Chapter 15- Never Tell a Woman Yes

This chapter is written in honor of the late Peter Tork, who passed away this Thursday, February 21st, 2019. I can only imagine he is with Davy now, a reunion so sweet and warm. I'm sure the two of them will be jamming away until the Monkees are reunited again... One day...

Author's Note: Have YouTube ready. You know the drill by this point. :)

"Oh boy I hope this works!" Micky squeaked.

"I hope so too, I don't want to live another day here," Davy complained.

They were standing on their makeshift bandstand, outside this time, tuning their instruments. Andrew had arrived early and was welcoming neighbors in, giving them a mini-tour of the house in case of bodily necessity or hunger. They all agreed that they would play for the first hour of the night, then take some time to mingle before playing again. They also agreed that Mike was not to be left alone. Micky and Peter were updated on what Mike knew about Melissa, for today at least, and Mike was actually the one to propose that they not leave him alone.

So when given the queue, they began to play. They started with the classics for a little warm up. There was a "Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," here, a little "Last Train to Clarksville" there. As they played the backyard began to fill. People were socializing, the children were dancing. Everything seemed to be going to plan… That was until Melissa arrived.

She made a beeline for the stage. Davy hopped over during a song and elbowed Mike, pointing at the she-devil with a maraca.

"She's- Ow!" Mike yelped with another (and more aggressive) jab in the side.

"Don't go fallin' in love with her!" Davy hissed under Micky's "She."

Peter slid on over near them. "Reject her like you rejected Ellie Mae Chubber when she wanted to marry you!"

"I have no frame of reference for that!" Mike hissed at them. "I don't even know an Ellie Mae."

"Not the point," Davy said. "She tries to talk to you, don't let her. Reject her! Let her know you're not interested!"

"But I am!" Mike hissed.

"Don't be!" Davy shot back.

The song ended. Micky, noticing the conflict happening on stage, went straight from "She" to "What am I Doin' Hangin' Round" for the sake of occupying Mike. It worked. They sang, the crowd loved it, and all was right with the world.

Melissa slithered in the for the attack. She rested her hands on the stage, looking up at Mike with sweet, puppy dog eyes. "Hi, my name is Melissa."

Mike glanced down as if in acknowledgement, but didn't say a word. Melissa frowned. "What's your name?" She asked him. Davy couldn't help but laugh as they launched into "All the King's Horses." It was working. Mike was ignoring her. Excitement shot through Davy's veins as he watched her wait impatiently for her next shot. Davy gave Mike a rewording smile for his efforts. Mike looked less than pleased with it, but he gave a shy smile in acceptance of Davy's praise.

Melissa was ready to strike again when Micky called for them to gather around the drums. Mike gave the girl a shrug as he strolled over to the drums.

"Let's play "Pleasant Valley Sunday!"" He proposed, twirling his sticks.

"But we haven't rehearsed that in weeks!" Mike exclaimed. "I don't even know if I remember how to play that one. Peter and I wrote that one ages ago."

"Actually we played it last night at last night's party," Peter pointed out.

"Yeah!" Davy said, not bothering to correct Peter, letting Mike's ignorance of last night hang in the air. "We've got it down straight. Mike, I'm sure once it starts it will come back to you. Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?!" Mike asked. "You're asking me to play a tune I've basically never played before! I don't even remember how it goes!"

"Here," Peter said, taking his bass off and handing it to Mike. "Then you play bass and I'll play your part. At least till you remember."

"Are you crazy?!" Mike asked, pulling his guitar closer to his body.

"We're playing "Pleasant Valley Sunday."" Peter said matter-of-factly.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah," Mike said, desperate for them to choose another song. "Let's choose fingers."

"We choose this one," Davy, Micky, and Peter all deadpanned, pointing at Peter's right index finger.

Peter smiled. "Looks like we win, Mike!"

"That's no fair!"

"It is in the Monkees' world," Peter laughed, waving for Mike to give him the guitar. Reluctantly, Mike took the guitar off, passing it to Peter while simultaneously taking the bass from him. Davy jumped off stage and brought up their portable keyboard, taping a few random keys to make sure it was on.

"Let's do this," Micky beamed. "Hit it, Peter!"

#Pleasant Valley Sunday # The Monkees

This tune through everyone off guard. At first, everyone watched intently, not entirely sure what was happening. However, as they sang through the chorus for the first time, it was as if a spark ignited inside everyone's heads. People started smiling, dancing, being joyous and fun. Davy noticed Andrew tried to dance with Melissa, but she was less than happy and turned him down. Peter noticed that Mike began singing the harmony with them, his fingers moving flawlessly along the bass guitar. Peter maneuvered his way around to Mike, his face beaming. Mike returned the same smile and they quickly, yet flawlessly, switched instruments again, with Mike roaring through his guitar riffs with style.

As they watched Mike play, each member felt a sense of unity. A sense of completion. A sense of freedom. The song ended and everyone cheered, applauding them. The Monkees bowed, huge grins on each of their faces.

As they congratulated each other on stage, the snake came in for one last attack. "Michael," She called out. Mike looked over from the other at her, his face matching more confusion than pleasure.

"What do you want?" Mike asked as Peter, Davy, and Micky watched, holding their breath.

"I want to talk to you," Melissa said. "That's all."

"No thanks babe," Mike said. "I think I've had too many Sunday's worth of your talk."

The other three Monkees lit up like Christmas trees.

"You remember?!" Davy yelped.

"He remembers!" Peter cried.

"Oh what a blessed day this is!" Micky called out.

Mike shook his head, a grin plastered on his face. "Come on guys, let's do a few more."

"But Michael-" Melissa called out.

"Nuh, uh girl," Mike interrupted. "I'd rather talk to a brick wall than talk to you." He turned back to the Monkees. "What about some Randy Scouse Git?"

"Have we even got a timpani?" Davy asked.

Micky shrugged. "I'll improvise."

#Randy Scouse Git (2007 Remaster) #The Monkees