Days in the Life

Chapter Twenty-One

From the moment I woke up the next morning, I was automatically in a crappy mood, since the first thing I remember is rolling over in bed and noticing that there was little sunlight in the room--as well as Paul not next to me in bed. Okay, I thought, sighing. It's either still really early and maybe Paul's in the bathroom or something…or it's really late.

I rolled over the other way in bed to check the clock on the nighstand and proceeded to give a shout of "Dammit!" when I noticed that the hands pointed to 3:15 in the afternoon! No one had bothered to wake me up! I literally jumped out of bed, bedsheets flying in the air before landing in a heap near the pillows as I dashed into the bathroom and turned the shower water on, slamming the door behind me. I took probably the fastest shower ever done in modern times, dried off, combed my hair quickly, then ran back into the bedroom to find something to wear.

I picked up the handle of my vanity case, and, not realizing I'd neglected to latch the lock closed the night before, proceeded to spill everything inside of it onto the rug. I jumped backward about two feet as my hair accessories, manicure materials, and a zillion bottles of hotel shampoo dropped into a heap on the floor.

"Oh, nice mess, Laurie Donaldson," I muttered, disgusted with the way the entire day had been going. Well, that'll show me good for swiping all those bottles! I thought as I tried to reorganize all my things into the bottom of the case and the pullout tray that rested across the top edge of the case. I'd cracked a bottle of clear nail polish and luckily noticed it before a huge amount of the gloppy liquid got onto the rug, so I immediately tossed that into the wastebasket in the bathroom. Everything else, though, had somehow stayed intact, and I managed to reorganize everything into the case in about five minutes.

Just as I was setting the case on top of the dresser again, I noticed that I didn't have my class ring on yet. Now where did I leave it? I thought to myself, frowning. Not on the nightstand…no…it was…on top of the vanity case…

Whoa, wait a second! It wasn't on top when I lifted up the case just then, was it? Or did I look right past it? I kneeled on the floor again and searched underneath the dresser and all across the carpet for it-no luck!

"What the hell?" I said to myself, standing up and drumming my fingers on the top of the dresser for a minute straight. "I did leave it on the vanity case, right?"

Yes, I could clearly remember taking it off and setting it there the night before…but now it had flown somewhere across the room and would probably take all day to find it! What next? I thought, completely disgusted as I sifted through the last of my clean clothes in my suitcase. I chose my pink mini and the least-wrinkled white sleeveless blouse I could find in the case and dressed in them before venturing downstairs to find out what was for breakfast…or lunch…or dinner, by that point!

The only sign of life on the first floor of the house was John and Ringo reclining on the couches in front of the television, watching some ridiculous quiz show. Neither of them appeared to have slept very well the previous night.

"Morn--er, afternoon, guys," I said, leaning against the back of John's couch. "You wouldn't happen to know where Paul has run off to, would you?"

John nodded. "He's gone into town with Neil. They should be back soon," he said, glancing quickly at his watch. "Did you just wake up?"

"Yes, thanks to everyone around here…Didn't anyone think to wake me up? I don't want to sleep past two unless we've been out all night or something…But when Paul gets back, could you tell him to come upstairs and help me? I have a major problem."

Ringo turned around, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"My class ring is missing--you know, that blue-stoned ring that I always wear?" I said, waving my bare-fingered hand at him.

Ringo nodded, glancing ever so quickly at John. "Where might you have left it?"

"Well, I know I left it on top of my vanity case last night right before I went to bed, and now it's missing," I said. "I don't know…it might have gone flying under the bed or something when I tipped over the case just now. Maybe I'm looking right past it or something. Could one of you come upstairs and help me look for it?"

"Sure, luv," Ringo said. He followed me upstairs, where I indicated to him the approximate spot where I'd spilled everything out of the case. He looked around for about five solid minutes--under the bed, inside any of the dresser drawers that had been left open just the slightest bit, inside my pair of shoes that I'd left near the bathroom door last night--before saying, "Sorry, luv; I don't see it anywhere."

