tune on the guitar. She scanned the garage to find Keith sitting on the piano bench with his guitar in his lap. She tilted her head to listen trying to figure out if it was a new song or just a variation of something old. Keith had taken to writing all of his music in the garage since Danny had overheard one of his songs and tried to claim it as his own. It had all worked out in the end, but Keith hadn't taken any chances since. After a minute she identified it as something new. Laurie now listened with the ear of a sister who had heard her brother's new, rough creations often enough and had gotten very good at recognizing their potential early on. Once the music faded she walked up behind him putting her hands on his shoulders, "Sounds good. How long have you been working on this one?"
Keith removed the pencil that had been clenched between his teeth so he could talk while leaning his head forward so Laurie's already moving hands could knead the knots out of his neck and shoulders, "God that feels good!" He groaned as he felt the tense muscles release under Laurie's strong fingers. "What time is it?"
"8 o'clock – give or take." Laurie answered as she sat down next to her brother to check out the sheet music propped on the piano.
"Then the song is about 7 hours old." Keith said tiredly.
"You've been out here all night?"
"M..hm…..guess I'll sleep on the plane". Keith said as he set down the guitar, picked the pencil back up and added a couple of more notes to the end of the page. "It's got a ways to go, but I should be able to finish it in a couple of days"
"Any ideas for the lyrics yet?" Laurie asked even while thinking that whatever he came up with would likely result in another hit song. Wasn't her brother writing hit after hit lately? Not that she would ever admit it to him, but he hadn't written a bad song in a year now if she did say so herself. Even with the added stress of upcoming recording dates and engagements, she was amazed at his ability to know exactly what the public would like.
He played a portion on the piano and added several more notes to the page. He was composing 'Brown Eyes' in its infancy. Laurie liked its potential.
"Nothing specific on the lyrics yet, but I've already got some arrangement ideas in mind."
"Well big brother," Laurie said, "What's the inspiration?"
"I broke up with April last night. You know how heart-ache and song writing go hand-in-hand." He smiled sadly.
"That or falling in love." Laurie added archly as she bumped her shoulder into Keith's playfully. When she noticed her comment didn't bring the expected grin, she changed her tact and put her arm around his shoulder. "Hey, wait a minute, what happened? I thought things were going really well with April. I mean, didn't she try impressing you for weeks before you asked her out?" As much as she teased her brother she thought he was quite a catch and never could understand why he didn't keep a steady girl.
"Yeah, some of her stunts were pretty brilliant, it's why I eventually gave in and asked her out. Huh, guess the reality of dating a singer didn't hold up to the fantasy. She was mad that I was leaving town this weekend and couldn't take her to the end of summer dance at school. Not that I would have taken her anyway." Keith shrugged off Laurie's arm. Keith hadn't been to a school dance since two very specific events. The first school dance he attended after their first album came out had been a disaster. He had just wanted to enjoy his date but the other kids wouldn't let him. They kept pestering him until he was guilted into singing several songs. His date was mad because all the other girls at the dance had fawned over him after he was done and don't even ask about how the guys reacted who's dates were more interested in Keith than them. The same thing almost happened at his prom but instead he'd ended up cutting out early with Carol. Memories of what happened after they left the dance and before Carol's curfew almost brought a smile to his face, but he was still pretty down about his most recent breakup. That had been his last appearance at a school held function other than sporting events.
"Well, she wasn't good enough for you then." Laurie believed that statement with all her biased heart. No girl who would break up with her brother over something so stupid after chasing him so hard was worthy of him. "Come on, let's go get some breakfast. Maybe some of mom's home cooking will cheer you up a little."
Keith sighed, grabbed the sheet music off the piano and got up to follow Laurie into the house.
"Shirley, you can't be serious!" Reuben had to refrain from screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Reuben I said I'm sorry, but this happens when you're dealing with the schedules of school aged kids." Shirley set another stack of waffles on the table that were attacked by her three youngest children who were the only other occupants of the table besides a very upset manager. "Chris, Tracy and I won't be able to leave San Pueblo until Tuesday. There's a special meeting of all the parents and kids with the new principal. It's a 'can't miss' meeting. We'll be able to fly out on Tuesday morning. I know it will really shorten our vacation, but I have no other choice. I've already rebooked our flight."
"But you're supposed to perform for Kip on Monday!" Reuben was 10 seconds from pulling every single hair out of his head – one at a time for effect if need be.
"Can't we reschedule for Wednesday?" Shirley tried to stay calm in the face of Reuben's near hysteria.
"Shirley you can't reschedule with someone this in demand on that short notice. Oh, why couldn't I have decided to manage the Osmond's?"
"Maybe because they were smart enough not to hire you." Danny smartly suggested.
Shirley ignored her middle sons attempt at humor and asked, "I hate to even ask, but why the Osmonds?"
