What The Devil Doesn't Know
4
I don't know if I want to do this.
Of course I do.
Or do I?
I don't have a choice. I open my door. Downstairs a party is raging. Family friends have all gathered in the big room just to meet me. Great. I walk down the stairs a hear a roar of "Look!", "Oh!", "What?! This isn't my cat!" Rotten stumbles over to me, already half drunk.
"THIS," he slurs to the room "IS KENDALL."
Everyone is pretty much shit faced by now. I took my time in getting ready so that I wouldn't have to listen to them all ask me the same questions so I could give them all the same answers. But I doubt that's going to happen.
I mingle a little. Tell everyone I'm going to be 15, I'm from Austin, I'm so excited about getting to meet my real grandfather, and yes it's lovely meeting all of you.
Then I feel someone pull on my arm.
"I want you to meet someone special!" Rotten tells me. "THIS. This is Mick Jones. A very good friend of mine!" This is amazing. I'm actually talking to Mick Jones and Johny Rotten at a party just for me. Excellent.
"It's nice to meet you." Mick says. He isn't trashed. Thank God.
"It's nice to meet you too." I smile.
"I want to introduce you to someone Kendall. I think you might already know him. "MICKEY!" I see a tall dark haired boy turn around a few feet away. He smiles, and comes to join us. Jesus, it's coffee shop Mickey.
"Kendall this is my grandson, Mickey. He tells me you met at the coffee shop yesterday?"
"Yes." I say, stunned. "I-how-how did you know it was me?"
"Well it wasn't hard to figure out." Mickey says. "It's not everyday an American girl named Kendall drops into our shop and reminds me of Johnny like crazy."
I'm still in shock.
"Will you walk with me?" he asks
OF COURSE OF COURSE OF COURSE!!!! I think.
"Sure." I say.
We walk out the front door and into the streets.
"So. Hows your party?" he asks, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He offers me one and I take it, thankful since I hadn't been able to get anything to drink at the party yet, and I was moderately stressed out.
"Um. It's...OK. Kind of overwhelming. Are you at least having fun?"
"Hell no." He says. "Well, now I am. But they have parties like this all the time. It gets boring after a while."
"I guess."
We walk and talk for a few hours or so before he points out the party is probably winding down, and people will be wondering where I am. We go inside and see a few people passed out on the floor. Everyone else is gone. Nora and Johnny are probably in bed.
"Well. I ought to go." says Mickey. "Call me sometime. I'll show you around the way they won't." He takes a sharpie out of his pocket and writes some numbers on my hand.
"Bye." he says. He kisses me on the cheek, walks out the door, and I float up to my room.
Of course I do.
Or do I?
I don't have a choice. I open my door. Downstairs a party is raging. Family friends have all gathered in the big room just to meet me. Great. I walk down the stairs a hear a roar of "Look!", "Oh!", "What?! This isn't my cat!" Rotten stumbles over to me, already half drunk.
"THIS," he slurs to the room "IS KENDALL."
Everyone is pretty much shit faced by now. I took my time in getting ready so that I wouldn't have to listen to them all ask me the same questions so I could give them all the same answers. But I doubt that's going to happen.
I mingle a little. Tell everyone I'm going to be 15, I'm from Austin, I'm so excited about getting to meet my real grandfather, and yes it's lovely meeting all of you.
Then I feel someone pull on my arm.
"I want you to meet someone special!" Rotten tells me. "THIS. This is Mick Jones. A very good friend of mine!" This is amazing. I'm actually talking to Mick Jones and Johny Rotten at a party just for me. Excellent.
"It's nice to meet you." Mick says. He isn't trashed. Thank God.
"It's nice to meet you too." I smile.
"I want to introduce you to someone Kendall. I think you might already know him. "MICKEY!" I see a tall dark haired boy turn around a few feet away. He smiles, and comes to join us. Jesus, it's coffee shop Mickey.
"Kendall this is my grandson, Mickey. He tells me you met at the coffee shop yesterday?"
"Yes." I say, stunned. "I-how-how did you know it was me?"
"Well it wasn't hard to figure out." Mickey says. "It's not everyday an American girl named Kendall drops into our shop and reminds me of Johnny like crazy."
I'm still in shock.
"Will you walk with me?" he asks
OF COURSE OF COURSE OF COURSE!!!! I think.
"Sure." I say.
We walk out the front door and into the streets.
"So. Hows your party?" he asks, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He offers me one and I take it, thankful since I hadn't been able to get anything to drink at the party yet, and I was moderately stressed out.
"Um. It's...OK. Kind of overwhelming. Are you at least having fun?"
"Hell no." He says. "Well, now I am. But they have parties like this all the time. It gets boring after a while."
"I guess."
We walk and talk for a few hours or so before he points out the party is probably winding down, and people will be wondering where I am. We go inside and see a few people passed out on the floor. Everyone else is gone. Nora and Johnny are probably in bed.
"Well. I ought to go." says Mickey. "Call me sometime. I'll show you around the way they won't." He takes a sharpie out of his pocket and writes some numbers on my hand.
"Bye." he says. He kisses me on the cheek, walks out the door, and I float up to my room.