Chapter Seven

The ride to the tree place didn’t take that long and Abby enjoyed the drive. The air was dry despite the close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the aroma of tin in the air promised, or at least hinted snow.

Although the doctor had advised Jon not to press Abby to remember anything he couldn’t help but ask her about the parts of her life that she could remember.

“So, let me get this straight. Your last proper memory is of 1986? Yeah?” he asked as they drove along the almost deserted roads.

“Yeah, the last thing I can really remember is going to school in the autumn of 1986. I was starting my last year, the fifth year as it was called, but I don’t remember doing my exams or leaving school in 1987. I remember Live Aid though, but that was '85 wasn't it, I'm getting all messed up with my dates. I watched a bit of Live Aid, Duran Duran were on it and I remember begging to be able to watch them as I think they were on quite late and Mum didn’t like me staying up too late on a weekend as it pushed my sleep pattern out of sorts. I loved Duran Duran, had a real crush on Simon Le Bon. Maybe I still do; I have no idea but I know at the time I was crazy about them. When did you make it big?”

“Livin’ on a prayer came out in October ‘86, that was our first really big hit I guess.” Jon said.

“Oh right, I wasn't really into Rock music back then so as far as my Swiss cheese brain is concerned I’ve never heard your music.” Abby smiled.

“Oh well, that can be rectified, wait till we’re back at the house and I’ll blast some at you…if you want.”

“Oh definitely, I want to hear what you sound like. All I can recall, music wise, is the what I guess is the early eighties stuff, Duran, Spandau Ballet, Madonna, Dexys Midnight Runners, Eurythmics…” she trailed off.

“I bet you were a new romantic weren’t you? We saw a lot of them in the early eighties when Duran Duran seemed to take over the world. I bet you had a wedge haircut and wore those frilly shirts and those pointy toed boots.” Jon teased.

“You can talk, I’ve seen the photo’s in the games room. All that hair and those jeans! Were you sewn into them or did someone spray them on you? And the latex!,” she laughed, “I thought wearing neon pink legwarmers was the height of crimes against fashion but leopard print drainpipe jeans?… You know the weirdest thing about this whole amnesia thing is that I know it was twenty odd years ago, it’s not like I think I’m in 1986 I just can’t seem to remember anything past 1986.” Abby sighed.

“Don’t push yourself baby, it’ll come back when it’s meant to and if it doesn’t? well, we’ll make some memories of our own.” Jon shuddered internally as he realised he sounded like one of his own songs.

He slowed the car down as they neared the turn off for the Xmas Tree Nursery.

“I’d like that.” Abby said as they pulled into the big car park.


The air was drenched with the smell of pine. Jon helped Abby out of the car and handed her the crutches. Together they walked slowly across the gravel and chipped wood of the car park towards the brightly lit, welcoming shop that was the way in.

“Mmm, smell that pine. I love the smell of freshly cut pine trees, takes me back to when I was a kid and mom and dad would get us a big tree and me and my brothers would fight over who was gonna string the popcorn to go on it. Tony would end up eating more popcorn than we strung up but it was still a great time of year.” Jon sighed as he thought of how Christmas had changed for him.

Abby struggled over the uneven surface of the parking lot. Having a plaster cast on sucked. Big time. Her arms felt bruised from the plastic straps of the crutches and the palms of her hands hurt from putting all her weight on the handles to help steady herself. She was due to have the cast off in two days time and as far as she was concerned it was past due. She looked up at Jon and smiled. Her smile faded as she looked at his face. He looked as if all the weight of the world had landed on his shoulders.

“Jon? Are you ok?” she asked, puffing and panting as the neared the entrance.

Jon shook himself out of his reverie and placed an arm around Abby’s shoulders.

“Yeah babe, I’m fine. Just an old memory that’s all.”

“Are you sure? You look a bit pale. Tell me. What’s wrong?”

“Maybe later, ok babe? Not here,” he smiled brightly, shaking off the blues, “come on, let’s go get ourselves a huge tree.”

“Ok, but promise you’ll tell me later? I don’t like seeing you looking sad” Abby said as they reached the steps up to the shop.