"Because" Reuben said seriously, "they're home schooled."
"I've been considering dropping out of school anyway. What can they teach me that I can't learn by reading the Wall Street Journal?" Danny offered and then smiled angelically when Shirley frowned at him.
"Calm down Reuben, you haven't even tried to reschedule."
"You're serious?!?" Reuben was flabbergasted at Shirley's hopeful naiveté.
Keith and Laurie walked in the door just in time to hear Reuben's last comment. "What's wrong now?" Laurie asked.
"Reuben's having his daily coronary." Danny piped in. He wasn't happy about the unexpected change to their plans and the fact that they would likely not be performing for Mr. Randall, but he'd known since last night and had some time to get used to the idea. At least after his Mom had cut short all of his arguments and sent him to bed with a very definite 'and that's final' still ringing in his ears.
"Hmm…What's it this time?" Keith asked with little interest.
"Your mother has just informed me that we won't be able to keep our meeting with Kip on Monday." Reuben slumped in his chair with an untouched plate of food sitting in front of him. Reuben not eating was a definite indication of how upset he truly was.
"What?" Now Keith's interest was peaked. "You're kidding right? You have to be!"
"No, Keith." Shirley tried to be the voice of reason. "I found out after you left for your date last night that Chris and Tracy have to stay in town until Tuesday. The new Principal, Mrs. Allen called last night to tell me. We won't be able to fly out until Tuesday morning."
"Seriously?" Keith's hopeful look turned south quickly after Shirley shook her head.
"That really…… stinks!" Keith said as he headed out of the kitchen.
"Hey, where are you going? Aren't you hungry?" Shirley said with her usual motherly concern.
"Not anymore." Keith shot over his shoulder.
Shirley's eyes followed her eldest out of the room.
"Wow that really wasn't the best timing mom." Laurie flopped down into a chair at the kitchen table, "Keith's already pretty bummed out. He and April broke up last night. He was up all night writing out his heart ache in a new song. Another big hit almost completed if I don't miss my guess." The last comment was said with a wink towards Danny.
"A lot of good that'll do us without Kip Randall to produce it." Reuben sulked into this coffee.
Fifteen minutes later, Reuben hung up the phone and walked back into the kitchen to see if Shirley would go for his latest idea.
"I just talked to Kip. He can't adjust his schedule to stay in town until Wednesday, but he did have an alternative – if you agree." Reuben's look was hopeful.
"Let's hear it." Shirley set down her coffee cup to give Reuben her full attention.
"Kip is alright not being able to hear the whole family perform if he can get to see Keith perform on his own. He said he can check out the family's talent at a later date but that as the chief songwriter, he wanted to be able to really get an understanding of Keith's abilities. That means that Keith will have to play with some other musicians." Reuben was leaving out a pretty big piece of information. Kip did want to see Keith perform with a band. It's just that his suggestion for a replacement for the family wasn't likely going to meet with Shirley's approval. Kip had suggested that Keith perform at his night club with the house band that performed on weekdays – it was the only opening in his schedule. They would still meet at a studio during the day on Monday, but it would be to discuss songwriting, arrangements and recording philosophy instead of a Partridge Family performance. Reuben soothed his guilty conscience telling himself that it wasn't actually a lie just a small omission. "I'll make sure everything goes smoothly. If Kip likes what he hears, he said he'd come out to San Pueblo a little later in September to meet with you and hear the whole family at that time."
"Oh Reuben, I just don't know. Keith was so nervous about this to begin with. How is he going to handle this being on his own?"
"Oh mom, Danny and I can be there for moral support! Right Danny?" Laurie eagerly offered. She had been cleaning up the breakfast dishes and avidly listening to the conversation.
"Perfect!" Danny quickly agreed with Laurie's suggestion, "What better support could Keith ask for than me and Laurie?"
Shirley huffed out a breath of air and wrinkled her nose at her middle son. She had a funny feeling about this whole thing but after several minutes of thinking about how much this meant to Keith and his future, the family's future, she resignedly nodded her head. "With you and Laurie for moral support, how can anything go wrong, right? Besides, Reuben will be there to make sure everything is ok."
She sounded like she was trying to talk herself into it. After another pause and search for answers in the bottom of her coffee cup, she looked up at Reuben and said, "Finalize the plans Reuben."
With a little yip of pleasure coming from behind her, a huge smile from her red-headed son and a very relieved manager grinning at her from across the table, Shirley pushed any remaining misgivings aside and tilted her head back to look at Laurie, "Do you want to tell Keith that the meeting is back on?"
"On my way mom, you won't regret this! You're the best!" Laurie hugged her mom from behind and headed up to Keith's room to share the good news.
"I'm regretting it already." Shirley mumbled into her coffee cup as Reuben cheerfully headed over to the phone on the kitchen wall to firm up the new plans with Kip and finalize all of the travel plans.