I took my seat on the plane, it was a first class seat. Just sitting there finalized it. I’d never see John again. That was it, no more life in London. My time with the Beatles, and with the love of my life was over. It wasn’t a dream though, because the baby was real enough. I began to cry as I felt the ripping in my heart. I was leaving my life behind, everything that really mattered to me. A kind middle-aged woman sitting next to me gave me her handkerchief, I took it gratefully and wiped the tears from my eyes. I smiled a bit awkwardly at her and thanked her.
“So, deary what’s your trouble?” She asked.
I looked at her and I knew that I wanted to talk with someone. I wouldn’t tell her everything, but I’d at least tell her something. “I...” I began and then I took a deep breath and continued. “...I’m leaving my life behind to begin yet again. I don’t want to go, but I have to.”
New tears began to spill and she managed to give me an awkward hug and tried to comfort me. She was just so motherly. “Now, now, there, there. It can’t be all that bad. What happened? Oh, let me guess, men trouble is it?” She sighed.
“Yes, and I really do love him,” I sobbed. I felt really awful for crying so much, but every time my mind wondered back to John I just couldn’t help him. All of those happy moments of just us being together.
Eventually I calmed down enough to have a decent conversation with the woman. Her name was Anne. She was quite a nice lady. We talked all through the flight. She could relate to some of my problems. When I told her about my delicate condition she understood and didn’t chide me as most would. She’d been down heartbreak road herself, and she gave great advice. We talked about so much. I found out that she was going to New York to meet her little granddaughter who’d been born just two days before. I congratulated her. We exchanged addresses, and I knew I’d met a friend. She was actually moving to New York.
When the flight landed I felt a little frightened. I hadn’t been back to the states in three months. Getting off of the flight was delayed. I thought that was a bit strange. Then I remembered the flight attendant in London. Somehow she had told someone that a Beatle was on a flight to New York. Finally they let the passengers off of the plane. Anne and I got off at the same time and she said that I could ride with her if I liked, we were actually staying in the same building!
Once I was in the airport I heard hundreds of screams, and flash bulbs were going off everywhere. I was temporarily blinded. Reporters got into my face and began asking questions.
“Mrs. Lennon, where is your husband?”
“Is it true that you and John are honeymooning in New York?”
A loud scream erupted from the girls. I was bewildered. A guy from airport security grabbed me and Anne followed close behind. We ended up in one of the offices. Anne looked at me, amazement on her face.
“You’re married to a Beatle?” She asked.
“No, I just left one.”
I began to cry again. She hugged me and rubbed my back. I looked up at her and then asked, “How do you know about the Beatles?”
“I have two daughters, luv. Jane, the new mother, is twenty-three, and Mary who is visiting with Jane is fifteen. She loves the Beatles, especially John. I didn’t realize that you were the one she was jealous of,” She said with a laugh.
I grinned at her. “Just don’t let her know that John has a baby on the way. I don’t want it in the papers. I left him so that he wouldn’t have to tie himself down to a marriage, and a baby just isn’t what he needs right now.”
We talked for a bit until the airport security said that they’d secured a taxi and had our luggage already secure. We thanked them and were then escorted to the taxi. We first stopped at the hospital. She gave me the key to her apartment so that I could put her luggage in there for her. I then told the driver where to take me. It wasn’t long before I reached my new home. I looked up and was amazed. I didn’t know how I would be able to pay for such a place after the year ran out. I got Anne’s luggage into her apartment first and then I got myself squared away.
When I reached my floor I was a little skeptical at how it would look like once I was inside. I was amazed when I opened the door. There was a lovely dark-blue shag carpet, and the furniture included two bright green sofas and bright green chairs. The kitchen had a lovely white tiled floor and the cabinets and stove were white. The bathroom was decorated in a bright pastel lavender and the bedroom was almost like the one John and I used to share. The bedroom was pure green everywhere. The sheets and covers, the curtains, the carpet. The dresser, bedposts, and dresser drawers were made from beautiful cherry oak. I didn’t know what to think. There were also two guestrooms, fully furnished, and my room had a connecting bathroom. George did the best money could buy. I would have to find a way to pay him back.