I sighed. "Well, thank you, anyway," I said, tapping his arm as he walked back to the door. "I'll keep looking for it-it's gotta be here somewhere."

Instead of looking for it again, I sat at the edge of the unmade bed, biting up my nails and agonizing over where in God's name the darn thing could have gone. It wasn't like I could say, "Well, maybe I'll find it in a few days"-we'd be leaving the house in a couple of days, and I certainly knew that I would probably never be back to that house again for the rest of my life. After nearly working myself into hysterics, I went downstairs again to grab something for late lunch-dinner. As I sat at the dining room table finishing a ham sandwich and a bottle of Coke, I heard someone come through the front door. Paul was home! Maybe now he could help me!

I sprang from my chair and rushed to the foyer to find George coming inside the house and closing the door behind him. He was carrying two small gift-wrapped packages in his hand. "Hello, Laurie," he said, pulling the cap that had concealed his Beatle haircut so he could walk around town unnoticed. He looked a little startled to see me there, but quickly recovered.

"Where's Paul?" I asked, not even returning the greeting.

"He's still in town with Neil-we took separate cars," he replied, tossing the cap onto the coat hook on the wall near the door.

"Oh!" I whined. "Well, when is he getting back?"

George shrugged. "Don't know…"

"Well, if you see him before I do, tell him to find me immediately," I said, biting my lip. "I have a bit of a crisis I need help with."

"What's wrong?" George said, alarmed all of a sudden. Jeez, why was everyone so jumpy again? More bad concert news or something?

"My class ring is missing upstairs; I wanted to know if he'd seen it," I said.

"Oh," he said, relaxing. "I'll tell him so."

"Thanks…what'd you buy?" I asked, staring at the packages he was clutching tightly in his hands.

"Just some jewelry for Pattie," he said quickly. "I'd show you…but they're wrapped already."

"Oh, that's okay."

"You know, Laurie, maybe you should take the car and go into town for a while…do some shopping," George suggested. "You don't have to be confined to the house with all of us, you know."

"I just might," I answered, nodding. "Maybe it'll get my mind off of things…"

"Well, here's the keys," he said, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out two keys on a ring. "I filled it up with petrol just before leaving town, so there's no need to worry about that."

"Petrol? Oh, gas, you mean," I said, translating from British to American again as I took the keys from him. "Is there a map in the car or anything I-"

"There's a map in the glove compartment, plus a hand-drawn map of directions to the shopping district," he said. "There's some nice shops about three miles from here-not too many people, either."

"Sounds good," I said. It was about time I got some shopping done, I thought as I spun the keys around my finger. I wanted to get my family some souvenirs, plus maybe something nice for Cheryl and Anna as well.

I found my purse upstairs, as well as my light jacket, and announced to George, who was just sitting down in front of the television with the other two couch potatoes, "I'm going to go, then, if anyone's looking for me."

He nodded, staring blankly at the television screen with the others. God, what the hell was so interesting about that damn thing? I thought as I walked out the door. Talk about an idiot box…

I drove down the curvy hills with extreme caution, trying to read the chicken-scratch on the hand-drawn map at the same time. "Good god," I muttered, not getting very much out of the map, "Whoever drew this map needs glasses…"

The local shopping district consisted of about three blocks of stores on either side of a two-lane street-very suburban, uncrowded, yet still upscale. I parked the car on one of the side streets and walked down the streets after placing my rose-red sunglasses on the bridge of my nose to block out the sunlight from my tired eyes.

Hmm…whom should I buy for first? I thought, perusing the various little shops along the street. Something small for Claire, since I already got her a lock of John's hair… something nice for Mom, maybe something for the kitchen… and what on earth could my father possibly want from California? A new antenna for the TV he busted at home?

