Baby Sister

1

 

“Richard! Rachael! Wake up!” the cold yell of their mother’s Yorkshire shriek was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. To make matters worse, the sun had found a tiny crack in the blinds that shone directly into her face.

“Coming, Mum!” thirteen-year-old Rachael Kathleen jumped off of the top bunk of the bed she shared with her sixteen-year-old brother. “C’mon, Dick! That’s the third time Mum’s called us.”

“Go away, brat!” he threw a pillow at her. “And don’t call me Dick!”

“Alright, alright. But when I tell ‘er you were out with your band until 2:00, she’ll skull ya!”

“Rache, please don’t tell ‘er. I get enough shit as it is.”

“What’s it to ya?” she waited.

“Uh… 10 quid.”

“Deal!” she quickly ran out.

 

“Aye, where’s your brother?” Kathleen carried a hot pan across the kitchen and slid a steak onto a plate in front of her father. As usual, he had his nose buried in the morning’s paper.

“He’s a bit under the weather,” she lied. “Maybe you should let ‘im sleep in t’day?”

“You’d bet’er check on im’ after brekkie,” Geoff spoke without lifting his eyes from the latest footie scores.

“Will do,” she sighed while pouring Rachael a glass of juice.

 

That afternoon, two young men knocked on the door. Rachael answered to see two of Rick’s band mates.

“Hiya, fellas,” she smiled sweetly.

“Rick around?” Joe Elliott asked as he brushed his curly brown locks away from his eyes.

“Right there,” she smarted while pointing to Rick Savage.

“Nice one, brat,” Joe huffed.

Rachael frowned at him while contemplating slamming the door in his face. “Trimmin’ in the garden.”

“We’ll just meet ‘im back there, then,” Sav smiled at her.

“Fine,” she caught his eyes. “’Ave fun at The Rainbow t’night.”

“How’d you know?” he stopped.

“I’ve got me ways,” she turned to Joe, raising her nose into the air a bit. “See ya.”

“Hope not,” he stuck his tongue out at her before walking around the house.

“Bye, Rache,” Sav chuckled before following him.

2

 

Music resonated through the old building as Rachael made her way through the maze of old hallways. She stopped and listened as Joe screeched out lyrics to a tune called ‘Ride Into The Sun’. “That just keeps get’in better,” she mumbled before walking into the room.

She sat on the floor and pushed her bag off to the side as the band finished up the song. Once they were finished, she applauded them. “How’s about a rest?”

“Sure,” Joe sighed.

“Great,” she opened her bag and pulled out the beers.

“How many LPs did we put out t’day, Miss Manager?” Pete asked before taking a beer from her.

“Twelve. Any news from that guy yet?”

“No,” Steve sighed.

“Where’d you get the beers?” Rick frowned at her.

“Don’t ask,” she threw one at him.

“We’re never gonna get that record deal if can’t get more airplay,” Joe accepted a beer from her.

“Well, good luck,” she laughed before rising to her feet and brushing the dirt from her backside.

“Oi, brat! Forgot one!” Sav held out his hand and waited for a beer.

“There ya go,” she threw it to him before walking out of the spoon factory.

“She’ll be laughin’ when I’m rich,” Pete huffed.

“We,” Steve corrected him.

“Yeah mate,” he smiled. “Of course.”

 

“And where’ve you been?” Kathleen asked when Rachael walked through the door.

“Rehearsal,” she peeked over her mother’s shoulder. “Ooh. Whipped potatoes. My favorite,” she kissed her cheek.

“And your lessons for the night?”

“Safe and secure, in my bag,” she grinned.

“And if they’re not completed by supper, you’re goin’ hungry.”

“Yikes, I’d bet’er get in gear then,” she was gone in a flash.

3

 

Everyone’s hard work paid off and later that fall Def Leppard toured the UK with AC/DC as their newest single ‘Wasted’ hit the airwaves. Rachael found it a priority to sneak away from home to see her big brother play the drums whenever she could.

One night in London, Rick walked off the stage only to see his baby sister sitting at the bar with a half-empty pint in front of her.

“Rachael! What the bloody ‘ell are you doin’ ‘ere? You should be ‘ome in bed!”

“I came to watch you, Rick! You did well t’night, big brother!” she hugged him.

“Get your arse ‘ome now! Mum ‘n Dad’ll be in fits if they find you gone!”

“I can take care of meself, Richard,” she rolled her eyes. “Besides, there’s a bloke at the bar that’s been askin’ an awful lot of questions about the band. I ‘ad to fill ‘im in.”

“What did you tell ‘im?”

“That you’re the best band in the world,” she smiled.

“Hey, brat,” Sav walked up. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“Shut yer hole,” she sighed before drinking down the rest of her beer.

“Aye, you ready?” a teenaged boy walked up to Rachael.

Sav raised his eyebrows and looked at Rick as his face glowed crimson red.

“Excuse me?” he huffed.

“Rick, Sav, James. James, me brother and his band mate.”

