Categories > Celebrities > Beatles > Beatlemania!
The phone woke me up at six forty-five the next morning. Groaning, I slid out of bed and ran into the kitchen.
“What?” I mumbled into the phone, rubbing my tired eyes.
“Whoops! Did we wake you up?” An apologetic Limey accent jerked my head up in surprise.
I shook my head in an attempt to wake myself up. “Don’t worry about it...who is this again?”
I heard a laugh. “It’s Paul, we met yesterday? Is this Alice?”
My face coloured when I heard him say his own name. “Yes, I knew it was one of you.”
“Sorry again for waking you. John seemed to think that you were an early riser.”
I rolled my eyes. “How are you so cheery this early in the morning?”
“Jetlag,” was the reply.
“Ah, yes. Foreigners, I forgot. So, was there any particular reason you called or do you enjoy being girls’ personal alarm clocks?” I shivered slightly in the coldness of the kitchen.
Paul sounded a little unsure now. “Well, you sort of offered to show us around New York. I swiped your number from Ringo.”
My eyes widened as I remembered saying that now. “Oh! Well-”
Paul interrupted quickly. “You don’t have to, you know. Don’t feel obligated.”
“Nah, I offered, so I will. I’ll meet you in front of your hotel in...Better say around nine-thirty. I need to sleep for at least another hour or so,” I forced my eyes open as I spoke.
“Alright then, Alice. We’ll see you then. Yeh can blame John for your lack of sleep.”
“Oh, I plan to,” I said darkly. I heard him laugh and then we both hung up.
I flopped back onto my bed and slept for another two hours. This time, I awoke to the mad barking of a dog. I stumbled into the living room after changing really quickly to see Lucy hastily trying to quieten a jovial Polish Lowland Sheepdog.
“Lucy, you have some explanin’ to do!” I quipped.
She smiled appreciatively. “This is Harold; Marie from next door’s dog. I was supposed to walk him this morning but I have to take on another shift at work, so I can’t.”
“Then get him outa here,” I snapped, fixing my hair in the hallway mirror.
Lucy looked shocked. “Marie and her husband are gone for the weekend and he needs to be walked. I sort of was hoping maybe you could-”
I shot here a venomous look. “Nuh-uh, Lucy. No way. I am not walking that stupid dog around New York.”
“But look, you’re dressed and everything. Where are you going?” She asked cheerfully.
“I’m giving some foreigners a tour of New York City,” I said shortly. “But I am not taking the dog.”
“Please?” Lucy pleaded.
“NO!”
Ten minutes later, I was in the elevator with Harold. He seemed friendly enough, at least. He kept licking my shoes.
The four lads were waiting in front of the hotel like they’d promised. As usual, New Yorkers were walking right past them, not bothering to notice that the Beatles were standing in the street waiting for their tour guide.
“Hello,” I greeted them, dragging Harold to a stop.
“Hello, Alice,” John smiled at me cheerily.
“’lo,” George nodded.
Ringo waved and Paul was gushing over Harold.
“Oh, what a nice doggie,” he cooed.
John rolled his eyes at his friend. “Softie,” he muttered.
“Ooh, what’s his name, Alice?” Paul asked.
“It’s Harold,” I offered, “but he’s the neighbour’s...I think. I sort of got conned into walking him
this morning. Sorry about that.”
“No, don’t apologize!” Paul insisted. “Can I walk him?”
I thrust the leash in his direction. “Be my guest.”
Paul grabbed the leash eagerly and looked at me expectantly, and I paused for barely a second before realizing what they were all waiting for.
“Right, the Empire State Building is our first stop.” I started walking and the boys followed me, and Paul and Harold started forming a long-term friendship.
John was speed-walking to keep up with my New York stride.
“How old are you, Alice? He asked curiously.
“Twenty-two,” was my reply. “What about you, old man?”
John shot me a playful glare and then turned to look in front of him. You kind of needed to in such a bustling city. I kept turning around to make sure that Paul and Harold hadn’t fallen behind. I could hear Ringo and George making remarks on every bit of the city.
“Twenty-four,” John answered once he had caught up again.
I nodded vaguely. “How many times have you come to America?”
