The Beatles Short Stories

The Skating Rink Debacle

The Beatles had a break in their long, exhausting tour. They had taken a stop in California and they were now allowed a few days off. So, what better thing to do when you've got a day off then to go skating? At least that's what the Beatles thought. They had driven themselves to a skating rink called "Rock 'n' Rollerskating" and they had put on some sunglasses and inconspicuous clothing in hopes of not being noticed. They walked in, paid, and picked out their correct shoe size, or what they thought was their correct shoe size. Ringo's, though, were a bit too small.
"Um, guys?" he spoke up after putting on the tiny skate.
"What is it, Rings?" John asked, slightly annoyed because he was eager to skate.
"These are way too small. I feel like my toes are going to pop through!"
"Well, then go over there and get a bigger size," suggested Paul.
"I will!" the drummer replied as he took the skate off and walked over to the counter where a matronly-looking woman stood with an agitated expression.
"What do you need?" she huffed.
"Well, these are too small and I wanted to switch them for a bigger size," Ringo answered politely.
"Well, what size did you have to begin with?" she asked, not trying to hide her irritation with the Beatle.
"An eight."
"Fine then, here's a nine and you better not come bothering me again if it's the wrong size!" she snapped.
"If you only knew," the drummer chuckled.
"Knew what?"
"Oh, nothing. Thanks for the skates!" he said as he made his way over to the other Beatles, who were still waiting patiently.
The woman just rolled her eyes.
"Did you get your size?" George asked.
"Yeah, not without dealing with a complete swine," the drummer whispered.
"If only she knew," Paul thought aloud.
"That's exactly what I said!"
"Stupid minds think alike!" John cut in before Paul could respond.
"Right, because I'm not the one that writes #1 hits with you," Paul deflected sarcastically.
"You're right! I pretty much do all of the writing! I am so glad you've finally realized that!" John said while overcompensating on artificial joy.
"Whatever, Lennon. Now, are we going to skate or what?" Paul said as he attempted to get off of the bench. Carefully, he lifted himself to his feet. All seemed well until he actually went to move. Just as he did, he ran over a stray shoe that seemed to be acting as a bomb in a minefield. Before he knew it, his back hit the ground with a "Whack!" The other Beatles couldn't contain their laughter and burst into a guffaw. Paul just glared at them with an annoyed expression.
"Hey look everybody! It's James Fall McCartney! Get it? Fall?" John cackled.
"You guys are so supportive," Paul said while trying to get up for the second time, although he seemed to be failing miserably once again. Ringo, though, had pity.
"Here, Paul, let me help you," he said as he lifted the bassist to his feet.
"Thank you, Ringo. It's nice to know that someone has my back," he said as he glanced at John and George.
"Anyways, let's skate!" George said, not trying to change conversation at all.
And so, with no more casualties, they got onto the rink. There were quite a few people skating so they had to get on quickly, lest they be trampled. Their sunglasses and dark clothing immediately earned them a few lingering looks, but nothing too intimidating. They skated around the first time and, just like that, smiles were plastered on their faces. They hadn't had fun in what seemed like years, and so something as simple as skating was quite a treat.
Twenty minutes later, they were still having fun, but they were beginning to get tired, especially because the songs that the rink was playing were not what the Fab Four wanted to hear. The rink only played slow songs or songs that they simply didn't know, which was really saying something considering their occupation.
"Do they know what music is?" John said as he skated beside his mates.
"I don't think so. I wish they'd play Chuck Berry or Elvis or something," Paul replied.
"Or Carl Perkins!" George suggested.
"Or us!" Ringo said with a laugh.
"That would be hilarious, wouldn't it?" John chuckled.
"Quite."
But, just as he said that, "Can't Buy Me Love" sounded through the speakers.
"That's what I'm talking about! Music!" John cheered.
But, the four of them weren't the only ones celebrating. Every teenage girl there began to giggle and squeal. The Beatles just laughed to themselves. Paul, though, began to feel guilty after overhearing one girl's conversation.
