Chapter 3
Davy sat at the breakfast table brainstorming while everyone finished eating. He really wished he had something to give to Mike for his birthday! He felt terrible being empty handed, even though he hadn't known. He took a silent inventory of his possessions… he hadn't had much when he moved in, just some sentimental nick knacks, his prized pillow, and a few sets of clothes. The only things he had acquired since then were some of Micky's cast offs that Mrs. Dolenz had been kind enough to tailor for him. Oh, and his new maracas and tambourine. He didn't think Mike would be interested in any of those items. Davy was pretty handy at making things from wood, and that was his usual method to provide presents for his parents and sisters for most of his life, but he didn't have the time or resources to make anything worthwhile. Maybe next year.
He glanced around, trying to come up with an idea. He noticed Micky had his eyes half closed, elbow on the table supporting his chin as he fought to stay awake. Peter was humming as he tapped a tune with his fingers against the table, lost in his own little world. And Mike seemed to be anxiously checking his watch. Davy lit up with inspiration.
"I've got it!"
Three figures were abruptly jerked from their thoughts at his outburst, and Davy couldn't help but smirk at his unintentional pay back for the scare he had received earlier.
"Why don't you fellas go enjoy the day. My present to Mike will be taking care of the clean up for his lovely surprise."
Everyone wholeheartedly agreed with that plan, and Davy felt like he'd made the right choice when Mike gave him a hug and thanked him for his offer.
With full bellies and smiles on their faces, the boys each went their separate ways. Micky proclaimed with a yawn and a stretch that he was heading upstairs for a nap. Peter went to his room and came out with the sheaf of blank sheet music that he had painstakingly made with a ruler and a pencil. He got comfortable in the hammock by the band stand with his guitar and started the process of nailing down the tune that had been chasing itself around in his head for the last few days. Mike started to check his watch again but was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.
Mike tore the receiver from its cradle and answered with an excited, "Hello? Ma?"
Davy could tell his guess was correct when Mike started talking a mile a minute. He was still getting used to the Texas draw, so he only understood about every fourth word, and even then, he had trouble translating some of the phrases Mike used.
"Yanks," he said to himself.
He did laugh a little as he thought about how different accents and colloquialisms could be in England, even from town to town, but he would never admit that to his American friends. The Manchurian started gathering the dirty plates from the table and putting them in the sink. As he looked around at the mess Micky and Peter had created, he sighed. This was going to be a bigger job than he realized! Well, there was nothing for it, he decided as he rolled up his sleeves. He was committed now, so he might as well get to work!
As the morning wore on, Davy could feel his mood plummeting. Tackling the mess in the kitchen had been a big job, but at least he was almost finished. The problem, though, was that cleaning the kitchen had anchored him close to where Mike was talking on the phone with his mother. Listening to their banter was like a barb to his heart today, and it was wearing him down.
"Thanks for the call, Ma, and don't worry, the guys took real good care of me. They even made me a big breakfast like you used to! Did you tell 'em?" Mike paused as his mother responded.
"Well that was the best surprise I could ask for, I thought those hot cakes tasted familiar! Thanks, Ma, what would I do without you? Even fifteen hundred miles away, you still manage to make my birthday special."
Davy didn't catch the rest of what Mike was saying. He couldn't take anymore. Deciding that the kitchen was adequately cleaned, he turned on his heel and escaped out the back door. Maybe going to his favorite spot on the beach would clear his head. Or at least give him some privacy until he could get a hold of his emotions.
Peter stopped playing as Davy rushed passed him without a second glance, and Mike's goodbye to his mother was punctuated by the sound of the door shutting just a little too hard. Just as Mike was about to ask Peter if he knew what was going on with their youngest band member, the phone rang again.
"Hello, this is Mike, what can I do for you?" Mike was greeted with familiar accent, but in a female voice.
"Peter, can you see Davy nearby?" Mike asked as he covered the receiver with his hand. Peter jumped up from his perch and ran to the bay window. He leaned back around the corner and shook his head at Mike. Davy was small, but he could move quickly when he wanted to. He had disappeared.
Mike grabbed a pen and paper and began writing furiously. "Ok, I'll let him know you called, 'bye now".
Peter ambled into the kitchen, curious as to who was on the line. Mike hung up the phone and turned to him. "Davy's family has been trying to get ahold of him. I feel bad I tied up the line for so long. His sister didn't want to wait while we fetched him, the long-distance charge is going to be high enough."
Peter nodded as he looked down at the hastily scribbled note and phone number. He hadn't even realized Davy had a sister. He didn't know much about the boy's background at all. It was very odd that he was here by himself at such a young age, and asking a practical stranger to be his guardian! What was his family thinking? Peter had moved to New York when he was 18, but his family was still only a couple of hours away. He was a bit further away now in Malibu, but he was 21! Davy had been in the United States for a few years now as far as Peter knew, and he was only 17! Peter hadn't really thought about where his family was. Davy didn't volunteer any info, and Peter hadn't thought to ask. He just saw a friend in need and helped the best he could. He made a mental note to bring it up with Davy later. As his legal guardian, he felt an obligation. Peter couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. Him. Peter Tork. Responsible for another human life. At least Davy was pretty self-sufficient!
When Davy returned from the beach an hour later, it was to an empty pad and a ringing phone. He jogged into the kitchen to answer it.
He was pleasantly surprised to realize that his father and sisters had gathered to call and wish him a happy birthday. His little nephew and nieces were even on hand to sing "He's a Jolly good Fellow". Davy enjoyed catching up with everyone and reminiscing. He really did miss his family, he loved every one of them dearly, and it was hard to be separated from them for the holidays and his birthday.
