"But Davy, why can't you go apologize to the guys?" Ginny asked.
"I didn't do anything!" he exclaimed.
"You just said you were partly to blame." she said.
"Only partly. The others have a part in this too, you know." he said.
"Well instead of worrying about your pride, one of you has to be the bigger man and go apologize!" Ginny said.
"Let Mike. He's the biggest!" Davy said.
"I meant bigger inside, Davy." Ginny sighed. "Can't you understand? Until you guys stop thinking of yourselves, and start thinking of each other, you'll do nothing but fight."
"Ginny!" Davy rolled his eyes.
"You four have a common link. You're like brothers." Ginny said.
"Honey," Davy smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I understand what you're trying to do, but that's only on TV. Now I know you're awfully young..."
"Don't patronize me!" she said.
"...BUT there's a difference between what's real and what's on television."
"So what you're saying is that I'm not old enough to really understand how the real world works, right?"
"I suppose...yes. When I was twenty, I thought I knew everything too, you know." he smiled.
"So when I'm you're age, I'll be a lot wiser?" she asked.
"I'd like to think so." he said.
"So when I'm sixty, I'll forget all about compassion for my fellow man, and instead be an ornary ol' grouch?"
"Is that what you think I am?" Davy asked.
"If the shoe fits!" Ginny smugly replied, crossing her arms.
"You know, you're so good at spouting off this 'being the bigger man' jazz to me. Why don't you go to one of the other guys and try it. They probably won't even bother arguing with you like I have."
"You know what? I just might!" Ginny said, going to the door. "But I want you to stop and think about what I've said, David Thomas Jones! Who's the bigger man? The one who continues speaking words of harm, or the one who speaks words of life?"
Ginny slammed the door on her way out.
Davy shook his head and started changing his clothes.
"Blasted kid!" he mumbled. "Just like Peter!"
Sara and Micky had just come from the capitol building in Topeka. As they headed out on the freeway, a car just barely missed Sara's van.
"Whoa, watch out!" Micky screamed as grabbed the dash.
"Sorry about that. I think I had my mind elsewhere," Sara apologized.
"It's ok, I'm alright. You really shouldn't scare an old guy like that," Micky said between breaths.
"You're not that old. You're just twenty years older than me," Sara said.
"Yeah, just twenty years!" Micky said sarcastically. "You know though, this is the youngest I've felt since..." he suddenly stopped.
"Since what?" Sara asked.
"Oh nothing, never mind," Micky said, trying to detour the subject, "so, how about that city park? Wasn't that beautiful?"
"You were about to say you haven't felt this young since the hay day of the Monkees, weren't you?" Sara inquired.
"What are you, Miss Cleo?" Micky asked.
"No, but you miss it, don't you?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, I do, sometimes. It could never be the same though. We've all been through too much and severed so many ties. We've said a lot of rotten things to and about each other," Micky explained.
"Well, why not fix it? Go mend the wounds, so to speak," Sara said.
"Oh sure, it's that easy," Micky said, rolling his eyes, "last tour we had where Mike dropped out I told him if he left he could just stay gone. You really can't take back something like that."
"Ouch!" Sara said as she winced at Micky's words.
"Yeah, and Peter is way too particular with the music. If you're one beat off, he wants to go over and over it for hours. He thinks he can hear every mistake," Micky continued.
"Peter is a great musician, he probably just wants it to sound its best," Sara said, trying to create some positive vibes for the conversation.
"Yeah, hey I'm tired. Would you mind just dropping me off at my hotel? I'll see you girls in the morning," Micky said.
"What about your stuff at the convention center?" Sara asked.
"Oh, that's just stuff for the show. My suitcase is at the Radisson, in my suite," Micky said.
"Ok," Sara said. The drive to the hotel was a silent one. When they finally pulled out front, Micky looked at Sara like he owed her some type of explanation.
"Sara, I don't want you to think I hate Mike, Davy, and Peter. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They are just difficult guys to work with sometimes. I'm no Mr. Congeniality myself sometimes. I know how disappointing it is to the fans. You should see the letters I receive from young girls pleading for us to get back together. The Monkees can't go on forever, but the music can. Enjoy it while it's out there," Micky said as he gave Sara a hug and left the van. Sara watched until he disappeared into the hotel.
"Oh Micky Dolenz. I have my heart set on seeing you four play together, and tomorrow I will get my wish," Sara said to herself.