Athena's Daughter

by Juli Page Morgan

  She had to smile at his enthusiasm. He, Wally, Jeremy and Casey were some of the best employees she’d ever had, and she was glad their hard work would be rewarded by getting to meet one of the hottest rock bands on the charts. To be honest, she was a little surprised Rondall managed to get such a big act to appear at their little store.

  Sometimes he seemed overwhelmed by the younger clientele they attracted since Athena became manager. He’d been alarmed when she’d made wholesale changes to their stock, weeding out the albums by Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra and replacing them with Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and the other hot bands of the day. It disgruntled the regular customers, too – both of them – but once the kids discovered it, there was no turning back. Rondall’s objections disappeared when he saw the increased revenue generated by their younger patrons, and now Stax of Wax was one of the hottest record stores in the Memphis area. But, still; to get someone as popular as Wolf to do a signing was a definite coup. She didn’t know how he swung it and she was afraid to ask.

  Activity at the back door caught her attention and her nerves tied themselves up in knots when she saw Paul Taylor stroll into the store with Rondall. The charismatic lead singer of Wolf was followed closely by the bass player and the band’s drummer. Both Robin Brown and Ian Bennett had an air of bored indifference, and glanced around the store with a complete lack of interest.

  Athena slipped quietly into the next aisle, trying to avoid notice. She knew she couldn’t stay hidden all day, but she hoped to put off the inevitable as long as she could. Rondall, unaware of her reluctance to show herself, turned and surveyed the store.

  “I want you to meet our store manager. I know she was just here.”

  Athena scrunched down and pretended to straighten a selection of Three Dog Night albums in the bin nearest her. A surreptitious glance showed her Rondall hadn’t given up as he rose on tiptoe to try to see over the displays.

  “Where’d she….Oh, there she is!” Smiling, he beckoned her forward, and she went on leaden feet. “Guys, this is…”

  “Athena!” Paul’s shocked voice interrupted Rondall’s introductions. “Jesus Christ, it is you!” Ignoring the looks of amazement on the faces of Rondall and the store’s employees, he rushed forward and enveloped her in a bone crushing hug.

  “Hey, Paul,” she choked out as unexpected tears stung her eyes. “It’s so good to see you again.”

  He leaned back and smiled down at her, strands of long blonde hair escaping his ponytail. “My God, Athena. Where have you been all these years?” He touched her cheek and hair as if to reassure himself she was real. “You just disappeared after that summer. Why didn’t you keep in touch?”

  Before she could answer, she was swept up into hugs by Ian and Robin, their surprise and pleasure at seeing her evident by their huge smiles.

  Athena returned their hugs, her emotions whipsawing. On the one hand, she was so thrilled to see them again, warmed by the good memories of their time together. On the other hand…

  “I can’t believe you guys even remember me,” she told them, wiping away a few stray tears that had escaped.

  “Of course we remember you,” Paul laughed. “Who can forget that summer?”

  She managed a genuine smile. “Those were good times. But I swear I still have dents in my back from sleeping on top of Ian’s drum cases in the back of the van.”

  “We provided excellent accommodations, didn’t we?” Paul squeezed her hand and turned to Robin. “Go tell Derek to put out his cig and get in here. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees who we’ve found.”

  For one brief, hopeful moment Athena had prayed the band had a new guitar player. When her panicked gaze hadn’t found Derek Marshall among the group, she was swamped by a combination of relief and bone-crushing disappointment. Knowing he was about to walk through the door added anxiety and a large dose of fear, and the cocktail of emotions left her feeling sick.

  Keeping her focus on Paul’s animated face, she tried to concentrate on what he was saying, but the roaring in her ears made it impossible. She might as well have been standing on the runway at Memphis International Airport for all the good it did her. But one voice cut through the noise, and she heard it with startling clarity even though it was nothing louder than a shocked whisper.

  “Athena?”

  Oh, God, that voice. Just that one word went through her like a knife and brought back a torrent of memories she had spent years trying to keep buried.