I spotted Claire's kind of souvenir right away in a boutique window-a pink and white porcelain jewelry box about the same shape and size of a Hostess chocolate cupcake with the swirly white spirals on the top. It had three leafy pink roses sculpted into its lid, matching perfectly with the new wallpaper that Claire had pasted onto her walls about six months ago. She'd complained ever since last year that her room looked like "such a little baby room" and that she wanted to redo it…and she'd gotten her wish when she made a deal with my parents: she'd settle for new furniture, carpet, and wallpaper for her eighth-grade graduation gift. Hell, she'd lucked it out and gotten an impressive gift-all I got from my mom and dad for my graduation in '59 was a $100 savings bond.

Anyway, I ended up buying the jewelry box for Claire; it cost three dollars, which wasn't too bad, considering the nice quality of the item: the inside was lined in green velvet, and it had sturdy brass hinges. I asked the saleslady to wrap it well in tissue paper and a small box, since I'd probably end up packing it in one of my suitcases for the journey home.

I walked out of the store, shuffling my money around in my purse, and that's when I spotted a possible gift for my mother in a store window across the street. For the past three years, she'd been moaning about how her favorite black purse that she always carried with her on nice occasions when she had to dress up got ruined. She was stepping out of the car parked near the front doors of some supper club in downtown Chicago where my dad had taken her for their wedding anniversary when that little black clutch-purse slipped from her hands and fell directly into a five-inch-deep puddle of rainwater near the curb. It was a velveteen purse, so it pretty much fell apart after being dunked in so much water. Anyway, I saw a really nice black clutch purse in the store window across the street-it really looked like something my mother would like, so I ended up buying it for her for a hefty sum of ten dollars.

While I waiting in line to pay for my purchase, I thought of something for my dad. He was doing a lot of traveling lately, and he could certainly use a new bathroom kit for his razors, soap, and shampoo. My dad's a travel-shampoo junkie like I am-regardless of the fact that he works for a hotel!-and collects the little bottles wherever he goes…and he obviously can't carry a vanity case around with all that crap stuffed into it…so a nice new travel bag might suit him well.

As I looked around the stores in the next block, I spotted something that, for whatever weird reason, I thought of buying for Paul-a really nice leather portfolio that could hold a writing tablet, note paper, and a pen and pencil, a lot like that one that John had been using on the plane the other day. Perhaps that would be something he might appreciate and could actually use for keeping all those stacks of papers he'd been scribbling songs on in order. I hemmed and hawed over buying it for about ten minutes after passing the store by, then turned around and went back to the store. Five minutes and fifteen dollars later, I'd made my purchase. I rolled my eyes as I looked over the receipt-he better like this damn thing for all the money I paid for it! I thought.

I was crossing the street after finally finding and buying a travel case for my dad at a rather nice boutique when who should I see but Paul and Neil coming out of a bakery about twenty feet ahead of me! It was too easy to spot them, even with Paul's hair combed back away from his face and hidden beneath a baseball cap.

"Hey you two!" I said, smiling as I approached them. "So…stocking up on sweets, are you?"

Paul was carrying a small bakery box tied with string in his left hand and a small blue shopping bag from some store called Vanderberg's. The name was written in fancy looping letters-no indication of what they sold there was on the logo, though. "Yeah," he replied, giving me a little qualifier smile as Neil hurried ahead of us, probably going for the car or something. "Chocolate cookies-they were too tempting to pass by… Did you drive here by yourself?"

I nodded. "And who's the idiot that drew that map to the shopping district? I could barely make any sense of it while I was driving down here."

"What were you reading a map for when you're supposed to be driving?" Paul laughed. "That's a wonderful way to get into an accident, luv."

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't reading it while I was driving!" I said. "I was reading it while I was at stoplights and stuff."

"Well, blame Neil, then," Paul said. "He drew it when he was taking directions from Derek Taylor on the phone before…would you like me to go with you when you drive home?"

I nodded. "That would be wonderful," I said, rearranging my shopping bags in my hands. "Where did Neil run off to?"

"He's getting the car and driving it over here, but I'll tell him that I'm going with you," he said, trying to keep his voice down somewhat. "We kind of want to get out of here in a hurry-I think some of the teenage girls recognized us when we went into the record store and they're in the process of assembling an army of fans to come down here and find me."

