~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Hello, Mr. Burnstein," John said, shaking his hand.
"Please call me Cliff. I see that the guys made a band changing decision? Well, I'd like to hear you before the concert tonight," He said. John nodded, and they began playing the song that he was taught yesterday. Every time he played with them, he felt a renewed energy. he was really looking forward to being part of the band. But the first step was to get over the first concert. And that was going to be a task. He wasn't sure how the fans were going to like him suddenly becoming part of the band.
When they were finished with the song, John smiled and looked at Cliff. His eyes were wide.
"You have a lot of Talent, John....Winston, was it? Has anyone ever told you that you are the spitting image of Paul McCartney?" John burst out laughing.
"No, never. I don't believe I've ever been told that," he said. The guy looked confused for a second.
"But-But you could be his twin! Are you sure?"
"John Lennon...maybe. But not Paul by any means." Cliff blushed.
"Oh yeah, that's what I meant. Lennon. You do, though. You look just like him." John was getting nauseated. He wasn't sure how much of this he could take. He WAS John Lennon, for God's sake!
"Well, you practice some more, I am REALLY impressed," cliff said. John just smiled. That's all he could do now days.
"We have to teach you all the songs on the line up," James was saying. This was going to be a lot for John.
"Okay...How many songs am I going to play with you?"
"Well, for tonight, not too many until you can learn all the other ones. We'll be recording a new CD soon, so you won't have to worry about it right now, is that okay with you?" John wasn't even listening, he just nodded. He wasn't really sure what James was talking about.
"Okay, let's go." John spent hours learning songs. He could play them all fine, the problem was remembering all the chords.
"We need to get you some memory stuff. Gingko Biloba, maybe?" Kirk suggested.
"You aren't going to put me on some freaked up drug!" John said defensively, although he knew that he had his own experiences with "freaked up drugs."
"Gingko Biloba is...a tree," Kirk said.
"And Marijuana is a plant, what is your point?"
"Gingko isn't a drug.....it's an herb-like thing." John nodded.
"Rriiiiiiiight," He said. He got up and shook his hands. They were sore from playing all the songs. Their songs had strange names. "Enter Sandman", "Whiskey in the Jar", "The Unforgiven II". But he liked the songs....and something told him he would be right at home with these people.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"It's Decaf, I hope you don't mind," Candy said, handing Ringo his coffee.
"No, I don't mind at all, Luv, thank you," he said, taking a sip. She smiled.
Sunlight poured through the window in the small apartment.
"Don will be very excited to meet you, I know he will," Candy said.
"Well, that's wonderful. I really can't wait to get started with you," Ringo said. "I love the sound of your band."
"So, which do you like to play better, the drums or the guitar?" she asked.
"Well, really I-" he stopped himself. she was trying to set him up again. "I don't know how to play the drums," he replied.
"Oh, I am sure you do. I watched you last night. You were so good on the guitar, but you were watching Clint a lot. I know you can play the drums, don't hide it," she said.
"I really can't," he said, but he knew it was no use. She had figured it out. "So what if I can? I'm not very good," he said. Oh, if the lads could hear him now!
"I bet you are. Give yourself some credit, Ringo," she said.
"My name is RICH!" He said.
"Yeah...Rich Starkey. Just what is you last name?" She interrogated.
"Look, Candy, I told you, I am NOT Ringo Starr! He is my cousin!"
"You don't have a last name, do you? Your last name is Starkey, isn't it?"
"Well..." Ringo said with an exasperated sigh. "YES!!!!!!!!!!! My last name is STARKEY, Damnit!!!!! My name is RICHARD STARKEY!!! Are you HAPPY NOW?" She stepped back. "I have the same name as my cousin! My mother was 'is sister's brother!!!"
"What?!" Candy asked.
"I mean...My mother was 'is mother's sister!!!"
"Alright," Candy said finally. "I'll let it drop."
"What in the SAM HELL is going on in here?" Clint asked, getting up.
"Richie and I were just in a little fight, but it's all better now."
"Candy, I swear to God, you have GOT to get on Midol or something! For God's sake, girl!!! You scared off the last lead guitarist we had!!" Candy smiled sweetly and looked at Ringo.
