Happiness Is Measured Out In
Miles
FINAL
CHAPTER
When I opened my eyes, I had a strange feeling. The first thing (or person) I saw was my mum. She must have suffered a lot becasue she was a lot older, at least that’s what I thought. I tried to tell her I was OK, because I was OK. Nothing hurt, I could move my limbs and I could se properly (well, I was extremely short-sighted, so ‘properly’ is not the right word but I meant I could see just like before) so I should be OK. But when I was to open my mouth she started calling for the docotr. Then I eralisd I was in hospital... Once again... Edu!! I remembered Edu was with me when something happened. I heard some stpes approaching hurriedly and they entered the room. I tried to incorportae a little, but I was very weak... How long had I been unconscious? I had no idea. I saw the room was full of bunches of flowers, but I couldn’t see who had sent them. I would find out later.
Suddenly I found myself surrounded by doctors and nurses who checked me from head to toe. I tried to tell them I was OK.
- “Well”, said one of them. “It’s happened. I told you, Mrs Peña, this could happen any day... Your daughter is back”, I heard my mother cry, and I realised my father was also there and my borther... But, hold on! My brother had changed. And he was with someone I didn’t know and thet had a little girl in their arms and... What’s this?
When all the doctors and nurses had gone away, my parents, my borhter and the unknown girl apporached me. They could hardly speak. Their eyes were teary... My brother was first:
- “Hi, Vicky... It seems you’ve had a long nice sleep... This here is Mª José and this here is little Vicky... The name would sound familiar to you... We named her after you, you know, we thought that you...”, I think I started to understand at that very same moment. Now I had to speak.
- “Where’s Edu?... And John and Paul!!!”, I couldn’t understand why any of them were there with me at my side... My voice sounded strange. My brother made a strange face.
- “Mmm... You’d better talk to Edu. She’s on her way now, with george...”, oh, God, George. At least I would see one of them.
After a while I noticed my parents started to feel a bit more eralxed. Still I sensed something was wrong, becasue they looked at me kind of strange. But nothing came out of their lips.
- “Mum, come on...”, I said. I felt much better. I could speak almost normally now. “Tell me how long I’ve been out and where John and Paul are, and...”
- “Darling”, she interrupted me. “Talk to Edu... Many things have happened, that’s the only thing I can tell you. You’ve been a long time unconscious and the doctor doesn’t want you to have big shocks”.
- “But how long is a long time, mum? I need to talk to John... or to Paul, I don’t know. I need them by my side...”
The door opened at that moment and a couple entered the room. At first I couldn’t recognise who they were. They were dressed in a strange way and the guy had very very long hair and a beard and a moustache. The girl was blonde and was wearing a pamela. That was strange, who were they? But when they approached I saw the blond girl was no other than Edu and the guy with long hair, strange clothes and beard and moustache was... George! God had they changed!
- “Edu!”, I tried to shout. Tried is the word because although I could speak almost normally now, my voice was still a bit weak.
- “Oh, God, Vicky... you’re back! We thought we had lost you, this time for good... God, its been a long long time!”, she came to hug me and then George came. I felt embarrassed. I should have a dreadful aspect but George was nice and handed me a single flower.
- “I’m glad you’re OK, Vicky...”
- “You’ve changed a lot... Where is your nice mop top? And that beard...”, he laughed a little.
- “Edu”, he told her, “I think it’s time you had a good conversation with her”, he went out of the room and my parents followed him down.
She sat on the bed and took my hand.
- “Edu, you’ve also changed a lot... You’re blonde now, like Brigitte Bardot...”, she smiled.
- “Vicky, I’ll go to the point. Many things have changed now. You’ve been five years unconscious. Everybody thought you would never recover...”, I couldn’t eileive it! Five years!!! FIVE YEARS!!!!
- “What?... Which year is it?”