"Oh, okay," I said, suddenly getting nervous. "You're lucky I've got my shopping done."

"What did you buy?" he asked.

"Oh…just some things for my family," I said, not totally lying to him. "How about you?"

"Uh, just a tie for me dad," he said, swinging the Vanderberg's bag back and forth.

Neil pulled up with the car just then and beeped the horn lightly. "Are you coming or what, Paul?" he asked, rolling down the window.

Paul shook his head and waved him on. "Nah…you go on," he said. "I'm going with Laurie; we'll meet you at the house."

Neil nodded, rolled up the window, and drove away. Then Paul asked me, "So, where did you park?"

"About three blocks back that way," I said with a jerk of my thumb backwards.

I had to put my sunglasses on as we walked westward down the street into the late afternoon sun towards my car. Late afternoon was and still is my favorite time during a summer day, when everything is lit up like the world's on fire and the heat waves coming off the street shimmer in every shade of gold and pink imaginable as the sun reflects off of the pavement. That afternoon was no exception--it looked perfect.

I unlocked the trunk and the two of us dumped our purchases inside the car. I took special care to be sure that all of my things were secured in a separate pile from Paul's stuff so as not to ruin the surprise for him. Then Paul said, "I'll drive, Laurie."

I had no problem with that, so I tossed the keys to him after slamming the trunk closed and said, "Sure. You have a sudden urge to drive on the wrong side of the road here?"

"No," he said, making a face as he unlocked the passenger door for me. "I don't trust you after you said you were reading that map while driving."

"Oh, ha ha," I muttered just before sitting down in the car and reaching over to unlock his door for him. "Gee, that's so funny…where do you come up with these?"

He started the car up and pulled carefully into the minimal traffic that was wheeling down the street. We drove for about five minutes before he said, "Eh, Laur, could you light up a ciggie for me?" and tossed his pack of Marlboros at me.

I sighed, pulling a cigarette from the box and lighting it with the silver lighter before handing it to him. "Now who's not paying attention to the road?" I laughed, inhaling a whiff of the oddly sweet unburned tobacco scent inside the package before closing the lid.

driving Paul rolled his eyes as he took a drag, then, puffing out the smoke, he said, "Now grow up or I'll stop the car and put you out, luv. I can do this…"

I stared at the wispy gray curls of smoke from the cigarette disappear in the rushes of air through the open car windows as we got closer and closer to the house. I could have gone for a half-hour or so in the swimming pool to relax for a while, but it wasn't to be, considering the scene that greeted us when we arrived back at the house on Curson Terrace. There was a decidedly unfamiliar red Corvette parked in our driveway, and as we approached the front of the house after parking the car at the end of the drive, I could hear female laughter coming from the living room windows. I glanced quickly over at Paul, who gave a tired sigh before unlocking the door and pushing it open for me.

I set my shopping bags just inside the doorway in the foyer, then peered around the small wall that separated the living room from the entrance to the house. There was Derry, Derek Taylor's son, as well as a girl who was maybe a year or two older than my sister, chatting on the living room couches with the other three Beatles as well as Neil, who appeared to have just come inside from swimming in the pool; he was wearing his bathing suit as well as a towel around his neck, and his hair was slicked back away from his face. Everyone turned around as Paul said, "Hey lads…so, what's going on?"

That girl's face lit up with happiness like a damn Christmas tree the moment she saw Paul--and then I got the dirtiest look I've ever received from that same heart-shaped face. George made the introductions for us. So…this is the girl that wants to marry Paul, eh?

"Paul, Laurie, this is Nina Prescott. She baby-sits for the Taylors and she brought Derry here because he left some toy of his here yesterday. Nina, that's Paul, as you know, and that's…Laurie Aspinall, Neil's sister."

Oh, god…time for the British bird act again! I put on a smile and said, "Hello, Nina; pleasure."

The hard lines on Nina's face softened; she must have been thinking, "Oh, cool, it's only Neil's sister, not competition" as she said, "Hi, Laurie…Hi, Paul."

