Say You Will Part 1: Destiny Rules

Now You Should Walk Away

Santa Monica & Hollywood, California
Thursday, May 23, 2002
********************

The double album argument was on, and it was heating up fast.

Two different cameramen had been following Fleetwood Mac around since the start of 2002, documenting the album-making process for a film that was now officially entitled Destiny Rules, the same title as one of the songs Stevie had written for the album, and cameras were rolling on the afternoon of the Friday before the Memorial Day weekend, as Lindsey sat in his usual chair at the mixing board and tried to explain to Stevie why it was so important to him that this album be a double album, showcasing not only the beautiful pieces that Stevie had contributed to the project but also the songs he'd already been working on back when it was still his solo album. Karen sat behind Stevie on the sofa, mindlessly looking through a small children's book that had been left behind about a week before when Kristen had come to the studio to drop Will and LeeLee off with Lindsey unexpectedly when the nanny called in sick and she had somewhere to be. Kristen had only been inside the house for about ten minutes, staying in the foyer the entire time, and Stevie had stayed behind in an alcove near the mixing room and not come out to say a polite hello - not because she was afraid to see Kristen but because it seemed like she and Lindsey needed their privacy...they were not happy with each other...

"It's bad enough that you're here ten hours a day while I'm with the kids all day, Lindsey, but all I'm asking is that you handle YOUR KIDS for a few hours while I go meet my mother and bring her home from her procedure." Kristen sounded irritated, in a hurry and overwhelmed.

"I didn't SAY it was a problem!" Stevie heard Lindsey tell his wife. It actually shocked her for moment, almost frightened her...Stevie had never heard Lindsey sound that tense or that defensive before, even during their worst arguments when they were breaking up twenty-five years ago.

"No, but I heard your tone, Lindsey," Kristen said. "You said, 'Sure, I'll watch them,' but your tone said, 'Please don't make me watch my own kids. I have buttons to press and guitars to play so that two old British drunks and an irritating old hippie way past her prime can think I'm cool.'"

The "past her prime" part hurt, Stevie had to admit, but she just closed her eyes and took a deep breath and let it pass; it was Lindsey who needed to be offended, not her.

"I really don't want to open this whole can of worms with you, Kristen," Lindsey said, "but just remember, me pressing those buttons and all, well...that's the reason you drove up to this house just now in a BMW and tossed the keys to it in a Gucci purse, understand?"

That response seemed to take the wind out of her sails, Stevie acknowledged, because all Kristen said after that was, "I'll come get them by about four-thirty. Please don't let anyone give them sugar."

The last thing Stevie heard was the front door closing hard, and two little children - whom she couldn't believe she loved so much even if they were keeping her away from their father - came rushing into the house and wanting to play with all of the buttons and equipment until Stevie revealed herself fro behind the wall and said to a little boy of five who looked like his dad and a girl of two who looked like her mom, "So guys, the question is..who wants to start off our awesome afternoon together with some chocolate ice cream Aunt Stevie's been keeping in the freezer away from Uncle Mick who likes to eat all the goodies?"

Will and LeeLee started jumping up and down and shouting, "Meeeeeeeeeee!" in unison, and Stevie locked eyes from across the room with Lindsey, who looked quite embarrassed and a little bit like a raw nerve. Stevie winked at him and his lips curled into a knowing grin, and together they disobeyed Kristen's orders about sugar and scooped out four little bowls of ice cream - one for Will, Stevie said, one for LeeLee, one for Daddy and one for Aunt Stevie. Stevie went on pretending she hadn't overheard the exchange he'd had with his wife, and Lindsey pretended he didn't want to open up to her about how that argument was just the tip of the iceberg and that the lyrics of one of her most recent solo songs were true - there was definitely trouble in Shangri-La.