If I Fell...

You'll Make It Big...

I saw Paul in the corner of the shop looking at all the original Rock n Roll records.

"Paul, aren't you just seeing the same old things over and over again?"

His head whipped back, surprised that I had approached him.

"They aren't old. They're the old new. Rock n Roll is going to be a great new thing!"

He grabbed both my hands and continued.

"I want to be on the front of one of these records one day, holding my bass, with the band behind me. I want to write my own songs and make them the best they can be."

His eyes glimmered with excitement.

"I want to have a band of teddy boys, and maybe a teddy girl. I want us to play get gigs at the taverns and clubs. I want us to travel the world and play for screaming girls. I want to be an artist."

Paul's excitement and joy made me smile. He was so happy.

"Paul, if you did start a band, I would make sure I was the first person in Liverpool to buy your records. I would be your biggest fan. I would tell fans that I knew you, that you were my best friend."

We both were staring at each other with big goofy smiles glued to our faces.

John walked over to us, then slapped Paul hard across the face.

"What was that for, Lennon?" I asked with a bitter tone.

"It's alright, love. What was that for Lennon?" He said to me and John.

"I slapped ya, cause you need to see reality! Me, you, we aren't going to be famous. We will always be playing at the cavern. Never anywhere else. I would love to be famous but it's not happening! So stop dreaming McCartney and get your head in reality."

With that, John walked out of the shop disappointment flooding his eyes.

Paul looked over at me, his face a hurricane of emotions; sad, angry, surprised, and a sliver of hope that shimmered through.

"I think you'll make it big." I whispered in Paul's ear and then kissed his cheek. He winked at me, and continued to look over the same records over and over again. At least it made him happy.

20 minutes later George, Paul and I left the shop and drove to the park. In the trunk were all of our guitars and basses. We were going to practice there instead of one of our houses.

"You look lovely today Amelia!" A quiet voice in the back seat said.

"Thanks and speak confidently. You've got a lot t' say and it's interesting. So talk like you're interesting."

He nodded but continued to speak quietly.

The park was crowded when we arrived at one. Though, the spot where Paul and I sat was empty. The September air had a refreshing chill. People walked the streets with grins across their faces. Loved ones held hands and children clasped the legs of their mothers. I saw an old lady sitting on a park bench feeding the passing squirrels.

"Let's sit there." Paul stated as he pointed a finger to a little grassy area covered by trees.

We sat and played guitar and then we talked.

"So, Amelia. What do you like to do for fun?"

"Well George I like to draw," I addressed "play my guitar and talk to Paul or my sisters."

"Oh. I like to do all of that to. You sure are like a teddy boy well a teddy girl."

Maybe I was. But did I want to be? No... Or did I?