Part One
"Hey, guys," I said as I opened the door to the pad one Saturday. I noticed Micky and Davy eating breakfast at the kitchen table in their pajamas. I figured they must have just woken up not too long ago, the bunch of sleepyheads. It was almost 11:00. I didn't need anyone to tell me that Mike and Peter, wherever they were, had been up for at least three or four hours. Mike always got up early because he was used to it from when he worked on his parents' farm in Texas. And Peter, well, who knew why Peter got up so early, too? Me, I was more in league with Micky and Davy. I honestly can't remember the last time I woke up before 9:00. I went look out the bandstand windows, and sure enough saw Mike sitting on the beach and Peter swimming.
"Want some cereal or something?" Micky asked.
I walked to the kitchen and sat down in a chair. "Nah. I already had some pizza before I came over." No matter what anyone tells you, there is nothing like pizza fresh from the refrigerator for breakfast. Trust me.
"So, what do you want to do today?" he asked me.
"I don't know. Just hang around here, I guess."
"That's all right with me. We have to practice for that gig tomorrow."
"Groovy."
Davy finished the last bite of his cereal, then carried his dirty dishes to the sink. "I'm gonna head upstairs and get ready. Mandy will be here in a little bit," he said, then went to his room. I rolled my eyes. I had never met Mandy. The rest of the guys hadn't either. We had decided it was just plain useless to meet Davy's girlfriends any more because there would just be a new one the next day. We wondered how so many people had so little taste.
I looked out the window again and looked out at Mike and Peter. Peter had gone sat down on a beach towel next to Mike and was talking to Wendy, his girlfriend. Funny, I thought. I often saw Davy and Peter with a girl, but never Mike. He was always too busy with his music, I guessed. I had seen girls who had flirted with him, only to give up in frustration after he failed to notice their interest. He was always so serious and worked so hard on the music. He never let himself relax. Maybe that's why he's been having a case of writer's block lately, I thought. Then an idea began to form in my head.
"Hey, Micky. Know what will cure Mike's writers' block?"
"Two asprin and a call in the morning?"
"No, silly! A girl."
"What girl?"
"Any girl." I explained what I had been thinking and ended with, "So we have to find him a girl."
"Where do we go to get one?"
Just then Davy came back in the room. "Get what?" he asked as he buttoned the last button on his shirt.
"A girl." Micky answered.
"What girl?"
"Any girl."
"Who wants a girl?"
"Mike does. Well, he just doesn't know it yet. I mean, he doesn't know he's going to get one. We're going to surprise him with one."
"Why not give her to me instead?" Davy asked. "I'd appreciate it more."
"Because, for some strange reason, you already have one, or two, or whatver." I remarked.
"You can never have too many, I always say," he answered.
"Go away," I told him. So he went to use the phone. To call Mandy I suppose. If she hadn't already been replaced.
"Now, where were we?" I asked Micky.
"Uhm," he said as he frowned and pretended to flip through a notebook. "Oh, yes. Here it is. I said, 'So, where do we go to find a girl for Mike?' "
"All right. Now, where would a girl that would be Mike's type hang out?"
"Texas?"
"A little far to go, don't you think, shotgun?" I darwled Mike-style.
"Okay, how about New Mexico? It's closer."
"Not that I'd need an excuse to want to run to New Mexico, but, I don't think so. Now get serious."
"Serious. .serious." Micky rubbed his forehead in concentration. "Wait, don't tell me. I know this."
"Oh, shut up."
"Okay, okay. Let's see. She'd have to be serious. Shy. Quiet."
"Blonde," Davy added as he joined our conversation again.
"Davy," I said warningly.
"Sorry, couldn't help it."
"All right. Now, let's think. She'd probably have to be into music, too."
Peter came in the back door and said with a smirk and mock surprise, "You guys are up already? The sun is still shining!"
"Hello to you, too, Tork," I said. "Let me guess. You and Mike are hungry and want me to fix you some lunch."
"Well, I just came in to get something to drink, but I am getting a little hungry, now that you mention it. I don't know about Mike. I guess he is, too"
"All right. I'll whip something up real quick-like." I went to the refigerator and took out things to make sandwiches. I fixed some up for both of them, then put them on plates. I got a bag of potato chips out of the cabinet and put some on each plate.
"I'll go get Mike and tell him it's ready," Peter said when I was almost done.
"Wait. Before you do, I have someting to tell you about," I said. Micky, Davy, and I told him what we had discussed as he sat at the table before one of the plates I had fixed and began to eat.
"That's a great idea!" he said. "You know, Mike likes to hang out at this country and western place on Sunset Strip. I bet we'd find her there."
"Now the only question is, who is going to go there and get her, whoever she is?" I asked.
"Not me," Davy said. "My girlfriend'll get too jealous."
"Which girlfriend?" Micky couldn't help responding.
"Shut up," Davy said.
"Now, Micky isn't going, so--" I started.
"Hold up there, shotgun," Micky said. "Who says I ain't going?"
"Me," I replied.
"Why not? Don't you trust me?"
"Sure, I trust *you*. It's those *girls* I don't trust."
Micky sighed. "I know, I know. But I can't help all those girls falling in love with me. It must be my great charm, quick wit, or dashing looks."
"It must be in your mind, you mean," Davy retorted.
"Now, now. Don't get jealous. I'm sure one of them will like you, too." Micky said.
"Since when did this become about you two instead of Mike?" Peter asked.
"Well, he started it," Micky and Davy said at the same time, pointing at each other.
"Did not," they both responded.
"Come on, guys. Now, where were we?" I said.
"We were talking about what kind of girl to get for Mike," Micky said while sticking out his tounge at Davy.
"I was just gonna say that," Davy replied.
"Well, she couldn't have a bad temper," Peter said.
"Why not?" Davy asked.
"Because Mike has more than enough of a temper for both of them," Micky retorted.
"I was just gonna say that," Peter said.
"And we also decided that Peter, you are going to have to go get her," I said.
"We did, huh?" Micky challenged.
"Yes, we did," I said.
"Just checking," he answered meekly.
"But--I can't," Peter said, horror on his face.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Becuase, uhm, I gotta go wash my hair," he said as he started for the stairs.
"Hold on there, shotgun!" I commanded. He stopped in his tracks.
"What?"
"You can't go wash your hair."
"I can't? Why?"
"Because you have to go get Mike a girl."
"Oh," he said, as he slumped his shoulders in defeat.
"What's the matter? Too shy?" I asked.
"Nope. I'm just afraid to talk to people in public."