- “It’s January 1971...”, I started to cry. I couldn’t believe I had lost five years of my life. In the state I was in, I counted mentally to see how old I was now. 27... Oh, my God! Now I was as old as all the old people we used to know and laugh about. Then John should be... 30!!!! I cried louder. “Look, Vicky”, she went on quite concerned. “This is long and hard to explain... Many things have happened and you know, people go on with their lives...”, well, she was beating around the bush a bit too much. My heart was beating fast, I suppose because internally I knew what she had to tell me. People go on with their lives... John and paul had resumed their lives, they were with other women now...
- “Are John and Paul dating other gilrs?”, I asked before she could tell me anything.
- “It’s much more than that, Vicky. They got married... Both of them... But not only that... The Beatles have split up”, she was on the verge of tears, as thought remembering all that happened while I was out were painful for her. “They’re not longer friends... John and Paul hardly speak to each other, if at all. George is in no terms with pauls and he’s had a couple of arguments with John... Ringo is the only one who remeins friends with everybody...”, that was too much to take in. John and Paul married, enemies, the Beatles split up... I started to cry. Edu gulped. “Vicky, everything doesn’t end up here...”, what else could there be? I looked at her with my eyes full of tears, and I saw a blurred Edu saying... “John’s gone to America, Vicky. With his Japanese wife. You can’t imagine how much I hate her. She was a pain in the ass, vicky, a fucking bitch who interferred the Beatles’ work in the studio, she was...”, I didn’t let her finish.
- “JOHN MARRIED A JAPANESE WOMAN?! Has he gone crazy? Why? How did they meet? Oh, God! My John... JOHN!”, I couldn’t stop crying my heart out. Oh, my love John. In America, with a Japanese. I sniffled. “And Paul?”, she tried to smile.
- “No, he’s living here. Well, he’s formed another group, with his wife. He married an American girl, and adopted her daughter. He had another daughter with her, and Eli kept the baby she had with him. She didn’t want to marry him, she loved Paul, but she didn’t want him to marry her only because he got her pregnant. She saw what happened to John and Cyn...”. Another blow. An American girl, with a daughter, and had a duaghter with her. And I couldn’t have children just because of the Beatles fame. And the Beatles no longer existed!! And I was so miserable... I cried even louder.
- “Oh, God, they0ve all forgotten me!”.
- “Oh, no!”, said Edy quickly. “They both came to see you, both, John and Paul. They were so worried about you... They thought you were another Tara Browne, remember him? Paul’s friend. I don’t know if you got to know him. You should have seen John cry... Holding your hand... He thought you were gone forever, so he went to Spain to film... yes, a way of being there near your hometown. He didn’t date anybody for two years, waiting for you... When doctors finally said you would never recover, he went with Yoko. Oh, fucking bitch, Vicky! She’s a parasite. She’s changed John completely...”, I hadn’t stopped crying during all her speech. Now I needed to be alone. To think about all that. Everything was too much. I had lost five years of my life but not only that, I had also lost both John and Paul and I could never have them back, they were married... Oh, God! I cried and cried my heart out and suddenly two or three doctors and nurses hurried into the room to check I was OK. I saw Edu and George (whom I never got used to seeing with that new look) entered too.
- “I’m OK, I’m OK”, I said to the doctors. I sniffled. They checked everything on me. When they finally went, Edu and George remained in the room. “Are my parents still there?”, I asked them.
- “Of course”, Edu told me. “They won’t go away, Vicky. They’ve been here for the last five years. They’re living near the hospital. The doctors thought it could be dangerous to move you to Spain...”. Now I couldn’t care less about all that. I felt very good, inside me I was still 23, not 28... Oh, my God! Just to think of that made me want to jump out of the window. I was looking at the floor. But Edu went on: “But there’s something good in all this”, she said. I looked up and George was smiling. Edu smiled a bit too. “We got married, Vicky. You’re talking to Mrs Harrison now!”, oh, God! Another thing I had missed. I would have given my life to go to the wedding...
