(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextMicky had been observing his friends all night. Something was off, but he wasn't sure what. It seemed to center around Davy, who hadn't been his usual cheery self today. Micky felt a twinge of guilt spike through him. He felt a little bad about his over reaction this morning. He had apologized, and Davy waved it off, but he had said some pretty hurtful things in the heat of the moment. He hoped he wasn't the cause of Davy's morose mood. And now Mike and Peter seemed distracted, too. Though maybe they were just worried about Davy. Well, Micky knew one thing, he would make sure his friends were smiling by the end of the night or his name wasn't George Michael Braddock. Or Dolenz. He meant Micky Dolenz. Well, he has a few names, so he has a few chances to get this right.
He rubbed his hands together as a plan formed in his mind. He didn't realize how long he had been standing there in the middle of the parking lot, looking like a plotting super villain, until Mike hooked his arm through one of Micky's and started dragging him along.
"Come on, Mick, it won't take too long to load the equipment if we all help". Micky went along with him and waited for the opportunity to put his plan into action.
*********************
Surfrider Beach Bar had just opened down the street from Pop's, and Micky thought it was the perfect solution. It was a restaurant as well as a bar, so Davy could get in, and Mike could get a birthday drink! As soon as all of the equipment was loaded, Micky grabbed Peter and Mike's arms, and used their bodies to coral Davy towards the sidewalk.
"Woah, woah, Micky, what are you doin'?" Mike asked, as he started to back pedal.
"It's way too serious around here for a birthday. We need to buy you a birthday beer, Mike, it's not everyday a man turns 21!"
Peter looked desperately at Micky trying to grab his attention. He didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time they had tried to go in a bar for a gig they had lined up. Mike and Micky were allowed in as they were over 18, they just couldn't drink alcohol. But Davy was stopped at the door. Even with his guardian with him, he was refused entry. Davy lost his temper, furious that his age was causing trouble for his new band, but unfortunately, that resulted in all of them being kicked out. It was an incident Peter was not eager to repeat, especially with Davy's mood already in the dumps.
"It's fine guys, I have it covered, don't worry!" Micky assured them. He gave up pulling on Mike and Peter, and just grabbed Davy, the easiest to manhandle into his plan. The twosome took off down the sidewalk, and Peter and Mike had no choice but to follow.
They both started laughing along when they heard Davy's giggles at Micky's antics. It was impossible not to! By the time they made it the three blocks to Surfrider's, they were all pink faced and smiling. Thankfully, there was no cover tonight, so they happily waited in line with their IDs, and received their respective entry stamps.
A pretty waitress with long brown hair led them to a table, then left them to look at the menu. Micky took all of the change out of his pocket and dumped it on the table with a clatter. He didn't want to break into their earnings for the night, he knew they needed that for rent. But he had a little extra, and he wanted Mike to celebrate. Peter and Davy quickly dumped their pocket change, too, and Micky counted. Between the three of them, they had 84₵. Perfect! Beers were 72₵, so they would even have enough left to tip, like the classy gentlemen they were.
The waitress had been observing and approached the table when they seemed ready. Micky glanced at her name tag.
"Ashely, this man is 21 today," he slapped Mike on the back as he spoke. He needs a beer to celebrate! And I'm feeling generous, so add a round of waters on me!"
Ashley chuckled and shook her head, then after confirming Mike's age by glancing at his stamped hand, she headed to the bar to place their order.
The boys laughed and admired Mike's stamp that indicated his status as a legal drinker while they waited. Peter glanced at the back of Davy's hand, and then did a double take. He used to occasionally work the door for a bar/restaurant he played at in the Village, he was familiar with the system. Most places had three stamps, one for those under 18, who had to be accompanied by an adult and out before curfew. One for those between 18-21, who could stay later, but couldn't drink, and one for those over 21. Peter noticed that Davy's stamp was the same as Micky's. His thoughts were interrupted as the waitress returned, and a beer was placed in front of him.
"No one should drink alone on his birthday" She winked at Peter and Mike. "Lucky for you guys, we have a special tonight, buy one get one free. And here's some bread for the table" Ashley set down their food and drinks and left them to celebrate. They seemed like nice kids, but she saw them counting their change. Passing a free drink on a 21st birthday wasn't that unusual, so she thought she'd help them out.
The guys couldn't believe their luck! They toasted their respective waters or beers and snacked on their bread. There was a dart board and ring toss game nearby, so they had fun challenging each other. They laughed as they created silly bets using pieces of bread. Davy was the best at darts, but Mike had them all beat on the ring toss.
"Looks like I'm the bread winner again!" Mike grinned, as he caught the ring on the hook for the 6th time.
Davy dissolved into giggles, and Peter checked to make sure he hadn't been sneaking any beer. Like the responsible guardian that he was.