"I would just give anything to meet them! But, I'm afraid I haven't much time left."
"How much time did the doctor say you had?" her friend asked.
"Six months or so. If I had one wish it would be to meet the Beatles. Especially Paul McCartney. He's my favorite!" she said with a swoon.
Paul couldn't help but feel extremely sorry for the poor girl and so, he did the unthinkable. He skated beside her and said:
"Excuse me luv, did you say you liked the Beatles?"
"Oh yes! I love them with all of my heart!"
"Well, what would you say if you could meet them?"
"I'd love to! But, that's not gonna happen," she said with a frown.
"Why not when they're right here?" he said as he took off his glasses, obviously revealing his famous face.
"Paul McCartney?!" she gasped while her friend almost fell over.
"Shshsh, luv! Nobody else knows we're here!" he whispered through a smile as he put his glasses back on.
"We're?!" her friend squealed.
"Yes, all four of us are here. By the way, what are your names?"
"I'm Rose," the first girl answered.
"And I'm Vera," her friend answered.
"It's nice to meet you girls. I'm Paul," he smiled.
"We know that!" Vera giggled.
Now, by this time, the other three Beatles had noticed Paul talking to the two and, immediately, they felt betrayed.
"Why in the world would he do that? What if he blows our cover?" John worried.
"I don't know. Maybe he's got a reason," Ringo tried.
"Yeah, the reason being he likes to flirt," George said with an eye roll.
"Exactly," John laughed.
Ringo, though, wasn't buying it. Something was telling him that Paul had a valid reason, but, then again, he could be wrong. His thoughts were soon interrupted, though, by the very person he was contemplating over.
"Hey, mates!" he said. "I'd like you to meet Rose and Vera. They're very big fans of ours and they'd like to meet you guys as well."
"Nice to meet you, girls," said Ringo as he extended a hand.
Both girls shook it excitedly, which caused the drummer to smile. John and George then shook their hands which almost caused Vera to topple over again.
"So, would you girls like to skate with us?" Paul asked, considering you weren't really supposed to stand at a halt in the middle of the rink.
"Sure! Maybe we could hold hands!" Vera exclaimed as she took Ringo's hand.
"That sounds like a great idea!" Rose agreed while taking Paul's hand.
And so, they began to skate. Since John and George didn't have a partner, they decided to talk amongst themselves.
"I wish Paul wasn't so darn friendly. I mean, every time a bird says she likes us he has to go overboard with niceness," said George.
"Hey, you're telling me. I wish he would just let it be for once," replied John.
"Let it be or something!" George laughed.
Meanwhile, Paul was talking to Rose, trying to get to know her.
"So, what do you like to do for fun?" he inquired.
"Well, I love animals so I like to play with my dogs and my cat," she answered with a smile that made Paul's heart melt.
"Too bad she doesn't have much longer to do that," he thought sadly.
"I like animals too. Especially dogs. I've always wanted a sheepdog, how about you?" he said while trying to sound as cheerful as possible.
"Oh, me too! They're so pretty! I've got a Beagle and a Lab, though. I love them very much."
"That's neat, Rose," said Paul in a somewhat melancholy tone.
Rose took notice and instantaneously decided to check on the Beatle.
"What's wrong, Paul? You seem sad," she said.
"Oh, it's nothing, really," he said as he quickly put on a smile. He had learned to be quite the actor around the press and fans, so he easily fooled her.
"Okay, just checking."
Meanwhile, Ringo was talking with Vera. The drummer was quickly realizing that she was quite the talker and that she had a bubbly personality. They talked about anything and everything and Vera couldn't be happier.
"I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this. Don't tell the others, but you've always been my favorite," she whispered.
"Aww, thanks. I'm enjoying this as well y'know," he smiled.
"Really?!" she squealed.
"Really."