- “Oh, God! Congratulations! But when, where, how did it go?”, Edu and George both sat down on the bed. Edu told me:
- “Well, not long after the accident. I only had some minor injuries, a broken arm and stuff, so when I recovered, George proposed. In my over sensitive state, I burst out in painful tears, for you, for me, you know, I had thought life had gone, and I was there, right in January 1966... We got married on 21st January... Only Paul came to the wedding, alone, without Eli... John was away wuth Ringo and Maureen. He was so heartbroken that Ringo decided to take him away. I had the time of my life, but dear, I missed you so much. My happiness wasn’t complete...”
- “And Eli?”, I asked her. Another friend who had deserted us... “Why didn’t she go to the wedding?”, Edu made a strange face.
- “Eli was having enough with the pregnancy and the baby, no, she couldn’t come... In fact, she didn’t even come with us to India, she went to Spain, she wanted her baby to be Spanish...”
- “India?”, I butted in. I was starting to feel that I would go crazy with the emount of thngs I had missed.
- “Yes, do you remember that we were much into the Indian culture, and we were learning the sitar and stuff?”, yes, that was one of the last things I remembered. I nodded and so Edu went on. “We decided to go to India to study Transcendental Meditation with a guru that in the end turned out to be...”, I had to stop her. Too much information for one day. I couldn’t cope with all that. I lifted my hand.
- “Enough, Edu... I don’t want to know anything else of the things I’ve missed...”. Now I just want to go home and see if I can see John or Paul...”, Edu and George looked at each other. They thought I hadn’t realised but I had. “What?”.
- “Well, you can come with us to Kinfanus, if you want...”, Edu looked at George and then went on. “John has sold Kenwood, you know...”, my Goodness! And where could all my things be? I had lots of things there, in that house.
- “And where are all my things, then?”
- “Oh, they were sent to Spain, don’t worry. Yoko took care of everything, you know. She didn’t want anything that reminded her of you...”. Now I felt a bit better because I had made up my mind –I’d go to New York in search of John. I was pretty sure that he would change his mind when he saw me. Yoko shouldn’t mean a thing to him, he loved ME. And he was with her only because he thought I was out. I didn’t tell Edu anything about my plans but I accpeted their offer of staying at Kinfanus.
Although I already felt on top form, the doctors still wanted me to stay in the hospital a few more days. But being there was a nightmare because I just wanted to contact John... And also paul, I hadn’t forgotten him., and I coldn’t do it from there. Edu came to see me every day. George came some days but not others. It seeme4d so strange to me that he and John were not speaking to each other... They had been such good friends. The four of us had gone through so many things together.
On the last day I was going to be in hospital, my parents came to talk to me. They wanted to know what my plans were. I hadn’t thought them, the John and Paul thing had got me busy. I only knew that I had accepted edu’s offer and I was going to stay at Kinfanus for a couple of weeks until I could reach one of them. I told my parents about my intentions.
- “I’m gonna stay in England for a couple of weeks or more with edu. I’m going to try to contact John or Paul...”, I saw my dad’s face become tense. Knowing my dad’s ways, I had to shut up and see what he had to tell me. “What’s up?”
- “Those bastards!”, he shouted. My mum grabbed his arm as if trying to prevent him from causing a scandal but he went on. “I never liked them. Never! Those fucking freaks with ape hair! I knew they would hurt you!”, I had my eyes full of tears again. I think I was too sensitive. But my dad had the wrong impression. They hadn’t hurt me. It had been me. I had played with both. I left John for Paul! He shouldn’t talk about John like that.
- “Oh, dad, no please, they’re not to blame. It was me!”, I started crying and immedaitely the doctors came and told my parents they shouldn¡t upset me with anything, since I was still recovering from abig shock.
When the doctors finally told me I could leave the hospital, I coud hardly believe it. It was hard to walk again and the sun light hurt my eyes –understandable since I had been five years (my heart sank every time I thought about that) lying down on abed with my eyes vlosed. I had to walk with a little help. My parents drove me to Kinfanus and insisted on staying a couple of days more, just to check I was completely right. Edu and George didn’t mind.
