Undoing the Lyrics

I'm the best boy that you've ever had

"I'm the best boy that you've ever had." - Don't Let Me Down Again

July 1972

The blazing sun shone down over Los Angeles on that mid-summer afternoon, beaming straight through the small, dusty windows of Stevie and Lindsey’s tiny apartment on the outskirts of the city. Even though he had opened the windows as much as he could, Lindsey still had to walk around the place shirtless, and usually in nothing more than an old pair of jeans on which Stevie had embroidered several moons and stars.

Lindsey walked into the kitchenette and surveyed his surroundings. He so rarely found himself in there; Stevie was always the one who cooked, even if she was out all day, he would never even think of attempting to make something for himself – he wouldn’t know where to start! That’s not to say that Stevie hadn’t tried to teach him some basics over the last couple of years… Once, she had asked Lindsey to help her with a birthday cake for Robin, and instead of using self-raising flour, he poured baking soda into the mixture instead. Suffice to say, the cake didn’t rise and it tasted like shit.

“And so… we meet again.” Lindsey muttered under his breath, it was almost as if he were about to enter into battle with an old arch-nemesis.

The kitchen was the only place in the apartment where he felt completely emasculated and inept, and he hated to think that Stevie would think less of him as a man for such short-comings. Heck, he thought he pretty much made up for it in all other departments…

Stevie had been working so hard to support them; she was waitressing pretty much all day, and then would go up to Keith Olsen’s house and clean until the early hours of the morning, when she’d then start it all again. The work was really taking its toll on her, and Lindsey could see it in her face, not to mention that she was hardly ever home. He was so appreciative of the fact that she was doing all of this, just so he could be the creative force he had always wanted to be. To Lindsey, Stevie was the perfect woman, and he’d be damned if she was going to slip away from him – physically or emotionally.

A couple of nights before

“Right, your dinner is in the fridge, you just have to reheat it whenever you’re hungry... Oh, and make sure you close the fridge door properly, you know how it sticks sometimes…” Stevie listed off, gathering her keys and wallet into her handbag.

“Mhmm, don’t worry, I won’t forget,” Lindsey said, absentmindedly.

“Oh and also, call your mother tonight; it’s almost been a month Linds!”

Lindsey rolled his eyes in mock irritation. “Yes mother!” He chided, before reaching up from where he was sitting on the couch and pulling on the back of her shirt, so that she fell back on top of him.

“LINDSEY!” Stevie cried out laughing. “What the hell are you doing!?”

“Babe, you know I love you, right?” He brushed her hair away from her face and pecked her on the lips.

Stevie glared at him suspiciously. “Yeaahhh… I know. Why do I get the feeling you’re up to something, Mr Buckingham…”

“Well, I just thought… that it might be nice if I did something for you for once… you know, like, make you dinner or something?”

Stevie burst out laughing and squeezed his face between her hands. “You’re a funny, funny man! Don’t you remember what happened with Robin’s birthday cake?” Lindsey shrugged his shoulders in response. “Thank you for the lovely thought Linds, really, it’s so sweet! But I think we should leave the cooking to me… hmm?” she winked at him playfully.