⇾ 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐌𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 | 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐈

Chapter Sixty-Four: The Beatles Need a New, Improved, and Good Reputation

January 24, 1962

John's POV

Today was the day we were properly signing a management contract with Brian. Knowing this would be a pivotal moment in our careers as musicians, everyone was giddy with nerves and excitement. It was just properly settling in the air that we could soon be a proper band, with albums and stuff. Maybe one day we'd even be known worldwide. We had no way of knowing, but the anticipation was the most exciting part for the time being.

Paul and George were skipping like schoolgirls down the road towards NEMS with their arms clasps, chanting about getting to the top, or something like that, I couldn't quite pick up on. I could hear Pete laughing in the midst at whatever they were saying. It was a nice little feeling to just be four friends walking down the road.

"John!" I looked up to see Paul staring back. They'd stopped around the last corner of the journey. "Do I need to do it?"

I grinned and shook my head. "Of course you don't."

"Well, c'mon then!" he urged.

I cleared my throat sarcastically. "And where is it we're going, boys?"

"To the toppermost of the poppermost, Johnny!" they all shouted in unison, unable to repress wide, child-like grins.

~~~

"So," I said, sitting back in my chair at Brian's small desk, tapping a pen against the table as a man looking very official on-looked. "25%, correct? Of all of that we earn?"

Brian nodded. "Is that what we're settling on?"

I turned to the rest. They all nodded eagerly, their eyes bright.

"Deal," I said, signing my name at one of the five designated spots
right and passing the pen off for everyone else to sign too. After the four of us had signed, Brian signed his, and just like that, it was official. We were sealed as a band.

No one said anything for a moment.

"Congratulations, boys. You've got yourselves a manager."

"And a friiiend," added George in a sarcastic voice.

"Hey, Brian?" I asked.

"Yes, John?" He folded just arms on the table and held a steady eye contact with me.

"Heard anything back from Decca yet?"

"Ah, yes." He sighed.

"Not good then, I presume?" asked Paul, taking the chair next to me.

"I'm afraid not, but—."

The magical but.

"But?"

"I've got a little meeting set up for the eighth with EMI. I'm not stopping until someone sees as much talent in you as I do," he said confidently.

I nodded thoughtfully. "So, back to London on the eighth?"

"For a day or two, yes. I've also been thinking about seeing about an audition for the BBC, if you guys would be okay with that, of course?"

"We'll think about it, Eppy, for sure," I said with a smile.

He nodded and I heard the bell put in the main store jingle, wondering if it was Donna. "Well, then, I guess we're done." He clasped his hands together. "Thanks for stopping by." He smiled and dismissed us.

"How's it going?" I heard Donna's voice ask from down the hall. I looked over to see her sitting at the desk, her lanyard on. She was working for a few hours today. The guy that was always here, Thomas, I think, was on the other side of the room with a crate of albums, putting them in bins. I leaned my arm against the counter, getting as close to Donna as humanly possible.

"It's going great," said Paul confidently. "It seems our luck maybe has shifted just a little bit."

She smiled her beautiful smile that always left me annoyingly flustered. "That's awesome," she answered. A father and a daughter wandered into the shop. She greeted them and the girl gave a little wave before going off to leaf through a box of Buddy Holly albums. It took her a moment, but then she turned back around and stared at us for a moment. We peered back, confused for a moment.

"You were in the paper," she said. "The Beatles?"

"Uh—yes, that's us," said George when none of us knew what to say. No one had really recognized us outside of the Cavern.

She smiled and I saw Donna look down at her hands, and then duck down like she had something behind the counter to get. "We've seen you at the Cavern," she said with a beam. "You guys are amazing."

"Thank you, love," Paul said with a proud smile.

"Fancy meeting you." She gave a little wave and returned to flipping through the box. Donna came back up.

"What did you need down there, then?" I asked her amusedly.

"Uh—." She held up a pen. "Something to write with?"

I gave her a little kiss on the lips. "Have a nice time at work," I said teasingly.

She rolled her eyes. "Have a nice time wherever you four could possibly be going. No getting into any trouble. Brian may very well kill you."

I nodded. "Ah, yes, I almost forgot. We've got to have a good reputation now."

"That you do. Now, on your way."

I nodded. "We'll be top-notch."

"I'm sure you will be." The father and daughter came up to the counter and Donna began to ring them up. "Love you, darling!" I called as the others began to pull me out of the shop.

"Love you too," she called back with a smile.

"You two are like two five-year-olds," remarked Paul when the door had closed and everyone else laughed.

I shoved him. "Hey, Paul."

"Yes?"

"How's Dot?"

He thought a moment. "Getting better, I suppose," he answered. "Although I don't think the wedding is happening anymore."

"Well," I said. "Now you don't have to worry about not being ready," I offered.

He nodded and looked down at his feet. "I'm afraid we're not going to last much longer," he admitted. "She's distancing herself."

I patted him on the back. "Oh, Macca, can't you just force yourself back in like you do with everyone else?"

He scowled at me. "It's not exactly that easy after you've called off a marriage and lost a kid."

I shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Uh—where are we going?" asked George.

"We're going to eat something, I hope," I said. "I'm starving."

George nodded. "Me too."