Disclaimer: Don't own the story, don't own the song.
Joanne Jefferson, the highly respected New York lawyer, was dealing with a sort of case she hadn't dealt with since… well she would need to look something up in one of her numerous books of law. After looking around for a while, she found the particular book under The Return of the King all things. She began to rifle through the pages for what she was looking for, but was stopped short when a photograph fell from between the pages. She planned to set it aside hastily as a mere annoyance, but her breath caught in her throat when she saw the two women pictured. One she hadn't seen for 5 years. The other she saw everyday in the mirror. She couldn't say which of their smiling faces cut her soul deeper. It was the second time that day she was reminded of her time in Bohemia. She remembered the first…
I was standing at the counter
I was waiting for the change
When I heard that old familiar music start
It was like a lighted match
Had been tossed into my soul
It was like a dam had broken in my heart
Joanne supposed there was a part of her that still loved Maureen. Sure it was easy to love the alluring, sweet, excitable Maureen, but even though she had seen the side of the Drama-Queen that was harder to love she still somehow loved her.
After taking every detour
Getting lost and losing track
So that even if I wanted
I could not find my way back
After driving out the memory
Of the way things might have been
After I'd forgotten all about us
The song remembers when
She let memories of the day that had become 'their' song washed over her with all the bitterness and sweetness of an ocean wave.
And there was a God in Heaven
We were rolling through the Rockies
We were up above the clouds
When a station out of Jackson played that song
And it seemed to fit the moment
And the moment seemed to freeze
When we turned the music up and sang along
And the world made perfect sense
We were young and were in love
And we were easy to convince
We were headed straight for Eden
It was just around the bend
And though I have forgotten all about it
The song remembers when
Joanne wondered where the Maureen was. She wondered if Maureen was still doing protests. Probably. Once a Drama-Queen, always a Drama-Queen. Joanne wondered if Maureen ever thought of her. Whether or not she did, there was a little piece of Joanne within Maureen. The piece of Joanne that was a Bohemian had remained with her girlfriend even after the split and Joanne often missed that feeling she could't quite describe of companion ship and another life away from that of a lawyer.
I guess something must have happened
And we must have said goodbye
And my heart must have been broken
Though I can't recall just why
The song remembers when
She now was beginning remember the last fight she and Maureen had and with memories of the fight came memories of why she had blocked it out. It had begun like any other fight, because of something small, but then it had escalated. There had been a good deal of shouting on both sides as the cool lawyerhad lost her calm and the Drama-Queen even descended to throwing things in anger. Joanne had said a lot of things she wished she could take back, but now there was no way to do it. They had both moved out of the apartment then since neither of them could face the memories. Joanne had dug deeper into her work than ever before and tried to put Maureen behind her and forget all about her to brief time in Bohemia. She had even succeeded – until today.
Well, for all the miles between us
And for all the time that's passed
You would think I haven't gotten very far
And I hope my hasty heart
Will forgive me just this once
If I stop to wonder how on Earth you are
Maureen had probably found someone new. She had moved on. Somehow Joanne couldn't. Joanne was very much the same person who had gone storming out of Maureen's life five years ago. Maureen would probably laugh to see how her 'Pookie' still had the exact same lunch every day. Except Maureen probably had a knew Pookie now. And that made Joanne feel like crying.
But that's just a lot of water
Underneath a bridge I burned
And there's no use in backtracking
Around corners I have turned
Still I guess some things we bury
Are just bound to rise again
For even if the whole world has forgotten
The song remembers when
She wondered about the Bohemians. Roger. Mark. Mimi. Collins. And of course her Maureen. How were they now? Were they all still friends? Had any of them succumbed to the disease joined dear Angel? Did they ever think of her?
Yeah, and even if the whole world has forgotten
The song remembers when