In My Life - George Harrison/The Beatles

Chapter Six: Meet the Beatles

"Bloody hell, Constance!" Ruby exclaimed as soon as the boys had taken their final bow and exited the stage just as the curtain closed. "They were amazing!"

"Yeah, yeah they were," Connie grinned proudly as Ruby grabbed her hand and began pulling her out of their front row seats and into the main foyer of the theatre, and as she noticed the hysteria from the fans, she muttered, "Dunno why they're all still screaming though,"

Connie knew that Beatlemania was wild, but it was overwhelming, she decided, as the two forced their way through the crowds to get to the back room of the theatre where the press evening was taking place. Looking around at all the fans, mostly girls, she couldn't help but notice the exhausted expressions on their faces, as if they were the ones who'd just performed, the odd person having to be carried out, and Connie couldn't help but muse oer how bizarre it all was. To her, John was just her annoying older cousin, Paul was the boy next door, Ringo was someone who she used to serve at work, and George was the boy who she used to walk home from school with. They were special to her, but in mundane ways, ways that didn't make her scream and cry. The fact that those boys she'd known back in her youth were the reason for people sobbing and fainting was beyond her.

Finally breaking away from the fangirls, Connie and Ruby flashed their press passes to security before being escorted into the press room, which was a harsh contrast to the theatre, where the excitement was overflowing. In there though, there were no mad teenagers, just professional journallists that gave off a strong hegemonic vibe that Connie was used to but didn't enjoy. Most of them were in smart suits, the females dressed like Ruby, and though Connie stuck out like a sore thumb, she didn't care. Work or not, professionalism or not, she was about to see her best friends, the rest didn't matter.

Someone was handing out drinks, free flutes of champagne, and though Ruby politely declined, Connie helped herself. Maybe that was another difference of their upbringings, Connie not used to being offered fancy things for free, or maybe it was the steady build up of nerves that made her want alcohol to get her through, even if she hadn't drank in months, years even. As she took a sip, Ruby grabbed her arm, squeezing it slightly to get her attention.

"Right, so the plan is, I'll do most of the talking, you take the notes," Ruby instructed her, making her bite her lip ever so slightly, not loving the fact that she was taking over.

"Okay..." Connie nodded despite not agreeing, and though she was focused on Ruby, she saw the other girl was looking around the room, desperate to spot one of the Beatles.

"They probably deal with reporters all the time, so I'll ask the questions, we just need to get them all together..." Ruby spoke, sounding as if she was trying to reassure herself more than Connie, until she drifted off. Suddenly her eyes widened, and she hit Connie's arm excitedly, nearly making hr spill her already nearly-empty glass. "Oh, one of them is over there!"

With a small frown in an attempt to hide her elation, Connie spun around to see where Ruby was looking, only to spot none other than Ringo, attempting to weave his way through the press without being noticed. He was probably trying to get to the bar, probably wanting a few moments of peace, and as much as she wanted to speak to him, Connie recognised the fact he'd be exhausted and would want a few moments before being hounded by the press. As she was about to attempt to suggest leaving him alone, Ruby had already begun to make her way over to him, pulling her notebook out of her jacket pocket. With a small sigh, Connie downed the rest of her champagne, handing it over to the nearest server with a small 'thank you', before rushing after her colleague.

"Hi, Ringo, we're on behalf of the New Times Magazine, we were just wondering if we could ask you and the others some quest-" Ruby began, but was cut off as Ringo recognised Connie, stood slightly behind the other woman. The drummer let out a small cheer as he moved past a dumbfounded Ruby to pull the fellow Liverpudlian into a hug.