74
Sunday, June 15th, 1986, 11:20 A.M.
There was no denying that being with the cast and crew for an end-of-the-year party was a total blast, regardless of the heightened sentimentality that was beginning to showcase itself from the ever-nearing conclusion. Quite frankly, it was a mixture of both sadness and relief. The show was extremely hard work, but also tremendously rewarding. Nothing would ever compare to the multitude of friends and acquaintances that they met during the entire production of the show. These were people that they would know and love for the rest of their lives.
Normally, the girls would sleep-in very late on the morning after a party, at least till noon or one o’clock. On this Sunday morning, however, they all found themselves milling around the dining room at 11:30. Each one of them was dressed in her favorite form of sleepy-wear, and they were all gobbling up an assortment of breakfast items and gulping down orange juice and coffee. Everyone seemed genuinely relaxed and in no kind of particular hurry. It was the middle of June and the off-season was in full swing. The Go-Go’s had their usual summer tour planned for early August, but that was many moons away as far as they were concerned.
And so, the morning ritual continued.
Forget any crap about being on a diet or watching their calorie intake. They were all hungover and it was time to pig-out. Eggs, bacon, hash-browns, pancakes, etc., were all laid out by the mansion’s personal chef and his staff ready for consumption. Every member of the staff knew that the girls were a bunch of diligent chow-hounds and were accustomed to their hearty eating habits.
As they sat there feeding their faces, one person was conspicuously missing.
“Where is Belinda?” asked Jane.
“She must still be sleeping,” surmised Charlotte.
“Yeah, it’s not like her to miss breakfast,” Gina agreed. “That chick eats like a horse.”
Several moments of non-conversation continued until the obvious concern about their missing comrade surfaced. Through the sounds of silverware clanking and human beings chewing and swallowing, Charlotte eventually spoke up—
“Maybe I should go check on her,” she said.
Charlotte’s deep concern, however, was abruptly interrupted by Walter, who entered the dining room with an announcement to make—
“Excuse me, ladies.. I hate to interrupt your brunch, but Miss Belinda requests your presence up in her room,” he stated.
“Requests our presence?” Kathy casually questioned. “Somehow, Walter, I get the feeling she didn’t express it that way.”
“What do you mean, requests our presents?” demanded Gina. “Her birthday is not for two more months. We don’t have any presents for her.”
“PRESENCE, Nim-Rod— not presents!” Kathy corrected.
“Oh, shut up, Kathy,” returned Gina, preparing to flick some scrambled eggs at her.
“You flick those eggs at me.. and you know I will come over there and beat your ass,” warned Kathy.
An amusing stand-off ensued. No words were spoken.
“Alright, Moe and Curly… You can stop acting like your usual, moronic selves now,” reprimanded Charlotte. “Someone needs to go check on Belinda.”
“She’d like to see all four of you, immediately,” said Walter, ignoring the fact that Gina still had eggs launched in Kathy’s direction.
Within a few seconds, the girls all had puzzled looks on their faces. Gina put down her catapult.
“What do you think that’s all about?” asked Jane.
“I don’t know, but let’s go,” instructed Charlotte.
Like maternal parents looking out after one of their children, the four of them bolted up out of their dining room chairs and headed for the staircase. Within a couple of minutes, they all ended up standing out front of Belinda’s bedroom door.
Jane knocked.
“Who is it?” Belinda answered back.
“It’s us… Open up,” Jane called back.
“Is there anyone else with you?” asked Belinda, from behind the closed door.
“No.. it’s just us.. Come on, man, open-up!” demanded Jane, banging on the door with the back of her fist.
Belinda slowly opened up her bedroom door and peered outside to make sure the coast was clear. Upon realizing it was only the four, crazed members of her Go-Go family, she quickly cracked the door open and instructed them to all come inside.
“Get in here.. hurry!” she whispered, waving her hand for all of them to enter.
The four Keystone Kops entered Belinda’s bedroom (I’d like to say they all got stuck in the doorway, but that is such an old routine) and started to look around. Eventually, they all saw the inevitable:
There was a guy lying in Belinda’s bed…
And he was not moving.