"Oh good Lord," Ringo said. "I'm going to take a walk, I'll be back in maybe 15 minutes."
"I'll come!" Candy volunteered.
"I'd like to go by myself, if that's alright with you," he said. And then he walked out the door. He could still hear Clint yelling at Candy half way down the hall. He sighed. Life just kept getting stranger and stranger. He walked out of the building. He definitely wasn't in the best part of New York, but it wasn't the worst by far. He walked down the street, looking at his feet, contemplating what could possibly happen next. He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around.
"Lucy!!!" He cried out.
"Whoa, sir! Keep your voice down!" Lucy said with a laugh.
"Oh, I have to tell you about the friends I made! Oh, it's spectacular!!" Ringo said.
"I already know! Congratulations, Ringo!!" Lucy said.
"But..how do you know?" He asked. Then he realized the obvious point of his question.
"I am always watching over you, dearest! ALWAYS! remember that! You're never alone! I saw that girl Candy...she was really persistent at who you were, wasn't she?" Lucy said.
"Yeah, she was. She's so nice...but I know she knows who I am. I hate lying to 'er..but I can't tell 'er who I really am!" Lucy nodded.
"Well, Ringo, you don't have to keep it a secret. Most people probably won't believe you anyway, but she does. So, if you do tell her, it really won't be the end of the line!" She smiled. "Anyway, I have to go. Ashley PROMISED me we'd go to Elvis's house today."
"You can do that?" Ringo asked.
"Honey, when you're an Angel, EVERYTHING's possible!" She smiled and blew him a kiss. "I'll see you later, Ringo." And then she was gone. And seconds afterward, he saw Candy creep from behind the corner of a building.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
Paul sighed as he looked in the mirror for the hundredth time. Then he looked at the ceiling.
"Ashley, are you SURE?!?!" He asked, talking to no one in particular. Ashley had already left. Ashley had told him that he looked like a "Homie," Which evidently was supposed to be a good thing. He could almost hear Ashley laughing hysterically at him. He just didn't think he looked good like he did. He sighed and opened the door. Justin was up, sitting on the bed.
"Man....I think I've got the Hangover from Hell."
"Well, I do too.....and I look like a God damned circus clown in these clothes."
"No, man, you look tight," Justin said, falling back on his bed. Tight...Tight.....was tight a good thing?
"Right...I look tight."
"Man I am WHACKED," Jeff said, rolling over. Whacked...Whacked must be a bad thing. Ugh...slang words from the New Millennium? That sounded like an episode of Twilight Zone. Paul still felt sick, but he decided to sit down and watch TV. So he did.
"Next on Jerry Springer -"Help! I'm in a lesbian love triangle with my sister and my cross Dressing best friend!" Paul wrinkled his nose.
"Ewwww," he said.
"Hey, I like that one," Jeff said lifting his head. It fell back down the same instant. Paul started flipping through the channels. He settled on a Television channel called MTV. It was entertaining. He got educated about the fashion, and slang, and basically anything else he wanted to know. He settled back to watch it, until suddenly he saw 98 degrees. It was an interview. The other four were still either asleep or passed out, so Paul watched. It was funny...whatever they said, he could see how it would be hypocritical. In the '60's, he was in a similar place. In the '60's, that is.
"And next...Metallica has a new member, after these commercials." Even the commercials amazed him. Year 2000 cars were absolutely exquisite. They even had little..CD players, was it? Paul was so amused. he couldn't believe everything that could change in 32 years. Technology was so advanced. He sat and watched MTV until one of the others could gather enough energy to get up.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Okay, 1.....2.......3......4! Right... B A G A B B B, A A A, B E E, B A G A B B B B A A B A G!!!!! GEORGE!!!!! ConGRATuLATIONS!!!!! you played Mary Had a Little Lamb!!!!" George sighed. This was so complicated. He was pretty sure he had bitten his lip off.
"Oh, George, don't worry about that. You'll develop a callus there. It's like playing the guitar until your fingers bleed. You can bite your bottom lip until it bleeds. That's all for me today...I've got to go with Lucy to Elvis's house. We visited him last week, I don't know WHY she wants to go again, well, catch ya later!" She winked and was gone, before George could even ask a question.
