"Paul, I think your plan had the opposite effect," John said pointing to the dancing couples. "Also, I think those were good lyrics. Better than I could have done, but maybe I'll sing the lead next time."
"Yeah, John, okay," Paul said squinting to see who Martha was talking to.
"Hey, John, you aren't doing anything tonight, are you?," George asked coming up to the two.
"Not, yet, kid," John said with an evil twinkle in his eye. "Why?"
"Well, Paul has us reserved for later. He plans on serenading Martha. Good thing he didn't bust Pete's snare, or we'd have been in some trouble."
"Hey!," Paul suddenly said, ending the conversation between John and George. "She's with her friend and they're talking with my brother!"
"Well, too bad you can't go over there and talk. We still need to finish the set!," John said walking to the mike.
"Martha..." Mike said trailing off. "I've heard that name recently."
"I don't know how, I don't think we've met. But you do look familiar," I said, squinting to see if I could place where I had seen him before.
"Maybe that's because my bro..."
"You ready to go?," Ringo said coming up besides me.
"Yeah," I said. "It's been nice meeting you, Mike."
"You too, Martha."
"Hey, aren't you Paul McCartney's little brother?," Ringo asked looking at Mike.
"Guilty. He's my brother alright. And an awfully pigheaded one, I might add."
"You can say that again," I whispered under my breath.
"Huh?," Mike asked, but I just shook my head in response.
"Well, we'd better go," I said to Janet.
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow!"
'Oh, God! Like I wasn't already in trouble enough,' Paul thought as he watched his brother talk to Martha.
"This number is one of my favorites, and hopefully, one of yours! You've Really Got a Hold On Me!," John yelled into the microphone.
As soon as the song ended, Paul appeared next to Mike.
"Hey, Mike! How'd you like the show?"
"Not bad. You kind of stunk during that waltz number. Maybe Lennon should sing it," Mike answered, poking Paul in the ribs. "Hey, I want you to meet Janet. She's really neat!"
"Only you would use neat to describe a bird."
"Only you would use bird to describe a woman. You and Lennon," Mike retorted with a smile.
"Am I interrupting something? Janet asked as she walked up to the brothers.
"Not at all. Janet, I'd like you to meet my brother, Paul."
"Um, hello," Paul said uneasily reaching out his hand to shake hers.
"Hello, Paul," she replied looking icily at his outstretched hand, which he dropped.
"Well, I'm going to run and get me and Janet a drink. Want anything, Paul?"
"Nah, I'm fine," he answered. 'Now what?,' Paul thought to himself, rolling back and forth on his heels.
"So," Janet started icily, "how was your date?,"
"Listen, I told her the truth. I had to play, or else the guys would replace me. I haven't exactly been all here lately. There was nothing I could do."
"Well, what are you going to do now? She's really upset, you know."
"Yeah, well, I've been cooking up a plan for something tonight. That's all I'm saying. How is she?," he asked his eyes full of concern.
"Hurt. What you said to her earlier didn't help either."
"I'm sorry 'bout that, but my jealousy got the best. I plan on making up for it. Will you help me?"
"Only if it will make her happy," Janet said as Mike walked up.
"Make who happy?," Mike asked.
"Here," Paul said ignoring Mike's question and handing Janet a bunch of crumpled notes. "Take this and try to find the most gorgeous flowers you can. And Mike, you go with her. Meet me at Martha's house ten minutes before 12."
"I knew I knew that name from somewhere. And what IS this all about?," Mike asked puzzled.
"I'll explain it to you. C'mon. I think I know what he has planned. By the way, Paul, where are we supposed to get flowers at this time of night?," Janet asked.
"Mike will know. Now go and don't be late!!"
"All except for that Paul incident," I said as we reached his car.
"Do you honestly mean that?," he asked as we got in the car.
"Yeah. I really do. I had tons of fun talking with you. Plus, you made me smile when I didn't feel like it."
