“Micky,” Adriana warned from the kitchen, “be careful, she just ate.”
Adriana stirred the birthday cake batter a bit more and laughed to herself when she heard Micky’s singing stop, followed by a groan of, “Oh Mishy, how could something like that come out of such a dainty, cute little thing like you?”
Pouring the batter into a large cake pan, Adriana smoothed her medium length blond hair out of her eyes and sighed, wondering how she had managed with cake duty this time.
It was New Years Eve already. Over three months had passed since the huge quake that had rocked the small sea side town in Southern California. Even now people were still rebuilding their lives. It would take a long time for everything to get back to how it was.
Adriana and Micky’s apartment, as well as the Pad had come out of the quake with only minor repairs needed, but Katerina and January’s apartment was another story. Due to the collapsing of the second floor, the entire complex had to be demolished and new construction was on the way.
Mr. Babbit was extremely apologetic when he learned of the ordeal that January and Mike had been through. He even offered five months of free rent to January and Katerina, who moved in with Micky and Adriana until the new apartment was built. It did take Mike threatening him with a lawsuit, but the outcome was still the same.
On the personal front, for Micky and Adriana, adjusting to their new roles as parents was quite the adventure. Being a father seemed to challenge Micky, but brought new inspiration into his life as well. Before, Adriana noticed that Micky never did much songwriting with the Monkees, but now she could find Micky at all times of the day, sitting near the picture window in his favorite chair, a pad of paper in front of him, softly singing the lullabies that he would perform for his biggest fan, Michelle.
Looking out the window at the construction of January and Katerina’s apartment, Adriana thought of another topic that had been circulating in her mind the past few months.
In her time, by now the Monkees’ period of fame would already be in full swing, but here, it never seemed to arrive at all. She came to the conclusion that because she was living in some sort of television dimension, the Monkees may be forever undiscovered, unsigned, and underrated. Adriana longed for them to make it big, but deep inside, she knew that it could possibly never happen here. In this time period they were everyday people, just trying to get by.
“Hey woman,” Micky said, suddenly coming up behind her and grabbing her around the waist, breaking her out of her thoughts, “how’s the cake coming?”
“Excuse me,” Adriana asked, looking over her shoulder and raising an eyebrow.
“Sorry,” Micky said, kissing her on the back of her head. “I just put Michelle down for a nap. Man, that girl can spit up—.”
“Micky,” Adriana warned, slapping him on the arm and looking at him over her shoulder. “I’ve seen it. I definitely don’t want to hear about it.”
“Yes and how could one forget,” he asked, releasing her and walking over to the refrigerator. “Did you call Peter to remind him to pick up the decorations?”
“Yep,” Adriana said, setting the timer for the cake, “Everything is all set. Katerina is going to have the best birthday party and we are going to have the best New Years party ever.”
Peter’s hands shook as he stood in the mirror in his bedroom early that evening, adjusting his orange, button down shirt and picking some lint off of his black bell-bottomed pants.
“Hey Peter,” Davy called as he opened the door and peaked inside, “you ready to go, man?”
“Sure,” Peter said, taking in a deep breath and letting it out, “I’ll be right out.”
Picking up a comb and running it one last time through his hair, he set it down on the dresser. Opening the top drawer, he took out another item and placed it carefully in his pants pocket.
Patting the small object, he took another deep breath, picked up his bass and walked out of the room.
“How about his,” Mike suggested, holding up a gaudy pink and blue flowered dress with long sleeves and a scoop neck.
“No way,” January said with a laugh as the two walked around “The Silver Hanger” checking out possible outfits for January for the New Years Eve/Birthday party at the club that night.
“I’m no good at this,” Mike said with a sigh, leaning on a rack of clothes, knocking the entire collection to the floor.
“Oh no,” January exclaimed, laughing hysterically as she bent to pick up the assorted dresses.
“See what I mean,” Mike said as he kneeled down to help her.
Mike smiled as January began to laugh even more. He had to admit that being friends with this girl wasn’t as bad or as hard as he thought it was going to be. They had become very close these past months and though Mike admitted that he’d like to be closer, he knew the boundaries and wouldn’t cross them. So, he was playing the role of the dutiful friend, the confidant, the big brother figure.
Mike learned a lot more about January along the way too. She finally opened up to him and began to tell him stories about her life, her upbringing, and what she went through in San Francisco. He, in turn, found a kindred spirit who he could tell about his own life. Mike looked forward to the time they spent together during their lunch hours and after work. He was especially looking forward to that night.
Although it wasn’t an official date, Mike was going to be escorting January to the party. Technically Davy, Ursula, Peter, Katerina, Jessie, and Link were all going along too, but he knew that he would probably just spend most of the time talking to her.