@@@@
John massaged his blistered and bloodied fingers as he walked slowly to the
bathroom. Once inside, he closed the door, leaning his back against it with
a heavy sigh. He could hear the lads outside murmuring about the concert
tonight and how they hoped John would be ready. John laughed softly to
himself. John Lennon is always ready for a concert.
John shuffled slowly to the sink, turning on the water, using his hands
gingerly. He dipped his fingers in the cool water, breathing a sigh of
relief as his wounds lost their sting. He rubbed his hands together gently,
the blood and grime of the past few days rushing down the drain. When he had
finished, John opened the medicine cabinet behind the small mirror, pulling
out a box of band aids. He patched up his worst cuts, then replaced the
bandages and left the bathroom.
John returned to the living room, flopping down on the sofa. Lars, Jason,
James, and Kirk were putting on their coats and heading for the door.
"Hey, we're going for a bite to eat." Lars stated simply. "Wanna come?"
John glanced at his watch. It was one thirty in the morning. They had been
up all night practicing and teaching John the chords. "At one thirty in the
fucking morning??" Lars shrugged, then closed the door behind him and the
other three.
John sat in silence for a moment, staring out the darkened window at the
magnificent lights of the city. He sighed, moving into the kitchen to find
something to eat. Opening the refrigerator, he found a vast assortment of
leftovers; cold baked beans, leftover pancakes, green beans, and a bucket of
Kentucky Fried Chicken. Opting for the latter, since it seemed to be the
safest-looking, John went back into the living room, munching on a cold
drumstick. He shut off the lights in order to see out the window better,
then peered at the outside world.
Shimmering neon lights caught his attention at every street corner. Colorful
people walked about on the street, occasionally stopping to talk to each
other. John watched all of this with mild, lazy interest as he chewed slowly
on a fresh drumstick. He shifted his attention to the sky, and invariably to
the angels, Lucy in particular.
"Hey, Luce," he whispered quietly, "if you're listening, which you prolly
are, I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about Ringo."
At that point, John could have sworn that one of the stars winked at him.
@@@@
Ringo sighed, tactfully ignoring Candy and continuing on. His thoughts
wandered, thinking about Lucy, this new band he was joining, the manager he
was going to meet, the new development with Candy...
With a sigh, Ringo turned around. "You can come out now, Candy."
A sour-faced Candy appeared from a bush off to the left of the sidewalk. She
walked sullenly to Ringo's side, not speaking. They walked in silence for a
moment. Candy finally spoke.
"I saw you talking with that girl."
"So...?"
"She called you Ringo." She stated, matter-of-factly.
"And?" He replied plainly.
She stopped, flustered. "Look, Rich! I *know* you're Ringo Starr!" A few
heads turned, and Ringo blushed, urging her on. She followed, huffily.
"Candy," He said, putting his hand on her shoulder. She relaxed at his
touch, an action that Ringo found slightly unsettling. He shook off the
feeling. "You've got to let it go. I mean, come on. Ringo is what...fifty?
Sixty? Do I look sixty to you?"
"No, but..."
"There you are. I can't be him because I'm only twenty seven. Convinced?"
This sudden burst of overwhelming logic seemed to have Candy cowed.
Suddenly, she had a shocking apparition.
"Then how do you know John Lennon? If you're as old as you say you are, then
you would have been only around seven years old when you supposedly met him
before 1980, which is certainly not enough time to get to know him well
enough to know whether he prefers tea of coffee *and* remember."
Ringo stopped walking abruptly, staring at her in shock. 'Damn! She's
good...' he thought, pausing to think.
He sighed with resignment. "Ok, so I lied."
Candy hopped up and down, clapping. "I knew it! I *knew* it!!"
"I'm really thirty one."
Ringo continued walking with a smug smile, leaving Candy to stand on the
sidewalk, speechless with anger.
@@@@
Paul watched a commercial for an electronics store with great interest,
looking at all the computers, CD players, cellular phones, and the new
technology he never would have dreamed of. He was watching so intently, in
fact, that he never heard Justin get up.
"What's on the tube, Paul?" He asked tiredly, making Paul jump.
"Tube?" Paul looked around for a tube of something. Justin regarded him
strangely.
"Y'know...the television?"
