She lay in bed she could feel through her closed eyes that the sun was starting to come through their thick drapes, she felt a weight on her stomach and opened her eyes to see her daughter lying on her stomach staring directly at her, grinning in her pink onzie with her unruly curls sticking out everywhere, making it look like more of an afro.
"MUMMA!" She yelled as she launched her tiny body to attack Stevie's face, wrapping her arms around her neck. "I got out all by myself!" She stated proudly while Stevie took in her surroundings in her sleepy state.
"Oh my goodness Sarie!" Stevie yelled in an excited voice. "You're so clever! Did you make me breakfast too?"
Sara started giggling "no mommy! I can't reach the stove, remember?!"
Stevie chuckled at both her innocent words and her dishevelled state. Until their moment was interrupted buy a loud grunt from Don, still half asleep next to them. He rolled over and hissed "would you be quiet Stevie, take her downstairs, I have a pounding headache."
Sara sat up so she was on Stevie's stomach, sitting on her knees, her head tilted to the side in confusion. "Daddy, what's wrong? I got out all by myself!" She said proudly, to which Don just grunted again.
"Daddy just isn't feeling very well, come on let's let him rest, do you want to make omlets?"
"Oh yeah!" Sara screeched, making Don flinch next to them, his face buried in the pillow, trying to block out the lights and the noise.
Pulling Sara out of bed, they walked downstairs into the kitchen, Stevie put the toddler in her high chair and started getting out the ingredients to make their omlets, hoping the smell would rouse her husband from bed so he could spend a little time with her and Sara. Sara was enchanted watching her mother crack eggs into the bowl and cutting up various ingredients, she didn't even notice the empty beer and whiskey bottles left, littering the kitchen bench.
After breakfast and another unsuccessful attempt and waking her husband, Stevie decided to take little Sara out to the park. It had been a while since they got out of that big house anyway. It was a warm morning so she dressed Sara in her little yellow floral sundress with her favourite pink bucket hat and her tiny pink sandals. Then she put Sara in her playpen so she could get dressed herself, throwing on a flowy floral skirt and a white singlet. After a few minutes of trying to find a hat they we gone.
Stevie strolled through the park with Sara in her pram. She took her to the playground and let Sara have a go on the little toy car in the sand pit while she sat down on the bench and watched her daughter play. Stevie tilted her head back and closed her eyes to take in the suns rays that were just coming through the trees above her.
"Stevie?"
Stevie turned around at the sound of her name, the voice was so familiar, a voice from her past.
"Keith!" She yelled happily, it was Keith Olsen, the studio producer that she and Lindsey had when they recorded Buckingham Nicks. "What are you doing here?" She said as she embraced him, but still kept her eyes glued on her toddler in the sand pit.
"I moved houses, I live just across the street now." He pointed to the street across from the park, lined with a row of huge houses.
Stevie chuckled "I guess the industry is treating you well then." She motioned for him to sit down next to her on the bench and he did.
"I guess you could say that. It is your Lindsey whose earning it for me!" He laughed again but Stevie's expression changed.
"He's not my Lindsey anymore, Keith."
His face softened, "I know that, but to me he'll always be your Lindsey and you'll always be his Stevie. It's just how I think of you."
Stevie said nothing and just smiled sadly. "Enough about me though! How have you been? I haven't seen you in nearly 4 years!"
"Oh, well-" she was just about to start explaining her life when the cry's of her daughter stopped her.
"Mommy! There's sand in my eyes!" She screamed. Stevie looked at her and saw the redness of her eyes from the sand and decided they needed to go home.
"Oh, oh Sarie don't cry sweetie," she cooed trying to calm her down while wrapping her up in her arms and giving her a gentle kiss on the top of the head. "Let's go home and we'll wash it out ok?"
"But mommy it really hurts!" She whined, still whimpering.
Keith quickly found a solution. "Hey Stevie you could come and wash her eyes at my house, it is just across the road."
She thought for a moment about how far the walk back to her own house would take and decided to take Keith up on his offer. "Really? Are you sure?"
"Yes it's totally fine-" he was interrupted by another scream from Sara and he chuckled lightly. "I think she'll need some help sooner rather than later." Stevie smiled wide and thanked him before following him to his house.
He unlocked the door and showed the two girls to the bathroom, where Sara could wash her face. After 10 minutes and even more cries from Sara, she was all better and even falling asleep on Stevie's hip. She walked out of the bathroom to find Keith in the living room watching TV. "I think we better go, thanks so much Keith." She whispered, not to wake her sleeping daughter.
Keith was beyond confused at how Stevie ended up with a daughter and wanted to know what turn her life had had after she left Buckingham Nicks.
"No, stay for a coffee? I just put on a fresh pot."
Stevie contemplated for a while, knowing her husband won't be awake until at least 12pm she decided to stay rather than go back to an empty house.
"Ok that would be nice."'
Leaving Sara asleep on the couch with a barricade of pillows around her, Stevie followed Keith into the kitchen.
"So where have you been hiding these last four years, Steves?" He asked, pouring the coffee into two mugs and handing her one.
"Well," she paused, how did she explain what went on in her life over the past four years?
"Um, I went back to school after I left in 74, my parents said they would support me financially if I did, I was just so tired of being poor, Keith."
Keith nodded in understanding, showing for her to continue.
"Anyway so I went and lived with my parents in Phoenix and took classes at the community college there, but that wasn't really for me so I decided to move back here to LA, where I met my husband. He's a drummer and a singer in a band and yeah, we got married and then had little Sara." She finished, leaving out a whole lot but she wasn't ready to open up about that just yet.
Having a feeling of who her husband was he asked. "What's his name, your husbands?"
"Don,"
"Not Don Henley?"
"Yeah..."
"He records at sound city!"
"Yeah I know, their recording their new album there." Just as she said that, the front door opened and they both heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen, Keith knew who it was, he was expecting him, actually and immediately cursed himself for not cancelling.
"Keith! Hello?!" The voice called, Stevie recognised it, she would recognise it anywhere and felt like she was going to faint.
Keith remained silent, he didn't really know what to do so he just sat there, with Stevie staring at him with crazy eyes.
"I should be going." She blurted out and abruptly stood up, she strode towards the kitchen door only for it to be opened and she be face to face with the man she left four years ago.