“Oh,” January exclaimed as she picked up a dress to hang back on the rack. “This is perfect.”
“What,” Mike asked, turning around to face her.
“Nothing,” she answered, quickly hiding the dress behind her back and walking towards the dressing room. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
January hurried into the tiny, closet sized changing room of “The Silver Hanger” and after closing the door, she leaned against the wall and chuckled. She couldn’t remember the last time she had so much fun with a guy.
Mike was so different from anybody she had ever known. He treated her with respect and dignity, so much so that she sometimes found herself not knowing how to respond. Ever since that day in the hospital, Mike had never tried to be romantic or make attempts to win her affections again. It was like they were brother and sister.
Almost.
“It wouldn’t be so bad,” she thought as she slipped on the dress and turned around in the mirror, “if I wasn’t starting to have these stupid feelings.”
January knew that she was falling for Mike, but she also knew that she couldn’t let him know. After all the fuss she made about wanting to be “just friends”, he’d probably think that she was a silly, flighty girl who never knows what she wants.
“He would probably just laugh at me, give me a hug, slap me on the back and say ‘Tell another good one Jan!’,” January grumbled to herself as she folded her arms and slumped against the door.
Dawn, the owner of “The Silver Hanger”, told January that she could have her choice of any dress in the store to wear to the party.
“And be sure to choose something in a dark blue,” Dawn had said that morning, leaning over the counter, whispering to January, “I had a talk with Mr. Nesmith when he came to walk you home the other day. Got his opinion on some scarves. The young man has a soft spot for midnight blue.”
Smoothing the ribbed, turtleneck styled, sleeveless mini dress around her figure, January turned and walked out of the dressing room.
In less than an hour it would be 1971 and the party was a complete success. The band was defiantly in their element and they were enjoying every minute of it.
Everybody but Peter. He appeared to be having just as good a time as everybody else on the outside, but inside the butterflies erupted.
Looking out at the audience he could see the birthday girl. In less than an hour she would be 23.
Waving a hand to get his attention, Katerina smiled and blew Peter a kiss from where she was seated at a side table with Ursula, January, Jessie, and Adriana.
“Oh wow,” Peter exclaimed softly, lifting his hand and weakly waving back.
She looked especially stylish that night in her black bellbottomed pants, black fitted long-sleeved top, wide patent leather black belt and black patent leather boots. Her long blond hair cascaded around her shoulders…
“Peter,” Davy called from the other side of the stage.
“Peter,” Davy called again.
“Oh, huh,” Peter asked, turning away from Katerina and to Davy.
“We’re going to do Mike’s new song now,” Davy said with a chuckle, grabbing his tambourine. “Stop starring at your girlfriend.”
“Oh, yeah, okay,” Peter said, turning to face the audience, plastering on his crowd smile, trying to ignore his butterflies.
“You guys ready,” Mike asked the guys, turning his back to the partygoers.
After the guys echoed their readiness, Mike turned around and gazed out into the crowd. Immediately he saw her sitting with the other girls.
Silently he prayed that she wouldn’t take this the wrong way. The other half of him prayed that she would take it the wrong way.
However she would take it, he had to do it.
When he went home after his short hospital stay, the words just fell into place. Although some of them were part of his dream, part of what had happened, and part of what he wished would happen, they were entirely from his heart. Mike had a feeling that if she were the person he thought, January would surely figure it out.
“One, two, three, four,” Mike counted off into the microphone. Turning away from the girl in the midnight blue dress, he began to sing.
“That’s it for now folks,” Mike glumly said into the microphone, abandoning his place, as he took his guitar off and continued downstage.
“Right,” Micky shouted, “because in about five minutes. It’s Happy New Year! Yeah!”
Mike could hear the crowd cheering as he opened the back door to the club and stepped out into the night.
“I am such a fool,” he said gruffly, as he leaned against the cool brick wall.
“No, you’re not,” came a voice from near the dumpster.
“January,” Mike questioned into the darkness.
“Yeah,” she said with a sniffle, “I’m over here.”
Mike cautiously walked over to where she was seated on an old milk crate.
“Mind if I pull up a box,” Mike asked, moving to grab another crate.
“No,” January said, covering her face with her hands and sobbing.
“Hey,” he said, pulling the crate next to her and putting his arm around her shoulders. “Why are you crying, Jan?”
“Because,” she said, still crying, taking her hands from her eyes and wiping her nose.
“Because why,” Mike prodded.
“Because,” January said, with a hiccup, “I think I love you.”
