And Your Girl Can Sing

Chapter 83: ...It's My Birthday Too, Yeah

 Mona Best stood inside the Harrison's kitchen and checked her watch, then looked away. The polaroid camera sat on the kitchen counter next to the cake, which was long gone, like the little piece of paper that had come out of the camera. She was glad she could've given Cora the picture. She already gave enough material possessions to the band—her house for sleeping between concerts, the telephone calls she had placed, attempting to get their instruments back from Germany, the food for young teenagers. A polaroid was a nice memory, and rarity, in this day and age.

"I should have baked a larger cake," Louise remarked from next to her, but it was good natured. Louise knew the cake was enough for everyone. Mona nodded, patting her head to make sure every hair on her dark head was in place. She checked her watch again—nine thirty. He should be here any minute, she thought, and then scolded herself just as quickly. What are you doing? You're not a schoolgirl in India anymore.

She thought she saw something outside. That must be him. She squashed her previous thoughts. "Excuse me, Louise," she said, hurrying past her friend as she casually walked to the front door and let herself out. "Neil," she smiled, closing the door quietly behind her. "What a surprise."

"It's not like you knew I was coming," he smiled back at her.

"Would you like to come inside?" she offered, although both knew that they wouldn't return to the house for a few minutes. Instead, he took her hand and they walked round to the other side of the house.

"How has the band been?" she asked, and felt a touch of her hand. Neil had laced his fingers through hers.

"Mona, you know as much as I do." He squeezed her hand, and she felt as light as air, back when she and Johnny Best had felt so many years ago. "You spend so much time with them."

There was a pause, and then she said quietly, "Pete wants to be part of the band. As a mother—"

Neil suddenly stopped. "What's that?"

She took the opportunity to step closer to him. "What?"

His voice lowered into a whisper. "It's all right. I just heard voices. Raised voices. Now they've stopped."

Mona wrinkled her nose and spoke in her normal tone of voice. "Voices? Probably people from Cora's party outside. In fact, that sounds like Cora herself. Just talking with a friend. Why outside though, I don't know."

Neil put a hand on her shoulder. "My dear Mona, we don't want to interrupt their conversation. They've probably already heard us... let's go somewhere else."

***

A million options in my mind. Rationally, walk away. Other less rational thoughts floated through my mind, which included a slap, or a pull of that honey colored hair, but I steadied my breathing. All I could do was stand there for a couple of minutes and she said quietly, "Cora. It's been a while."

I stared at her and gripped the side of George's house. "No shit."

She looked confused and I remembered the time difference and shook my head, muttering, "Bloody hell." Kathleen hadn't moved. She just stood behind the tree in the back yard and looked at me. A wave of irritation arose in me, but it masked something deeper.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"Happy birthday."

"Don't you fucking tell me happy birthday!" I whisper-yelled, but it was more of a question than a demand. She didn't seem spiteful. I wondered why she was really here. If she was here to rub it in that she had had John before I did, well, it didn't seem like it.