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At 2 o'clock of the next afternoon I was at The Cavern. I was wearing black jeans, borrowed from John, a white loose T-Shirt, and had my hair tied in a ponytail. Surprisingly there were a few people in, just a few security people and, luckily, Ringo, who was talking ot a guy. I walked to him and smiled.
"Hey, Rings, how are ye?" I said.
"Prue! hey!" He answered, "he's Ray, a friend of mine, he works here."
"Hey, Ray, nice to meet ye,"
"Nice to meet ye too!" he said kindly.
"Ok, ready for our class?" Ringo asked me.
"Yeah, sure!" I chuckled.
"Ok, let's go then... back to my place where I have the drums."
"Gear, c'mon!"
We greeted Ray and headed to Ringo's. Where he lived wasn't like Menlove at all. It was completely a working class neighbourhood.
When we entered to a very modest house, we headed to a garage where his drums were.
"Here we are... with Ringo Starr's set of drums!" he anounced laughing.
"Oh, God!" I laughed with him, "a lot of girls would die to be in my shoes today!"
"Really? you think so?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I'm sure of it."
He grinned and said, "Well… let's start, then…"
He pointed a chair that was opposite to the drums and I sat on it as he sat on the drums.
"The first thing ye oughta know is the right way to hold the sticks, see? Like this," He showed me.
After that, he started hitting the saucer and explained me how to do it (in the right way, of course). The class continued and, by the time it finished, I had learnt to play one song.
The days passed and I went to Ringo's classes almost daily. One day, Ringo had a surprise for me…
"Hey Prue," He say as he kissed the cheek I was offering him.
"Hey Rings," I greeted him and sat on the drums, willing to star with the lesson, "what will we do today?"
"Before that, I gotta tell ya somethin'…" He said.
That got me worried… did I do something wrong? Or maybe he just wanted to ask me out… "What is it?" I asked him… wondering what on earth he'd tell me…
"I've got a surprise fer ya.." He said mischievously.
"A surprise?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yep… ye've got a gig…"
What?! A gig?!
"Oh, Rings! That is so great!" I exclaimed, in a fake euphoric tone. I really didn't wanna be on stage, playing with a group… it scared the hell outta me! But I'd do it, 'cause he kinda asked me to and it seemed important to him.
"Yeah, I know." He said, pretty excited, "it's tomorrow. A new group called 'The Lizards' is playin' and their drummer is sick…"
"Well… thanks for everything, Ringo…" I said.
"Yer welcome, luv… Now let's start with the songs the group will play tomorrow…"
When the class finished, I hurried home. When I finally arrived, I walked to the entrance and knocked, realizing I had forgotten my keys on my desk upstairs. As nobody answered, I knocked harder.
"Hey! Anybody home?!" I yelled, walking some steps backwards to glance at the windows in the 2nd floor, looking for a light. Then, I looked into the garage, but my parent's car wasn't there.
"Well… I suppose mom and dad aren't home yet…" I said, talking to myself, and decided to go to John's house, that was only three blocks away from mine.
As I was walking to John's, I remembered that they were going to be at Paul's rehearsing.
"Fuck!!" I said, really upset by the fact I had to go to Paul's house... I really didn't know what was worse... to melt myself waiting for my parents or to go to his house...
But I knew that John would be there so I decided to go, anyway... of course it would be a little akward to be there, but I wasn't going to die of boredom, so I changed my way and headed to Paul's. When I got there, I knocked the door and, while my nervousness started to grow, waited. A little time later, the door opened and showed me Mike's fifteen years old face.
"Hey, ya Mike!" I said, glad that it was him who opened the door.
I was always very fond of Mike, we had a very good relationship. Maybe because he new that Paul and I hated each other and he thought that was hilarious, but I liked the boy because he was very inteligent and witty.
"Hello, Prue! C'min!" He said as I did so, "what do you need?"
"Ain't the guys 'ere rehearsin'?" I asked him.
"No, I don't think so... I'm all alone..." I sighed, half in dissapointment because the guys weren't there and half in joy because Paul wasn't there either, "except for Paulie who is in the living room..." he continued, killing my joy.
"Oh, I see..."
"Do you want me to call 'im?"
"Well, not rea--"
"Paul!!" he yelled interrupting me and laughing.
"What do ye want Mike?" Paul yelled back from the other room.
"Prue's 'ere!"
"Bastard!" I whispered and slapped his arm while he laughed. Little brat!
"Prue? John's cousin?" Paul asked, clearly amazed.
"Do ye know another one?" Mike asked.
Whith that, Paul walked into the room with a smart ass smile plastered on his face that I wanted so badly to punch away. He just stood there, with that stupid grin in his oiggy face, probably waiting for me to say something, but as I didn't, he said, "well, well, well... what brings you here, luv?"