  “Athena?” the voice repeated. “Is it really you?”

  Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and looked up. Derek Marshall stood before her, his beautiful face a mask of astonishment. This was the moment she had been both dreading and anticipating, and the reason she’d wanted to wear something nice. She wanted to show him that she’d recovered from his callous betrayal and that she wasn’t the same gullible girl he’d known all those years ago.

  The thought made her lift her chin a bit and gave her the strength to look him in the face. When she did, it hit her like a blow to the midsection. With trembling lips she stared into Derek’s eyes; eyes that were the same vivid blue as Elizabeth’s.

  CHAPTER THREE

  London, England, June 18, 1967

  “Happy birthday, dear Paulie; happy birthday to you!”

  The line of teenage girls swayed in rhythm as they sang, eyes fixed on the stark black door that marked the entrance to 3 Savile Row. None of them knew if Paul McCartney was even at the Apple Records office that day, but they still wanted to mark his birthday in some unforgettable manner. There had been a half-hearted suggestion to go in and ask if Paul was present, but the thought of singing to him in person was too daunting. Much easier to serenade from the sidewalk where they could remain anonymous.

  As the song came to an end, they broke apart with giggles and started to drift away down the sidewalk. Athena Hill hung back for a moment with a last, wistful glance at the door behind the iron fence. She had made the suggestion that they try to get inside and was still willing to give it a shot. Meeting Paul McCartney would be worth any amount of embarrassment in her opinion, but her companions weren’t having it. With a sigh, she turned to follow them, already regretting the lost opportunity.

  Athena had been in London all of two days, and up until being shot down on getting inside the Apple offices she had been enjoying every second. Years of accumulated birthday and Christmas checks were hoarded and saved with the goal of spending a summer in the UK. Her parents patronized her when she mentioned these plans, and were shocked and disbelieving when she cashed out her savings just after high school graduation to buy her plane ticket. But she prevailed, scoffing at their concern over her plans to backpack through the United Kingdom and their downright horror at her intention to stay at youth hostels while there. Only her promise to return in the fall to attend Memphis State University where they both taught Greek Mythology gained their permission for the trip.

  But Athena had no intention of going to college. She caught up to the group of girls she’d met at the hostel, listening with half an ear to their conversation carried out in a mixture of English, American and French accents. This was what she wanted to do – travel, see the world, meet people from different countries and experience everything life had to offer. No way that was going to happen on a stuffy college campus in Memphis, especially not one where her parents were both professors and her twin siblings were undergrads. No matter what her parents said, Athena wasn’t going to be sucked into that life, studying for years to become a teacher like them, dying a little more each day while stuck in classrooms inhaling the scent of chalk dust and despair.

  Unbeknownst to her parents, Athena was gathering information and applications to become an airline stewardess, the most glamorous profession she could imagine. She was aided in this quest by her older sister Andi who allowed Athena to use her dorm room address for her correspondence with the airlines. Though Andi was only a year away from obtaining her own t
eaching degree, she had no intention of going into the profession, declaring it made people crazy. Case in point, their parents who were so into their subject that they named their three children Adonis, Andromeda and Athena. No, Andromeda/Andi planned to get married and start having babies as soon as she could and get no closer to a classroom than parent-teacher conferences. She was in complete sympathy with her little sister’s refusal to join the ranks of academia.

  “Hey, you guys,” Athena interrupted her new friends’ chatter. “Are we still going to the V & A today?”

  “Certainly,” declared one of the girls. Vanessa was from Provence, and like Athena was traveling through the UK on her own before heading to École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in the fall. “I’ve been looking forward to going there for years.”

  Grumbling ensued among the other girls from the hostel; the Victoria and Albert Museum wasn’t high on their list of priorities. They were all itching to go to Portobello Market instead of spending time wandering around stuffy artwork and exhibits. After a bit of discussion, it was decided that only Athena and Vanessa would visit the V & A and meet up with the other girls that afternoon in Hyde Park.

