1971: Sequel to 1969 -The Rolling Stones

1. Not Fade Away

"Lulu, that dress looks amazing on you, honestly." I cooed from outside of the dressing room.
"You know Liv, that's your problem. You're too nice." She raised her voice grumpily. "I know I look hideous and frumpy, and just a goddamn mess." The huge department store was bright with pops of warm oranges and purples all along the walls. The little trip we'd ventured on down to the maternity section of the store had taken a turn for the worst. Lulu had been carrying around a baby boy in that stomach of hers for five months now, and the father was a useless dead beat.
"As if. Just get out of there and let's get something to eat. You have to be starving." I sighed exhaustedly, seeing as though I'd been there for nearly two hours, standing in front of the same old dressing room door, hearing the same old complaints come out of Lu's mouth.
"You out of all people should know that food is the last thing I need right now, with this- this, flab!" Lulu nearly burst into tears as she twisted the doorknob.
"Honey, the weight isn't going to disappear, no matter how much you starve yourself. There's a human being growing inside of you!" I snatched her bony wrist and power walked out of the department store. "Besides, you'll starve the baby as well." By now, Lulu had known about my miscarriage, and it was a subject we just didn't touch. Especially since a new beau of mine had come into the picture as of a year before.
"You're right." There was a pause before she spoke again, standing on the bustling sidewalk. "I'm so sorry, Olivia." That same look of guilt plagued her face.
"Stop apologizing. It was two years ago." My voice lowered as we crossed the busy streets of Chicago.
"You and Jimmy should try for a baby." She piped up unexpectedly. I widened my eyes at her as if she were a ghost.
"Are you crazy? We're not even close to being ready for that. And you know he doesn't like to be called Jimmy."
"Right. It's James." She gave me an irritated glare as we hailed a taxi. "And what do you mean you're not ready? It's not like you guys are broke, I mean, he's the most renowned lawyer in this city!" I ignored her question, and proceeded to slide over on the faded leather seat of the cab. The ride back to our little apartment was short and silent. It came to a screeching halt in front of our lofty apartment building in the middle of the city. We both scrambled inside, wondering how we ever managed to pay rent in this palace of a building. It was planted right next to the biggest recording studio in Chicago, and shining stars crowded the whole street. It was like a movie, a glamorous Hollywood movie, and we were just extras in a sea of starring roles. Everyone in that lobby appeared as though they just came from dinner with the Queen. Then there we were, an agitated pregnant lady with her flustered side kick. As we made our way up to the third floor, I could hear our telephone ring from inside our apartment. Lulu rushed through the door and snatched the telephone from the hook.
"Hello, Luanne speaking." I could hear nothing else of the conversation, except the constant mumbling. I learned after a while of living with Lu, mumbling was never good. She could either be all smiles, or shoot bullets with a glare. Never an in between. Never a dull mumble.
"Who is it?" I yelled as I trotted into the bathroom. Lulu's voice lowered even more as she spoke into the phone. I pulled the rubber backs off of my gold earrings as I waited for a reply. The air around me felt unusual and the silence didn't help my curiosity. "Lulu? Who's on the phone?" I crept back into the bright light of our living room and gave her a mean glare. Her eyes traveled far from mine and almost immediately, I could tell that she was hiding something.
"Oh, it's no one." She turned around and I was forced to face the back of her beige sweater.
"No, it's someone." I grabbed the phone from her fingertips, and she didn't even put up a fight. Her guilty eyes stared at the ground as I spoke into the phone. "Hello?"
"Olivia? Is that you?" A shaky voice answered. My eyebrows raised in curiosity and suspicion. "It's Haley, your best friend." I put a firm hand over the telephone and glanced over to Lulu, who stood there insecurely.
"I thought you said Haley stopped calling!" I whisper yelled, while tears began to fill my eyes. I couldn't tell if the tears were of anger or joy, but it felt strangely of both. Hearing her say those words stung me with a feeling of nostalgia and I silently missed the life that I used to know. Haley called every few months, making it apparent that they knew me so well, it was obvious where I'd run off to so long ago. They all knew I was with Lulu, but she never gave away exactly where. She explained that Haley had been calling every few months, but her lips were sealed. Lulu never said a word of my whereabouts, and that's the way we'd always planned it. Haley spoke up again saying, "Liv, I'm still with Charlie."
"That's- That's great, Haley." I paused realizing what that meant. She was still hanging around with the Stones. The men I'd loved so dearly all of my adolescent life.
"I don't want to pressure you, I never wanted to, but I miss you so much. At first, I didn't understand why you left and- and, I was angry and hurt. I just want to see you again. I wish you would come back to California." I stayed silent while she poured her heart out to me. We hadn't spoken in nearly two years. "Nothing has been the same since you left. Not even Mick. Sure, he has a girlfriend but she's not you." My heart dropped at her words.
"G-girlfriend?" I repeated softly, not understanding the feeling in my chest. Why should I be upset? Why should I expect him not to move on even when I have?
"Oh yeah, a real exotic one at that." At this point Lulu could see the pain in my face and snatched the telephone back.

-

The next morning I awoke next to the lingering warmth of my lover. He left me in the frigid hours of morning. That's how it'd been every morning for almost a year. He was a real fine man, with his sophisticated leather briefcase and silk black tie. Hard as a rock, but with eyes soft as vanilla ice cream whenever near me. Once, he made it easier to forget I ever had a past with the likes of those who strummed guitars and howled into microphones. But how could one ever fully forget what I'd experienced or the people I'd met? James was unlike any man I ever had the pleasure of being with before. All of my boys in the past had long, untamed beautiful locks of hair. James kept his neatly styled, very clean cut and never any whiskers on his face. You could hardly catch James not wearing a suit. All very different, but perhaps the strangest difference is music. I spent my years swooning over my little rock 'n roll lovers, and adored their music. But James, he didn't care for the songs of our time. He preferred the classical music. He took pride in explaining that it was filled with the works of J. S. Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Henry Purcell, and more of the like. To me, I couldn't understand no matter how much I tried. I didn't want the Four Seasons, I wanted Ruby Tuesday. I truly did have a place in my heart for James, just not his music or the fact that he tried to stop me from listening to the Stones. Then again, he was aware of most of my past. I didn't want any secrets between us, as secrets were what tore Mick and I apart, and in the end, destroyed everything we ever had. James was something alright, but I knew deep down he wasn't what I truly wanted.

*I'm sorry this took literally forever bc I had no inspo but I hope you guys liked it!!