Mike could hardly believe his ears. His eyes opened wide in a surprise and in a confused voice he returned, “You think you love me? That’s why you’re crying?”
“Yeah,” January said, sniffling, “I heard the song Michael. I heard it all. Then I ran out because I didn’t want anybody to see me act silly.”
“You’re not acting silly,” Mike said, rubbing her shoulder.
“Yes I am,” she demanded. “I told you I didn’t like you that way. I said I never wanted to be more than friends. I made a huge deal out of it all and then I go and fall in love with you. Go ahead, tell me I’m stupid.”
“I can’t,” Mike said, smoothing her long, dark brown hair and looking into her tear stained deep blue eyes.
“Why not,” January asked angrily. “It’s true.”
“Jan,” Mike began, putting his arms around her, “I love you too.”
“Five,” the crowd counted inside the club.
“Oh my gosh,” Peter thought.
“Four!”
“Oh my,” Peter thought.
“Three!”
“Oh gee,” Peter thought.
“Two!”
“Whoa boy,” Peter thought.
“One,” the crowd screamed.
“Happy New Year,” everyone shouted to each other. All around him couples were kissing, talking and having a great time.
“Peter,” a soft voice said, followed by a finger rapping on his shoulder.
Turning around he saw Katerina standing before him, offering him a noisemaker.
“I saved one for ya,” Katerina said, handing him a kazoo.
Acting totally on impulse, Peter grabbed Katerina around the waist.
“Peter,” Katerina questioned in a more than surprised voice as he wrapped his arms around her, “what in the world are you d--.”
Her question was abruptly stopped by a very long kiss from Peter.
“What was that,” Katerina asked when he finally pulled away from her.
“Marry me,” he whispered into her hair. He reached into his pocket, still holding on to her, and produced a small black box.
Katerina pulled away and looked at the box as Peter pulled it open, revealing a gold band with a tiny golden dove with an even more tiny diamond set in the small branch it held between its beak.
Tears shining in her eyes, Katerina looked at Peter and asked, “Are you serious?”
Suddenly the moment was slightly interfered with singing of “Happy Birthday.”
All of Katerina’s friends were gathered around her singing the traditional birthday tune, but she hardly heard them.
“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life,” Peter said, moving to get down on one knee before her.
Katerina looked at Peter though tear glazed eyes. Looking at the box he held out to her, she noticed it was shaking a bit. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He was so nervous.
Reaching out and taking the hand that held the box, Katerina steadied it.
“I will,” she said softly.
“You will,” Peter asked, not moving from his spot on the floor, his eyes widening.
“Of course I will,” Katerina said, meeting him on the floor and hugging him with all her might.
All of Peter’s butterflies flew out the window as she embraced him that New Year. Pulling back, he took the ring out of the box and placed it on her waiting finger.
“Do you like it,” Peter asked as he positioned the band. “I know it’s not much, but…”
“I love it,” Katerina squealed as she hugged him tighter. “I’d love it if you got it out of a gumball machine!”
“Where’d Mike run off to,” Micky asked, shoveling a piece of cake into his mouth a little while later.
“I don’ know,” Davy said. “He seemed kind of upset after the song was done.”
“January was acting kind of weird too,” Adriana said, a puzzled look crossing her face. “She got up really fast after you guys left and mumbled something about getting some air.”
“Some air,” Micky and Adriana questioned at the same time turning to look at each other quickly.
“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’,” Micky asked Adriana.
“I think so,” she said slowly with a nod.
“Come on,” Micky said, getting up from his seat and grabbing Adriana’s hand.
Soon they reached the back door to the club. Quietly opening the door, Micky and Adriana stuck their heads out.
“Whoa,” Micky said a little too loud.
There was January and Mike sharing a crate, kissing like no tomorrow.
“Micky,” Adriana threatened in a whisper as she hit him on the shoulder.
It was too late; the new couple had heard him.
“Um, hey guys,” Mike said, clearing his throat and moving back to his crate.
“Hey yourself,” Micky teased, walking outside, a sly grin appearing on his face.
“Come on Micky,” Adriana said loudly as she grabbed Micky’s arm and pulled him away, waving to January and Mike. “Let’s go for that walk.”
“But I--,” Micky started to say.
“You can interrogate Mike later,” she said to him.
“Okay,” Micky answered reluctantly as the two walked off into the night.
“Wow,” Mike asked, looking up at the sky after Adriana and Micky left, “did you see that?”
“Did I see what,” January asked, looking up, grabbing Mike’s arm, trying to see what he was talking about.
“A shooting star,” Mike said, gazing at the night sky.
“Nice,” January said, looking back at Mike.
“Yeah,” Mike said, turning back to January. “Nice.”
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