The Free Spirit

Fast Changes Before Our Very Eyes, 1965 (Part Three)

"I go to places that we used to go, but I know she'll never show..."

When Don and I were in Paris, Phil had gone to Canada to do damage control, but the damage was so bad that he struggled to keep up with it. He had told Don about it before he left, but Don had prepared for it and didn't yell at his little brother like he'd promised. Unfortunately for Phil, Shayla's parents were quite furious with him for 'ruining their daughter's reputation' and demanded he marry her, but Phil was married to Jackie. He couldn't legally marry two people and he told Mr. and Mrs. Wallace that, but they insisted he divorce his wife and marry their daughter, disregarding the fact that Phil and his wife might have had children of their own (which they didn't, but that's beside the point). It was so bad that Mr. Wallace threatened to report the news to the press if Phil didn't marry their daughter, so Phil's hands were tied. He just didn't know what to do. The issue wasn't resolved immediately, so Phil just sent them monthly payments of $1,000 (a very, very hefty sum in 1965) just to get them to keep quiet while he figured out what to do. He and Shayla named their son Wyatt Donald Everly, deciding to keep Phil's surname for his son. When he came back, he showed us pictures of his little boy and both Don and I thought him adorable, but it wasn't a comfort.

"Phil, you're gonna have to tell Jackie," Don told his little brother. "If that family decides $1,000 ain't enough, then they might spill the beans."

"I know that! I just... I don't want Jackie to divorce me... I know you two don't like her much, but I love her a whole lot!" Phil exclaimed. "Even though I cheated on her, I still love her."

"We never doubted your feelings for her, Phil... but Don is right, you're going to have to tell her. And your parents. Don't let them find out about this from a scandalous newspaper," I told him.

"I know... They're gonna be so disappointed in me," Phil said rather sadly.

"They took the news about me marryin' Catherine pretty well," Don chimed in.

"Don, they had to. You told them when I was in hospital after the first miscarriage. Which was nearly two months later, mind you. My parents knew within a week!" I scolded him.

"It just worked out that I could tell 'em when I needed to play the sympathy card. And they loved you, they said you was an absolute doll around the house," Don replied.

"This isn't about your spontaneous marriage, this is about my spontaneous child!" Phil cried. "God, I don't know what to do... This is the stupidest thing I've ever done!"

"Why didn't you use protection?" I asked him.

"It was a heat of the moment! I don't know! I didn't have any... I thought that if I didn't have any on me, I wouldn't have the urge to without Jackie..." Phil replied, and both Don and I glanced at each other.

"You've wanted to have sex with other girls before, haven't you?" I asked him, and he nodded.

"Jackie can be so... mean sometimes," he replied.

"Catherine and I have absolutely no idea what you're talkin' about," Don said with a note of sarcasm, and I whacked his arm.

"She's said mean things about me before... regarding my size..." We knew what Phil was hinting at.

"Well, then she's just straight up a bitch," I said to him. "A wife who loves her husband tells him that his penis is the greatest penis of all time! Even if it's mediocrely subpar." I waited for Don's response through a moment of silence, and glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, attempting to stifle a smile.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, my penis is phenomenal," Don said casually, taking a sip from his tea. I couldn't help but laugh and hug him around the shoulders.