Ringo's Requiem

Chapter 2: Place of Solitude

The bright and inviting environment of the outside world was certainly a relief to Ringo.

He was not surprised that today's sessions had ended early. It had happened so many other times.

Birds chirped as they flew through the air, oblivious to the drummer who was currently walking through the field of flowers.

How many times has he gone here?

Even Ringo didn't know.

The single tree, standing in the middle of the field, was always where he would sit down and think about things.

This area was not too far away from the studio that brought him misery, but it was not so close that his friends would think he was here.

Here, he was safe from being around other people.

Of course, Maureen and his two children didn't make him feel bad, but something within Ringo didn't even want to be near them right now.

Sighing, Ringo sat down in front of the tree, its leaves protecting him from the sun's rays.

If it were 1964, Ringo knew for a fact that he and his friends would be doing something together in this field. 

But, things had changed so much in five years.

Ringo didn't know if his friends even knew of the field's existence, and he was sure that, if they did, then they wouldn't consider being here together for a second.

He would ask them about doing something here, but he knew all too well how bad of an idea it was.

A warm breeze blew through the area, bringing Ringo comfort.

To think that this place was under a mile away from...

Ringo shook his head, lowering his head and staring at the flowers in front of him.

He didn't want to think about that right now.

But, even as Ringo pushed the thoughts of his friends from his mind, tears once again began to form in his eyes.

This time, however, he did not stop them from silently running down his cheeks.

No one was here, after all. There's no point in trying to stop it. 

For a moment, Ringo wondered what would have happened if he had let his tears run free earlier that day.

Would they have even noticed?

Even if they did, what would they have done?

Ringo saw tears escape from his friends' own eyes, but he knew that they weren't from pain or sadness, unlike his own.

He didn't want his friends to know how much their fighting had gotten to him.

Would Maureen understand?

Probably.

In fact, Ringo was sure that she was beginning to catch onto something. The fact that her normally upbeat husband would come home some hours after sessions had ended, looking like he hasn't slept, surely was noticeable by now.

A part of Ringo wondered if Maureen would finally say something about it when he went home. 

At least she wouldn't be angry.

But, could he trust her to keep his true feelings a secret?

Ringo wanted to say yes, but he knew how much Maureen cared for him. She would only tell his friends about it, and they would...

What would they do?

Would they just stop all of the bickering and become true friends again, or would they just act that way for a moment before delving into a fight again?

Besides, Ringo wasn't comfortable with letting his friends know about his situation.

He wasn't one for making his friends feel bad about themselves. He still cared about them, more than anything else in the world.

He didn't want them to go off on their own.

What would happen then?

Would they just forget about each other?

Ringo knew that they had already forgotten about the many good times they shared already.

He didn't though.

He couldn't forget.

That last thought only made Ringo think about what they would be doing in this flowery field if they were as close as they were so many years ago.

One big loop of thoughts.

All of that thinking and questioning only led Ringo back to the same place.

He imagined that they would be having some sort of picnic here, laughing at each others jokes as they ate. Or maybe, they would be playing a game with each other.

Ringo smiled at the thought.

It would be very refreshing for something like that to happen soon, but he knew that his friends wouldn't want to go anywhere with each other, at least on a bad session day like this.

Sighing heavily, Ringo wiped his face as he stood up.

He would have to go home before long, for he didn't want Maureen to worry about where he was.

Zak and Jason were certainly a delight to see whenever he came home.

Being able to interact with people who knew nothing about Ringo's situation made it feel as if the situation didn't exist at all.

Slowly, Ringo began walking back the way he came, wanting nothing more than see his children's smiling faces as they all played with each other.

Their laughing would certainly bring Ringo the comfort he's been needing for so long, but he knew that it wouldn't absolve him of his troubles.

But still, it was nice to pretend, every once in a while, that everything was fine.