"Oh...! Not much." Just then MTV came back on, and the 98 degrees boys
(excluding Paul) ran from the room screaming as one of the Backstreet Boys'
songs came on.
"What??" Paul called after them. "What's wrong with them? They look like you
guys...they even sound like you!"
"DON'T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN YOU FREAKING SONUVA..."
"Jeff! Cool it! He's obviously never seen them before. He didn't mean it!
Put that knife away!"
Paul continued to watch MTV as the boys satiated Jeff. After the Backstreet
Boys had finished, the camera switched to five disgruntled looking guys
leaving a studio. One looked strangely familiar...
"...Topping our news stories today, the heavy metal band Metallica has a new
guitarist! Inside sources say that the new rhythm guitarist holds a strong
resemblance to the late John Lennon..." Paul never heard the rest of the
story. He was in a complete state of shock; not so much that John had joined
a band; more so that he was dead.
"John's dead...?" Paul said in a dazed voice. "Does he know? Well, I mean,
he *knows*, but does *our* John know? What will he do when he finds out???
Oh, shit, I've gotta find him before...before...ASHLEY!!! Where are you???"
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"I will NEVER EVER get this right EVER!!!!!!! This is the most stupid, annoying instrument on the planet!!!!! ARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!" George yelled in frustration. He felt the urge to just throw it across the room. But then, he had a renewed sense of faith. "Well....talking like that will never get me anywhere. I remember learning to play the guitar. I put it in a corner for three months. No, This won't collect dust. I *will* learn how to play it, I WILL. I will will will!! Damn, I sound like the Little Engine that Could." George shook his head. Living by himself was making him mad. Ashley hadn't come for hours, and he didn't know when she would be back. He couldn't remember half the fingerings. He could even remember what a damn concert pitch was. All he knew was he had this instrument that he couldn't play for a royal piece of shit, and he was supposed to make music out of it.
George sighed and mustered up some self confidence.
"I think I can I think I can I think I can." He repeated it, looking at the instrument as though it would just start playing itself. He picked it up and put his fingers in the right positions.
"Well.....I believe in myself!!! I can do it!!!" He took a mighty breath, and with a sparkle in his eyes, he blew the loudest, shrillest squeak known to man.
"GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!!!!!!"
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
John stood outside for a good half an hour just gazing around New York, admiring everything and everyone in it. Feeling his eyelids droop a bit, he decided to go inside and watch some television. There really wasn't much else to do, seeing that he was in a wrecked hotel room at 2 in the morning. He cleared a place on the couch and sat down. There wasn't much on. A few night time variety shows, but that was basically over. He flipped through some paid programming, and a few music videos. He stopped to watch some of the music videos. They were really interesting. John sighed and wished that all his band mates, The Beatley ones, that is, were doing okay. Especially Ringo. John felt himself slipping into thought about Ringo again. It still stung to think of the things that he had said to him. Suddenly he heard loud, boisterous chatter coming from outside the door. The "boys" were home. John flipped off the telly and decided to pretend to be asleep. He really didn't want to have to face the guys more. Tomorrow was the first show, and John wanted to sleep. He knew that the '00 crowd might not like him as much as the '66 crowd did. He found himself slipping back in time to Shea Stadium and all the other great performances that they did. He really did miss times like that, much as he liked to hide it from the other Beatles. He liked the attention, contrary to what he often said or let off to others.
"Johnny! I know you are awake, get up, boy. It's party time!" James said. John cracked an eye open and looked in front of him. A very very nice looking girl stood in front of him. Very Very nice looking. John glanced up. She smiled down at him.
"Who is this?" John interrogated with interest.
"This? Oh, this is Mindy! She's come for some fun, just like all the others." John looked around.
"Holy mother of God..." John said. Beautiful women...was this a mirage? No, he wasn't in a desert. He was in New York...Prostitute capital of the world.
"Oh....oh Lord..."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Don? This is Rich. He's our new lead guitarist," Clint was saying. Ringo smiled and held out his hand. Don was a tall, muscular guy. His hair was brown, with blonde highlights, and he had two earrings in his left ear. Don shook his hand firmly.
"Hello, Rich, nice to meet you," Don said, in a deep, booming voice. Ringo noticed Candy's eyes darting back and forth between Don and him.