"I'm just happy you feel better. Don't let him get to you. He really likes you, you know."
"I know. But what can I do?"
"Why not try to talk to him. Again."
"Look what happened the last time."
"All you can do is try. Especially if you like him that much."
"I suppose I'll try. That's my street over there," I said pointing to a sign. "My house is third on the right."
"That two-floor?"
"Yep," I said as he pulled up to it.
"Let me walk you to the door."
"Okay. It's awfully dark in there. I wonder if my aunt's asleep…," I said as we got to the door. "Thank you for tonight, Ringo. You really helped me out."
"It was nothing, really. Here's my phone number. If things don't work out for you and Paul, give me a call, okay? Well, give me a call either way."
"I will. And now that you know where I live, drop by again sometime. Will I see you around then?," I asked smiling at him. For some reason, and not because I was upset with Paul, I really felt attracted to Ringo.
"Most definitely," he answered.
He turned around to leave and I waited until he had left to go inside. As I walked in, it was unusually quiet.
'That's weird. Aunt Dolly usually leaves the radio on,' I thought walking into the kitchen.
I noticed a note on the table as I turned on the light: Martha, I had to dash out of the house. Important meeting in London first thing in the morning and a series of meetings following that. I've left you some money in the cash drawer so you can get something to eat while I'm gone. You can have someone stay with you if you don't want to be by yourself. I'll call if I can. And DON'T EAT ONLY JUNK FOOD! Love, Aunt Dolly P.S. You forgot to call your mum. Do it first thing in the morning. She doesn't care what time it is over there.
'Well,' I thought. 'I don't really want to stay here by myself, but Janet is still out. I guess I'll just go to bed.'
I headed for my room, and as I slipped into bed, the clock read eleven thirty.
"Calm down, Paulie. They've still got five minutes," John said, flicking his cigarette at George.
"Besides," George started as he dusted ashes off his shoulder. "Where do you expect them to find flowers at this time of night?"
"Or anywhere in Liverpool, at that?," Pete added.
"Mike knows where to go. Hey! I see the car!"
"Did you get them?," Paul asked running up to the car.
"Hand to go practically to London and back, but yeah. We got them," Mike answered as Janet showed the flowers.
"Perfect. Now, Janet, I need you to take this to Martha with the flowers," Paul said handing her a note.
"Me?! Why me?"
"Because she'd slam the door in my face and doesn't really know Mike."
"Okay, okay. Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of."
"Good. You owe me a lot already," Janet said as she got out of the car.
"She's something, isn't she, Paul?"
"You have some taste in women, Mike."
"Huh?," I asked in a sleepy haze.
I had just fallen asleep when some lunatic started banging at my door.
"What time is it?," I asked myself looking for my watch.
"Midnight?! This had better be good," I mumbled as I stumbled down the stairs. Thank God for those railings.
I reached the bottom of the stairs before I realized two things. One, I was in my pajamas and it was cold and Two, I had NO idea who was the lunatic banging at my door.
*KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK*
"Martha! Open the damn door! I can see you through the glass!," I heard Janet say outside. "C'mon! It's cold out here."
"Be quiet, Janet. You're going to wake up the neighborhood," I whispered, opening the door.
"Your boyfriend will before I do," was her only muttered response.
"Say what? Hey! Did Mike give you those?," I asked noticing the flowers in her hands.
"They're for you," she said handing them to me with a note.
"For me?," I asked as I unfolded the note:
Dear Martha, Please believe me when I tell you that I never meant any harm. I apologize for my actions from tonight and I hope I can make it up to you. -Paul
"What's this?," I asked looking questioningly at Janet.
"This is what it is," she said grabbing my arm and dragging me back to the door.
"Janet! I still have my pajamas on and it's freezing! Have you lost all of your senses?!"
"Come on, Martha," She said opening my door and dragging me onto the small porch.
As soon as I stepped onto the porch, I heard music start.
"I've just seen a face, I can't forget the time or place...," I heard Paul start to sing.