“None!” Ringo called from behind me. “This is the first!”
“When do you perform?” I asked them.
This time, it was Paul, who was walking a now very calm Harold, who answered me. “We
already did, two days ago.”
I blinked. “How was it?”
“Gear, fab, yeah, yeah, yeah,” were the words George chose to describe it.
I grinned and led them into the fancy yet empty lobby of the famous Empire State Building.
“It’s closed, love,” John declared, pointing to the large showy sign.
“Is it?” I smiled mysteriously and pulled the four of them over to the elevators.
The metal doors slid shut silently and I jabbed at the top button.
“Do you work here or something?” Ringo gaped at me.
I laughed and shook my head negatively. “We’ve just got to be careful.”
“Sneaky, like,” John agreed amicably.
George and Paul grinned mischievously and Harold barked.
“Shut up, Harold!” I whispered.
The boys smiled appreciatively at the dog and the watched me tersely as the doors opened up onto the top floor.
“What are you doing up here? It’s closed, kid,” the security man with the heavy Manhattan accent squawked.
I fidgeted. My confidence had evaporated. “Uh, well...I...”
He gave me a stern look. “Come on now, let’s get you outa here.”
I was ready to admit defeat when Paul jumped in, trying in vain to hide Harold behind John.
“We’re the Beatles, here on a private tour,” he announced importantly.
The security guard looked rather bored. “Ooh, you’re bugs, eh? Why didn’t you say so before?”
“Slip him some money, then, you’re rich,” I whispered to John under my breath.
John laughed at my foolishness. “We never carry money on us, silly girl.”
I rolled my eyes. “What kind of rock stars are you?”
“The dirt poor ones,” John winked.
I sighed loudly. Suddenly, Harold, who hadn’t been this quiet since leaving, sat up. Paul had tucked the leash inside of his pocket as he argued with the security guard, and Harold took advantage of this and charged at the security guard.
“Harold!” Paul cried out.
“Paul!” I screeched.
“Ringo!” yelled George.
Ringo looked aghast. “GEORGE!”
John frowned. “John?”
In the meantime, Harold had succeeding in ramming the security guard so hard that he lost his balance and passed out on the ground.
“Oh no! You stupid dog!” I yelped softly, ignoring Harold’s triumphant smirk.
Ringo hopped over to the fallen man and checked his pulse. “Aw, he’s alright.”
I knelt down and checked for any sign on injury. “Yeah...I think so too.”
Suddenly George giggled. “Well handled, Alice.”
“Yes, you sure had him fooled,” Ringo added with a grin.
I blushed. “Shut up. I had it all planned and everything!”
“Yeah, and look how well it went,” John teased.
I was about to retort with another horrible comeback when Paul shushed me. “He’s waking up.”
Sure enough, man was stirring. A plan flashed before my eyes.
“Hide,” I hissed.
The boys looked at me as if I was crazy, but I looked at them, half pleadingly and half angrily. John sighed loudly and dragged his mates behind a large dividing wall.
The security guard (his nametag read “Jim”) came around and looked rather bewildered.
“Wh-what happened?” His eyes were full of confusion.
I smiled nicely. “You passed out, I think. Have you had anything to drink today?”
“Alcohol, you mean?”
I laughed. “No, actually, I was referring to water or any juice of some kind?”
“No, I don’t drink much in the day,” Jim replied. “How long was I out?”
“Just a few seconds,” I reassured him. “Why don’t you take the day off, sir, and if I were you I’d keep hydrated!”
He smiled crookedly. “If dehydration means waking up to pretty girls taking care of me, I probably won’t drink again!”
I forced a smile. “You should head down. My friends ran off; I’ll find them and then get home.”
“I’ll help you find them,” Jim offered.
I shook my head violently. “You’re still weak. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. You should go home and take a nice nap.”
He nodded vaguely. “Thanks for your help, miss.”
I gave him another grin. “No problem.”
Jim disappeared down the elevator and then the rock stars emerged.
“Wow, she even manages to romance her victims,” Paul teased.
I blushed. I was doing a lot of that lately. “Yes, I’m multi-talented.”
