What Is Life? - A George Harrison FanFic

Chapter 24

A rush of emotions came over me suddenly and I felt even more sick to my stomach. My heart then shattered and I slowly got up to walk up to our bedroom.

"Lo," he said "let me explain."

"I need space," I said without looking back at him.

"I am going to give you that," he called out as I was already up the stairs, "I will leave you alone."

He didn't follow me or try to explain. He obviously was filled with guilt over this and needed to finally tell me, but I knew nothing. When did it happen, why did it happen... how could this happen?

I sat down on our bed and then wondered if they had been together more than once. Have they done it in our bed? Surely that was impossible since I was always here and George was the one that leaves to work.

I broke down suddenly and just sobbed into a pillow.

Was he in love with Ringo's wife?

When I stopped to relax and remind myself to breathe I noticed a figure in the doorway.

"Is everything okay?" Paul asked me.

"Yes," I lied not wanting to bring him into the situation but I was not a good liar. This and my face being puffy and red and tears still flowing from my eyes told another story.

"George said he needed to leave and told me to stay here with you and Linda until he gets back."

How could he leave without speaking to me again? Maybe George assumed that I wanted nothing to do with him ever again. In my heart I knew that wasn't something I truly wanted. What I needed was an explanation, but him leaving without one only scared me deeply.

I scooted over on the bed so Paul could sit down and he shook his head.

"I will go get Linda," he said. He for some reason did not want to sit on George's bed no matter how innocent and in that moment I knew that he knew.

"How could you not tell me?" I asked him.

He looked upset.

"I couldn't believe it myself. But it wasn't his fault... I mean there's no excuse but Maureen used him to get back at Ringo for being with another woman."

"Why would he leave without telling me any context?" I asked Paul, "ten minutes ago he wouldn't even promise to leave my side to do a show with you guys and now he's just gone."

"He's ashamed," he said, "but I can assure you it was a mistake he made and that we all had him very drunk and possibly on drugs the night we went out when we finished this album to celebrate."

I remembered that he hadn't come home that night and it felt normal because he did work so hard and deserved a night out. However, he hasn't been drinking because of his dedication to his religious beliefs and meditations and to know he got drunk that night also hurt me since I was unaware of the relapse.

I needed answers and it wasn't fair to interrogate Paul on the subject. He walked out of the room after I began to ignore his presence and only a few minutes later Linda was there with her arms around me for comfort.

"Linda," I cried and she assured me things would be okay.

How could they be okay? I was about to have a baby and I now had a husband that was with another woman. A woman that I had considered a friend. My knowledge of the event itself was unclear but I knew I didn't want those answers, it was too painful.

"Did Paul tell you the details?" I asked her.

"I know nothing, I promise," she assured me, "I'm very upset by this and I can't believe it. It makes sense now as to why Ringo was in a bad mood."

I was silent for a moment. She was right. He was barely talking and although things looked normal between him and Maureen, you could tell he was upset with George.

"Where do you think he went?" I asked her through my tears.

"I don't know," she admitted, "where could he have gone after admitting of his affair?"

I looked at her and thought for a moment. Would he just up and leave to Liverpool? Would he go to London? Was he remorseful? Was he safe or was he going to do something to harm himself?

My heart was racing and I had an idea of what I wanted to do to get my mind off of this terrible news. I jumped up as best I could being eight months pregnant and pulled Linda with me out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Paul was sitting on the sofa tapping his foot and looking very stressed in the foyer.

"Going somewhere?" He asked me.

"Could you take me to see Cynthia?" I asked him.

He looked confused, "what would that have to do with any of this?"

In my heart, I knew that Cynthia could help me. She too was a mother, and had a Beatle husband who found another woman and hurt her deeply. She didn't want to see George or I because of how close we are with John but I needed her, just like Paul needed Julian. She was one of my closest friends when I moved here and married George and I miss her.

"It's getting late," Linda tried to talk me down, "maybe in the morning we could..."

"Take me now," I demanded to her boyfriend, cutting her off.

Paul nodded and kissed Linda who then promised him that her and her daughter, who was sleeping upstairs, would be safe and keep the doors locked.

....

As we drove Paul told me his theory on where George was.

"I imagine he took off to Liverpool," he suggested, "where he is going to meditate for three long days and come back as some guru who is celibate for life."

