Ain't She Sweet

Chapter 3 - Free as a Bird

EDITING BEGAN 3/19/17

Angie

Life with the Beatles was proving to be full of play and work, never a moment to pause and take a deep breath. Tour was going to commence after Christmas (which was just a few weeks away), and I was over the moon.

The first week, was surreal. I counted every moment, only because I wanted to remember them forever.

George and I had a moment, the second day I was officially Angelina-Starr-Lennon-McCartney-Harrison (a mouthful, I know). It was something tender, something that confirmed the fact that George was my favourite.

Paul and John took off to the studio, Ringo had a date with Maureen, who was absolutely darling, and George wanted to get out of the flat for the afternoon. It was a rare day off for him, and it was one of the 5 sunny days London gets a year. What better way to spend a sunny day off but at Hyde Park?

"George?" I asked timidly as we walked side by side through the vast park, and the youngest Beatle turned his head and peered down at me with amusement.

"Yes, love?"

I bit down on my lip and tried to swallow my question, but it just came out.

"Are you going to keep me forever?" I asked, and instantly winced, praying that I hadn't sounded ungrateful.

George took a sharp intake of breath and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"Well, doesn't adoption mean I am?" George fired back at me tenaciously, bringing a half-hearted smile to my lips.

"Yer rockstars, and I can't understand why you wanted to adopt a skiffed up child like me." I said, biting my lip.

George's face had contorted for a split second, he was searching for the right words to say.

"I've always wanted a child... and Pattie... well she's infertile... so what better thing to do than to adopt a child?" George explained to me, which sounded rather reasonable. Poor man. He can't have children with the woman he loves...

"I'm sorry to hear about Pattie." I said and George shook his head with a weak smile.

"Me too. We broke it off just a few days ago, I guess it wasn't meant to be."

I took George's large hand into mine for his comfort and he squeezed it knowingly, as we watched a flock of geese land smoothly onto a pond.

"Wouldn't ya like to be a bird? Free? Unchained? Able to fly off wherever, whenever?" I asked him pensively and George shrugged, freeing his hand from mine to shrug a ciggie from his pocket.

"I dunno, maybe not a bird. Perhaps a fish, I quite like the ocean." George said with a curt giggle and I ruffled my hair and pressed on.

"But you could get eaten by a shark or some giant of that sort."

George lit his cigarette with a faraway look in his chocolate eyes, peering down at me with intent.

"Ah but what would the fuss be? Everybody's got a right to live. Perhaps I'm the meal that saves a poor old shark."

I laughed in response, knowing in my heart that I could never find a better friend in anyone than I could in George.

He glanced down at his wrist watch and threw his ciggie to the ground and smiled at me.

"I've got a bit of a surprise for you, Angie love. And I do believe yer will enjoy it."

__

George was right. I did enjoy it.

"Paul! Look at this colour! Oh I absolutely adore it!"

I twirled in front of a body length mirror in a daze, twirling in a mint green shift dress. My smile was wider than I've ever seen