The house had changed. It was full of Indian motifs, everywhere and different kinds of sitars. Cold have never imagined how into India they were. Indian scents were also floating in the air all over the house, sometimes with so much intensity, that it was intoxicating.
With my parents there, I didn’t feel comfortable. It was only when they went that Edu and I could talk freely.
- “I’m sure you’ll want to hear the last Beatles records...”, Edu told me. Of course I wanted. Last record I had listened to had been Rubber Soul, where Paul had dedicated “Michelle” to me and John had written “Norwegian Wood” for Eli. Edu started showing me records by order of release. I looked at the covers. One of them was almost familiar to me, but all the rest were... it was as though I was seeing four strange people to me. John didn’t look like John at all! He was wearing the glasses he hated so much, the same glasses he always hid in public. Now he was showing himself in them! I couldn’t believe it. And he even had grown a moustache and a hairy beard that hid his beautiful face. No, that couldn’t be John. He had always hated that kind of image and I remebred being with John and laughing at people with beards and stuff. “And here comes Mr Bear directly from the jungle”, he used to laugh. And now he was one of them. Was it John? Really? Edu saw me looking fixedly at the cover of a record called Abbey Road, whic was were John was so weird. Then Edu took the cover of Rubber Soul and put it beside Abbey Road. “They’ve changed, haven’t they?”, she told me. It was very hard for me to think of that man on Abbey Road as John. I nodded tearfully.
- “John more than the others”, I said. I heard Edu grunt.
- “Yoko”, she said. “It’s her fault, Vicky. George can tell you, she spoiled everything, their wonderful friendship, John’s looks... We couldn’t mention you in her presence, she started screaming with that stupid voice of hers...”, I was really curious about that Yoko. I knew John’s tastes on women so I imagined that Yoko as an exotic Oriental woman, tall and beautiful like they usually are... I felt so jealous and sad.
- “Have you got any pictures of her?”, I asked her. She grunted and made a strange face.
- “Oh, God! No pictures, Vicky. All the pictures that came out in papers and that were kept out of Kinfanus”, then she got up, “but I can show you the cover of one of their last singles”, she let out a weak laughter. “The one where George could finally have a song of his in one of their singles”, she went to fetch it and came back with it. Five strange people were looking at me from the cover, and one of them was John and wearing an incredibly ridiculous at was a woman by his side, a Japanese, so I assumed that was Yoko. My heart jumped with jealousy and disbilief. She wasn’t at all what I had expected, john must have gone crazy. What on earth could he have seen in her? I couldn’t avoid two teardrops falling on the cover. Edu grabbed the single from my d with blind fury, almost violently. “Forget that bitch, Vicky... And you also should forget...”
- “John?”, I butted in not letting her finish. She looked at the floor. “You’re asking me for soemthing impossible, Edu. I’ll never ever forget John and you know it”, she suddenly got up. “Where are you going?”.
- “I want to show you something”, she ernt out of the living room and came back a few minutes later with a box. “Have a look at this”, she said sitting down. They were newspaper cuts. I got them. The headlines were explicit. I read them at random. “BEATLE GIR IS ONLY SLEEPING”, “BEATLE JOHN REPLACES SLEEPING BEAUTY BY JAPANESE ARTIST” (that one hurt), “ ‘WE MAY HAVE LOST HER FOREVER’, SAYS BEATLE JOHN”. I looked at Edu tearfully again. “Yes, dear. I kept all the reports about you and even the one when we had the acident. They interviewed me”, she said with pride. She looked for the report. “Here it is”, I read it. “TWO BEATLE GIRLS TO DIE IN A CAR CRASH. ‘I’M OK BUT MY FRIEND IS SERIOUSLY INJURED’, SAYS HARRISON GIRL”. I looked at Edu again. “Yes it was very painful. Every newspaper in the world wanted to interview me and I was so sad and upset because you were in comma...”
- “Edu... This is a nightmare, I can’t believe so many things have happened while I’ve been... Well, while I haven’t been”, I said. Edu blew.
- “The news has spread, Vicky”.
- “Which news?”, I asked in awe.