His father got on the phone by himself as the call came to an end, and Davy picked up on the sadness in his voice. This time of year was hard on all of them. His sisters had mentioned in their letters that his father's health continued to decline. It was like he had lost the will to live without their mother by his side. Davy tried to alleviate the worries his father had about him alone in America without a steady income now that he had separated from the play that had brought him there. Davy told him all about the guys and the band, and ok, maybe he had played up their success a little bit. He promised that he would start sending money again soon, despite his father's insistence that he did not need to. In his mind, he made a decision to find another job to make that possible.
Peter startled from his nap, and looked around blearily, trying to figure out what had woken him. He started to leave his bedroom, but hesitated when he heard a familiar British accent. The blonde peaked his head out and realized that Davy was one the phone. Peter was happy that Davy must have finally gotten in touch with his family, but was also hoping that it was an incoming call and not outgoing, for the sake of their phone bill. Speaking of bills, he heard Davy promising to send his father money. Curiouser and curiouser. It sounded like Davy was becoming emotional as he said his goodbyes, so Peter shut the door to give him some privacy. He sat on his bed and wondered why Davy wasn't living with his family, and why he seemed to be supporting them. The more he learned about his young friend, the more questions he had. He was interrupted from his thoughts as Davy entered the room. Davy froze as he saw Peter sitting there, he had thought all of his roommates had gone out. Peter could see that Davy's eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his face was red. He thought he might have seen tear tracks, but was not completely sure as Davy quickly turned and brushed his face with his sleeve.
"Davy, is everything alright?" Peter asked as he stood up and started walking around his bed.
"What? Oh yea, everything is fine, Peter, I'm fine." Davy's words were contradicted as he seemed to be keen to keep his face hidden from Peter and had to keep dabbing at his eyes surreptitiously. Suddenly Davy felt warm arms wrap around him, and he was drawn into Peter's chest. At first he struggled, embarrassed to be seen in his emotional state. But Peter just hugged him tighter, and it turned out, the comforting contact was the last straw for Davy. He turned and clutched Peter's shirt as his whole body started shaking with sobs. He couldn't remember the last time he cried, and it felt like this had been building up in him. Peter just quietly hugged him, occasionally rubbing his back and making soothing noises. He was worried. What happened, had Davy gotten bad news? He decided to wait and let Davy tell him in his time. He didn't want to interrupt the release that Davy seemed to need so badly. Finally, Davy's sobs were reduced to the occasional sniffle, and he pulled back from the embrace. The first thing he saw was Peter's wet and snot covered shirt.
"Oh mate, I'm sorry about that! Here, let me…" Davy turned to his bedside table and took out a handkerchief before furiously trying to wipe up the mess he had made. Peter gently took his wrist to stop him.
"Hey, Davy, it's ok. Hey, look at me."
Peter noticed that Davy would not meet his eyes, and didn't want his vulnerability to be something that caused a discomfort between them. He waited patiently until Davy finally peaked up at him through his thick, wet eyelashes.
"Don't worry Peter, I'm OK, really. Just miss my family is all. It's hard to be away from England this time of year, you know how it is". That was the partial truth, and all he was willing to share right now.
Luckily, Peter accepted his explanation, and pulled him back in for another quick hug.
"I get it, Davy. It was tough when I realized I couldn't afford to go home for Christmas this year. It was kind of Micky's family to share their celebration with us, but I agree, it just wasn't the same. I'm glad you got to talk to your family today." Peter stopped as soon as he said it. Oops! He had been caught listening, Mike had told him he needed to quit doing that. But it didn't seem like Davy cared or noticed as he responded.
"It was nice to hear their voices. My baby nephew is talking now, he even sang for me, even though I don't think he knew who exactly I was! I used to carry him around on my shoulders. 'Course, his feet still practically touched the ground," Davy winked at Peter and chuckled, lightening the situation with his humor. He began to cheer up as he told Peter about his family. His sisters and their children, and the adventures that were described in their frequent letters. Peter was enraptured watching Davy light up as he animatedly told his stories. He hoped he would get to meet them someday! Maybe if they finally became a success. He vowed to work as hard as he could to make sure their music was the best it could be. He wanted Davy to be able to travel to see his family whenever he wanted.
Their conversation wound down when Peter realized how late it had gotten.
"Oh, we better get ready! We have to play a gig for Pop tonight!" Restaurants, birthday parties and bar mitzvahs were the majority of their bookings lately. Peter shook his head as he started getting ready. He knew The Monkees were talented, he just wished everyone else would realize it. Until that day, it would be small time gigs to pay the bills. Oh well, even the best musicians had to pay their dues!
He smiled at Davy as they finished putting on their band uniforms, happy to see that his roommate seemed to be feeling better. Davy left to wash his face in the bathroom, and Peter went to help Mike and Micky as they packed up the instruments by the band stand. Davy joined them a few minutes later with a smile on his face, joking with Micky as always. But Mike had seen the signs of distress before when Davy had made his way to the bathroom. He shot Peter a questioning look, but Peter just shook his head. They had a gig to prepare for, and Davy seemed OK for now. He planned to keep an extra vigilant eye on his little friend just in case, and he would talk to Mike later if needed. The four piled into the Monkee Mobile, practicing their harmonies for Last Train to Clarksville as Mike drove them to Pop's. They played their usual songs while they were largely ignored by families eating pasta and talking. No one in the audience that evening noticed that Davy was a little distracted, or that Peter and Mike kept sneaking worried glances at him. But from behind the drums, Micky quietly observed his friends.
To be continued...