With The Beatles

Chapter 1

* * July 21, 1964 - London, England * *

"Have a nice day, sir."

I hand over a James Brown record to a man in a tan coloured vest and matching hat. He flashes me a hurried smile and nods at me as he walks out the door. Within seconds, he melds right into the darkness of the night, and I am left alone in my shop once again. I own a small record store on Argyll Street in downtown London, only a few shops away from the London Palladium. This store is basically my home, since I live on the upper level. I earn enough money here to survive, and I find it quite enjoyable to talk to the customers about their taste in music. So I guess you could call it a good job.

"Should I close yet?" I ask out loud, not caring that I'm talking to myself.

I decide to stay open for just 5 more minutes, just in case anyone else who is wandering the streets of London at 11 pm wants to buy some music. I sigh, and walk over to my gramophone and fish through my personal collection of records. I need to listen to music right now, I've gone too many hours without it. I smile as my eyes fall onto one of my favourite singles: 'Love Me Do'. The Beatles' very first single. Seeing the record reminds me that The Beatles will be in London in just 2 short days to play a concert in their world tour. It'll be my first time seeing the Beatles live on Thursday the 23rd, and I can't wait. Their music is beyond comparison, and they seem like such passionate, carefree people. I slip the record out of it's bright purple sleeve and carefully position it in the gramophone. Soon enough, John Lennon's harmonica playing can be heard throughout the entire store.

"Love, love me do! You know I love you!" John and Paul sing in perfect harmony.

"I'll always be true! So please...love me do!" I sing along with them, as I skip back to the front of the store.

Just as I finish singing, the door slowly creaks open, barely audible over the harmonica playing. Another man enters the store, wearing a black trench coat with the collar pulled up to shield his face. A pair of dark glasses cover his eyes, and a black fedora sits on his head. It's rare that someone comes into my store so late at night.

"Hello sir!" I shout over the music. "How can I help you?"

He looks at me for a moment, and then awkwardly shakes his head.

"I'm sorry, is the music bothering you? Would you like me to turn it off?"

He quickly shakes his head 'no' without hesitation, causing his collar to fall which reveals a little more of his face. Why does he look so secretive?

"Okay, well let me know if you need anything." I say with a smile.

He nods and walks over to one of the small tables with a pile of records on it. He sits down, and thoughtfully picks up and examines each and every one.

"Someone to love! Somebody new!" I hum along with the lyrics of the song.

I begin to tidy up the front desk and prepare to close the store. I glance over at the man, who is now staring intently at the back of a Bob Dylan single. It makes me smile. Why is he making me smile?

"Love, love me do! You know I love you!"

That's when I notice that the man is tapping his foot to the beat of the song, as well as his fingers on the table. He's still staring at the single, so it seems like it's almost a subconscious act. I walk over to him and can't help but smile at the startled expression on his face when he sees me.

"Do you like this song?" I ask.

He freezes, seemingly not knowing how to answer, which makes me laugh.

"Who are you? And why don't you talk?" I question.

He looks around cautiously, and then dramatically removes the dark glasses from his face. His bright blue eyes take me by surprise.