I led the boys outside on the top level of the Empire State, so that they could see the entire city. Needless to say, they were pretty blown away.
I dithered for a bit, before sticking to the view of the bay, watching in awe.
“Nice, isn’t it?” Ringo was next to me, his gaze matching mine.
“The nicest thing I’ve ever seen,” I agreed, sighing in content.
Ringo smiled. “You’re lucky to live here, you know.”
“You’re lucky to be rich and famous, you know,” I retorted.
“Am I?” he asked curiously. “I did think so, but now...I’m not really sure anymore.”
I looked at him carefully. His blue eyes were big and almost confused looking.
“Ritchie,” I smiled at the sound of it. “I think you’re all meant to be famous. The world needs your music and your charisma right now.”
“The world needs us, eh? That’s thinking big,” Ringo remarked.
I looked out upon to the bay again. “It’s true! Times are tough. No one seems to be able to be optimistic anymore.”
Ritchie gave me a very grateful smile. “I think you’ll be hearing from us often, Alice Westwood.”
“Will I?” I grinned at the idea. “I hope so.”
“You’re smart enough to understand what John’s going on about most of the time, you’re interesting enough for George, you’re nice enough for me, and you’re pretty enough for Paul.” Ritchie grinned at the last bit.
I squandered the blush, but only barely. “Well, all four of you fascinate me. I won’t be forgetting you easily. When do you head back to England?”
“Cupla days,” Ringo replied.
I smiled happily. “Well, then, I’ll have one more day with you all.”
“Only one?” he sounded surprised. “And what about the other one?”
I laughed. “We’ll see.”
“Oi, Alice!” John shouted. “Are you romancing our drummer now?”
I chuckled. “Are you feeling left out, John?”
John bounded over to Ringo and me, looking very excited. He looked nice too, with his hair barely touching his eyelashes.
“John, where are your glasses?” I asked curiously.
“Oh, they’re about someplace,” he shrugged carelessly. “Can’t see a damn thing.”
Ringo and I snickered. I glanced at my watch. “Right boys. We’ll hit Chinatown next.”
Chattering excitedly, the boys followed me out of the Empire State Building. I smiled fondly at them, feeling suddenly as if I was very popular indeed.
“What?” I mumbled into the phone, rubbing my tired eyes.
“Whoops! Did we wake you up?” An apologetic Limey accent jerked my head up in surprise.
I shook my head in an attempt to wake myself up. “Don’t worry about it...who is this again?”
I heard a laugh. “It’s Paul, we met yesterday? Is this Alice?”
My face coloured when I heard him say his own name. “Yes, I knew it was one of you.”
“Sorry again for waking you. John seemed to think that you were an early riser.”
I rolled my eyes. “How are you so cheery this early in the morning?”
“Jetlag,” was the reply.
“Ah, yes. Foreigners, I forgot. So, was there any particular reason you called or do you enjoy being girls’ personal alarm clocks?” I shivered slightly in the coldness of the kitchen.
Paul sounded a little unsure now. “Well, you sort of offered to show us around New York. I swiped your number from Ringo.”
My eyes widened as I remembered saying that now. “Oh! Well-”
Paul interrupted quickly. “You don’t have to, you know. Don’t feel obligated.”
“Nah, I offered, so I will. I’ll meet you in front of your hotel in...Better say around nine-thirty. I need to sleep for at least another hour or so,” I forced my eyes open as I spoke.
“Alright then, Alice. We’ll see you then. Yeh can blame John for your lack of sleep.”
“Oh, I plan to,” I said darkly. I heard him laugh and then we both hung up.
I flopped back onto my bed and slept for another two hours. This time, I awoke to the mad barking of a dog. I stumbled into the living room after changing really quickly to see Lucy hastily trying to quieten a jovial Polish Lowland Sheepdog.
“Lucy, you have some explanin’ to do!” I quipped.
She smiled appreciatively. “This is Harold; Marie from next door’s dog. I was supposed to walk him this morning but I have to take on another shift at work, so I can’t.”
“Then get him outa here,” I snapped, fixing my hair in the hallway mirror.