"'Ello, Don, I've 'eard quite a bit about you," Ringo said warmly.
"Ahh! An English accent! Where are you from?"
"Liverpool," Ringo said, realizing the slip he had made. He saw Candy smile smugly.
"Liverpool, eh? I've got some family from there, I think. Claim they knew the famous Beatles, they did, but I never believed them." Ringo was interested, but he knew he couldn't push the subject because then Candy would know for sure.
"So, can you play me a song?" Ringo nodded, and they played "I'm Okay." Ringo had been working all afternoon long on improvisation techniques, and he had finally found a few that worked. When they were finished, Ringo looked at Don.
"Uhhmm...." Don said. "Wow." Ringo's expression changed from hopeful to doubtful. Maybe he wasn't as good as his band mates had said. Maybe he improvised too much. What if he had hit so many wrong chords that they might as well change the key of the song? What had he done wrong?
"It's perfect. It is absolutely, God damned incredibly perfect. I have NEVER EVER heard such clarity and precision....from a garage band for God's sake!!! Man...you are headed to the TOP!!!!!! The absolute TOP!!!!!" Don said excitedly. "Oh, man, I have got to get a hold of the record execs for this one, they will love it!! I mean...whoa, you guys ROCK!!!" Ringo smiled. Maybe he hadn't failed at all.
"Well thank you," Ringo said, pleased that he hadn't wrecked the whole performance.
"Pop culture has been STARVING for you!!! Oh, man.....I am going to get a hold of them ALL.....Capitol, Island, Epic, Wind-Up, CBS, Interscope, Columbia, Atlantic, HELL I'll even get a hold of Bad Boy Entertainment if it means you get a contract!!"
"YES!!!" Clint got up from his drums, And gave everyone a high five. Candy gave Don a hug, and she gave Ringo a hug, but he hardly hugged back.
"I can't believe I am going through this again,"he thought. He remembered when he went through it, having joined the Beatles in 1962. Maybe he didn't have to go through as much then, but he was so excited. He wanted to tell someone, but he had no one to tell. So, he looked up at the sky.
"Did you see that, Luce? Did you see what just happened?" He asked out loud as quietly as possible. "Thank you, luv."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
George resisted the incredible temptation to fling the saxophone clear out the window. Once again, he brought it to his lips, inhaling carefully, blowing gently. "Mary had a little...*squeak*...little lamb, little lamb...*squeak* had a little lamb, it's *squeak* was white as snow..." That wasn't so bad, George thought to himself. He got up, stretching his muscles gingerly. They were terribly sore, given the fact that he'd been sitting cross-legged on the lumpy hotel bed for the past few hours. He walked to the kitchen, looking in the fridge for anything to eat. Slim pickings; a sandwich, some fruit...no, that's wax...George opted for the sandwich, since he didn't feel like eating candle-flavored fruit. He ate the ham-on-rye ravenously, collapsing on the couch and flipping on the television. Not much was on. Only five channels; one had some cartoon with a bird and a wolf beating each other up; one had a music video with some evil looking chick in a bright red catsuit. George shuddered and quickly changed the channel. He found a news story regarding a strange looking band; Metallica? Bizarre...They have a new member? Well, good for them. George suddenly sat bolt-upright. "It's John!" He said out loud, surprising himself. He sat back, turning off the television and thinking about the others as he munched absent mindedly on his sandwich.
@@@@
"Ashley, come ON!"
"Oh, will you RELAX?? We've only been here a few days. What could go wrong
in a few days?"
"I've just thought of something HORRIBLE."
"What could be so...oh my God..." Ashley's jaw dropped.
"Uhm...would you excuse my colleague and myself, Mr. Presley? It's very nice
seeing you again." Elvis nodded, showing them the door.
As soon as they were alone, the two angels looked at each other in horror.
"JOHN DOESN'T KNOW HE'S DEAD!!!!" They screamed in unison.
@@@@
Ringo collapsed on the coffee table, laying his guitar on the couch. Candy
sat on the other end of the couch, wiggling excitedly.
"I don't believe it!! We're going to hit the big time! All thanks to Ringo
and his magical hands that play the drums AND guitar!!"