"Look, Paulie! She's in her jammies," John shouted and I saw Paul kick him, never missing a beat.
Very quickly neighbors started waking up and shouted obscenities out their windows.
I ran out to the small group and begged them to come inside so that my neighbors wouldn't call and get them (and me) arrested.
"Please come inside," I pleaded as neighbors started throwing things at them.
As a clock went whizzing by John, nearly missing his head, he took off for the open door with George quick on his heels. Mike and Pete took off with his drum right after them, leaving Paul and me outside.
"We better get inside too," I said, realizing just how cold a Liverpool night could be in one's pajamas.
"You're freezing!," Paul said taking his coat and wrapping me up in it.
Instantly, I was overwhelmed with the smell of his cologne and faint cigarette smoke. I don't think I had ever smelled anything better in my life and suddenly everything that happened that night, the arguments, the jealousy, and Ringo vanished from my mind. I knew that no matter what happened, I couldn't be mad at Paul anymore.
"Come on," he said taking me into the house.
I was surprised to see them already comfortable in the sitting room. John slouched in an overstuffed armchair leg swung over the arm and smoking a cigarette, staring off into space. George was looking at the records that Janet and I had left sitting out earlier. Pete was talking with Mike and Janet, who were laughing at something he had said.
"We thought you two were going to be out there all night!," John said breaking off his contact with oblivion.
"Well, you thought wrong," Paul said taking his coat off my shoulders and hanging it on one of the hooks near the door.
I started for the sitting room so that I could warm up, but Paul lightly grabbed my arm.
"We need to talk," he said, his eyes warm and tender. "Is there someplace we can go?"
"Come on," I said leading the way to the kitchen.
I was half way there when I noticed that I was still in my pajamas.
"Just go into that room over there," I pointed out to him. "I'll be there in a few minutes," I said dashing up the stairs.
"What am I going to say?," I muttered under my breath before opening my door.
'What are you going to say to her, Macca?,' he thought to himself as he fiddled with a matchbook he found in his pocket.
He studied the matchbook, trying not to think about the upcoming discussion that was going to take a lot out of him. He noticed an ashtray near him, so he pulled out a cigarette. When he opened the cover of the matchbook, he noticed some writing on it:
"Hey, Cutie. 527-6089. Call me. -Audrey"
"God! Why can't they leave me alone for just one minute?!," he said throwing the matchbook into the corner.
"What was that?," Paul heard someone ask.
Paul turned around to see Martha at the doorway in slacks and a sweater.
"Nothing," he replied not able to take his eyes off her. "Come and sit. We really need to talk."
"Okay," she said heading for the chair opposite him. "Where do we begin?"
"Well, first, I'm sorry about what happened. You know, about me having to play. I really had to and I didn't know about it until they called me and told me just as I was getting ready to go pick you up."
"Honest?"
"Honest. Just ask the guys."
"Okay, now what about at the club. When you ambushed me, attacked Ringo, and sang that song?"
"I'm sorry about all of that. I saw you with him and I just reacted. I figured since you were mad at me, you had just chosen a guy and were trying to get back at me. I just jumped to conclusions."
"Well, I'm sorry about the way I acted on the phone. I didn't mean to be so rude. I guess I just reacted too," she said looking at her hands.
"It's okay. Why don't we start all over again? Again?"
"All over?!," she said in mock horror.
"Well, just tonight," he answered with a smile. "Why don't we go out tomorrow afternoon? Sound okay?"
"You don't have anything to do tomorrow, right?"
"If you say yes, then no. I don't have anything to do tomorrow," he said taking her hand in his.
"Then, yes. I will go out with you tomorrow. Well, today."
"Hey, Paul!," John said coming into the kitchen. "I hate to break up your romantic moment, but it's starting to snow and I'd like to get home to my warm bed."
"I'm coming, John," Paul said. "I'll see you at noon."
"Bye," she said as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
Have read Chapter 10.