With that being said, they linked hands and continued to skate. All was well until the most rare of occurrences happened. While skating around the corner, Vera noticed that there was a spider crawling on Ringo's ear. How the poor drummer didn't feel it crawling is unknown to the entire human race, but, nevertheless, he didn't. Vera couldn't help herself and let out an ear splitting scream, which gained the attention of everyone on the rink. She then decided to take action. She whacked the terrible bug, which caused Ringo to let out a small yelp. The problem was as she whacked his ear she knocked his sunglasses off, which happened to be the only thing hiding his famous persona. They fell to the ground and shattered as an unknowing teenager ran right over them.
"Oh no!" Ringo shouted after realizing his predicament.
"What's the matter?" Vera asked.
"My sunglasses are busted! Now everyone will recognize me!" the drummer whispered harshly.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" she moaned.
"That's alright, I'll just try to get off of the rink."
But just as they were passing John, George, Paul, and Rose, the piercing shriek of a teenage girl penetrated across the rink.
"It's Ringo Starr and the Beatles!!!" she yelled.
"No! We're done for!" they all screamed in unison.
"Get off the rink now!" John cried while frantically trying to get to the exit without being trampled by the Beatle-conscious crowd.
They twisted and shouted, the insane crowd proving to be too much for the two girls.
"We're almost there, luv," Paul said discreetly to Rose.
"Good. I can't stand this any longer," she moaned.
The six were seconds away from the exit until a "Thud" was heard from behind. They turned around to find John on the wooden floor.
"Johnny! Get up, Johnny! Come on!" Ringo cried while attempting to help the unfortunate rhythm guitarist up.
After a few tugs on the moptop, Ringo got John up and they skated, or more like raced, to the exit where the others had already arrived.
"Come on! Let's get to the car!" George shouted.
"We're coming!"
And so, they made it to the exit and out of the door to the outside, still wearing their skates, mind you. "That front desk lady is going to be so mad!" Ringo thought briefly. The crowd had followed them out, but before any of them could be mobbed, they got in the car and slammed the door shut. John crammed the key into the keyhole and started the car. He smashed the gas pedal down, which took talent considering his skate was still on. The tires squealed and shrieked as the six stormed out of the parking lot of "Rock 'n' Rollerskating."
Eventually, they had gotten out of sight and the two girls had relaxed immensely.
"I'm so sorry about that, girls," Paul apologized with a frown.
"It's alright, Paul. We still had a great time," Rose spoke up.
"No, it's not. In your condition, you don't need all of that excitement."
"Wait a minute. What do you mean by 'in my condition?'" Rose asked, sounding quite puzzled.
"Well," Paul said as his face turned red, "I overheard you saying that you only had six months left."
"Oh!" Rose responded with a laugh. "You thought I meant six months to live?"
"Yeah, isn't that right?" he asked, embarrassed.
"No! I've got six months before I move to the country where there are no famous people to catch a glimpse of. That's what I meant!" she said as she laughed uncontrollably.
"But, Vera said that the doctor told you you had six months!" Paul tried, still not understanding.
"Her dad is a doctor. I just always call him by that title!" Vera said as she too began to laugh.
"Oh, well, I'm glad you're going to live! Very glad indeed!" Paul exclaimed, the weight finally lifting off of his shoulders.
"Is that the only reason you let us know who you were?" Rose finally asked after recovering from the laughing fit.
"Well, yes, but, either way, I'm glad I did," Paul admitted.
"So are we! You four are so sweet!" Vera exclaimed.
"Thank you girl. That means a lot," Ringo smiled.
And so, the four Beatles and their accidental, but sweet friends drove down the roads of California, not having a clue where they were going, but knowing that they did need somewhere to take their skates off.

Alright, as always thanks so much for reading. Sorry I didn't post on Thursday, but seeing that is was Thanksgiving, I decided not to. Once again, requests are opened. So, if you've got an idea, I'd be happy to hear it, as long as it's appropriate. Christmas story ideas are opened as well. Until next time!