- “The news about your recovery...”, she said very slowly. I looked at her not knowing what that would mean. “I’ve hard something on the radio but I’ve turned it off straight away because I don’t want thousands of media bothering you... You need to rest and recover properly...”, that left me speechless. I couldn’t face the press, I wouldn’t really know what to tell them. What’s more, they all would tell me things about John and Yoko. And I wasn’t ready to face that.
- “Edu, please”, I begged, “promise me that if mass media came here to interview me or tried to force you into telling them where I am, you would never tell them”.
- “Of course, dear, I’d never do that. Don’t worry”.
- “Tell George as well”, I added.
- “George?”, she laughed. “He hates the press. No, he means no problem, Vicky. I can tell you”. With that I stayed a bit more relaxed. However, I had the feeling that the press would find out sooner or later.
One day, the phone rang. Edu went to pick it.
- “Hello?”, and then she looked at me with eyes that seemed were going to pop out of their orbits. “Ye... Yesss... She’s here”, she was looking at me non-stop and I was strating to panic because I was starting to think it was some reporter who had finally caught me. But then she covered the receiver and told me: “It’s Paul”. I went blank. My mind couldn’t work properly, I didn’t know what to tell him... Although for me I had only seen him a couple of months ago, it had been five years! “It’s the first time he’s called since the Beatles split up”, she wispered. I was trembling. I was so nervous...
- “He... hello?”, I asked trembling.
- “Vicky? Oh, God! God, Vicky! Is that really you? And you can talk! How are you?”, he seemed genuinely surpsided, after all this time.
- “Hi, Paul... I’m fine... Well, sort of”.
- “Oh, Vicky... I’m dying to see you. As I can see you’re living with George again... Just like the last time I saw you... Look, you have to meet...”, he stopped. He also seemed a bit uncomfortable. “Linda”, he finally said. “And the kids...”, I had tears in my eyes, I wasn’t very comfortable with the conversation.
- “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Paul”, I managed to say.
- “Why? I mean... They’re dying to meet you... I’ve told Linda all about us. She knows everything there is to know and she’d like to meet you”, I couldn’t stand it any more. I burst out in tears.
- “But I wouldn’t, Paul... How?”, I sarted to doubt whether I’d be able to go on. “How could you do that to me, Paul?”, I finally blurted out the whole lot. “You know I left everything for you, Paul. My life with John, everything I had was left behind just because I loved you...”, now that I had said it, it sounded a bit ridiculous. I was telling a married man (once again) that I loved him!.
- “Vicky... Many things have happened since then... I understand for you it’s as though they happened last month, but now I’m only glad you’re fine and I wish you the best. We can’t rewind... I’m married, happily married, I love my wife very very much and all that you’re telling me now seems like from last century...”, but how could he be so insensible? I couldn’t go on with that stupid conversation... With a man that couldn’t care less for me any more. I hang up furiously and cried loud. Edu came running to me.
- “Oh, dear! What’s wrong? What did he tell you?”, I couldn’t stop crying. I hugged her. “There, there, Vicky... You’re still recovering... You shouldn’t be that upset! It can be bad for your health...”, she was right. I sniffled and sobbered up a bit.
- “Edu... Life has changed so much! Paul is different, he’s not the Paul I met!”, she didn’t say anything.
And I couldn’t stop thinking about how different everything was now.
But one day, when I woke up, I knew what I wanted. I had made up my mind and nobody would be able to stop me. What I wanted was to see John, be with him... I was sure John would go back with me when he sae me. That was what he had done in other occasions.
