There are many Monkee “love stories” to be told, because there are many millions of girls who are in love with the Monkees. But, there is one Monkee story—a very special story—which has never been told until now. It involves all four of the Monkees, and especially Peter. We know that Peter has never heard this story and we thought both he and you would appreciate hearing it now. We think it is one of the most beautiful—and tragic—of all the Monkee love stories.
To protect the feelings of the people involved in this story, we have changed all of their names. And, we are sure that by the time you have finished reading this story, you will understand why. We will call the girl Kim Ellington.
Kim was a very pretty, happy, carefree young girl. She was fifteen, almost sixteen years old and stood just five-feet one and a half inches tall. She had huge blue baby-doll eyes, shoulder length golden-brown hair, and the biggest smile and most bubbly personality of anyone in town.
Nearly everyone who knew her agreed that she looked more like a Barbie Doll than a real live teenaged girl! Her friends and family had nicknamed her Kimmy, and it fit her very well. She was a pert, vivacious girl who was always involved in school activities or just plain fun things with her many friends.
She liked to read and paint, and she especially liked to sing and accompany herself on her guitar. She sang mostly folk songs and some pop songs, and was especially proud of the two Monkee songs she was learning.
And, of course—Kimmy was a Monkee-Maniac. She loved all four of the Monkees and watched them faithfully each week on TV. She bought all of their records, read everything which was printed about them, and lived just for the day when she would be able to see them in person.
Although Kimmy loved all four of the Monkees, her special favorite was Peter. There was something about his cool, quiet, intelligent manner that intrigued her and made her want to get to know him, to be able to just sit and have a long conversation with him. When Kimmy discovered that the Monkees would be doing an extensive tour during the summer of 1967 and would be performing in her own city (Cincinnati, Ohio) she was absolutely ecstatic.
As soon as the tickets went on sale, Kimmy and her best friend Trish bought theirs, and began counting the days until July 28 when they would at last be able to see the Monkees in person. It was almost a dream too good to come true, Kimmy told herself. But, even so she went around smiling a secret smile to herself every day, just counting the hours until they arrived.
Sweet sixteen Permalink
By coincidence, Kimmy’s birthday—her Sweet Sixteenth birthday, in fact—was the 29th of July, just one day after the Monkee concert. Because that was such a special day to begin with, Kimmy just knew that something very special would have to happen on the 28th when the Monkees came to perform. And somehow, she just knew that somehow she would have to be able to meet them on that day. At last she might be able to talk to Peter, and she just couldn’t think of a better birthday present.
With all of this excitement and happiness coming up, Kimmy should have been one of the happiest girls in the world. And, indeed, she was. But, there was one black, ominous cloud hanging over Kimmy—one which even she wasn’t aware of. Just a short time before, Kimmy’s mother had taken her to the family doctor for a routine check-up. Kimmy had been feeling unusually tired lately and had lost quite a bit of weight, even though she was quite slender and wasn’t trying to diet.
After a thorough examination, when all the results of the many tests came in, the doctor called Kimmy’s parents in and told them the very sad news. The tests had revealed that Kimmy was suffering from leukemia, an incurable disease of the blood. The doctor explained that he would do everything possible to make Kimmy comfortable, but at the most—she would have only two or three more months to live.
A shock Permalink
It was a horrible shock for Kimmy’s parents; they just could not bring themselves to believe that their bright, bubbly teenaged daughter would be taken from them so soon. But, after lengthy discussions with the doctor, and many long hours of painful decision on their own, they finally agreed not to tell Kimmy of her fatal disease. They felt it would be better for her to be able to live her last few days and weeks on earth happily, normally, doing the things she had always enjoyed without this hideous black cloud hanging over her.
July 28—the day of the Monkee concert finally arrived. Kimmy had hardly slept a wink the night before, she was so excited, and of course she was up early and on the phone to her friends to talk about the concert which would take place later that day. It seemed to Kimmy that the hours would never pass, and she was sure that it had never, ever taken so long for a day to get later.
In the late afternoon, she put on a brand new dress, purchased especially for the occasion, and began fidgeting with her hair. After an hour of these happy preparations, her mother gently pulled her away and they got into the family station wagon and went to pick Trish up.
