In My Life - George Harrison/The Beatles

Chapter Twenty Three: Pete Forever, Ringo Never

October 1962

"My old manager just caught me at the bar," Connie told both Florence and Cilla as she forced her way through the crowd of the dancefloor in the Cavern Club, handing them the drinks she'd just bought for them. "Asked me if I'd work a shift tomorrow,"

"Hope you told him no, you promised me you'd help me work tomorrow," Cilla pointed out, reminding Connie of her promise she'd made to help her do some hairdressing.

"As if I'd say yes, besides he wanted me for an evening shift and me and George are meant to be going to the pictures tomorrow night," Connie rolled her eyes before glancing over to the stage where a tech guy was fiddling around with the speakers getting ready for the next band to come onto the stage.

The next band in question was The Beatles. It was the first time Connie was going to see them perform with Ringo, and even though she'd spent the night before at George's house as the band practiced it was going to be the first time she'd seen the other boys play live for nearly two years. She was buzzing in excitement, a feeling that only seemed to be doubled by the fact that she was back in the Cavern and was surrounded by her mates after so long.

There was just something about the atmosphere in that club that matched up to nothing and the prospect of seeing her best friends perform again for the first time in years in a venue she adored took her back to her teenage years. Being back in the place she used to work in surrounded by people she loved made her so nostalgic. It wasn't just Cilla, Florence and the lads making her feel that way, considering she'd bumped into her old friend Gerry and his band - The Pacemakers - at the bar, and Rory and the Hurricanes were meant to be on after the Beatles.

There were so many familiar faces surrounding her that night, people who seemed genuinely happy and excited to see her to the point Connie felt loved for the first time in a long time. It wasn't like it was in London where people didn't know the real her, where people knew her work persona and nothing else. The people in Liverpool seemed to know and understand her much better. They knew the real Connie Lennon, not Constance Emilia, the person she tried to be in London, acting as if her life was all together and she knew exactly what she was doing all the time. In Liverpool, she didn't have to pretend to be that person, because she was enough for those around her.

Not that she wanted to think of London, not on that night. She'd missed work and writing articles, but she hadn't missed the people, and given the fact she was due back in work in three days, she tried to focus on what was happening that night. The memories she would make with her friends on that night were what was most likely going to carry her through the next few months living alone down south, or at least until she could next see people. For one night only, she really wanted the nostalgia trip of feeling like a teenager again, getting drunk and dancing with her friends.

It was then that, as Connie took a swig of her whisky, the band came onto stage. First was John and Paul, and then George, followed by Ringo. The guitarists all came on to thunderous applause and cheers, but as soon as Ringo took a seat behind his drums the crowd seemed to quieten slightly, murmuring apprehensively. She'd seen him play plenty with the Hurricanes and he'd never been cheered that apprehensively before, so the reaction to him took her by surprise, wondering what had happened to him to make the crowds that cautious. Connie grinned in encouragement at the boys, but as soon as they looked down at their guitars and to each other, she turned to the girls, frowning in confusion as she contemplated Ringo's reception on stage.

"People are still mad they fired Pete," Florence informed her casually, and Connie let out a sigh crossed with a laugh, a perfect mix of shock and exasperation. "The fans really liked Pete so they're mad that the lads seemed to just shove him out,"