I got up and started packing. Silently, I didn’t wanr Edu or George to find what my intentions were. I put everything I had in a suitcase. Then I went to the room where Edu kept all the paper reports trying not to be heard. I opened the box where she kept them and looked for one where I could find John’s address. I was sure she had to have one at least. No matter how much she hated that Yoko, she still loved John and she couldn’t get rid of so many memories in a minute. I found more articles about me and then the one where Paul admitted the Beatles had split up. I took it... So it had been Paul! Paul had left the Beatles! Why? And I was sure Edu wouldn’t want to talk to me about that. Let’s see... More reports on myself. Nothing about John... But then, there it was! A man in glasses was looking at me from an amount of reports. Next to him was tge Japanese woman. “BEATLE JOHN SAYS HELLO TO NEW YORK AND GOODBYE TO ENGLAND”. I read the article but it said nothing about whereabouts John lived. But I discovered his moving out to New York was recent. He had been living in a mansion in Ascot where ha had written, so the aticle said, his best composition so far, a song called “Imagine”. No, it was useless trying to go to Ascot... He wasn’t there any more... Or was he? I rememered we sometimes said things to the press that were not exactly true just to distract them. What if that was only an idea of John’s to distract the press? I heard some noises outisde and I became nervous. I didn’t want Edu to find out I was trying to reach John. Moreover, had to go to my room to hide my suitcase. I didn’t want her to find out I was leaving either.
I went out of the room hoping not to be seen but edu was just passing by and saw me:
- “What were you doing there, vicky?”, she looked at my hands to see if I had something. “I’ve shown you everything...”, Edu could read me like a book. “You won’t discover anything new”.
- “No...”, I muttered. “It’s only that...”, I had to think of an excuse. “Well, I wanted to read what the newspaper articles said about me”, Edu didn’t believe me.
- “Vicky”, she said tiredly. “It’ll hurt you. You can’t do nothing now to stop john from loving Yoko. And he’s really really in love with her... I had never seen him in that state before, not even with you, Vicky, I’m sorry to tell you...”, that hurt. But I was determined. John couldn’t have forgotten me so soon, we had gone through so many things together and we had loved each other so much. OK, I’d tell Edu, she was going to find out sooner or later.
- “Edu, dear... I have to go to New York”.
- “To New York? Are you crazy? What for?”.
- “To talk to John, to see him... I’m sure when he sees me he’ll come back to his senses”, Edu was shaking her head like mad.
- “No, Vicky, no. John is not like he used to be. He’s blind, he lives through Yoko now. I think he hasn’t looked at another woman ever since he met her”.
- “That’s because he hasn’t seen me or because he thinks I’m still in comma”, Edu grabbed my arm and squeezed it fiercely.
- “Vicky, it’s you who must go back to her senses. John is now in love with Yoko, absolutely, deeply, utterly in love with Yoko”, every adverb Edu pronounced was like a knife stabbing my heart, because I still was absolutely, deeply, utterly in love with John.
- “I don’t care, Edu, I also love John that way and I have to see him”, she let go of my arm.
- “OK, it’s up to you, then”, she told me angrily. “But don’t come back all depressed and sad just because John closd the soor on your face”, I was sure that won’t happen. I smiled. “I don’t know what’s so funny, you don’t seem to believe me. OK”, she turned around and walked away from me. Now that I sort of had Edu’s blessing, there was no more hiding or doing things trying to go unnoticed. Now everything could be done in the open. I went to my room and took my suticase. I went downstairs. I found George in the living room, sitting crossed-legged on the floor playing the sitar. Edu was there, reading a book.
- “You’re leaving?”, asked George.
- “She’s crazy”, Edu butteed in. “She’s going to New York to see John... As if John is gonna take much notice of her...”, I wasn’t going to stay there listening to all that crap. I turned round ready to go.
- “Don’t go, Vicky”, george told me. “Edu is right. We don’t want you to suffer... look”, he said, getting up. “Even julian who is now a little old man, is having great difficulty in seeing John... and he’s his son!”, but how come?.
- “Well... John was never too keen on seeing Cytnhia. Maybe he’s not receiving him because of her...”.
- “No, Vicky. Julian is now acting independently of his mother... And still john is not very keen on receiving him... But it’s all because of Yoko”.
- “George... Edu... If you wish me well and you really consider yoursleves as my friends, you won’t try to stop me from going to John”, Edu and George looked at each other and Edu shrugged. Then she shook her head, left the book on the table next to the sofa where she was reading and came to me.
