Gabby rolled her eyes and looked out the Taxi window at passing London, gray and wet as ever. It was October and John was accompanying her to the bank to see what exactly was happening to that 246 million pounds.
Brian had shot them shifty looks as they left Abby Road studios that Saturday morning. John wearing a rather ostentatious long gray coat with one of Gabby’s scarves around his head, tied under his chin and a top hat perched upon his head. He was just begging to draw attention to himself, said Brian, which was precisely it. But so far not one person had made comment.
“Well if I am to accompany the little millionar-ess to her finds, I should dress for he occasion” John had said in a high pitched voice.
The money was fine. Right in her and her father’s shared account. Just sitting there. Not being spent. Gabby promised herself she would ‘make time’ as in bother to get a ticket up to Liverpool, so she could help him find a nice lovely big house to live in. He’d probably just make a fuss and stay where he was. Maybe if she told him Louise and Harold were considering moving o a nicer area in Mersey Side.
“How about Lunch” John said, sounding snuffly.
“Bit of a cold Johnny?” he asked.
“Just a bit” John admitted, “Have a handkerchief my dear” he twittered in a high pitched voice again.
Gabby laughed and pulled a tissue out of her purse and threw it at him.
Hmm. The thought struck her suddenly how she was sitting in a car, giving a tissue to John Lennon. And it felt weirder to be thinking of him as John Lennon rather then just…er… John.
“John, is it weird being famous?”
He twiddled the end of his handkerchief and stuck it up his nostril “Dreadful” he said seriously
“No I’m serious” Gabby giggled “How is it?”
A funny look passed over his face. But maybe it was just the tissue up his nose. “Well, I reckon I’d get to spend more time with Jules and Cyn… but I quite like this fame thing at the moment.”
Gabby smiled
“How about lunch?” he said again.
The went to some Mediterranean place where neither of them could pronounce the things on the menu and the butter the\at was sent with the e bread looked a bit dodgy. John tasted some first and said “Let it be known, this dodgy Greek butter is edible”.
“Christ” John commented as Gabby dug into her food “How much do you weigh now?”
She snorted “I dunno… maybe like 125 or something?”
John nodded “That’s good, wouldn’t want you wasting away again, and bloody ninety pounds I heard you got too”
“Yeah” she shrugged “How’s Cyn and yer baby?”
“Lovely, apparently” john frowned “Coming for a visit next weekend. We’re gonna hook Jules up to a mic. and see if he’s a right old rock n roller”
They returned to Abby Road and Ringo was loitering around the doorway looking board.
“Bonjourno Ritch!” John greeted him with a great hug and Gabby laughed.
“Bonjourno John” Ringo laughed “Look I’m just off, all right? Bloody nothing to do for a drummer ‘ere”
“Right” John nodded and cocked his head at the studio door “Paulie in there, then?”
“Yeah” Ringo gave Gabby a slap on the back and grinned “See you at home luv”
She nodded and followed John into the studio. Over at the piano George and George Martin were arguing quietly. She frowned and tried to catch what was being said.
“Look George, just play it like this” said Martin, tapping out a little melody on the piano. It was painfully simple. George played it perfectly on his Rickenbacker.
“See George, why couldn’t you just do it like that before?” he looked pained and ran his hand through his thinning hair.
George scowled “I bloody did, I just added a bend if you knew anything about the bloody guitar”
The elder George rolled his eyes impatiently “All right Geof, we’re gonna start again” he called as he went into the booth.
George stood looking frustrated and angry for a moment. He played a few quick scales, his eyes downcast as his fingers flew over the frets. Gabby considered going over to calm him down a bit. If it was one thing Georgie couldn’t stand it was being talked to as if he were a child. After that, he hated his guitar playing being picked apart.
She heard him get to top of the frets, playing the same high whining B flat scale over and over and Mr. martin came over his headphones and ordered him to stop.
Gabby turned away and looked for Paul but he was no where to be seen. John took over at the piano, plucking out an odd tune.