  Going to the V & A with Vanessa was a blast for Athena. Since Vanessa had studied art from a young age and dreamed of becoming an important painter, she brought the works of art displayed to life with her passion for them. Athena couldn’t have chosen a better person to go with her, even though Vanessa frequently got so excited over a painting she’d lapse into French. Since Athena only knew a few words in that language, she missed the details, but the paintings still took on a brighter meaning because of Vanessa’s enthusiasm for them.

  Athena’s favorite part of the museum was the exhibitions of clothes, and she dragged Vanessa to each display, oohing and ahhing over every ruffle and bead, and wondering how women managed to wear corsets every day without going crazy.

  As the appointed time to meet the other girls grew near, they left the museum with reluctance, each of them excited by what they saw and discussing their favorite exhibits with enthusiasm. The afternoon was sunny and warm, and they enjoyed the quick stroll to Hyde Park to meet up with their friends. As they hurried along the path, Athena’s attention was caught by several young men swarming over a flatbed truck that looked as out of place in the park as a large, inflatable rubber duck. Two men were hefting amplifiers in place on the flatbed, another was busy setting up a drum kit, while yet another was stringing wires to the front of the truck.

  “Wonder what they’re doing?”

  “I don’t know, but we can find out. This looks interesting.” Vanessa shook back her shaggy black hair and marched over to the truck, Athena in tow.

  As they drew closer, Athena saw that the wires ran from the amplifiers into the cab of the truck, and she wondered in confusion if they were plugged into the cigarette lighter. One of the men noticed the two girls and stopped work to give them a bright smile.

  “You are going to play music, no?” Vanessa asked him, her dimples dancing.

  “No. I mean, yes.” The man laughed and pushed a hank of blonde hair behind his ear. “Yes, we’re playing music. I hope you’ll stay and listen.”

  “Nothing would give me greater pleasure,” Vanessa purred.

  And, pow! Just like that, the man was captivated. Athena suppressed a laugh as he melted like warm clay in Vanessa’s hand. Maybe if she watched Vanessa enough, she’d learn how to make guys fall with nothing more than a smile and a certain tone of voice. As it was, she always ended up stammering and looking like a fool when confronted with attractive males. The only reason she’d had a prom date senior year was because the boy was even more awkward than she was. It had not been the stuff of adolescent dreams.

  Leaving Vanessa to work her magic on her prey, Athena moved nearer to the cab of the truck, still wondering about those wires. A pair of feet shod in black boots protruded from the open door, and Athena tilted her head to get a better view. Her eyes moved from the boots up long legs encased in striped pants to a very nicely rounded derrière. She admired it for a moment before letting her gaze follow the lines of the back and broad shoulders of the person – most definitely male – who had his head stuck under the truck’s dash as he laid face down over the bench seat.

  Curious, Athena leaned forward to see what he was doing just as he sat up, cursing under his breath. Uttering a surprised squeak, she found herself inches from the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, the breathtaking blue of a clear October sky. In that frozen moment of surprise she had time to notice the long, black lashes that surrounded them and the dark eyebrows that slanted above them, ending in an almost mischievous arch before sweeping down again.

  The owner of the eyes made a startled sound of surprise, and the heat of a furious blush suffused Athena’s cheeks. “Sorry,” she mumbled, and took a quick step back.

  “It’s all right,” he said. “I just didn’t know anyone was standing here.”

  “I was just wondering what you were…um.” She waved a hand toward the truck’s dashboard, trying to subdue the flames of embarrassment that licked up her skin to her hairline. She knew she must look like a ripe tomato, but her reaction was par for the course. Handsome guys made her feel like a gawky pre-adolescent, and this guy was the most handsome one she’d ever seen.

  “Just trying to hook up some power.” He relaxed against the seat, and one side of his mouth curved up in an endearing half smile that brought a dimple to his left cheek.

