Get It Straight, Or Say Good Night

Climb Aboard, The Magical Mystery Tour

"So .... couldn't make it then. Couldn't last out the whole tour with Mimi but willing to give it a good English try now?" Richy smiled as he leant on the window looking back at Louise on the opposite side of the seat. "Did he call at all hours or somethin' ?"

The taxi steered through the wet conditions, the roads overflowing with the torrential downfall that seemed to hover over them all the way to the airport to catch the plane bound for Australia.

"I.... I just.... Oh, blow it! I miss the big lout, don't I. Home is right boring without him sitting there in silence for hours then reading Snoopy comics out overly loud and dropping crumbs all over the sheets" Lou grinned as she watched the traffic swirl around them, bright amber indications of lanes changes, red stoplights and bright headlights on for the rain.

A bobby stood forlorn, a near relic of the past he was now, traffic signals now abundant across the city but this intersection was just him, drenched and bleary looking. A whistle in his mouth, big outlandish bucket of a hat on his noggin and arms swishing this way and that.

"I wonder where they send all the intersection coppers to? Airport maybe, they still use hand signals for the hairy planes, don't they?" Richy leaned over and waved gaily at the stoic copper, a bit useless really as the window was up tight, plastered with a thousand droplets of rain. "Oh, how I will miss the English rain- not. Virgin Islands now that's what I need to perk me up"

"Australia will be nice though. Except Sydney.... apparently their cape stitching melted in the rain there and Paulie's new suit ran rivers of dye. Wish I'd seen that" Lou smiled as she straightened Evie's dress. "You weren't too upset with Jimmy filling in then?"

Richy scowled at her - oops.

"What if he's better? John would easily swap 'im for me if thats the case"

"God you're a dunce"

"Well thanks Louise... for the shoulder to cry on and all"

'You're very welcome Richy"

"It was said sarcastically"

"So was mine" Louise pulled Richie across the seat to her, two kids now cuddled up. One on her lap, the other leaning on her shoulder "If he did anything like that I would neuter him for you"

"You're such a good friend"

"I know" she smiled as she pinched his nose gently, pretending to steal it away wiggling her finger between the others. 'Pretending' it was his nose she had hostage.

"So, after you neuter him, you'll be able to go off the pill" Richy's mind wandered where it will go as usual. Always saying some daft but ultimately funny thing.

"Why are you so practical Richy!?!- I was thinking the same thing!" Louise laughed.

Richy was so nice and easy to joke with. She hadn't seen much of him while he was in hospital recovering from his tonsilitis.

Ringo, having collapsed at a photo shoot earlier in the week before the trip, was laid up and left out. Sure she sent flowers the first day and visited once but he was pretty depressed when the powers that be decided that 'the show must go on' and hired Jimmy Nichols to fill in Ringo's big Cuban boots.

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"Well lads last knees up and all that" John was pissed, having enjoyed the last few weeks thoroughly, he was going to go out with a bang. "Pass the scotch Jimmy lad"

Tonight he would drink, fuck and get the partying out of his system.

The Denmark and Netherland girls had been few and far between- there were more lads in the audience there!