Imagine: A World with John Lennon

Chapter 1: Retro Girl

     Jade was sitting in her attic room listening to her favorite band of all time, The Beatles. Her mother had grown up on them, and then passed them down to her when she was just barely five. Her room was plastered wall to wall to ceiling with posters of George, Paul, Ringo, and her favorite, John Lennon. Her walls and floor were made of wood boards, much like most attics, and she had clear Christmas lights strewn over every shelf and wall. She usually kept the curtains shut, and their was always incense burning in some part of the room. She was in 2013, but was born to be in the 60's.

      Jade crept over to her vanity and took a seat in her Victorian chair. Looking back at her from the mirror was a 17 year old girl with long waves of dark brown hair with just a hint of red and a pair of large, forest green eyes. She had an olive skin tone from her Aztec background, and was slender at an average height of 5'7.

   "Ladybug! Time for dinner!" I heard my mom call from the bottom of the stairs.

   I'm six months away from my 18th birthday, and she still calls me Ladybug, I thought rolling my eyes and smiling. "Okay, mom! Be down in a second."

     I adore my mother. She single-handedly raised me, and there hasn't been a day where I've wanted for anything. I don't think I could have ever asked for a better mom.

     I walked down stairs to the kitchen where we sat down at the table, and began to eat. Eating is my second favorite thing to do, my first is sleeping.

   "Well, Jade. I got you an early Christmas present." my mom said after we cleaned up the dishes.

     My mother knew I wasn't into the whole "Christianity" thing, and she was completely okay with that, but she still wanted me to celebrate Christmas and such with her, so I did. I was much more like George Harrison. When I was only 8 years old my mom would find me sitting indian style on my floor with candles chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra. And I'm not really only a follower of Krishna. I believe in a lot of things. I do believe in God, but not the god that Christians have depicted. My god is all loving and all caring for each and everyone of of his children. There's no reason to be fearful. I believe in goddesses, too. The Christian form is just the Virgin Mary. I see nothing wrong in this, and I'm glad I have a parent who understands.

  "Mom! What have I told you about that?" I laughed.

   "Well, I'm the mother. I don't have to listen to you." she joked going to her room to retrieve a package.

     She came back witht the present in hand, and set it on the counter in front of me.

     I just stared at it for a while until she sighed and said, "Are you going to open it any time soon?"

     I laughed and tore into the extravagant wrapping. My mother always went overboard with decorating. Tearing into the package revealed an ordinary brown box. I tore the tape with a knife and pulled out a signed vinyl copy of Imagine.

   "...Oh my god...Mom..this must have been a fortune! I can't believe you got me this." I said tearing up. John Lennon is my idol. He was one of the greatest men that ever existed, and to be able to have a REAL piece of him, to have something he touched with his own hands is just...it's so surreal.

   "So you like it?" my mom laughed.

   "I love it!" I said throwing myself into her arms with tears streaming down my cheeks.

   "There's one more thing in there, but it's not going to be as cool as that album."

     I dug back into the box and pulled out three pairs of Lennon's signature glasses. I pretty much collect them. I probably have over 30 pairs.

   "Ahh! Thanks, mom! I've been running low on these." I joked.

     A few hours later I retired to my room for the night throwing on my new Vinyl to the ancient record player kept on a Grecian column in the corner of my room. It was my baby.

     I layed back on my bed and soon fell asleep with John's voice singing in my ears.