Lucy looked shocked. “Marie and her husband are gone for the weekend and he needs to be walked. I sort of was hoping maybe you could-”
I shot here a venomous look. “Nuh-uh, Lucy. No way. I am not walking that stupid dog around New York.”
“But look, you’re dressed and everything. Where are you going?” She asked cheerfully.
“I’m giving some foreigners a tour of New York City,” I said shortly. “But I am not taking the dog.”
“Please?” Lucy pleaded.
“NO!”
Ten minutes later, I was in the elevator with Harold. He seemed friendly enough, at least. He kept licking my shoes.
The four lads were waiting in front of the hotel like they’d promised. As usual, New Yorkers were walking right past them, not bothering to notice that the Beatles were standing in the street waiting for their tour guide.
“Hello,” I greeted them, dragging Harold to a stop.
“Hello, Alice,” John smiled at me cheerily.
“’lo,” George nodded.
Ringo waved and Paul was gushing over Harold.
“Oh, what a nice doggie,” he cooed.
John rolled his eyes at his friend. “Softie,” he muttered.
“Ooh, what’s his name, Alice?” Paul asked.
“It’s Harold,” I offered, “but he’s the neighbour’s...I think. I sort of got conned into walking him
this morning. Sorry about that.”
“No, don’t apologize!” Paul insisted. “Can I walk him?”
I thrust the leash in his direction. “Be my guest.”
Paul grabbed the leash eagerly and looked at me expectantly, and I paused for barely a second before realizing what they were all waiting for.
“Right, the Empire State Building is our first stop.” I started walking and the boys followed me, and Paul and Harold started forming a long-term friendship.
John was speed-walking to keep up with my New York stride.
“How old are you, Alice? He asked curiously.
“Twenty-two,” was my reply. “What about you, old man?”
John shot me a playful glare and then turned to look in front of him. You kind of needed to in such a bustling city. I kept turning around to make sure that Paul and Harold hadn’t fallen behind. I could hear Ringo and George making remarks on every bit of the city.
“Twenty-four,” John answered once he had caught up again.
I nodded vaguely. “How many times have you come to America?”
“None!” Ringo called from behind me. “This is the first!”
“When do you perform?” I asked them.
This time, it was Paul, who was walking a now very calm Harold, who answered me. “We
already did, two days ago.”
I blinked. “How was it?”
“Gear, fab, yeah, yeah, yeah,” were the words George chose to describe it.
I grinned and led them into the fancy yet empty lobby of the famous Empire State Building.
“It’s closed, love,” John declared, pointing to the large showy sign.
“Is it?” I smiled mysteriously and pulled the four of them over to the elevators.
The metal doors slid shut silently and I jabbed at the top button.
“Do you work here or something?” Ringo gaped at me.
I laughed and shook my head negatively. “We’ve just got to be careful.”
“Sneaky, like,” John agreed amicably.
George and Paul grinned mischievously and Harold barked.
“Shut up, Harold!” I whispered.
The boys smiled appreciatively at the dog and the watched me tersely as the doors opened up onto the top floor.
“What are you doing up here? It’s closed, kid,” the security man with the heavy Manhattan accent squawked.
I fidgeted. My confidence had evaporated. “Uh, well...I...”
He gave me a stern look. “Come on now, let’s get you outa here.”
I was ready to admit defeat when Paul jumped in, trying in vain to hide Harold behind John.
“We’re the Beatles, here on a private tour,” he announced importantly.
The security guard looked rather bored. “Ooh, you’re bugs, eh? Why didn’t you say so before?”
“Slip him some money, then, you’re rich,” I whispered to John under my breath.
John laughed at my foolishness. “We never carry money on us, silly girl.”
I rolled my eyes. “What kind of rock stars are you?”
“The dirt poor ones,” John winked.
I sighed loudly. Suddenly, Harold, who hadn’t been this quiet since leaving, sat up. Paul had tucked the leash inside of his pocket as he argued with the security guard, and Harold took advantage of this and charged at the security guard.
“Harold!” Paul cried out.
“Paul!” I screeched.
“Ringo!” yelled George.
Ringo looked aghast. “GEORGE!”
John frowned. “John?”
In the meantime, Harold had succeeding in ramming the security guard so hard that he lost his balance and passed out on the ground.