"First, me name's Rich. Second, I can't play the drums."
"Oh, don't be so modest, Ringo."
"RICH!!!"
"Ringo."
"Oh, sod off."
@@@@
John awoke with the worst hangover he had ever had. He stretched slowly,
trying to work out the kinks. Suddenly, he remembered that he wasn't alone.
@@@@
Ringo sat up, sighing. Napping on a coffee table was not very comfy. He sat down
next to Candy, who was fast asleep. He shook her gently. "Candy...Candy..."
Candy made a funny little noise, smiling in her sleep as she wrapped her
arms around Ringo's neck. "Uh...uh...Candy?" She pulled him closer, their
noses tip to tip. "Candy? Candmmph!" Ringo's last words were cut off as
Candy kissed him on the lips. He made a surprised noise, but Candy didn't
wake up. Ringo suspected that she wasn't even asleep.
Ringo unwrapped her arms gently, then pushed her away softly. Candy fell
back on the couch with a little grunt, finally 'waking up'. She looked at
him in shock, then hit him with a pillow.
@@@@
"THAT LITTLE WHORE!!! I'M GONNA GOUGE HER EYES OUT! I'M GONNA ZAP HER WITH A
THUNDERBOLT!!! I'M GONNA..."
@@@@
Paul paced the hotel room, angry and upset. The others had left to get
something to eat at the hotel restaurant, but Paul was far from hungry.
Suddenly, he heard soft footsteps behind him. He whirled on Ashley.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Okay, I'm gonna get it right this time! *squeak* AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!" George sighed. This was nearly impossible. He began to think about John and his new band. Metallica sounded so...not Beatle-like. It was just like John.
George looked at his saxophone wearily. It was 6:00 PM. He picked the instrument up for what seemed like the thousandth time. He covered the pearly white keys with his fingers. He fingered a "G," "D," and "B". He had a fingering chart spread in front of him.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Ugh...I can't believe I 'ave to play a concert tonight. I haven't been in front of an audience in two years.....er...34 years now, I guess," John said, staring at himself in a bathroom mirror. He had no razor, and he sure as hell wasn't going to use one of his band mate's. Lord knows what they had shaved with that, "I have huge bags under my eyes, I have stubble on my chin...my cheeks are sunken, and I've got a mother of a 'eadache! this keeps getting better and better." he sighed.
"I look like I'm dead for God's sake!" he exclaimed. He half expected Lucy to suddenly appear, but she didn't. He sighed once more and stripped down to take a shower. He wasn't sure if it was worse to smell like cigarette smoke and beer, or "Tangerine Spice". People in 2000 sure did use pansy ass soap. He could care less if he was Zestfully clean. But he washed off and felt a little better. The hangover, however, wasn't going away anytime soon. John sighed and gritted his teeth. He put his clothes back on, which ruined the purpose of taking a shower.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
Lucy blinked into heaven again, still depressed about Ringo. She just wanted to cry. She brought the crystal ball up and stared at it. Ringo was sitting in a chair, staring out a window thoughtfully. Lucy sighed. She didn't want to blink in, due to an ever present fear that Candy would walk in at anytime.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Dear God...if you're listening...please make Candy go AWAY!!!" Ringo said. Any hope of escaping from her evil grasp was diminishing. Luckily she was out of the room for the moment. "And....and Lucy...PLEASE SAVE ME!!"
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
Paul was feeling a little better about his hangover. It was starting to go away.
"Mindy, luv?" Mindy stirred, waking up slowly. She looked up, looking into
his eyes and giving him a quick kiss. "Morning." [Oh, they didn't DO
anything, don't look so worried.]
John stood up slowly, stretching his legs, accidentally kicking
Kirk who was
splayed on the floor with his...friend. Kirk awoke, looking around in a
hangover daze. "What...?"
"Oh, the lord have mercy..." James wailed from the other room. John smiled,
wiping his chin with the back of his hand.
"Mornin', James."
"John? Oh, god, John. I'm gonna die...I leave everything to my cat, my
fluffy little kitten named Darlin'...with the lord as my witness..." Weak
laughter erupted from those who were awake.
"Shame on you!"
"Wha...???"
"Taking advantage of me like that..."
