"Daddy!," I yelled, much to Ringo's amusement, and ran to him for a hug. My mom and brother quickly followed, enveloping me. After what seemed like five minutes, the hug ended.
"Everyone, this is my friend Richard," I began, walking towards the stuff I dropped when I ran for the hug. "Richard this, is everyone."
"How do you do," he said with a slight nod. "Martha's told me a lot about you. It's almost all she talked about on the plane!"
Immediately my mom's face broke into a huge smile. I guess her nurturing side kicked in. Ringo didn't know what hit him!
"We have to get you both through customs. Then we've decided to stop off for a quick bite before the drive to Robstown," she said as she came and looped Ringo's left arm and my right arm. "Dear, you're much too thin! And you poor boy! A week here and you're going to be hearty, you mark my words."
"Mom, give us a break! We just had a long flight. By the way, I thought we were going to stay at the house? What happened?"
"Well, your father thought it might be good to stay at the farm for a couple of days. That way Richard isn't bombarded with all the family and can get used to us. So, let's get moving!," she said heading for my dad and brother, who were headed for the baggage claim.
"Are all Texans this friendly?," Ringo asked with a huge smile.
"Well, pretty much....," I laughed, as we watched my mom talk excitedly to my dad. "Welcome to Texas, Ring."
"Hi, Ms. Morgan. This is Paul McCartney. Is Martha there?," Paul excitedly spoke into the phone outside a small London pub after the Decca audition.
"She isn't? I thought her flight wasn't supposed to leave until late tonight....She took an early morning flight? Was there an emergency?... Oh, she left early with a friend. Laura, I suppose?...A guy?... Ringo? I see," he trailed off as the smile that graced his handsome face earlier, faded. "Well, if she calls you, can you tell her I called?... No, thank you, but I don't need her phone number there... Yes, you have a good day, too, Ms. Morgan," he ended as he hung up the phone.
Paul stood there staring at the phone trying to let the information that Martha's aunt gave him sink in. Questions swirled in his mind, repeating, making his anger grow. ‘How could she do this? Why didn't she tell me? Why did she go with him?'
"Well, Paul," he said to himself in the safety of his small phone booth, "you've worried about her long enough. Obviously, she doesn't care. It's time to let yourself have some fun."
He walked out of the phone booth and into the pub the rest of the guys were in. He took the seat near John and yelled out an order to the bartender nearby.
"Scotch and coke. Make it quick," he said pulling out a cigarette.
"Sounds good, let me have one of those, too," John motioned to the bartender. "Looks like you've been trampled, Paulie,"he said turning towards Paul. "What happened?"
"She's gone, John."
"Yeah, she's left, but she's gonna be back. She told ya that before ya left," John answered, laughing.
"She's gone, John. And she left with Ringo. They left this morning," Paul mumbled, downing his scotch and coke in one swift stroke.
Silence fell between the two friends as the bartender refilled Paul's empty glass.
"Well," John started, breaking the silence, "nothing mends a broken heart like getting smashed. Let's go have us a good time, Paul. See some clubs, meet some girls, it'll do you one hell of a good."
"For once, Lennon, you make sense," he answered his friend as he threw some crumpled bills on the bar. "Let's go."
"That was wonderful, Mrs. Meske. It's one of the biggest meals I've eaten in a long time!," Ringo told my mom as he stretched after our dinner. We'd had barbecue, sausage, beans, potato salad, Spanish rice, and potato chips. One of my mom's smaller meals, and Ringo had tried it all!
"Really, this is nothing compared to what we normally eat. My sister came earlier and made most of it, so I can't really take credit for all of it," she answered him as she started picking up some of the dishes and walked towards the house. We had dinner outside because the weather was a beautiful 72 degrees that night and a nice breeze was blowing.
"Martha, I really do thank you for inviting me. Texas is more beautiful than I pictured. Or from what I saw in the movies. What we saw on the drive down here was spectacular! It was so green, you'd never even think it was winter!," he said looking at the sunset.
