THE CHAIN OF LOVE

"That's enough practice for tonight guys," Mike said unstrapping his guitar and gently placing it in its case.

"What are you doing tonight, Mike?" Micky asked as he came from around his drum kit.

"Jeannie has to work till closing tonight so I'm going to go eat with her during her break then I'm going home to bed.  It's been a long week and I'm beat."  Mike and Jeannie had been dating for about a year when seven months ago she dropped a bomb on him.  She was pregnant.  They had gotten married feeling it was the right thing to do and had been struggling to survive ever since; Jeannie waiting tables and Mike working at a gas station.

"Sounds like a good plan," Micky replied, smiling.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with Debby in about twenty minutes," Davy said checking himself in the mirror then heading for the door.

"Have fun," Peter called from the bandstand where he was putting his guitar away.

"But not too much," Mike added knowing all too well the consequences of too much fun.

"Not to worry," Davy said and was gone.

"Well, I'd better go.  See you guys later."  Mike picked up his guitar case and walked to the door.

"Bye, Mike.  Tell Jeannie I said hi," Peter said.

"Bye," Micky said.

Mike stopped at the door and turned.  "I will, Peter.  Bye."

Once outside in the cold winter night, Mike felt like screaming.  How could he have messed up so much?  He had a good thing going with his friends and then he had to go and get his girlfriend pregnant.  He loved Jeannie with all his heart but he wished things had worked out differently.

He opened the car door and put his guitar inside.  Even his car made him sad.  Micky, Davy and Peter had kept the Monkeemobile and he had gotten the only car he could afford, an old worn out, beat up Pontiac with torn seats and a cracked dash.

He started the car and pulled away from the curb, anxious to see Jeannie.  He turned on the radio and let the music carry away his problems for the thirty-minute drive to the diner.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jeannie picked up the tray of food and delivered it to table three.  She smiled cheerfully at the couple who ordered the food and once they were satisfied, turned back to the kitchen, checking her watch.  Mike would be there soon and she could finally sit and relax for a
while.  Being a waitress at eight months pregnant was no picnic.  Her ankles were swollen, her back hurt and she was constantly going to the restroom.  She would love to quit, but they desperately needed the money right now.  She would be unemployed soon enough.

Looking up at the sound of the bell above the door, Jeannie saw Mike walk through the door and sit at the counter.  She smiled at the sight of him.  He was everything she had wanted in a partner.  He was smart, talented, thoughtful and loving, although he only let that aspect of his personality show in private.

"Hi," she said from behind the counter.  "What would you like to eat?"

"I'll have a burger and fries," he replied with a smile.

"Coming right up."  Jeannie went to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with their food.  They went to a booth in the back of the room and sat down.

"Oh," Jeannie sighed as she plopped down in the seat.  "This feels so good."

"Are you going to make it another month?" Mike asked.

"Sure, I'll manage," she replied with the smile he loved.

As they ate their meal they discussed which bills to pay first and what days they each had off the next week.  They rarely had time to discuss things of that nature as he worked the hours she was off and she worked the hours he was off.

Before either of them was ready for it, their time together was up.  Jeannie walked him to the car and he held her as close as he could considering her condition.

"Is Brenda able to give you a ride home?" Mike asked rubbing her back.

"Yeah.  She said it was no problem," Jeannie answered, shivering in the unseasonably cold California winter weather.

"You better get inside before you freeze to death."  Mike gave her a kiss on the lips and opened his car door.  "See you when you get home.  Love you."