"Paul," I rolled my eyes at the idea, "I honestly love him, even still, but I'm so hurt... it's going to take a lot of forgiveness from me to get over this and trust him again."

He nodded in agreement as he drove.

"What exactly happened?" I asked him, "how do I still not know how my husband ended up cheating on me with his best friends wife?"

"It was Maureen," he then said, "it doesn't change the fact that it happened but she came on to him. He was out of his mind on and she took advantage of him, he probably thought she was you. But Ringo walked in on them both and it wasn't pretty."

I now understood what had happened. I know my husband and I know that this wasn't something he would have done sober. I'm sure this has been weighing on his mind since it happened. He probably has so much guilt that he has been in constant pain and fear for how I'd react.

However, I didn't want to be okay with this. It shouldn't be this easy to give in to another woman, otherwise I never really mattered to him.

After being silent for some time, Paul pulled up to a small home where I presumed Cynthia was living.

He walked me up toward the door and knocked gently. We waited a few minutes before it opened a crack and then all the way.

"Paul?" Cynthia said, "Lauren?"

"Hello," I greeted her, "I hope it's not too late."

"It's getting late," she agreed with my statement, "but it's cold out so please come in."

We followed her inside and Paul helped me to the sofa at the other side of the living area so I could sit down.

"I hope you don't mind," I said to her, "I practically forced Paul to take me to see you, hoping you wouldn't turn us away."

"Don't be silly, Lauren," she assured me, "I would never turn you away.... I just needed space from Beatle life and you are Lauren Harrison: Beatle wife."

She was sort of mocking the way I'm described as this picture perfect model rockstar wife and that I'm the poster child for all things Beatles.

I thought about how things were far from picture perfect right now. George has broken my heart for the very first time after believing he never would.

"I heard you were ready to pop," she said to me smiling, trying to break the ice between us.

I nodded but then tried to stop myself from crying.

Paul put his arm around my shoulder and sat down beside me.

I felt my belly, with my baby inside, "a few weeks until I meet her."

"You're sure it's a girl, then?" She asked me in reply.

"I just know I would be a great girl mom," I responded, "you know, Paul's new girlfriend has a daughter and seeing her joy for life is mesmerizing."

"If you have a boy you will be just as happy, he will love his mum with all his heart," she thought fondly of her own son.

Paul smiled and Cynthia looked at us.

"You know, I admire the friendship that the two of you have," she said looking at us. Paul had slid his arm off my shoulder and just was sitting beside me.

"I owe a lot to Lauren... Woods, here," he smiled, "but her being in love with George from the beginning has been what has kept her in our lives and that's what makes me grateful. That she makes him so happy and that he found someone who understands him. For years he was misunderstood you know."

"So what really brings you here?" Cynthia asked me.

"It truly is good to see you, Cynthia," I smiled at her through the tears forming in my eyes. "I missed you and after some bad news I just needed my friend back in my life despite your wishes."

"I know it was wrong of me to shut everyone out but I was disrespected by John so deeply as if I was nothing to him and I wanted nothing to do with his life anymore."

I nodded, I've always understood how painful it must have felt for her and respected her wishes.

"Where's George then?" Cynthia asked finding this situation odd.

Paul looked at me as it was my news to share or not share. I nodded at him assuring him he could tell her.

"There's been a situation," Paul told her, "Lauren here is joining the club all the other beatle wives and girlfriends have been in for some time now."

"I don't want to be in that club," I shook my head for him to stop.

"Has George cheated with another woman?" Cynthia asked looking intrigued.

"He slept with Maureen," I said to her and her jaw dropped.

"How could she?" Cynthia was furious.

"Ringo sleeps with other women all the time," Paul admitted to both of us. This didn't make anything okay. It only fueled my frustration about the situation and all of the infidelity in our lives. Cynthia knows this most of all.

Cynthia then made us tea and we all talked about happier topics and I tried to shut out anything relating to my husband for the time being. I was just happy to be in the presence of my close friends, who I knew cared for me deeply.

It was well into the darkest hours of the night when Paul took me back home. I was very sleepy and barely could get myself inside. I knew Paul would get me to my bed and then go find Linda to get some rest with.

We walked in, however, and there was George tending to the fireplace, wide awake and here in our home.