I saw a phone on a table by the bed. I decided to call up my old roommates Jenny Calston and Audri Parkins. The phone rang a few times and finally Jenny answered.
“Hello, Jenny, remember me?” I asked nervously.
Jenny shrieked. I held the phone away from my ears for a few minutes until she finally got herself under control.
“Oh, my God Charline? Where are you? How is life in England? Are you really here honeymooning? You married a Beatle! I’m so jealous!” She screamed excitedly.
“If only that were true,” I began sobbing again.
“What’s going on? Why are you crying? Where are you?” Her voice was full of concern as she realized that I was crying.
“I didn’t marry anyone, I left him when I found out...” I really began to bawl then. “I’m in New York! George set me up with an apartment for a year.”
I managed to give her the address and within half an hour Jenny and Audri were sitting on one the sofas with me between them, crying my eyes out. They were hold me in an embrace trying to comfort me. I couldn’t stop crying.
“I can’t believe that bastard cheated on you!” Jenny said.
That caught my attention. I looked up at her, confusion etched across my tear-stained face. “Cheated? He never cheated on me. I left because I’m pregnant, not because he cheated. I didn’t want to tie him down. Damn it now I’m hungry!” I sighed and wiped my face again.
They looked at each other and then back at me. “You’re PREGNANT?” they both shrieked in unison as their jaws dropped.
“Yes,” I squeaked.
“Who’s is it? Paul’s or John’s” Audri asked, and then she remembered that George set up the apartment. “George! He cheated on Patti with you and that’s why you’re here! That’s why he’s set you up here!”
“Hell no! George is a friend. It’s John’s,” I said through a sudden bout of hiccups. Why did I have to get hiccups whenever I cried hysterically?
“You should have told him, Char. He isn’t married and he wasn’t with anyone. What happened in London?” Jenny said.
“At first I was with Paul, but I was attracted to John. At John’s birthday party John ended up driving me home because Paul was roaring drunk, but rather than going to Paul’s flat, we ended up riding out further into the countryside of London. It was then that I realized that I wasn’t just attracted to John, I’d fallen in love with him. After all he was the one that saved me. I ended up going home with John and we’d been together ever since, and that was about three months ago, and surprise, surprise, I’m three months along. Paul already hates me and John is going to hate me once he reads that note I left him,” I sighed.
“Are we the only ones that know about the baby?” Audri said and then she gently patted my stomach.
“No, a lady downstairs, her name’s Anne, she knows, and George and Richie umm, Ringo knows,” I smiled, just the thought of that last day with Richie. I was going to miss Georgie and Richard. I hope that they would come and visit me sometime, I knew that John never would, even if he knew where I was. He was now a lost cause. John (sigh) I doubted that I would ever let him go.
“Are you sure that you can trust this Anne?” Jenny looked skeptical.
“She seems nice enough, and she’s well off. Her daughter Jane married some rich guy, and just had a baby.”
“I think we’d better go,” Audri made a sign to Jenny.
“You don’t have to,” I sighed.
“We have dates tonight. I’m sorry, but we really can’t stay,” Jenny said and then they got up and left.
All the better, because when they left I had a chance to ring up George and Richie. I finally knew my number, and I had made a promise to both of them to call. I rang up George first.
“Hullo, what’s the password?” He asked.
“Will it’s Charlie work?” I asked.
“Hey, luv, ‘ow was the flight? Anything eventful happen?” He asked.
I sighed, trying to hold back the tears building yet again. “The flight was okay. I sobbed on this poor woman’s shoulder the entire time. The airport was a living hell. The flight attendant that saw you thought that one of you was on the flight. Word got around and I was met by fans and reporters. Tell me one thing George. Why did they think that John and I were married and in New York on a honeymoon?”
