An Easy Friend

Chapter 36

September 29, 1991. A date that always sticks to the walls of my brain, refusing to leave.

On this day, Kurt and I were sitting on the couch of our apartment watching television, like always. MTV was on in the background as we discussed the sales of Nevermind, which had been released over a week ago. Suddenly, a very familiar riff comes on and both our eyes go wide. At the same time, we turn our heads to see cheerleaders in a green-tinted room as the chorus of the first track of Nirvana's second album began playing.

"Oh my god!" I yelled. I turned to look at Kurt who looked like he was about to faint. "Kurt?"

"Allison," he took a deep breath, "is that my song? Is that my song?!"

I laughed and nodded my head excitedly. "Holy shit!" yelled Kurt.

I raced to the phone and dialed Krist's number. I yelled for him to get over here ASAP. Sure enough, he and Shelli were here 20 seconds later.

"What the fuck?" Krist exclaimed. I simply pointed at the television. They turned their heads and gasped. We joined Kurt who was sitting on the floor watching the music video intently.

When it was over Shelli and I stared at Krist and Kurt, who were both about exploding with joy. "We're dating famous rock stars." I said to Shelli.

"Famous?" Kurt's eyes shone.

"Hardly." Krist said. "Sure it's MTV but it isn't daytime MTV."

"Whatever, your music video was on MTV for the first time!"

That night I couldn't help feeling like it was all about to change. Getting their music video shown on national television was a huge step for them. But it wasn't just that. There was a feeling in my gut.

---

By November of that year, Smells Like TeenSpirit became a genuine hit. After it debuted on 120 Minutes on MTV, it got so many requests that it was played during the day. It also reached no. 35 on the Billboard Top 40. Nevermind was soon certified gold.

Meanwhile, Nirvana had been dealing with the sudden success. Smells Like Teen Spirit was being requested at every show they played. It annoyed Kurt but he gave in to the audience. Their concerts were becoming dangerously oversold and television crews became a constant presence onstage.

On a personally level, the guys found themselves being asked about their personal lives everyday. Krist and Dave didn't mind so much but Kurt did. He nearly always have sarcastic answers to questions about himself and his lyrics. Whether it was to piss off the interviewer or to avoid the question, I didn't know.

Shelli and I received some attention but not nearly as much as the guys. We didn't have to run and hide from the press people unless we were with them. Kurt constantly apologized to me but it didn't bother me. It was kinda fun.

On the days Kurt and I get alone, we fully enjoy each other's company before he is whisked away for another interview or performance.

On one particular day, Kurt was in the bath while I made his favorite meal. The phone rang but I let it ring because I knew it would only be somebody requesting an interview with Kurt. The voice mail tone came on. As I stirred the pot, listened to see who it was.

"Hi Kurt. It's Courtney." she paused. "You know what, I'm just going to get straight to it. I'm pregnant."