“Oh no! You stupid dog!” I yelped softly, ignoring Harold’s triumphant smirk.
Ringo hopped over to the fallen man and checked his pulse. “Aw, he’s alright.”
I knelt down and checked for any sign on injury. “Yeah...I think so too.”
Suddenly George giggled. “Well handled, Alice.”
“Yes, you sure had him fooled,” Ringo added with a grin.
I blushed. “Shut up. I had it all planned and everything!”
“Yeah, and look how well it went,” John teased.
I was about to retort with another horrible comeback when Paul shushed me. “He’s waking up.”
Sure enough, man was stirring. A plan flashed before my eyes.
“Hide,” I hissed.
The boys looked at me as if I was crazy, but I looked at them, half pleadingly and half angrily. John sighed loudly and dragged his mates behind a large dividing wall.
The security guard (his nametag read “Jim”) came around and looked rather bewildered.
“Wh-what happened?” His eyes were full of confusion.
I smiled nicely. “You passed out, I think. Have you had anything to drink today?”
“Alcohol, you mean?”
I laughed. “No, actually, I was referring to water or any juice of some kind?”
“No, I don’t drink much in the day,” Jim replied. “How long was I out?”
“Just a few seconds,” I reassured him. “Why don’t you take the day off, sir, and if I were you I’d keep hydrated!”
He smiled crookedly. “If dehydration means waking up to pretty girls taking care of me, I probably won’t drink again!”
I forced a smile. “You should head down. My friends ran off; I’ll find them and then get home.”
“I’ll help you find them,” Jim offered.
I shook my head violently. “You’re still weak. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. You should go home and take a nice nap.”
He nodded vaguely. “Thanks for your help, miss.”
I gave him another grin. “No problem.”
Jim disappeared down the elevator and then the rock stars emerged.
“Wow, she even manages to romance her victims,” Paul teased.
I blushed. I was doing a lot of that lately. “Yes, I’m multi-talented.”
I led the boys outside on the top level of the Empire State, so that they could see the entire city. Needless to say, they were pretty blown away.
I dithered for a bit, before sticking to the view of the bay, watching in awe.
“Nice, isn’t it?” Ringo was next to me, his gaze matching mine.
“The nicest thing I’ve ever seen,” I agreed, sighing in content.
Ringo smiled. “You’re lucky to live here, you know.”
“You’re lucky to be rich and famous, you know,” I retorted.
“Am I?” he asked curiously. “I did think so, but now...I’m not really sure anymore.”
I looked at him carefully. His blue eyes were big and almost confused looking.
“Ritchie,” I smiled at the sound of it. “I think you’re all meant to be famous. The world needs your music and your charisma right now.”
“The world needs us, eh? That’s thinking big,” Ringo remarked.
I looked out upon to the bay again. “It’s true! Times are tough. No one seems to be able to be optimistic anymore.”
Ritchie gave me a very grateful smile. “I think you’ll be hearing from us often, Alice Westwood.”
“Will I?” I grinned at the idea. “I hope so.”
“You’re smart enough to understand what John’s going on about most of the time, you’re interesting enough for George, you’re nice enough for me, and you’re pretty enough for Paul.” Ritchie grinned at the last bit.
I squandered the blush, but only barely. “Well, all four of you fascinate me. I won’t be forgetting you easily. When do you head back to England?”
“Cupla days,” Ringo replied.
I smiled happily. “Well, then, I’ll have one more day with you all.”
“Only one?” he sounded surprised. “And what about the other one?”
I laughed. “We’ll see.”
“Oi, Alice!” John shouted. “Are you romancing our drummer now?”
I chuckled. “Are you feeling left out, John?”
John bounded over to Ringo and me, looking very excited. He looked nice too, with his hair barely touching his eyelashes.
“John, where are your glasses?” I asked curiously.
“Oh, they’re about someplace,” he shrugged carelessly. “Can’t see a damn thing.”
Ringo and I snickered. I glanced at my watch. “Right boys. We’ll hit Chinatown next.”
Chattering excitedly, the boys followed me out of the Empire State Building. I smiled fondly at them, feeling suddenly as if I was very popular indeed.
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