The tears came as the word honeymoon fell from my lips.
“Oh, bloody hell, how can they get their wires that fuckin’ crossed? I’m sorry Charlie.”
“How has John taken it, or does he know yet?” I timidly asked.
“Well, first he stormed over to Paul’s flat and demanded to see the rat bastard that stole you from him, and when Paul did come out John charged him. When Paul finally got a chance to say that you actually left for good, John was sitting on the steps in front of Paul’s flat. I ended up coming ‘round there to see what was going on. Paul told John to ask me where you went, but I didn’t say a word. John threatened to beat the shit out of me, so I left them both. Last I heard they’re going from pub to pub getting as bloody drunk as hell,” He stated dryly.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this George. I really didn’t have much of a choice though. Oh, the apartment is lovely. You didn’t have to have it made up so nicely. I never expected all this and the bedroom, is just like the one John and I used to share,” I tried to keep what little control I had left.
“It was no trouble. I was glad to help out a friend. Oh, you ring me anytime, especially when the baby comes. I want to hear about it. Hey, I have to go now. Patti is dying to go out.”
“Sure, bye George.”
I reluctantly cradled the receiver. I sat down on the bed thinking about all that I’d left behind. It wasn’t like leaving Devil’s Pit. I had actually left a real home behind when I left London, and I’d lost a real family when I left John. Maybe I was like my mother, because I ran from my problems, just like she did. Well I wasn’t going to run from my baby, this was one thing that I was going to stick around for. I was too keyed up to call Rich. I was a horrible sobbing mess as it was, and Richard probably wasn’t ready to deal with that, and they were probably going out with George and Patti.
The flight finally got to me and I ended up crawling into bed. The pillow ended up being soaked with tears. It was a restless sleep, filled with dreams of John. Hell I hadn’t been away from him for more than a day I felt like I just lost everything that ever mattered in my life. I was a total mess.
I don’t remember much about that part of my life. I know I felt loneliness and pain. I know it physically hurt me every time I thought of John. Every time I heard a Beatles song I cried. A tour was scheduled to begin in about June. Hell what was I going to do. Richard sent me some of Maureen’s paternity clothes from her pregnancy with Zak. It was now June, about five months since I left John. I was looking like a cow, and I was eight months along. Jenny and Audri visited and called often. Anne came up to see me practically everyday, and I was constantly making Trans-Atlantic calls to George and Richard. I called John a couple of times. I never talked to him, I just wanted to hear his voice. Their tour was under way, and when they were in New York, George visited me, of course he had to sneak out in disguise and he ended up getting chewed out by Brian. George always called me whenever they were at a new hotel. I enjoyed hearing from him. He was a life saver during those hard times.
The day came when I was finally due. July eighteenth. I woke up to severe cramps. I grabbed the phone and the first thing I thought of doing was calling George. They were currently in California. Unfortunately John picked up the phone.
“Hullo, what’s the password?” John said. He sounded tired and hung over.
“Give the fucking phone to GEORGE!” I shrieked.
“Charlie? What the fuck? What’s going on?” He sounded worried.
“Give the mother fucking phone to George NOW!” I growled.
I heard something going on and then I screamed from the pain. George immediately came on the line. I could hear John saying something in the background.
“Charlie? Is it time? Call Anne. Have her take you. I’ll be on the next flight. I swear it!” George said.
“My water broke!” I screamed.
I could hear John in the background, “What fucking water broke!”
I slammed the phone down and then I called Anne. She was up in a flash and called the hospital. After what seemed like an eternity the ambulance finally arrived. It took forever to get to the hospital. Then I was rushed into the emergency room. It was painful, I know that much, but I really can’t remember it. I remember after everything that I was holding my beautiful son in my arms. I was crying as I gazed down into two all knowing beautiful light brown eyes. What little bit of hair he had was an auburn color. He was the spitting image of his father. I sighed and gazed down at the little mocker that John would never see.