"I love you, too," Jeannie said, watching him get in the car and drive off.  She waved and turned back to the diner to finish her shift.

~~~~~~~~~~

A few miles down the road, Mike saw a car along the side of the road, an older woman waving at him to stop.  He slowed his car and made a U-turn in the road to pull his car up behind hers Mercedes.  He could see the flat tire and noticed the look of fright on the lady's face.

"Hello, looks like you need some help ma'am.  My name's Mike.  I'll change the tire for you if you'd like."

The woman felt a bit more at ease from his warm, friendly demeanor.  "Thank you."

She opened the trunk for him and Mike took the tire and jack out and listened to her as he changed the flat.

"I'm from St. Louis and I was just passing through on my way to Hollywood to see the sights.  I must have watched a hundred cars go by and not one of them stopped to help.  This is awful nice of you.  It seems that most young people don't care to help anymore.  Thank you," she explained.

Mike put the jack and the flat tire back in the trunk and closed the lid.

"You're welcome.  I couldn't just leave you here on the side of the road, all alone."  Mike went back to his car and slipped behind the wheel.

"How much do I owe you?" the lady asked.

Mike thought for a moment.  "You don't owe me a thing.  I've been in this situation before and somebody helped me the same way I helped you.  If you really want to pay me back, don't let the chain of love end with you."

He smiled and waved to her then drove away.

The lady watched him go, thinking about what he had just said.  What a poetic young man, she thought.  And what a lovely sentiment.  She then got in her car and drove away.

She came upon the diner and decided to stop for a bite.  She noticed only a few customers as she entered the small building.  Seating herself in the nearest booth, she caught sight of Jeannie as she was waiting on the others in the room.  She smiled so sweetly even though
she surely had to be dead on her feet. 

"Hello, what can I get for you," Jeannie said as she placed a menu in front of the lady.

"Just a glass of ice water, please," the lady smiled.

"All right," Jeannie smiled.  "The special today is meatloaf and we still have some left.  It's very good.  I'll be back with your water."

The lady watched Jeannie go in to the kitchen.  Every step was a struggle for her, she was so tired but when she returned with the water, Jeannie was smiling like it was the start of the day.

When the lady had finished her meal, she sat thinking about the words Mike had said to her.  She took a pen from her purse and jotted down a note on a napkin and when Jeannie came to collect the bill, the lady gave her a hundred-dollar bill.

"I'll be back with your change in a moment."

As Jeannie was taking care of the money, the lady slipped out the door, unnoticed by Jeannie.  When she returned to give the lady her change, all Jeannie found was a note.  She picked it up and read the words.

"I met a young man tonight who helped me out then gave me a bit of  wisdom and I will pass it on to you.  You don't owe me a thing.  Keep the change for a tip.  I'm sure you could use it with a baby coming soon.  If you really want to pay me back, here's what you do.  Don't let the chain of love end with you."

Jeannie read the note again through tear filled eyes.  The woman's bill had come to less than five dollars.  She looked at the ninety-five dollars in her hand and thought of the things the money would buy-groceries, diapers, bottles, formula.

She folded the money in the napkin and placed it in her pocket.  She knew the young man the lady had met had been Mike.  Jeannie had heard him say those words many times.  Now she knew just how powerful they were.

When she got home, she quietly went to the bedroom and saw Mike sleeping peacefully.  he worked so hard to put food on their table.  He was so young to be so tired. 

When she changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth, she slid under the covers, kissed Mike's cheek and whispered, "Everything's going to be all right.  I love you, Mike."

~~~~~~~~~~

Epilogue

Years later, the lady from St. Louis opened her morning paper to the Entertainment section.  An article caught her eye and she smiled as she read the headline.

"California based band earns second gold record."  She recognized the young man with the wool hat as the man who had changed her flat tire one cold, lonely night.  , but the picture beside it shocked her. 

In the second picture, the young man was holding a young boy of about two, standing next to a lovely young woman with his arm lovingly placed around her shoulders.  The woman was pregnant and the woman immediately recognized her as the waitress from the diner the same night.

She read the caption under the picture.  "Mike Nesmith and wife, Jeannie, expect their second child this summer.  Their two-year-old son, Andrew, is excitedly awaiting the new arrival.  Jeannie says it will be much easier this time around because of the band's success.  She says last time would have been a lot harder had it not been for something she calls 'the chain of love'."

The lady smiled, happy for the young couple.  She was glad everything had worked out for them and glad she was a small part of their lives.

~~~~~~~~~~

THE CHAIN OF LOVE
Performed by Clay Walker

Verse One

He was drivin' home one evenin' In his beat up Pontiac
When an old lady flagged him down her Mercedes had a flat
He could see that she was frightened standin' out there in the snow
Till he said I'm here to help you Ma'am by the way my name's Joe

Verse Two

She said I'm from St. Louis and I'm only passin' through
I must have seen a hundred cars go by this is awful nice of you
Then he changed the tire and closed her trunk and was about to drive
away
She said how much do I owe you and here's what he had to say

Chorus

You don't owe me a thing, I've been there too
Someone once helped me out Just the way I'm helpin' you
If you really wanna pay me back here's what you do
Don't let the chain of love end with you

Verse Three

And then a few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe
She went in to grab a bite to eat and then be on her way
But she couldn't help but notice how the waitress smiled so sweet
And how she must have been eight months along and dead on her feet

Verse Four

But she didn't know her story and she probably never will
When the waitress went to get her change from a hundred-dollar bill
The lady slipped right out the door and on a napkin left a note
There were tears in the waitress eyes when she read what she wrote

Repeat chorus

Verse Five

That night when she got home from work the waitress climbed into bed
She was thinkin' 'bout the money and what the ladies note had said
As her husband lay there sleepin' she whispered soft and low
Everything's gonna be alright I love you Joe