The Monkees came out to the front again and approached Mr. Quackenbush.
"The three of us will take the job, Mr. Quackenbush." Mike said, indicating himself, Peter and Davy.
"Very good." Quackenbush beamed. "Come back here tomorrow at ten a.m. so I can give you your uniforms and show you how things run around here."
"Will do, Mr. Quackenbush." Davy said, "Thanks for hiring us."
"You're welcome. See you tomorrow."
The Monkees left Burger Barn and got into the Monkeemobile.
"Well, at least we'll have some work in between gigs." Mike said as he started the car.
"Plus food." Davy added, he looked over at Micky and patted him on the back. "Sorry you can't be with us, mate." He said.
"It's ok; I wasn't too thrilled about working at a fast food place anyway." Micky said, "I'll stay home and take care of the pad, and look for another job."
"You'll be a big help keeping things clean, answering the phone and cooking supper, Mick." Mike said.
"Don't worry, that's what I'll do." Micky promised.
The next morning, Mike, Peter and Davy drove off in the Monkeemobile while Micky stayed at home. As he promised, he cooked and cleaned and kept things in order. A little after five, Micky's very tired band mates came home. They had their blue uniforms hung over their arms.
"Hi, guys." Micky said as he came out of the kitchen, "How was your first day?"
"Loud." Mike said.
"Hectic." Davy replied.
"I spilled a gallon of mustard on the floor." Peter finished. "How about you?"
"Not too bad." Micky replied, "Only one call from a guy trying to sell me beachfront property."
The others chuckled at that as they went into their bedrooms to freshen up.
"Whenever you guys are ready, I have supper made." Micky called up to them.
"As long as it isn't hamburgers." Mike said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, the days passed and while Mike, Peter and Davy went to work at Burger Barn Micky took care of the pad, cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry and making sure there was a hot supper ready for his friends when they got home. Even though Micky was doing his share, he still wished he could get a job and help with the finances. So everyday he checked the want ads to see if anything became available.
One day, after cleaning the kitchen, Micky sat down on the living room sofa and as usual started to check the want ads for a job. He was about to turn the page when a small ad at the bottom caught his eye. Micky brought the paper closer to him so he could see the small print. He read it aloud.
"Wanted: Mechanic to work on race car. Excellent salary, apply in person only between hours of one and two p.m." Micky looked at the address. He knew the road and knew that a bus went right past there. Glancing up at the clock, Micky saw that it was just a few minutes before noon. A plan began to form in his head.
"I'll have time to go to the interview and still be home to make supper for the guys." Micky thought to himself. "This place isn't too far."
Jumping up, Micky raced into his bedroom to change clothes. A few minutes later, he was dressed in a long sleeve blue shirt, gray pants and black shoes. Running a comb through his curly hair, Micky ran down the hurricane steps and into the living room. He brought the paper over to the kitchen table and considered writing a note for his friends, but then decided against it.
"I'll only be gone a short while." He thought to himself, "They won't even know I had been gone."
So Micky simply ripped out the small ad in the paper and left the rest of the paper on the table. Glancing again at the clock, Micky raced out the door to catch the bus, the door slamming behind him.