Run to Me

Chapter 6: 1961

“Are you guys sure about this? If we get caught, we’ll all be pounded to a pulp.” Ten year old Amanda Lancaster trailed helplessly behind her friends Robin and Maurice Gibb as they made their way up the carpeted stairs of their home. It was a stormy Saturday afternoon at the beginning of April. Rain was pouring down by the bucket, as it had been for the past three days, pattering on the roof like bullets from a machine gun. Every now and then, a clap of thunder would boom in the distance, rattling the house and flickering the lights. It was the perfect day to just stay inside, cuddled on the couch, and listen to the radio. And that was exactly what Mandi and the twins had been doing all day. The young girl loved coming over to the Gibb family’s house. It was so…fun. With five kids running about, there was never a dull moment. It was always loud and hectic, much different from her quiet home of just her and her mother. Mandi loved sitting on Barry’s bed and listening while he, Robin, and Maurice practiced harmonizing in his bedroom. She loved helping Mrs. Gibb take care of their baby brother Andy, who was just a newborn at the time. She thought he was absolutely adorable, with his little tufts of blonde hair and his chubby cheeks. But most of all, Mandi loved spending time with her best friends. Robin and Mo were always up to no good, and they always dragged her right along with them. There were many times that the three of them had actually been kicked out of the house, shooed off by the twins’ mother to go cause trouble elsewhere. But today, there was no way that they would be allowed to step a foot outside. The streets outside the Gibb’s cozy Manchester home were absolutely flooded, sending a whole stream of rainwater sloshing down the street. Mandi had nearly drowned just leaving her house that morning.

 So as the storm continued to rage on, the howling winds picking up speed, she, Robin and Maurice sat side by side on the living room couch, a knit blanket wrapped around them, listening to the radio. The twin’s mum was up in the nursery, rocking baby Andy to sleep in her arms to be put down for his nap. Barry was out at the movies with their older sister Lesley and her friends, and Hugh, their father, was spending the whole day in the garage, trying to fix Robin’s bike, which he had “accidently” run into a tree. A slight draft had shuddered through the house, causing Mandi to shiver, as she turned up the radio. Neil Sedaka’s latest hit “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen” was currently playing, and the three kids were absolutely in love. Something about his elfish voice and groovy beat was fascinating. Mandi couldn’t help but bob her head to the music and smile. She loved music. She had grown to really appreciate it more after meeting the Gibb brothers, but this song was unlike anything she had ever heard. Robin and Maurice seemed to agree, by the way they were rocking in their seats. When the song ended, the three of them leaned back on the couch; their mouths hanging open a gap, no one saying a word. It was certainly a sight, but at the beginning of the sixties, any new music was the absolute greatest thing on the face of the earth.

“Wow,” Robin muttered, breaking the silence. “That was great.”

“I think he just might be my new favorite singer.” Mandi sighed dreamily.

“Man, I sure hope we sound as great as he does one day.” Maurice added. Robin nodded his head in agreement.

“Do you think we ever could, Mandi? I mean, that song was pretty far out. But maybe if we tried hard enough…” He asked, turning to the red haired girl beside him. She smiled softly, placing a reassuring hand on his slumped down shoulder. Another clasp of thunder boomed outside, casting an eerie glow into the living room.

“Of course I do. I think with enough practice, you guys could even be better than Neil Sedaka. Someday, the Bee Gees will be the biggest thing in the world.” She chirped. The twins smiled in response. At the time, that just seemed like a loud of rubbish. The ten year olds couldn’t imagine being bigger than anyone on the radio at the time. Little did they know what was soon to come of their musical career…