You Really Got A Hold On Me

Town was busy – as usual. When Abby and I stepped off the bus we decided to go straight to Betty's. Betty's is this great little shop that makes all kind of dresses and I've gone there ever since I was knee high. If ever there was a special occasion and I would want to wear a pretty dress, Mum or Dad always took me to Betty's to get one tailor made. Abby and I knew the shop owner quite well, she was a lovely old lady who, funnily enough, was called Betty.

"Hello girls" Betty said smiling when we entered the shop.

"Hey Betty" Abby said "we're here to find Michelle a new dress."

"Well you know you've come to the right place" she said chuckling.

"Now what kind of dress are you after love" she asked me.

"Something not too fancy, but not too plain" I said trying to figure out what I wanted.

"She's got a date at Ed's you see" Abby added.

"Abby!" I looked at her, "yes I do" I said turning back to Betty.

"A date hmm? Well let's see" she said rifling through some drawers and hangers. "Something blue would be lovely."

She said this presumably because it would bring out my eyes. I have unusually striking blue eyes that I got from my mother, whilst I inherited my brunette hair from my Dad.

"Ooh yes" Abby piped up, "and you could wear those nice shoes you got for your birthday."

"Yeah, I do love those" I said thinking of them.

"How about this?" Betty called from the back room.

Abby followed me through.

"It's gorgeous" I breathed.

"That's it." Abby said confidently.

"And in your size too" Betty smiled.

"It's perfect. I love it. How much Betty?" I asked.

"Four pounds, five shillings."

I pulled out the money Dad had gave me.

"Oh no, I'm five shillings short" I said distraught and looking at Abby. She looked equally upset.

"You know what," Betty said looking at the dress, "I think this one's on special offer today actually," she winked at me.

"Thanks Betty!" I said, full of sudden gratitude.

"Have a good time love" she said handing me the dress in exchange for the money.

"I'll try" I said, smiling gratefully. She patted my cheek lightly and Abby and I left the shop, dress in hand.

"Betty's real nice to you isn't she?" Abby said smiling.

"She knows me, and Dad" I replied.

"And you got the perfect dress."

"It's beautiful" I said, looking at it again. It was fairly simple, yet not boring and came in at the waist then sort of floated down to just below the knee. I was certain it would compliment my blue eyes.

Abby and I skipped to the busstop and wanted in the cold. Some leaves started falling off the tree above us and one landed on my head.

"I love autumn" I said, brushing it off. I actually liked it more than summer, or any other season for that matter. Its not too warm that you would be dying for a fan – not that it gets that hot often in Liverpool – and it's not completely freezing to the point where your fingers feel like icicles.

The bus finally arrived and we got on.

"See you tomorrow!" Abby said cheerily as she walked off down the street when were outside my house.

"Bye for now" I called.

I hurriedly stuffed the dress into my bag, trying not to crease it. I looked at my watch. Ten to six – perfect timing.

"Hey Dad."

"Just in time" Dad called from the kitchen.

"I'll be down in a minute" I said before quickly running up the stairs, taking the dress out of my bag and hanging it in my wardrobe. I sincerely hoped that Dad wouldn't ask to see the new 'school books' I had bought.

"Mmm, smells good" I said, walking into the kitchen and sitting down.

"Your favourite" Dad said placing down a plate of fish and chips.

"Yum." We tucked in and chatted about our days – Dad going on about this 'marvellous' new book he had discovered and me recounting my uneventful and uninteresting day at school.

"So did you get those new books today?" he asked. I nearly choked on my fish.

"Are you okay?" he said, patting my back.

"Yeah I'm fine" I said drinking some water, "must have gone down the wrong way. The books are err, upstairs."

"Good" he said, and thankfully dropped it after that.

After dinner I felt the urge to return to my diary as I had not written an entry since that day at the Casbah when I had first met Paul. But then I remembered that I had ripped out those pages in my upset over Paul's absence at the Casbah. I decided to give a quick recap of what had happened (yet still describing Paul's looks in detail – as if I would ever forget them) and then bumping into Paul in Strawberry Fields, going to get the dress at Betty's etc.

When I finished writing it suddenly occurred to me that I didn't even know Paul's last name.

Ring ring! The sound of the phone downstairs startled me. Thinking it must be Abby I jumped off my bed and ran downstairs.

"Hello?" I said.

"It's your other half calling" Abby said at the other end.

"Why good evening other half, how nice to speak to you again."

Abby and I talked briefly about the day and especially about what the date with Paul might be like. Then I remembered something.

"Abby?"

"Yeah?"

"You know when you were talking to John at the Casbah, did he happen to mention Paul's last name?"

"Oh yeah! Sure! Did Paul not tell you himself?" she asked. I thought back to our conversation.

"No, I don't think so."

"Oh well his name's McCartney – Paul McCartney."