“And just exactly what are you ready for?” Rick looked between the two. “She’s only 13.”

“I’ll be 14 soon,” Rachael defended herself.

“Yeah, next year,” Sav coughed.

“We’re stoppin’ at a party before goin’ ‘ome,” the boy answered.

“Well, you got that part right,” Rick turned to Sav. “I’ll be back in the mornin’.”

“Gotcha,” he nodded before turning to the bartender to order a pint himself.

“Rick!” Rachael protested.

“You either come with me, or I call Dad right now.”

“You wouldn’t,” she glared at him.

“Try me,” he waited.

“Bloody wanker,” she complained as they walked out to hail a cab.

4

 

 The next year was filled with massive changes for the band. They recorded and released their first album, called ‘On Through The Night.’ Six months later, they toured the US for the first time. They finally returned home in August.

Rick, however returned home to be smacked in the face by a few surprises…

“Where’s Rachael?” he hugged his mother.

“Date,” Geoff sighed.

“You don’t seem too happy about that,” he watched his parents.

“Your sister,” Kathleen searched for the words in her head. “She’s become a bit unruly since you left, Richard.”

“Become?” She always ‘as been!” he laughed.

“Will you talk to ‘er?”

“Sure, Mum.”

 

Rick went to a club that night with Joe and Steve. They were flirting with a few of the local lasses when a certain brunette caught Joe’s eye.

“Uh… that looks like Rachael,” he pointed.

“It is,” Steve smiled.

“I’m gonna kill ‘er,” Rick walked to her and grabbed her by the arm.

“Rick! You’re ‘ome!” she threw her arms around him.

“We need to talk,” he pulled her toward the door.

“What?” she asked as they walked outside.

“Look at yourself! You’ve got enough makeup on to paint London! How’d you get in ‘ere?”

“I know the bar tender,” she crossed her arms. “Besides, I’ll be 16 soon. What is your problem?”

“You’re too young for this, Rache! You should be ‘ome, concentrating on your school work!”

“Oh, and you were such the bookworm at my age!” she shot back.

“Y… uh… no. But I learned the hard way!”

“Spare me!”

“Hey there, gorgeous!” a college-aged boy walked up and planted a kiss on her.

“Hi Ronny,” she smiled.

“We’re goin’ to Tom’s house in a bit, okay luv?” he kissed her neck.

“Sure.”

“Excuse me, am I still ‘ere?” Rick spat. “Who are you?”

“He’s my date,” Rachael warned him.

“Your curfew’s in an hour.”

“Sure,” she laughed.

“We’ll finish this conversation when you get ‘ome.”

“Okay,” she winked at him before walking off. “See you then.”

 

At 3:00 the next morning, the door finally opened. Rick switched on the light and dug in. “Where’ve you been?”

“Hi!” she squealed.

“Shush!” he noticed that she could hardly stand and helped her toward the bedroom. “Are you… drunk?”

“Yes,” she slid into the bottom bunk. “A little. I’m a little stoned, too,” she giggled.

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Go to sleep,” he sighed.

5

 

“So, how’s the record comin’ along?” Kathleen spoke over the telephone to her son.

“A lot differently, Mum,” he sighed. “Mutt is a slave driver, and that’s puttin’ it mildly.”

“Well… this is what you wanted, son.”

“Don’t get me wrong, the final product sounds fantastic. It’s just tiring.”

She giggled at her son.

“So how’s Rachael? She ‘ome?”

“No, she’s at work.”

“Work? Please tell me she didn’t quit school.”

“No, no. She’s been helpin’ Mrs. Stanley out at the cleaner’s. Becoming quite the lit’le seamstress, she is. Keeps ‘er out of trouble as well.”

“Where was she last month when I ripped the bum out of me trousers?” he chuckled.

“Richard!” she laughed.

 

“Okay, everything’s a go for the video shoot. We’re gonna kill two birds with one stone and shoot ‘High ‘N Dry’ and ‘Bringin’ On The Heartbreak’ at the gig tonight,” Peter read over the schedule.

“Any decisions on wardrobe?” Cliff looked around the group.

“Yeah, we wear what we usually do,” Joe huffed.

“Wrong! We need to glam it up a bit for the cameras.”

He received five blank stares.

“Fine, we’re on the lookout for someone with fashion sense who can sew…”

Rick’s ears perked up a bit. “A seamstress?”

“Too expensive,” Joe frowned.

“What about a seamstress in training?” he grinned from ear to ear. “’Cause I just ‘appen to know someone who’d do it for a few beers and a chance to get away from Sheffield for a while.”

Again, blank stares prevailed.

“Rachael’s been workin’ at Stanley’s as a seamstress,” he laughed.

“That’s in my price range!” Joe clapped his hands together.

“May take more than a few beers, I’ve seen ‘er throw ‘em back before,” Sav chuckled.

“So?” Rick waited. “It’d keep ‘er out of trouble for a while.”

Peter and Cliff looked around as everyone nodded.

“Let’s call ‘er.”