"Hello, Nina; pleasure to meet you," Paul said, managing a smile. I think he knew that I would stare daggers at him if he acted the least bit overly nice to her after the past incidents with girls!

I tapped his shoulder and pulled him off to the side a little bit before he could become involved in the ongoing conversation. "Paul…I need your help; I can't find my school ring anywhere upstairs, and I know I had it last night."

"Your school ring?" he said. "That blue one?"

I nodded. "I know I had it yesterday because I was showing it to Derek's kids," I continued. "I have to find it--we're only going to be here a few more days, and I--"

"All right; calm down, luv," he said, patting my left shoulder. He wasn't even looking directly at me, but rather at "We'll find it…I'll go look right now…Could you do me a favor and nick me a Coke from the kitchen, though?"

I nodded. "That sounds good. I think I'll get one for myself," I said before he walked for the stairs. I went to the kitchen and took two of the many Coke bottles from it, then had to dig through the dozen or so kitchen drawers to find a bottle opener to open the damn things. Paul was already back downstairs to join me by the time I found one in a corner drawer. He had a really big grin on his face.

"Hold out your hand, close your eyes," he said in a singsong voice, obviously concealing something behind his back.

"Did you find--" I began happily, but he put a finger to his lips. I rolled my eyes, then closed them, holding out my right hand. I felt him put the ring into the palm of my hand, and my eyelids flew open.

"Where in God's name did you find it?" I said, sliding it back onto my finger. "I looked all over the place, and so did Ringo!"

"It was, uh, caught in the electric cords from the lamp on the dresser," he explained, snatching the bottle opener from me and opening his drink. "I'm surprised I saw it--I can see why you might have looked past it."

"Yeah," I admitted. "I guess that's one place no one thought to look…though I don't know how I would've missed it if I looked behind that dresser a million times…"

I opened my bottle and drank about two sips in the time that it took Paul to gulp down half of his bottle. "Aaah…I needed that," he said, setting it on the counter. "Listen, Laurie…you don't really want to crash here all evening and sit with Nina, do you?"

"Whoever said I did?" I remarked, holding my Coke bottle up above my head to see where it was bottled at. Sacramento, California… "Why? Do you have plans?"

Paul shrugged. "I thought it might be nice to go for a drive somewhere. Tonight's the last night of the trip where we aren't busy with concerts, you know."

"I know," I said. "Do you think it's safe, though, going out without Mal or anything? You might get recognized, and if I'm with, well--"

"Ah, don't worry," he said. "We'll just be very careful and not go where there's lots of people, okay?…You want to drive?"

He tossed me the car keys, which I managed to catch with one hand. "Sure," I said before taking another sip of my drink. "Where to is the question?"

"Who cares? Anywhere's fine with me," he said, teetering back and forth on his feet. "Pick a street and that's fine with me."

I walked out of the kitchen with Paul close behind me. As he snatched his sunglasses from the dining room table, he waved Neil over from the group of gabbers.

"We're going for a drive, Neil," he said in a low voice. "We'll be back whenever."

Neil nodded, smiling. "All right," he said. "Just don't get lost."

"Me? Never!" Paul laughed, following me towards the front door. I was eager to get out of there and get Paul away from the illustrious Nina Prescott for the evening.

So then we were off on our own for an entire evening in beautiful California, like the stuff that dream-dates are made of. This was also our last night together without any busy events going on around us, so I hoped and prayed that it would turn out nice. That question of what would happen with me and Paul in less than a week was starting to bother me again, slowly creeping into my thoughts at times like that when I should have been at my happiest. There was no way to escape the inevitable…but I didn't want that question to ruin that perfect, perfect evening, either. I put the question out of my mind for the evening and promised myself I wouldn't worry about it and ruin the night. I could just tell already as we drove towards the coast and into the last streams of daylight on the horizon that it would be one of the most magical evenings of my life, and to spend it with Paul would make it all the better.

Continue to Chapter Twenty-Two