In My Life

Chapter 27:

August 27, 1959

One year. Olivia and Don had been married a little over a year and could not believe how fast the time had gone. It seemed so much had happened during their first year of marriage, and she had a tough time trying to keep up with everything.

Her life with Don had kept her extremely occupied with not only his career but hers as well. Once the news broke across the world of their marriage, it appeared to have improved both of their careers. Don and Phil started to record more songs, have more television appearances and more fans. Olivia's fame had become exactly what she had wanted to be; an international model. She followed Don and Phil on their tour across America and did photoshoots, tv appearances and commercials. She was now appearing in some of the most elite magazines in the world.

Although this is precisely what both of them had wanted, Don and Olivia had a complicated time juggling their schedules around to spending private time together. Whenever they wished to go out alone, they were always spotted. It was something Olivia was having a hard time getting used to, but she understood that this is what came with their careers and just had to deal with it.

After buying their permanent home in Nashville and still having their home in London, she and Don discussed that it was time for her to sell her childhood home. Her heart was broken, but after not being home for a year, she realised it was time to let go.

Don and Olivia sat on the hardwood floor of her home in Liverpool as they were organising boxes and putting items into cardboard boxes. It had been day three of packing things up and moving them to their London home. There were so many memories in this house that she was going to miss.

She pulled out a large, dusty black book, which had been the last on the bookshelf and placed it on the floor. Olivia ran her hand over it and dusted it off, coughing a little as she fanned the dust away from her face.

Don glanced over at her and sighed, "We don't have time to be looking through books. You can do that when we get home."

He was in one of those moods today, and she could hear it from the tone in his voice, "I'm just lookin' to see what this is so I can decide to toss it or keep it."

As she slowly opened the book, there on the front page were two old black and white pictures of a baby boy and a baby girl, which happened to be her parents.

"Well Christ almighty, I don't believe it," she muttered under her breath as she flipped through the pages of photos that she had never seen before. As she kept going, she finally began seeing pictures of herself as a baby, a child and then she spotted a familiar little boy with her in these pictures. It was John.

Don stood to his feet and shuffled to her, staring at the smile on her face, "Baby, will you pack that up, please?" His eyes gazed down at noticed the pictures that were pasted in the book, "I don't even want to know what that is. Pack it up, Liv."

"It's only photos, Don. No need to get your knickers in a twist, now," she huffed, slamming the book shut.

He leaned down and clenched her wrist tightly and yanked her up onto her feet, "Don't talk back to me in that tone, you hear?"

"Don, stop!" She squealed out in distress, but he just kept squeezing her wrist tighter and tighter, "I'm sorry, I'll put it away."

He angrily glared into her eyes and released his clasp from her wrist, furiously shoving her body away from him as he sauntered away from her, "Let's just get all this place cleaned up and this house sold."

She watched him pace around the bedroom angrily glancing at the labelled boxes as she rubbed the area on her wrist, noticing that was going to be yet another bruise.