  Athena caught her breath and tried not to swoon. The surprise in his eyes was replaced by an interested twinkle, and Athena almost turned around to see who he was trying to charm before she realized it was her. She remembered the way Vanessa captivated the guy on the flatbed, and tried to emulate her friend’s easy cool.

  “So you’re with the band?”

  “Yeah, I play guitar. I’m Derek.” Sunlight flooded through the truck’s windshield and washed over his dark wavy hair giving it the appearance of well polished mahogany, the light picking out glints of shimmering dark auburn.

  She cast a glance toward the flatbed. It was imperative she tear her eyes away from him or she’d fall to the ground at his feet and start babbling like a fool. “What’s the name of your band?”

  “Wolf.”

  Her eyes stuttered back to his face. “Wolf? Why Wolf?” She was immediately mortified; what a stupid thing to say.

  His grin lit up his face. “Because all of the good names are already taken.” One hand rose to push his hair back from his forehead. “So what are you called, then?”

  “Oh.” Geez, she hated this part. “It’s Athena.”

  As she’d expected, his eyebrows shot up in surprise, and her shoulders rose in the apologetic shrug she always employed when people first heard her name. “Yeah, I know. My parents are nuts.”

  “Not at all,” he replied. “I think Athena’s a beautiful name.”

  On his lips it was beautiful, and the warmth in his eyes made her feel like she was beautiful, too.

  “Athena,” Vanessa’s voice intruded on the moment. “It’s time for us to find the other girls. We should bring them to hear this music, don’t you think?”

  Some of the light in Derek’s eyes dimmed, and Athena shook her head as a burst of confidence made her feel light as air. It was the first time in her life that a good-looking guy seemed to want to know her, and she wasn’t leaving that spot.

  “You can go find them if you want,” she told Vanessa. “I’m staying here.”

  It brought the light back to his eyes and she smiled, delighted. Glancing at Vanessa, she saw her friend’s sharp gaze flit over her and then Derek. A Gallic shrug lifted her slim shoulders.

  “I will stay here, too,” she declared. “Perhaps they will come when they hear the music.” She spun on her heel and headed back to the blonde guy she’d first approached. “Paul, I am staying to hear you sing.”

  Athena looked back at Derek. “Paul?”

  “Our singer,” he explai
ned. A beautifully-shaped arm gestured toward the makeshift stage. “And that’s Robin on bass, and Ian on drums.” He fidgeted with a leather bracelet on one wrist, and Athena quivered with joy. He was nervous! She’d spent her life watching guys act that way around other girls, but never with her. To know she affected him the way he affected her made her feel tall, slim and desirable.

  “I can’t wait to hear you play,” she told him, and was rewarded by another beautiful smile that sparked warmth in her belly that spread with speed to her fingers and toes.

  His bottom lip was full, accentuated by his moustache and the line of beard that grew along his jaw line. He bit down on that lip for a moment and Athena was consumed by a wild, unexpected desire to nibble on it herself. Overwhelmed, she almost missed his question.

  “After we’ve finished playing, would you like to get a pint with me?”

  Pure joy shot through her. “I’d like that.” His answering smile made her weak. “How long are you going to play?”

  He laughed. “Until someone comes along and chases us out. Could be two minutes, could be two hours.”

  “I hope it’s longer than two minutes,” Athena giggled. “I’d really like to hear your music.”

  He slid from the cab of the truck. “Your wish is my command, Athena.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Memphis, April 5, 1975

  Stax of Wax had never been so crowded, not even on the busiest Saturday before Christmas. Despite the headache of herding Wolf’s fans to the back of the store, trying to discourage Paul and Ian from hitting on every female who approached the table so she could keep the line moving, and keeping an eagle eye out so no albums from the bins would be stuffed under a windbreaker for a five-finger discount, Athena welcomed how busy she was. It kept her from casting the glances she wanted toward Derek, to see if he was looking back at her. It didn’t, however, keep her from thinking about when they’d come face-to-face in the back of the store, and feeling a slow burn of anger at his reaction.