In person! Permalink
Finally inside the huge auditorium at last, Kimmy could barely contain her excitement. She could hardly believe that she was finally going to see the Monkees in person! She felt a bit weak and dizzy, but she assumed it was just her nerves, and clutching her purse and the Monkee program she had just purchased tightly in her hand, she and Trish made their way quickly through the crowd to their seats.
Suddenly, the lights went up and with an explosion of applause and female screams from the audience, the four Monkees suddenly burst onto the stage. Kimmy felt the excitement bubbling up inside her and as the Monkees began to play and sing, she was certain that at any moment she was going to absolutely explode with joy.
Just three or four songs before the end of the concert, Kimmy suddenly began to feel very dizzy, and all the people and sounds around her began to blend into one, dizzying circle of confusion racing madly around her head. She felt her head spinning round—faster, faster, faster… and suddenly, blackness. Kimmy had passed out.
Thinking that it was just excitement over the Monkees, Trish obtained the aid of two helpful policemen who had been standing nearby, and together they took Kimmy to a first-aid station which had been set up in the backstage area. Within a few minutes, Kimmy regained consciousness. She blinked at the bright lights overhead, and sitting up uncertainly, asked what had happened to her. Trish explained that she had passed out and was now backstage.
The thrill Permalink
“Is the concert all over? Did I miss it?” asked Kimmy, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “Yes, it ended just a minute ago,” Trish replied, adding “but don’t worry—you only missed a couple of numbers.”
But, just then—Kimmy and Trish heard a great deal of commotion and scuffling, and as they looked in the direction of the stage, they saw all four of the Monkees come rushing out, having just come off-stage. Kimmy stood up, wide-eyed and excited, and grabbed the Monkee program she had purchased earlier. This was her big chance—here they were; all four of the Monkees were actually only inches away from her now!
Peter was the nearest to her and as he came closer, she reached out to gently grab his coat-sleeve. “May I have your autograph please, Peter?” she asked politely, almost swallowing her own voice with excitement. “Sure,” he said stopping. He signed her program, smiled at her and said “Thank You,” then ran quickly to the dressing room shutting the door behind him.
“I’ve got it, I’ve got it!” Kimmy cried excitedly to Trish. She could hardly believe it, but she had actually stood right next to Peter and now she had his autograph—and the memory of his quiet smile—to prove it. That had been the most wonderful birthday present in the world, she told herself as she and Trish made their way slowly through the crowd to meet her mother. She didn’t even care that she hadn’t been able to really talk to him. He had smiled at her, and said “Thank You,” and signed her program—and for Kimmy, that was enough.
She was tired and weak when she finally returned home that night, but it was a very happy little girl who sat and chatted merrily over a cup of steaming cocoa with her mother for more than an hour. She told her mother all about the wonderful concert, and all about how polite and nice Peter had been when he signed her program. All in all, it had been a very special day, she decided. “And, I guess fainting like that was about the luckiest thing that ever happened to me,” Kimmy told her mother as she said good night.
Birthday morning Permalink
The next day was Kimmy’s birthday and her mother prepared a special birthday breakfast for her. After waiting until nearly eleven thirty, Kimmy’s mother finally went in to waken Kimmy and wish her happy birthday. As she walked into the bedroom, she found Kimmy still in bed. “She must have been very tired after that concert,” Mrs. Ellington thought to herself with a smile.
Kimmy was lying very still and she seemed to be having a very nice dream, for there was a faint smile on her face. Mrs. Ellington tried to wake her, but she got no response. She tried again, and again. And, suddenly—she realized with horror that it was all in vain. She would never be able to waken Kimmy again, for Kimmy had died in her sleep.
Mrs. Ellington stood there silently, helplessly, for a moment—facing the reality she had known was coming. “At least Kimmy was happy and contented when it finally happened,” she thought to herself. She looked again at her daughter, and though there was still a smile on Kimmy’s face, Mrs. Ellington couldn’t stop her own tears as she noticed the Monkee program which Kimmy still had clutched in her hand.
[Scans by This Lovin’ Time]