"Wait, that's it!" a thought occurred to Peter suddenly. He had all of Davy's information on the guardianship paperwork he kept in his drawer at home. He would check it later tonight. It didn't make sense that Davy had the same stamp as Micky, he knew for a fact that Micky had turned 18 last March, right before he moved in with Mike and Peter.
"You're thinking too hard, shotgun" Mike rested his arm around Peter's shoulder, while he sipped his beer. "This has been the best birthday I've had in a long time, thanks to you guys. Let's enjoy it!"
Peter let Mike pull him back into the moment, a smile on his face now that he had a plan to solve this mystery. The four enjoyed their games, and when the beers were gone, they walked back to the Monkee Mobile, laughing as they took up the whole sidewalk with their signature stroll. Davy didn't even mind when Mike and Micky kept picking him up between them, so they wouldn't have to bend down so much. Micky smiled when he saw his friends' happiness as they got in the car.
"Just call me Micky Dolenz" he smirked to himself before closing his door.
Back at the pad, the boys said their goodnights, then went off to get ready for bed. Peter retired to the downstairs bedroom while Davy went to the bathroom to complete his night time grooming routine. Peter rushed to his drawer and pulled out the documents, he didn't know how much time he had before Davy came back. He flipped through the papers, then finally found the form that Davy had filled out with his personal information. He skimmed through Davy's neat cursive until he found it.
"Oh no…" he groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead in dismay. He needed to tell the others. He jumped from his bed and ran out the door to the stairs.
"Mike, Micky!" Peter burst into the upstairs bedroom, waving the papers over his head and whispering urgently. "We really messed up, you guys. Mike Micky, come here, hurry."
"Woah, Pete, slow down, what's got a bee in your bonnet?" Mike grabbed Peter by the shoulders to calm his rapid movements.
"This, this!" Peter exclaimed as he waved the papers in Mike's face, stabbing at this with his index finger. "We missed it, that explains the confusion this morning! Oh, poor Davy!" Peter looked like he was about to burst into tears as he continued to wail.
"What about Davy? What are you talking about?" Mike held the hand that was waving the papers still, so he could see what Peter was pointing at.
Realization dawned on his face as read the neat handwriting. "Well if that don't beat all," he murmured. "Me and Tiny are birthday twins! That's good luck." He hesitated as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "Although, I guess it wasn't good luck for him today, was it."
"What's good luck? What are you guys talking about, who's twins?" Micky hovered around them, trying to get a look at the papers like a hyper bumblebee trying to get to a flower.
Mike pushed the papers against Micky's chest as he started to pace.
"Those papers say Davy was born on December 30, 1945. He turned 18 today."
Micky stopped shuffling the papers and froze as Mike's words sunk in.
"No! So this morning... he thought we planned the surprise for him! Oh, I feel terrible!" He grabbed Peter, and both began to work each other up and become more hysterical.
"Now wait just a minute, Davy knows we wouldn't hurt him on purpose, it was just an honest mistake. A miscommunication. Can't celebrate a birthday if you don't know when it is!" Mike tried to calm the other two. If the waterworks started, there would be no going back. "But that doesn't mean we can't make it up to him!" The other's perked up. They should've known they could count on Mike to come up with a plan. Mike told them his basic ideas, and that's all it took.
Suddenly, Micky was decked out in a camouflaged jumpsuit, writing the plan for Operation: Birthday Blunder on a large note pad. Now that he had something to concentrate his energy on, he had laser focus. Mike and Peter dictated ideas from their seats on Micky's bed, sharing a can of grease paint, to complete their own military looks.
"Alright men. Does everyone know their roles in this mission?'
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Lieutenant Tork, do you have the paper?"
"Yes sir, Commander Dolenz."
"Sergeant Nesmith, do you know the most efficient routes to collect the materials?
"Yes sir, Commander."
"Alright then, we will meet back here at 0700. Dismissed."
Mike covertly cracked open the door, and three heads peaked out. The common area was clear, Davy must have gone to bed. They each tiptoed down the stairs and then split in three different directions. Mike headed to the front door and grabbed the keys to the Monkee mobile off the hook. Micky ran to the supply closet, and Peter pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket while walking towards the telephone. Before they started their assignments, they made eye contact one last time, and saluted each other. They had a lot to accomplish, but they were up for the task.
Davy cringed as his sleep was disturbed by the sun light streaming through his bedroom window. He pulled his comforter over his head, while simultaneously throwing his pillow in the direction of Peter's bed. Peter had not come to bed before Davy had fallen asleep last night, yet he was still up early enough to open the blinds and interrupt Davy's sleep at this ungodly hour. He grumbled to himself when he realized that he would not be able to fall back to sleep unless he got up to shut the blinds and retrieve his pillow. Once his feet touched the cold floor, he knew it would be a lost cause. He might as well get up and start the day! And the perfect way to start the day, would be to have a talk with his roommate about this new morning routine that was ruining Davy's beauty sleep.