"Oh, no, you're not getting away with that. YOU kissed ME." Candy looked at
him, a crooked smile on her lips.
"Well...maybe..." Ringo sighed, moving his guitar so he could sit on the
other end of the couch, as far from her as possible.
"Cool it, Lucy! Cool it!" Ashley soothed, grabbing her friend by the
shoulders. Lucy seethed, roiling with fury. She almost looked rabid, Ashley
noted. Ashley gently pried the crystal ball from her hands, leaving Lucy
sitting in the bean bag chair to go insane with anger. Ashley called up a
picture of George, and, finding him practicing peacefully, moved on to Paul.
Paul was pacing the hotel room frantically, mumbling to himself. Ashley
smiled slightly.
"Looks like Paul needs some help. I'll be back." Ashley waggled a finger at
Lucy. "If I come back and Candy's barbecue, I will not be pleased." Lucy
nodded reluctantly. Just before Ashley snapped her fingers to leave, she
heard Lucy whisper angrily, "He's supposed to kiss *me*..."
"How could you let this happen???" He asked angrily, catching Ashley off
guard.
"What?"
"How could you let John die??" He grasped her shoulders, shaking her
roughly. She pulled away, feeling hurt.
"It's the way of the world, Paul. It can't be stopped, not even by angels.
You think it was easy for us, either? I mean, we *knew* it was going to
happen, and we couldn't do anything. Do you know how helpless we felt?"
Paul's arms dropped to his sides.
"I'm...I'm sorry."
"Oh, Paul." Ashley stepped up to give him a reassuring hug. When the parted,
Paul realized she was crying. He wiped them away.
"Aww, don't cry, luv." Ashley sniffed, then stepped back, smiling.
"You all right then?" She asked. Paul laughed.
"I was about to ask the same."
"Ok then. I'll take that as a yes." She winked, and was gone.
Paul sat down on the couch, thinking deep thoughts.
"You know, sweetness, that chart will never help you if you don't develop an ambisher." George slowly turned around to see Ashley.
"Ashley!!!" he cried happily. "Ashley Ashley Ashley!!!! Never 'ave I ever been so 'appy to see anyone! I'm so lonely! I'm going crazy!" Ashley blushed at his enthusiastic greeting.
"Hi to you too, George. Well, I'm back. I wanted to talk to you about your saxophonic experience," she said.
"Oh, Ashley," he moaned. "How am I ever going to do this? And what in God's name is an ambisher?" Ashley grabbed his hand.
"Calm down, George! You're doing beautifully! You can play Mary Had a Little Lamb! I couldn't play that until at least two weeks after I started playing..." Ashley swallowed the rest of her words as though she were in deep thought. Her expression turned pained, but only for a split second.
"Oh, sorry. Anyway, an ambisher are the muscles in your face that are used while you play the saxophone." She showed him her ambisher. "But that's not all I came here to talk about. You haven't had any experience listening to saxophone players. So, I brought you this." She snapped her fingers and a little boom box appeared.
"This is called a CD player." She snapped her fingers again. A stack of CDS appeared in her hand."
"These are CD's. It's like a record, but the sound is sharper and much more clearer." She showed him how to use it. "These are from my personal collection, if you want to call it that. Pay attention to David Sanborn and Candy Dulfer. You'll play like this soon...hopefully." She offered a smile of encouragement.
"You do too much for me," he said.
"Well, when I was learning how to play, listening to other artists helped me develop goals. It helped me strive for those goals, and it also helps with ear training. But that's not all. I...pulled a few strings," she began, smiling brightly. "David Sanborn is putting on a concert here tomorrow night. I got you a ticket. He'll know who you are.....he's seen you in a dream." She was obviously very proud of her handiwork.
"Ashley, you have outdone yourself!" He wrapped her in a hug and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Because of you I have even more interest....I'm trying to get it right, luv. I couldn't have been blessed with a sweeter, more beautiful angel or friend."
"You have NO idea!" She winked, and was gone, leaving her presents on the bed.
"I need to go shopping," he said quietly. He opened the door to find all the girls gone, and all the guys still halfway dead. He sighed.
"Does anyone have any money?" John asked, figuring if they were famous they'd have millions stored away somewhere anyway.
