Let It Be (A Beatles Story)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Eleanor hadn't come to call in about five days, leaving Paul alone with me.  It wasn't so bad.  We still could talk, joke and laugh, but it was different.  He treated me like I was one of the lads instead of the girl he kissed and held.  The girl he promised everything to.

He had a party for New Year's Eve, which was quite an event for me.  I was almost afraid I would jump through time again, or quite possibly disappear.  Though, I didn't.  

Paul, however, seemed like the only person who wasn't having fun.  Besides getting highly intoxicated, he just sat around and hardly spoke.  I eventually coaxed him to dance with me, which eventually got other people moving to.  He laughed until he couldn't stand anymore.  He went and sat down with another group of people.  

When it was a few minutes to the new year, George pulled me into a separate room.  At midnight he kissed me and whispered, "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year, George.  It will be great."

He leaned in to kiss me again, but then the door opened.  I pulled away quickly, thinking it was Paul.

It was Ringo.

"Am I interrupting something?" He looked at both of us, and then raised an eyebrow.  "Are you two..."

"Please don't-" I began.

"Your secret is safe with me." Ringo told us. 

The next day Paul had a massive hangover, and he was in a foul mood.  He called John over to keep him company, but then they hatched a plan.  

"I can take Elle for a little while if you want some rest." John offered.  The truth was that he probably could have just rested while I was there, for I didn't typically make much noise, but I'm sure that the minute I would leave he would call Eleanor again.

In order to keep Paul as least foul as possible, I put on my coat and shoes and followed John out the door.  I was surprised he was feeling fine, after all, he had drank about as much as Paul.  However, he seemed about as chipper as ever.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"Strawberry Field?"

"No."

"The Casbah?"

"No."

"The Royal Albert Hall?"

"Your guessing skills are only sub-par.  You'll find out soon enough." 

After a few more minutes of driving through the port city in silence, I realized our destination.  "We're going to visit your aunt, aren't we?"  He didn't reply, but I could see a smirk grow on his lips.  

One thing that you notice about driving around Liverpool is that most things move quite slowly.  It was a city where most days the sky seemed slightly sad and gray, but thoughtful, as if it was always taking time to stop and smell the roses.  The sky wasn't the always thing that was gray.  There was some soft, light snow on the ground, but it fit in with the rest of the monotone landscape.  It was the prettiest city, though, it was most comforting to me. 

"We've got to stop somewhere first before we see her.  To get a little house-warming gift." John explained.  We drove another block before pulling over on the side of the road to park.  John got out, ran around the car and opened my door for me.  He curtsied also as I stepped out of the car, which made me laugh. 

As we began to walk across the street, I turned to him and asked, "Can I call her Mimi, or-"

But he cut me off by shouting, "Elle!" and yanking me backwards.  Had I taken a step further, I would have been hit by a speeding police car that was blazing down the avenue.