- “OK”, she told me, “I hope, really hope that everything works out fine. I erally wish you the best, and you know it”, I hugged her.
- “Of course I know it, dear. Thanks for everything...”, I hadn’t realised until that moment that I was saying goodbye. If everything was as planned, I’d have to stay in America with John and I could hardly see Edu. I looked at her after the hug. She was thinking the same. George approached:
- “Have you reserved the plane ticket, Vicky?”, he asked me. I shook my head. I had meant to go to the airport and book the first plane available. “OK, I’ll make a couple of phone calls”, he went away to the telephone.
- “The best of luck to you, Vicky”, Edu said. “I know you’re gonna need it”.
- “Oh, come on, don’t get started, Edu. I know what I’m doing and I know John”.
- “I also thought I knew him, but I didn’t, oh, well, I did, but he has changed so much...”.
- “Enough, Edu, that’s it. Nothing’s gonna stop me now”, I said firmly. Edu alerady knew that, so she didn’t say anything.
George was still talking on the phone and we both waited patiently until he finished. When he put the receiver down, he came to us.
- “A car will come for you in 20 minutes and will take you to the airport. There’s a flight in two hours”, that was it. I was leaving England for New York following John’s steps.
- “Vicky, no matter what happens there, you know you’ll always have George and me, and Kinfanus to stay, to trust, to talk...”, she was almost in tears now. I felt the same. Thios was probably the last time we saw each other. If the thing with John didn’t work out, then there was nothing left for me in england. I couldn’t live forever with george and Edu. They were married now and doubtless to say they wanted to live alone. No, the thing was that if I couldn’t have John back, then I’d have to go back to Spain... for good. And that would be the end of my adventures in England. She started to cry. And I had a lump in my thorat that hardly let me sepeak.
- “Oh, Edu, please, don’t cry! We’ve been through worse times. Do you remember when you had to go back to Spain because your granddad had died?”, she nodded. “You came back. We all thought you had gone forever, but you came back”, now I was shedding tears.
- “Vicky, you know you’re not going to come back. You’ll go to john and if you come back with him, then you’ll stay there with him and if not... You’ll go back to Spain, with your parents, your family... And won’t ever come back to England, I know. It’ll bring you too many bad memories”, I closed my eyes and two teardrops fell on my hands. We held each other really tight. George came and took us apart.
- “Vicky, I really wish you the best”, he looked at the floor. “And tell John that... that I still love him, no matter what’s happened between us...”, I cried more.
- “I’ll tell him, George, I promise...”, and I added full of hope, “soon we’ll be the four of us laughing and drinking again...”, George looked at me with eyes I couldn’t decipher.
The service told George that the taxi was already waiting. My heart started beating fast. Would that be the last time we saw each other?
- “Are you sure you don’t want us to go woth you to the airport?”, I tried to laugh a little.
- “No... You saw what happened last time you came with me to the airport”, she also tried to laugh a little.
- “Take care, Vicky”, I have never liked farewells so I tried to shorten the sad moment. I blew both of them a kiss, they had been my life for the last ten years and they would be it forever. I entered the car while the driver took my bags and put them in the bonnet. Last image of George and Edu... Absolutely different from the two people I introduced at Paul’s 21st birthday party. The driver entered the car and I waved them with my hand. They waved me back and that was it. The car drove away.
I cried and cried all the way to the airport until the point that the driver asked me if I was a fan who had won a prize to visit George Harrison’s home and now I was sad I was leaving. I smiled and decided not to answer him.
Heathrow... Where the Beatles had arrived and parted so many times. Oh, how many memories! If I didn’t stop thinking I would go mad. I went to check in and waited until it was time to board.
And here I am, sitting down on a plane, looking out of the window, havig the last look at England... Remembering when I went to New York with the Beatles, so long long ago. My heart is beating fast, I need John, I love him.
- “Please, ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts and remain in the uptight position...”, the captain announces. It’s time to go. Bye England... I’m going to New York... with John.
John, John...
THE END.