NoWhere Boy:A John Lennon love story

Strawberry Fields Forever

"Be back by 10:00 please and stay out of trouble." Bobby said giving me $1 for anything I needed. I made my way down the sidewalk and waved back towards the house.

I was meeting up with 'some friends from school' to discuss a project. Truth was that John and I really needed to talk about everything. I wanted to see if I could get more out of him about what he knows about his mom. The only things I knew about Julia was what I had been trough, but I'm positive Mimi has told him a thing or two more. I also wanted to let him get anything he needed off his chest, he seemed to be holding so much in and I could tell he was slowly breaking. Most importantly we needed to talk about us.

The walk to The Salvation Army building wasn't that far of a trip from my house. I was walking along when I ran into Stan. Stan was my moms nephew, we weren't extremely close but we knew one another from school. We happened to be lab partners this year but since we've known each other for years it wasn't as uncomfortable as it would be if it were random person.

"Where ya off too Cam?" He beamed, he was carrying groceries home for his mum no doubt.

"Oh just Strawberry Fields!" We both laughed.

"Geez, John spying on the girls again? He should grow up and stay out of trees!" He called as he turned to walk in a different direction.

"Oh you know he never will!" I yelled back continuing to laugh. I walked up Menlove Avenue towards Mendips. John was far closer to the place than I was so I'm sure he was there by now. The sun had just begun to set and by the time I had gotten myself over the gates it had disappeared behind the horizon leaving me in the dark. The only lights were of the candles in the orphanage window.

I stumbled through the darkness to the hill we usually met. "John?" I whispered not seeing his silhouette in the quickening darkness. I started to shiver a bit, it was quite chilly all of a sudden. "John, please come out." I sat on the slope of the hill facing away from the orphanage and began to shiver again.

I waited a while. At first I thought he may be pulling a joke on me, that maybe he was going to jump out and scare me. Then I thought maybe he got caught by Mimi and was getting lectured. Lastly I thought that he might have forgotten or was trying to avoid me. I didn't want this to happen but it did anyways. We somehow became a little more than we were actually comfortable with and we were falling apart. But I waited, I waited until my fingers went numb from the frigid air. I waited until I couldn't think anymore. I felt my life and the surrounding world go numb.

I saw a lot. I heard a loud array of instruments clashing about as if they were warming up, getting louder as my thoughts progressed. People and places flashed across my field of vision as if I were spinning and they just happened to be standing by. I saw Julia and Mimi with their backs to one another. I saw John and I looking down. I saw that doe-eyed boy Paul. I saw Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. So many things that all had one thing somehow connected at its roots; John and I. Why did it all have to be so complicated? We were worlds apart on the same Earth. My eyes slowly opened to be met with complete darkness.

I forced myself to stand, knees wobbling as I did. I had won a long sleeved blouse and a knee length skirt since it had been pretty warm earlier but now I greatly regretted it. The candles in the windows were blown out, the children lay fast asleep no doubt. I climbed back over the fence, my knee scrapping on a brick as I did. I hissed for the second of pain I felt but just kept walking after the numbness kicked back in.

I stumbled down Menlove again, this time not afraid to walk past Johns house, I just didn't care. As I got close enough to see his house down the Avenue I noticed an ambulance pull onto the street. I furrowed my brow and quickened my pace. I watched as it stopped in front of Johns house. I forced my legs to make me walk a little faster. Surely I was seeing wrong. I watched as a stretcher was taken out and brought into his home. I pushed off my heel and broke into a sprint. My mind raced once again as I shoved the gate to his yard open and ran to the door.

Uncle George came out on the stretcher with John not far behind. "Will he be alright?" John was calling towards the medics. As Mimi came out I carefully placed my hand on her arm which caused her to jump.

"Camille? Why you are frost bitten!" She said shuffling down the path that lead to the side walk. "It's nothing to worry about!" She called to her wondering neighbors.

"Mimi what's going on? Is everything alright?" I was gentle with my questions since I didn't want to make anything worse.

"Not to worry dear, just a fall, John get her inside please she's freezing!" She grabbed me for a second, "please watch him until we get back." Was all she whispered before the back of the ambulance shut and they were off.

I felt John's arm go around me, "Sheesh Cam, you are cold." My knees buckled as we walked and he caught me. People were already back in their homes having nothing to be nosey about. He scooped me up in his arms as I shivered violently. As he carried me I could feel how tense he was and I knew that he wasn't okay. Little did I know that after this day, no one would ever get the chance to be okay again.