Get It Straight, Or Say Good Night

Nether land

John couldn't get his wish and whisk Lou home to London. As was the usual tale of the Beatles, at this point in time, the tour was set in place. Set in stone.

Day after day, from the Liverpool nights in early August to the near end of the month, they moved around the country like gypsies selling their wares, the days draining and long. It had the boys stir crazy and bottled up in hotel room after identical hotel room. A bad scene for four strapping lads and too much time on their hands.

Southport on the west coast a small light, a beacon in the proceedings six days in one place and even though they would play the daily shows it was enough time to recoup and recover.

Only forty minutes north of Liverpool it was too much of a tease and it had John in the car cursing Mal to drive faster, rushing south to gather Lou and Evie, and cart the two and all their belongings to Southport.

Brian was slightly bothered that the girls could be a distraction in the cramped rooms but decided not to complain. He could see the sense in John having Lou and the baby nearby. Brian could see John had been trying hard to temper his rants and accommodate the press when all he had really wanted was to sleep or call Louise.

Brian quietly, to himself, even contemplated asking John if he wanted to release a statement to the press about Lou and Evie.

The next fortnight after Southport would see them nonstop crisscrossing England top to bottom then a last show in Northwich on the 15th September, just south of Liverpool, would finally let them head back to London.

The date was now set, Lou would move south again for real but in the meantime she would stay the week in Southport and head back, once again, to Liverpool til the 15th. It wasn't ideal, it wasn't conductive to their steps forward but it was a sign, a signal of a new start without deals and traffic lights set on flashing amber as had been the case.

****

"What do you mean I can't go out, I need a laundromat to wash all Eve's things, Brian" Lou wasn't used to hotel's. It became plainly obvious as soon as she walked in the compact room. Suitcases and toys, baby's items abounding. Lou soon had a corner mapped out but with no kitchen she wondered how she would sort soft foods for the baby and wash and sterilise any bottles she used.

"Can't you hear that lot out there, Lou?!" Paul walked over and nodded to the open window the screams emitted were annoying and very much a constant on the ears.
Shrill female voices chattering and squawking calling for their hero's, their 'false gods' as Lou would like to heckle and eye-roll at them. All wanting to love John, Paul, Ringo and George as their own. Lou had been faintly amused at all the fuss created around them but now it was becoming a big bother and the girls seemed rather pathetic in the way they fawned over four stinky naughty boys from Liverpool.

"I just. Yes of course I can hear them" Louise put her hands on her hips and stared Paul down for treating her like a loon with no ears "I'm not deaf Paul. What would you have me do then?"

"Could do the laundry in the bathtub" George walked in and looked about wondering if a chair would ever become free after Lou crammed all the stuff in the bedroom. "Nah scrap that, nothing would dry, would be a sopping great mess.... a disaster of mould, a petri dish of disgusting mould growing in the lav"

"Louise" Brian walked in from the next room swiftly. If he had to walk he might as well get there fast, get in- get out but he did it all so gracefully.
No one even thought he was ever in a rush though, his steady façade dropped away slightly on seeing the mess of baby items littering the main room. Lou didn't know where she was supposed to be, so she picked a spot and dropped, dropped, dropped! "The hotel will do all the laundry for us, there are special bags in the bathroom drawer and I've organised another room with a small but entirely functional kitchen. Please don't fret Louise. Anything you need just come and see me, alright"