Debbie Doll | Ringo Starr ✅

22

We did make it to the chippy in the end. Ritchie ordered us a portion of chips each, and he insisted on paying. Since I had been paid just a week previously from my job at the Cavern, I wanted to pay for my own, but he insisted that there would be plenty of time for paying for things when we were in London... as man and wife.

I could hardly believe it.

I was going to be Mrs Ritchie Starkey.

"So when do you want the wedding?" He asked. I swallowed the chip that I had been chewing, honestly not sure.

I shrugged, "whenever is fine with me." Soon. Oh God, let it be soon. I want to be your wife as soon as possible.

"It'd be nice to start our life in London properly, wouldn't it?" He asked as he chucked a chip over the railing and into the Mersey, "we could get married before we left."

"We'd have to do it before Elsie and dad did." I paused, "or it'd be illegal."

Ritchie hummed in reply, "could do it this weekend?"

"I'm working this weekend, Ritch." I paused, "though I reckon if we held the reception at the Cavern then I could work at the same time!"

He threw his head back laughing. I loved the sound of his laugh. "You're not working the night of our wedding!"

I was no fool. I knew what was supposed to happen the night of a wedding between a man and his wife.

I had wanted it so many times in the last few weeks between Ritchie and me, and the thought of finally getting it elated me.

"Take this weekend off," Ritchie begged me, "we'll get married before Elsie and your dad can, and we can start everything together." He took my free hand in his own. "And I'll get you a ring, too."

I smiled at him, "I don't need a ring, Ritch."

"I can't have my wife walking around without a ring!" Ritchie replied indignantly in mock horror, "people'll say we're not decent!"

I laughed, "well they've been saying that for a while, now." He nodded in agreement. "So this weekend then..."

He kissed my cheek, "I can't wait to marry you, doll."

I hummed in agreement, "I can't wait to be your wife, Ritch. And I mean that." We stood in silence for a few minutes, munching on our chips and just enjoying the wind rushing past our ears and the Mersey lapping across the shores on the other side of the railing.

"So tell me about London, then." I said, sidling up closer to him. "Are we going to have our own place?"

"Hopefully, doll," Ritchie replied as he chucked the remainder of his dinner into the river, the newspaper cone going with it. "The original plan was for me and George to share, but that's not going to do, now. Hopefully Eppy can find us somewhere before we get there, but we might have to share with George for a bit if not."

I groaned, "but George doesn't like us."

"He likes us separately, but not together." Ritch paused, "anyway, when we're married, he'll have to come to terms with it." He shrugged.

"And the others?"

"John and Cyn will live together, it sounds like. You heard what Eppy said." He paused, "and then Paul's going to stay with his new girlfriend, Jane."

"Jane?" I raised an eyebrow, "I thought his girlfriend was Dot?"

Ritchie shrugged, "who knows? None of them have just one girl -" he cut himself off when he saw my eyes go wide and my shoulders slump. None of them were faithful? How could I expect Ritchie to be faithful to me if his friends weren't to their girlfriends? "I didn't mean..." he sighed, "Debbie doll, you know that I'd never do anything to hurt you, don't you?" He pulled me into his arms, nicking a chip from my cone and stuffing it into his mouth before he continued, "I'll always try my best to be the best husband that I can be. I'd never hurt you by going with anybody else, or anything... I just expect you to do the same."

My heart broke.

"Oh, Ritch," I sighed as he swayed us back and forth, my backside against his front, "there will never be anybody else for me... and this weekend, I'm going to prove that."

He smiled, pecking my cheek. I giggled. "We've got ourselves a wedding."

"We have." I agreed. "And Brian's got three days to plan it."

"If anybody can do it, it's him." Ritchie paused, "he's done incredible things. I've seen it." He kissed my cheek again, this time letting his lips linger. "Don't worry about a thing. It'll be perfect."

I believed him.