Luv?! Luv my ass! "Not ye, of course," I said with a phony smile, "I'm looking' fer John and the guys... do ye have any idea where they are?"
"John went with George to look fer guitars and Pete and Stu... well, they're comin' later."
"Damn... well, thanks, I'll go and look for them." I turned around to leave, but Mike's comment stopped me dead.
"Why don't you go with Paul?" Was his happy annotation.
I turned around again and looked at him, my face bright red and my eyes full of rage. Thanks, Mike, thanks a lot. Now I had to go with Paul, I couldn't say: "I won't go with him, know why? Because he makes me sick, he's a parasite and I hate everything about him, from his ridiculous hairdo to his ugly shoes."
"W...Well, yeah, he can come with me," I said hesitatingly and not sounding like I meant it at all.
"Thank God ye allowed me to!" Paul said sarcastically.
I clenched my teeth, trying to control my impulse of killing him and said, "alright, then, let's go."
Paul, without saying another word, went to the entrance, opened the door and went out. I looked at Mike and muttered, "ye're gonna pay fer this, little rat!" and while he laughed, I turned around and followed Paul. He was waiting for me on the street.
When he saw me walking towards him, he said clearly exasperated, "ye can't be more slow, can ye?"
"Of course I can," I told him, "wanna see?"
"No, thanks," He said bitterly.
We walked silently to the bus station and got in the bus that led us to Penny Lane. Once there, we started walking through streets full of shops. After twenty minutes of being wandering there, I started getting annoyed, more than I already was.
"Ye 'ave no idea of where they are, 'ave ye?" I exclaimed after another twenty minutes of walking in circles.
To my surprise he didn't look angry, not even irritated. Something like a guilty mock appeared on his face. "Well, not really... they should be there," he pointed at a store that was a few meters away from us, "but they aren't..."
"So we came all the way here for nothing!" I knew I sounded like a three years old girl, but I didn't care.
"Stop bitching, ok?" He said rudely, nearly yelling to me.
"Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what to do, huh?!"
He sighed heavily and said, "C'mon, let's do a truce, I'm sick of fighting all the time."
"And I'm sick of ye..." I muttered.
"Let's go 'ave some fish 'n' chips and then we go back to my house, what do ya say?"
Well... it was really tempting, not his company (of course), but I was starving, and he'd pay.
"Alright..." I answered him.
Without saying anything else, we walked one more block and entered to a cheap restaurant. We sat on a table and ordered, while we waited for the food, I felt a little tap on my shoulder. I looked back to see who it was and to my surprise, I saw John and George smiling friendly.
"Hey,"George said, "what are ye doin' 'ere with 'im?"
"We were looking--" I started, but Paul interrupted me.
"She's me date," He said smiling.
But that awful smile was soon replaced when his mouth let escape a suffocated shout. I smiled as I heard John's and George's laughter.
"That was a good kick in the balls..." was John laughing statement.
"C'mon," I said, "sit with us..." And they sat at the table.
"Now, really, what were you doin' 'ere?" John asked.
"Actually we spent the last hour looking for you two" I answered.
"Why?"
"Well, I went to my house, nobody was there, I went to Paul's cause I thought you were rehearsing there but obviously you weren't... that's why."
"And why did you two come together?"
"That was Mickey's sugestion..."
"Oh... I see..." George chuckled.
"What's so funny?" I asked him.
"Nothing..."
"And why were you looking us for?" John interrupted.
"Well, I wanted to talk with you."
"Ok, tell me..."
"I'm thinking about something... about Hamburg..."
"What's wrong with Hamburg?"
"Nothing, but we gotta talk with my parents, you know... it's still not sure if I'm going..."
"I told you not worry 'bout it, alright?"
"No, really, I mean it. We have to talk with them..." I said getting upset by the little importance he gave to the issue.
"Alright... when?"
"I don't really know where they are right nowm but--"
"They're at my house right now..."
"Gear, so we can go over there and talk to them, right?"
John sighed again, "I think it's something unnecesary, but let's go."
"Great, thanks," I said standing up.
"Wait," Paul said, "I soent the last two hours supporting your continuing complains and now I have to pay for the food that you didn't touch? That's more than I can take! You'll stay here and end the meal with me, understand?"
"Paulie..." I said sitting down in front of him and patting his hand," If you just wanna have a meal with me, all you gotta do is ask!" and I smiled teasingly.
"I don't wanna have dinner with you, I just don't wanna pay for it myself."
"Well," I said calmly, I'll give ye the money so I can leave..."
"Perfect..." He said bitterly.
"Too bad that I don't have a penny here..."