"Keep your voice down for God's sake! And here," James said throwing John a wad of money. "You look like you need it." Lars chipped in a bit. John smiled wanly and walked out of the hotel.
"The day was bright and sunny. It was probably around one o'clock. John's stomach growled hungrily, but he was a man with a mission. He was in downtown New York City in the middle of a busy afternoon, and he smelled like a cross between a Goddamned orange and a frat party. What a combination. He walked into a large store.
"Wal*Mart....interesting." There were people bustling around everywhere. John began roaming around when he came to the clothes. He really wasn't an expert shopper, he just bought whatever appeared most interesting. He decided on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Then, he found a white, button down shirt with a collar. He took that, too. Then, he set off on his adventure to find a razor. His adventure was 15 minutes, and at that point he was starting to lose his patience. But, nevertheless, he found a razor. He added it to his collection and went to the check out.
"Your total is 30.76." John put the wad of bills in her hand. She looked at them wearily. After counting them she said, "You're five bucks short."
"Honey, you left your wallet in the car again!" John whirled around to see Lucy standing there with a bright expression on her face.
"L-Lucy! You scared me!" He stammered. She handed the lady a 5 dollar bill. The lady handed him a bag with is purchases inside.
"Thanks, Lucy," he said.
"No prob! Isn't it nice to have an angel around?" John nodded. She smiled and winked, disappearing into the sky.
"It really really is," he said, responding to her question again.
"Whatcha doin?" Ashley asked, munching on a carrot. Lucy quickly put the ball away.
"Nothing," she replied.
"Oh yes you were. What's Ringo doing?" Lucy sighed,
"He...he just CAN'T like that heathen...He just can't!!" Lucy said, her voice finding a decrescendo with every word. Ashley nodded.
"I don't think he does. But scooch over, I wanna look at George." so Lucy brought the crystal ball back up and George appeared. He was listening to CDs. Ashley sighed. She was happy he was taking advantage of the CDs.
"My goodness...I don't know HOW I am going to function without my cd player....but at least he is making good use of it!" Ashley smiled. "Alright, you can watch Ringo again." Lucy sighed. She knew Ringo didn't feel the same for Candy....so why did it hurt so bad?
"You called?!?!" Lucy appeared at his feet sitting Indian style on the floor.
"Good Lord, you scared me!!" He said with a laugh. "That was fast! I barely got the words out of my mouth!"
"Did I mention that Angels make good listening buddies?" Lucy said hopefully.
"Oh Lucy, I am SO glad you are here. We need to go somewhere. Can you...make yourself invisible so we can get past Candy?" Ringo felt bad for asking that because he wasn't ashamed of Lucy by any means...in fact...he was growing fond of her.
"I have a better idea. it's called Angel-port. I can't do it often, but I haven't done it in a while. What I do is I hang on to you like this.." She wrapped him in a hug, which she didn't mind at all. "And we both think of a place we want to go...let's say a caf�, is that okay with you?" Ringo nodded. She could feel his breath down her neck and she shivered. No, she didn't mind this at all. "Now, yell out that you are leaving so they don't get mad or anything." so he did, and before Candy could come running in to object, they disappeared.
"Man, we've got to meet the manager....we've got to start recording our album soon," Justin was saying, feeling a bit better himself. It was pretty late that night. They decided not to hit the alcohol again, for obvious reasons.
"Yeah. You'll like him, he's okay," Jeff said.
"What do you guys think of John Lennon?" Paul asked out of the blue.
"John Lennon? His music was wonderful. I really liked him. I was only 7 when he died, but I can still remember it," Justin said. "Such a tragedy how he died," he said. This struck a nerve with Paul.
"How...did he die?" Paul asked quietly. The others looked surprised at his sudden interest, and his obvious ignorance toward the subject.
"He was shot and killed," Justin replied.
"Oh..." Paul said quietly. The thought of John....he excused himself from the group and walked to his room. Thoughts abducted his mind and sent his emotions into a swirl of confusion. He still couldn't believe that John had died...and so terribly. He felt like crying, but instead he just lay down on the bed and thought about everything that had happened between them, and how he would face John the next time he saw him.
~~**~~**index**~~**~~