Jon squeezed her shoulders, blinking back sudden tears, his throat tight.


The shop was warm and decorated to the hilt. Tinny Xmas muzak was blasting from huge black speakers that were dotted around the rafters. Directly in front of them was a section with a huge selection of decorations and off to the right there stood some pre cut and also pre cut and decorated trees. Jon grinned as he walked over to the information desk to ask about cutting his own tree. Abby smiled as she watched him join the queue, looking for all intents and purposes, like a schoolboy. He was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet he was so excited. She walked slowly over to join him, her crutches feeling like dead weights.

She was feeling tired and leant down heavily on the crutches, her shoulders were killing her. Abby looked around to see if there was an area she could sit down in but didn’t see anything. Jon had reached the head of the queue and was busy with his transaction.

“Excuse me?”

Abby turned to see a teenage girl behind her. She was wearing what looked to be a work uniform. Red trousers and a dark green sweatshirt. She had multicoloured hair and more piercing in her ears that was humanely possible.

“Did you want to sit down? We have an area over there,” she indicated behind her, “for the elderly and disabled but you would be more than welcome to…” she trailed off as she looked over Abby’s shoulder at the blonde man who was walking towards them.

“Holy shit. Is that…?”

“Hey babe, how’re you feeling? The guy said all I need to do is go out the back and choose a tree, then I can cut it if I want to. If I want to,” he chuckled to himself, “That’s why we’re here, right?” Jon said as he walked up to Abby.

The girl watched, her jaw open, as Jon placed a kiss on Abby’s forehead.

“I’m ok, but I think you’ve frightened my helper here. She was just about to help me over to a place where I can sit down when you came back and she just trailed off. I think you‘ve scared her.” Abby smiled, turning to the girl who was busy talking on her mobile.

“Jules, I’m telling you Jon Bon Jovi is here, in front of me almost, with a woman…must be his girlfriend, she’s on crutches… How the hell do I know how?…I dunno, maybe she fell down the stairs or something…No I’m not going to ask…hey it’s your fault for phoning in sick, if you hadn’t been drinking last night you’d be standing here,” the girl looked up, her eyes widening, “looking at him coming towards you. Oh shit.”

“Hi, I’m Jon, How are you?” He smiled his megawatt smile.

“I…I…”

He could hear the friend calling out tinnily on the phone.

“Sarah? Sarah, you still there? I swear if you’re playing a joke on me…”

Jon reached over and plucked the phone out of the girls unresisting hands.

Abby looked on, amused at the reaction of the girl to Jon.

“Hey, This is Jon Bon Jovi, who am I talking to?…Jules? Hey how you doing? Yeah, Sarah’s in front of me…er, she’s currently gaping like a fish. I think I scared her, No this isn’t Brian, it’s Jon…prove it to you? Ok, um, gimme a sec,” he said, clearing his throat, “Tommy used to work on the docks, union’s been on strike he’s down on his luck…” he sang softly down the phone.

Abby heard a faint scream and sniggered as Jon was forced to hold the phone away from his ear.

“Erm, Sarah? I think Jules wants to speak to you.” He held the phone out to the clearly shell shocked teenager.

“It was nice to meet you and thank you for being so kind to my girlfriend.” he said, turning back to Abby who was, clearly trying to hold in her laughter.

“I can’t make up my mind whether that was a sweet thing to do or just down right mean.”

“Mean? me?” he said, grinning.

“Yeah, that poor Jules.”

“What do you mean?” he asked

“You sang to her, she’s clearly a fan and you sang to her down the phone. If Simon Le Bon had done that to me back when I’d have just died of shock.” she laughed. She was still coming to terms with what Jon did for a living and who he was and to see the results of that up close was slightly surrealistic.

“And what if I sang to you?” he murmured, as they walked slowly towards the exit that led to the nursery.

“I don’t know if I’d scream, per se.” she said dryly, really beginning to hate the damn crutches.

“Oh you would by the time I’d finished with you.” he said softly in her ear as they stepped out into the frigid air.

Abby shivered but she wasn’t sure whether it was the temperature drop that had caused it.