"Yeah, lad, let us go to her house and we'll come back to give you yer fucking penny," John said to Paul getting exasperated.
"I won't stay here waiting... give it to me tonight at the Cavern, are ye going Prue?"
I remembered the gig and smiled, "I think so..."
"Fine, then give it to me there."
"Ok, I will."
When John, Paul and George started laughing I finally understood. He was just a fucking prick, "I mean I'll give you the money, not--" I stuttered.
"Of course I was talking about the money, what did ye think?" Paul said pretending to be offended.
"Then what the hell is funny?" I exclaimed.
"Nothing Prue, don't worry..." George said.
"Look, I'm not stupid, right? leave your filthy thoughts outta yout minds while I'm around. I can't stand you when you turn into fucking pricks." I stated seriously, "Can we leave?"
"Yeah..." he stood up and we left together leaving Paul and George laughinf at the table.
"Idiots..." I told John as we walked.
He just laughed and we continued walking to the bus station.
"They like to tease you, hon."
"Really?" I asked sarcastically while I got in the bus.
"Yeah..."
"Well, tell them to fuck off or I'll beat the shit outta them," I said imiting John who started laughing maniacaly.
"Let them be..." he chuckled, "but I understand them... you're funny when you get mad."
"Funny?"
"Yeah, very funny."
"You're nuts."
When we got to his house and entered to the empty living room, I stopped, sighed and fearfully asked John, "you think they will agree?"
"Of course they will, ok?!" He exploted.
He was obviously fed up with my doubts, but I couldn't help it.
"Sorry, John," I sighed sadly, looking at the floor, "I'm just nervous..."
"It's ok, Prue, don't worry..." Was all he said.
"Alright, let's go..." And we entered to the kitchen where my parents, Mimi (John's aunt) and my brother were.
"Hey," John said and sat up on a chair.
"Hello, John, Prue... what are you two doing here?" my mum asked.
"Well, actually we're here because we want to ask you something..." I said fearfully.
"Ask what?"
"Well..." John started looking at her, "We want Prue to come with us to Hamburg."
Silence.
"Mmm... I don't think that will be possible, John," My mum said, trying to sound calm.
"Why not," John asked defiant.
"I don't really think I would let my only daughter to go to Germany alone with five men," my father exclaimed trying too hard to sound calm, just like my mother.
"Oh, c'mon!" I said, "they don't count as men!"
"But I think they have what is need to be oneand you no way are going," my dad said, a little more nervous now.
"With me around no one will touch her, she'll be safe," John said.
"Yeah, sure..." Will exclaimed sarcastically. He never had the best relationship with John, mostly because he had the hots for Cynthia (John's girlfriend).
"You stay outta this, alright? No one told you to open the stinky loo ye have fer mouth," John shoot him.
"Alright, stop quarreling!" my mother stated, "why do you want Prue to go there?" she asked.
"She speaks German... why do you think we need her, huh?
My dad and mum looked at each other with a bad look. I was getting more nervous. They weren't going to agree with me going.
"C'mon, mum!" I protested, "I'll be fine! what could happen to me?" you know me! I'll take care of myself!"
"You're just a girl! My baby!" My mum's eyes filled with tears.
I rolled my eyes, "I'm not your baby," I said, "I can take care of myself, mum, I'm old enough for that and you know me! please!"
Mum sighed and said, "Ok... we'll think about it."
"Thank you, mum, I really appreciate this."
"You're welcome, now go." and with that, John and I left to his bedroom.
"Wanna hear some music?" he said while we sat on the bed.
"Ok..." I hesitated a moment and said, "ou think they'll say yes?"
"Yes," he said not even listening to me.
"Oh, bloody hell, listen to me! I'm nervous!" I exclaimes and he looked at me surprised.
"Stop worrying about everything, Prue! Ye saw how we convinced yer mum, just give them time, ok?"
"They're afraid they'll fuck me brains out over there..." I sighed and he bursted out laughing.
"That's cause they're yer parents."
"I hope I'll never be like that," I said.
"Like what? an adult?"
"No! such a tight ass..."
He laughed again and started saying, "well, ye're--" Somebody knocking the door interrupted him.
"Who is it?" he asked a bit irritated.
"Me!" a female voice answered. It was Cyn.
John rolled his eyes, "thought we'll meet at the Cavern, honey."
"I told you that I'd help you with your homework," she entered carrying a bunch of books.
"Oh! hi, Prue!" She said as she saw me.
"Hello, Cyn... I'll leave now, but first, can you finish what you were telling me, John?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter," he said, clearly mad by the fact he was going to study all the afternoon.
"Alright," I smiled, "see you two later at the Cavern, bye!" and I left.
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