Get It Straight, Or Say Good Night

Man Handle

14th December 1963 - London Wimbledon Palais

"Hi Mal" Louise stepped out of the back of the dark blue police car, her yellow bumble bee dress a stark and bright contrast to the vehicle that idled, lingering behind her. She turned about to thank the nice bobbies before continuing to walk towards Mal and the backstage doors.

"Police escort, very fancy Missus L" Mal grinned, flashing a set of straight white teeth with a gold filling shining brightly toward the back.

"I had to, with the boys back the marauding fan-girls are driving me plum crazy at the flat. I can't even go to the grocer's without having to slip out over the back fence into Mister Smiths place. He's nice though, he wants to put a gate in" Louise tried to settle her nerves after the shocking misadventure of leaving the flat this evening, being manhandled by the two bobbies into the police car, it all meant she wasn't feeling especially jovial.

"Where's little miss Eve?" Mal smiled, he loved that little angel just as much as the lads all did.

"With the neighbour, she's very good with her and Evie loves her heaps" Lou took Mal's hand he offered her and they climbed the stairs to the backstage door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Daily Mirror, in early November, held the future in it's headlines........

"BEATLEMANIA! It's happening everywhere... even in sedate Cheltenham"

The news story had made Louise sit up from her slouching position and read then reread the clipping she had been idly chopping out with her nail scissors. She clipped away usually without bothering to read the damn articles, there was too much to read so she just chopped, filed and filled a box to one day stick the lot in a load of scrapbooks.
Evie helped by scrunching up the paper and covering herself with ink marks on her fingers, arms and all over her mouth, inside sometimes too, if Lou wasn't quick enough to remove the wet nasty mess.

Beatlemania had fans finding the flat, the phone number, their mail, their plants.... Nothing was sacred and Lou seldom left the flat anymore, she preferred to pay the local fan, a girl that lived two doors down, to go to the shops for her. It was easier that way, but it was prison.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Come on luv, they're all ready to go on stage" Mal pushed Lou gently ahead of him, a big hand on her back, another pointing which way over her shoulder. The noise steadily rising to fever pitch it seemed, but if the boys weren't on yet ..........

For so long she hadn't seen them, for so long she only spoke to John on the telephone, a caramel thick voice drizzling down the line. For so long she had been apart from the circus roadshow of the band and now she stepped around a green velvet curtain and stopped short, big Mal Evans banging into her back, knocking the wind out of himself.

Mal stood moments waiting for Lou to step out of the end of the hallway but she was frozen to the spot. Finally, he didn't bother anymore, manhandling her out of his way, he walked down one side to stand positioned almost alongside the lads, ready to move forward and act as security at front of stage.

Lou was stood staring at their backs, they were currently hidden from the stage and the audience by curtains but spotlights were blazing, shining on them like some holy light, a luminating aura over their forms. 

Suits tight and fitted, handsome even from the rear she noted. Even George .... his flat arse now looked somewhat manly for some lucky girl to ogle.

They were the Beatles.

And she was just some broad holding the bandleader back.

Tonight....

Tonight, Louise saw mega stars, she saw the four headed monster almost like it was the first time she was really seeing them, forgetting all the years she had known them.

The power, the sexual energy radiating, all of them strong, confident in their skills and commanding even as they stood patiently waiting for some minor technical issue to be sorted.

Like emperors waiting for the feast.

Mal made a motion and as if he was commanding puppets, one by one from right to left they spun around.

Paul - beaming at her giving the wonderful thumbs up, so jovial and happy. He was the epiphany of happiness, radiating pep and sunshine like a warm summers day.

George - rolling his eyes tapping his wrist as if to say, 'it's about time' and grinning with a Cheshire cat-like grin.

Richy - his brooding gorgeous blue eyes serious but smiling at her, warmth and love emitting. A wave given with a twitch of his tightly grasped drumsticks.

Then all eyes fell on John, stood statue like- unmoving at the end of the static procession. 

He didn't turn about, his head dropped slightly, lowering like a child knowing he was in deep trouble for breaking Aunt Mimi's favourite vase. Shoulders slumped, eyes cast downwards, if he could have disappeared he would have.

Lou was staring at his back he could, he thought, feel her daggers and knives aimed. Pointed and sharp, arrow-like, digging into him for all the hurt he had thrown at her.

Deserved it, he thought, I deserve it all.

Lou's heart fell away for him, tumbling into the depths of despair at his sadness and before she could control what she was doing she was moving.

Before Brian realised her mission.

Before Mal raised his hand.

Before the bobby took a step.

Before the curtains parted.

Lou was there.

With him.

Hands around his waist hugging tightly from behind, kissing his cheek, trying to rub the ruby red lipstick away quickly then fingers were grasping the front of his suit jacket as if life itself depended on her holding on.

Perhaps it did.

Perhaps Louise feared her life was going to be ripped from her if she didn't hold him so tightly.

Perhaps she knew if she didn't show John what he meant to her.... Let him know that she wouldn't disappear from view, that she wouldn't evict him from her heart .... He may just break himself.

The curtains snagged on a random timber folding chair that was jutting outwards, cast forgotten, at the corner of the stage.

Mal woke to the fact that this was it, the curtain was receding and time was up .... and if John wasn't going to appear on stage with a limpet attached, he had better act now.

Big Mal moved lightning fast, he was quick when need be. He tried to pry her fingers lose, shaking Louise to get her free like he was shaking a small rag doll. She held firm not at all satisfied with Johns ongoing silence and still so sad stance.

Lou's fingers were strong, she seemed welded around Johns waist and with Brain now on one side, Mal on the other the curtains drew further away from hiding the scene.

Inch by inch the stage was revealed, screams rose ever higher, closer to that particular fever pitch that haunted their every show.

Paul was bounding forward grinning and waving ever the showman, George walking like a snail to plug in to his amp and Richy, before leaving to climb atop the riser, was tapping Lou's arm to wake her to the ruckus that was about to befell them, but he got no response. She was too interested in John's plight.

Finally....

She got a smile...

She released his suit jacket,

She let go.

It was ok.

He was ok.

John stepped forward into the spotlight, grinning.

Louise was gathered up by Mal, a hand hugging her limp but happy body to his frame, moving back and away he finally set her down at the side of the stage, Brian holding her hand in a vice like grip.

He was ok, she made him ok...