"Well, Ringo, your welcome. I never knew how much I missed this place until I actually came back! I was so happy to leave in September, I never thought I'd miss it!," I laughed as I started to help and pick up the leftover plates and cups. "I'm going to go back into the house and call my Aunt Dolly. Are you going to stay out here, Ringo?"
"Yeah, I want to enjoy this as much as I can before I go back to freezing Liverpool," he smiled, turning to look at me.
"I'll see you inside later, then," I said as I turned to go back to the house. I put the cups and plates I had taken from outside in the sink and then went to the phone. After a few rings my Aunt Dolly picked up the phone.
"Aunt Dolly! It's Martha! I wanted to let you know that I got home safely!," I said excitedly into the receiver.
"I'm happy to hear that, hon. Oh! Your friend, Paul, called for you this afternoon," I heard her tell me over the static-y line.
"Did he tell you anything or did you give him the number here?"
"No, he didn't say anything and I asked if he wanted your number there, but he said no, dear. I told him you left with a friend."
I let a small groan go and instantly I knew Paul was pissed. ‘Of course, Martha,' I thought. ‘How would you feel if he left on a trip with a girl? What'd you expect?'
"Thanks, Aunt Dolly. I'll call you again before I leave for London. If you need us, we'll be at the farm for a couple of days instead of the house."
"Okay, then, Martha. I'll talk to you soon. Tell your parents hello for me. Bye, dear."
I hung up the phone and leaned on the wall next to the phone. I had Paul's number but do I dare call and see if he came home from London? I knew he was going to raise hell cause 1. I would and 2. look how he reacted when I first met Ringo! I fiddled with one of my braids and wondered what I COULD do.
‘I can't believe I didn't stay,' Paul thought as he slipped his key in the lock and opened his front door. He'd taken a bus from London to Liverpool after a couple of trips to a few bars. As much as he wanted to get back at Martha, he just couldn't.
"Anyone home?," he called as he walked into his house. There was no answer. ‘Guess everyone had plans tonight,' he thought as he set his bass down and threw his coat over a chair. As he walked into the kitchen to get something to drink, the phone rang.
‘Who'd call at this hour,' he wondered as he walked toward the phone. Maybe it was John and Decca made a decision.
"H'llo?," he asked as he yawned.
"Hi. This is Martha Meske. I know it's late, but I wanted to know if Paul is there and if he is, can I talk to him?"
"What do you want, Martha?," Paul asked in a toneless voice.
"Paul! I wasn't sure if you'd be home or not! How'd the audition go?," she asked warily.
"It was okay. Is that the only reason you called?"
"No. It isn't. I know my aunt told you I left with Ringo...."
"Did you think I wouldn't find out eventually? Honestly, did you?," he yelled furiously. "Do you take me for an idiot, Martha?"
"No, Paul. It was a spur of the moment decision. I didn't want to go all by myself and Ringo was telling me how much he wanted to go to Texas sometime ago and I don't know what came over me, but I asked him and he said yes...." she rambled over the long distance connection. "Oh, Paul, I'm sorry. I know how it seems, but he only came as a friend. You don't know how much I wish you were here with me."
"Do you really mean that, Martha?," he asked with some hope creeping in his voice with out meaning to. "Or are you telling me that because you think that's what I want to hear?," he added his anger overcoming him again.
"Paul, I really mean it. You have no idea just how much I mean it."
"I don't know why," he sighed, his anger with her subsiding somewhat, "but I believe you. You don't know how much I wanted to just put you out of my mind tonight, Martha. Somehow I couldn't. I couldn't meet someone else and I couldn't spend the night clubbing with my friends. We are gonna have to have a talk about his when you get back. We need to decide how this relationship is going to finally work itself out."
"I know. I do miss you, Paul. But I have to go now. I'll try to call you later in the week if I can."
"I miss you too, Martha. Just don't do something like this again, please. I'll talk to you later. Bye," he whispered as he hung up.