“It’s a funny thing, music” he commented to Gabby.
She looked away from George “Why’s that?”
John just shrugged and beckoned her over. “How d’you like this bit Paulie and I came up with” he struck a few chords and sang “I want to hold your haaand…”
Gabby laughed “Fucking a bit simple, innit?”
“Gabby, you’ve scene our audience” John deadpanned “They’re not exactly part of the intelligence, are they?”
“Oh you love your fans” Gabby nudged him “You do”
“I love the ones that want to suck me off anyway” John shrugged grinning as she hit him round the head.
“Don’t tell me things like that. It’s bad enough—“
The doors to the studio opened again and beautiful peal of laughter like the, yes as cliché as it is, if you can believe it, like the tinkling of silver bells rang through. It was followed by Paul finishing off the punch line to a joke they’d all heard about a billion times for the past five years. He liked to pretend they hadn’t heard the one about the old woman crossing the street, and busted up laughing while they all rolled their eyes.
“That’s horrible, Paul” Jane giggled, she was holding his hand, looking gorgeous and thin in her yellow dress, a white belt around her slim waist as well as a matching headband holding back her shiny red hair.
“Oh hello Gabby” she said, looking delighted. “I’ve never seen you at the studio before?”
“Um” Gabby shrugged “Yeah” she wasn’t sure why but she was holding hr breathe, Jane laughed and looked up at Paul. Gabby exhaled; this was a feeling she wasn’t used to. A horrible twist in her stomach that wasn’t quite jealousy, but something quite a bit sicker.
“Hey, all right Jane?” asked John
“Yeah, I’m all right”
Could this be insecurity? Gabby wondered, was it jealousy? Why was she jealous, she couldn’t be jealous… of Jane? Of Paul? Or did she just want shiny red hair? Gabby didn’t know. She knew she was feeling ill though.
“Gabby?” asked Paul, interrupting John, who had been carrying on about the ‘hold your hand’ song to Jane. “You all right luv?”
Gabby looked up at Paul with large dark eyes. “Oh yea, I just need some air”
He stepped towards her and took her arm. “Did you eat anything?”
“What?” Gabby mumbled, “Yes” she looked down at herself, at the purple dress from Marks and Spencer’s that had been on sale. It was two sizes too small for her because she’d gained so much weight. She hadn’t noticed how thick her arms had gotten. Oh god, what was she thinking. These weren’t the kinds of thoughts Gabrielle Gallagher had… about being too fat or not having shiny hair.
“Oh god” she said quietly, john was ignoring her but Paul and Jane were quite entranced “Oh.. I have to …to leave” she picked up her coat and purse off the piano bench and rushed out of the room.
George rapped on the window from inside the booth. “What was that?” he asked, looking concerned.
Paul shook his head “I dunno, but it was weird”
Jane frowned “I hope I didn’t do anything”
“No” said Paul “She said she liked you… I just… I’ve never in ten fucking years seen ‘er flip out like that”
George ran a hand through is hair “Well someone better bloody get her and make sure she doesn’t throw herself in front of a fucking car, or sommat”
“I’ll go” john hopped up and made for the door.
Paul put his arm around Jane.
*
“Eryn!” Gabby crashed into the receptionists desk. Eryn looked up, startled.
“What is it Gabby? What’s wrong?”
“Do you have Jeremy’s number?” she asked, shutting her eyes and breathing deeply. “Is he still in London?” she asked when she opened them”
“Yeah” Eryn nodded picking up a pad and a pen “Yeah… he’s here for another two weeks before he heads back up to school with the others.” She scribbled down a telephone number. “Here you are, oh he’s staying in South London, shall I give you the address?”
*
John returned to the studio, George was passing franticly and George Martin was trying to placate him. Paul and Jane sat on the piano bench, holding hands and talking quietly.
“She’s gone” he said
*
AN: Am trying with every ounce of decency to make Jane a nice, intelligent girl. Because I know she was… bah.
