A Little Stevie Nicks

"There's a little Stevie Nicks inside me..." Rye began from the backseat. 

I smirked at the sudden mental image of a wee Stevie Nix pulling strings and calling shots from Mission Control in Riley's mind.

I glanced in the rearview mirror, prompting her to continue. 

"...whenever we have to be around each other, it's like there's a part of me that feels dread, because it's like 'What's next?' He always has to say or do something..." she said 

She was referring to a young man with whom she has had an ongoing  friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-back-to-friends-ish adventure (she's 14 - the "lovers" is more of a metaphor)  

We'd just bumped into their family  at lunch, following Sunday morning church... a time traditionally reserved for stirrings of the Holy Spirit, not Stevie Nicks. 

This young man recently made some remarks that made Riley uncomfortable. 

It was dealt with immediately. They talked things through. He apologized with a side of justification ("Take it as a compliment" he'd said)  

She explained why she couldn't ever do that. 

He apologized again, this time with less excuse making. 

Now they're knee deep in 'getting back to normal' (whatever that even is) 

From behind my seat, she continued to explore her after lunch emotions "...but there's another part of me that's a little bit Stevie Nicks...a little..." She started to sing,  

'...but you won't forget me...
(I was such a fool)
I know I could've loved you, but you would not let me...(skip some lyrics) ...I'll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you...haunt you ' 

( link- Silver Springs FleetwoodMac: https://youtu.be/eDwi-8n054s?feature=shared )  

"...it's like, 'Here I am and here you are, here we are. Yep... ' and we're not going to talk about any of it, keeping it nice... [ private references redacted]...it's like being a co-parent." (Bless her little divorced-kid's heart ) 

We laughed as she compared the similarities between what she has experienced with her dad and myself and how she feels when she plays with this young man's little sister. 

She mentioned she'd gone bankrupt at lunch buying the little girl gum machine trinkets and an array of rubber ducks. 

She returned to describing the tiny tenant belting ballads in her psyche. 

How had Stevie Nicks managed to sub-lease this plot of internal indwelling? 

Rye promptly rolled me under the tour bus and backed up twice, for good measure: 

"That's just what you get when you grow up with a mom playing "You're So Vain" and songs like that. I mean, I know that's not Stevie - but still, same diff. They're both true." 

(link- You're So Vain Carly Simon: https://youtu.be/j13oJajXx0M?feature=shared )

And with that, the conversation dropped off into a song the rest of the way home, "... you probably think this song is about you, don't you, don't you, don't you..." 

Yes, my playlist can be eclectic and yes, I did point her to a list of 'Female Powerhouse Vocalists' to cover when she practices... there have been some external influences. 

But mostly? She's got the music in her. 

(link-Get What You Give (Music In You) NewRadicals https://youtu.be/wfhQzH2CSjA?feature=shared )

How wonderful, this front row seat. 

(link to LiveStar Karaoke Riley - You're So Vain: https://youtu.be/ZRfj2peAI4I?feature=shared)

Here's looking at you kid... just keep singing your pretty little broken heart out.  

Everything's gonna be alright.

(link- Everything's Gonna Be Alright Bob Marley https://youtu.be/e3nar3xoJ7A?feature=shared )