The door to the downstairs bedroom creaked open, and Davy emerged, yawning as he stretched his arms and tried to wake up his sluggish body. Suddenly, he stopped and froze with his arms still poised in midair. No. Not again!
He had cleaned up all of the decorations in the kitchen yesterday, and yet...
There was another "Happy Birthday!" banner hung up along the wall. Though it was a bit neater this time, and the spacing was better. The streamers and balloons were back, and there at the table, was a small box wrapped with colorful paper, surrounded by plates of food.
"Bollucks!" He exclaimed as his mind tried to catch up with what he was seeing. He regretted that he didn't ask about this yesterday after his faux pas with Mike's birthday. He knew Peter's birthday was in February, so there was only one explanation. It must be Micky's birthday, and he missed it again! His mind was overwhelmed with the decision to retreat to his room to try to put together a present, or to move forward to escape to the beach so he didn't ruin any surprises again. The tug of war resulted in him standing in the same spot, frozen.
"DAVY!"
He jumped two feet in the air as he was blasted out of his trance. The déjà vu today was killing him!
"We didn't think you would be up yet!" Micky exclaimed, from where he had just entered the front door with Mike and Peter.
Davy stared at them, trying to understand why they all had smeared grease paint on their faces, crooked berets and camouflaged clothes. They looked like they had been up all night.
While he was trying to process, the other three approached him, then slowly lead him into the kitchen.
"What do you think?" Peter questioned him once they got to the table.
Davy looked around at the eager faces surrounding him, wondering what Peter was asking, then took a closer look at the table.
Eggs with cheese. Tomatoes. Beans on toast. Scones. A tea pot next to the sugar bowl. He walked forward and turned the tag on the gift.
Davy
"What…?"
"Surprise," came three slightly bashful voices, along with several shrugs.
"How did you…" Davy didn't finish his thought, so Mike took it upon himself to answer.
"Peter notice that your stamp matched Micky's last night at the bar, so he took a look at your papers. We realized that you don't need those guardianship papers anymore, because you turned 18 yesterday. Why didn't you tell us?"
"It just never came up," Davy mumbled, still in shock that today's surprise was intended for him. "And after the fiasco in the morning, I didn't want to make a big deal of it."
"Well it is a big deal!" Peter interjected. "Turning 18 is a milestone! And since you couldn't be with your family, I used the number they left for you yesterday to call and ask how they would've helped you celebrate." Peter paused and pulled Davy into a hug. "Your sister told me about how your mom used to make you breakfast. I know this isn't the same, but I wrote down the recipes the best I could, and we tried our best to make them."
As Peter released Davy, Mike wrapped his arm around brunette's shoulders and put the package from the table in his hands. Davy shook it a little, curious.
"Well, don't stand there guessing all day. Open it!" Micky was bouncing up and down on his toes.
Davy tore off the paper and opened the box.
"What…?" Davy's usual eloquence was failing him this morning.
"Your father told us that it is a tradition for a man to receive a key to the house on his 18th birthday. We thought it was about time you had a key to the pad anyway. You're as much a part of this group as any of us, now it's officially official," Mike smiled as he explained.
Davy turned and grabbed Mike in a tight hug, then pulled Micky in as well. Peter joined the embrace, and the four stayed there are as Davy silently expressed his thanks. He wiped moisture his eyes as he stepped back and looked at his friends.
"Gifting the key is an important tradition for families in England," Davy sniffled, "And I can't think of a better family to start the tradition with here than the one in front of me".
His chosen family murmured their agreement, and watery grins were plastered on everyone's faces as they sat down to eat. Davy had never eaten a dryer scone in his life, and the eggs were a bit runny, but he loved every minute of his birthday breakfast.
Alone in his room later that day, Davy carefully circled February 13th, March 8th and December 30th on his calendar. Then he dipped his fingers into a jar of grease that was sitting on Peter's nightstand and drew a black line under each of his eyes. He placed a beret on his head and began writing furiously in his notebook. Operation: Best Birthdays Ever was officially a-go. Let the planning begin.
The End.
Notes: Here are a few pictures that inspired scenes in this chapter:
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picturedb/clothes/brown-beret?person=davy-jones Also, as the youngest in my friends group, I think I may have pulled a little inspiration from my life for this one. I remember trying to go to Dave and Buster's for my friend's 18th birthday. I was still 17, so they wouldn't let me in without someone over 21, even though a bunch of kids were in there with their parents. I ruined that party for everyone! lol That stuff happened all of the time, it was so frustrating! Anyway, thanks for following this story, and being patient as I figure out my Monkees voice. I think I have a good writing system now, so I'm excited to start on my next story, which will be a bit longer, and have a more intricate plot. Feedback is appreciated as I continue my writing endeavors!