It wasn't long before we had to leave the hotel to get to where the concert would take place. Elaine had an expression of perpetual excitement mixed with shock on her face, and when she got to sit between Ringo and John in a car I was silently chanting all sorts of incantations, hoping that she wouldn't pass out.
When we arrived we were led into a big hall where lots and lots of reporters were waiting to talk to the Beatles before the gig. Elaine and I sat down a few feet away from where the boys were standing around being interviewed, since Brian and the others trusted me to look after her. I wasn't listening, but some words would occasionally reach my ears, and the way one man kept saying 'champs' was beginning to mildly annoy me. Elaine, on the other hand, seemed to be using every fibre of her being to absorb every single word that the Beatles, especially Ringo, spoke. Frankly, I was more interested in watching her than anything else, but as the interviews went on I eventually averted my gaze to watch the boys.
One reporter was talking to George, asking about the quarrels that the band must have once in a while, when John literally squeezed in between them and started interviewing George. The poor journalist looked at them two quite baffled for a few moments before getting himself together and continuing with the questions.
The concert itself was the worst part - I had to sit with Elaine in the third row, having my head filled with homicidal screams coming from all sides.
We were supposed to go straight to the airport after the gig, but we still needed to get Elaine home, which was slightly off course. She found her way back to her favorite seat between Ringo and John, and I got in the car next to Mal who was driving. We agreed that the rest would go to the airport, and we drove off to drop Elaine off.
"Thank you for dropping by, it was a pleasure, and we'll miss you dearly," John declared in a comically solemn voice when we got out of the car in front of Elaine's house.
"Take care, little bird," Ringo smiled at the girl, and she in turn kissed both Beatles on the cheek before thanking and saying goodbye.
"I am so tired," I declared while getting in the back seat next to John as Ringo had occupied the seat in the front. "I mean, Elaine was nice, all that jazz, but kids require much too great emotional investment."
"Right, adult Joanne," John snorted. "And you're, what, sixteen at most?"
"You know that would mean you'd have to quit dreaming about me? I'm pretty sure that's illegal, isn't it?" I smirked at him as the car started moving.
"Haven't thought about you once since I met Edith," John dramatically averted his eyes upwards.
"Elaine," I corrected him with a wry smile.
"Semantics!"
"Don't you ever get bored of playing the fool?" I began ventilating.
"I imagine actually being the fool is a lot more boring, isn't it?" John raised one eyebrow looking at me.
"I walked straight into this one, didn't I?" I asked biting my smiling lip and slowly shaking my head.
"Are they actually still quarreling, or just messing around?" Mal asked out loud.
"No bloody idea, mate," Ringo boomed. "These two are way beyond me."
"Wait a minute, you have two days off after Montreal, don't you?" I asked George who was sitting next to me on the plane as it took off about twenty minutes later, but he merely shrugged and held up his hands while letting out an incomprehensible sound.
"I'm gonna go talk to Brian." The idea that I got was like a shot of energy, and I swiftly unbuckled my seatbelt, springing on my feet.
"Aren't you supposed to wait 'till we're steady up in the air?" Ringo, who had been sitting behind me, leaned forwards, but I began to make my way to where Brian was seated.
"That's my gal," I heard George's proud voice. "She lives on the edge, you see."
"Shoo, McCartney," I gently ruffled Paul's hair, urging him to vacate the seat next to Brian.
"Hey now! I just combed it," he laughed and stood up, giving me a curious look before going to sit elsewhere.
I talked to Brian for about fifteen minutes before returning to sit with George, but this time my seat was occupied by John, and they were playing cards, so I kneeled on the seat in front of them, facing them two and leaning on the backrest.
"Hello," John looked at me.
"Hello," I answered.
"Hello," George said.
"Hello," I repeated.
"Hello," John said again.
"Hello."
"Hello."
"Hello."
"Hello."
"Jim said 'hello'," I said, and both boys laughed.
"Jo, why did-" George started, but he was interrupted by a very loud thud, and we all turned our heads to see Mal and Paul on the floor. Ringo stood up and threw someone's coat over their heads while whispering 'And now it's night'. George, John, and I watched this kooky occurrence for a while before looking at one another and shrugging wordlessly.
"What was it that you wanted to ask?" I finally returned my gaze to George.
"Oh," he had obviously forgotten about it completely for a while. "I… I forgot," he smiled sheepishly at me.
"Did you want to know who Jim was?" I joked, and looked at John for help.
"No idea what the boy's up to this time," John gaped, the corners of his lips pointing down.
"Uh," George's faces was completely blank as he stared at me, and I laughed at the sight. "Oh! Oh, no, not that…" he continued to search his mind for the lost question. "Will you marry me?" he suddenly pulled his lips into the widest grin.
"Aha sure!" I laughed again and playfully flicked my fingers against his nose.
"Oh, I remember! What did you want to talk to Brian about?"
"Well," a crafty smile pulled my lips. "You will have a couple of free days as it is, and I thought you might as well do something fun."
"What?" George's eyebrows scrunched together.
"She's not telling," John said squinting at me. "Are you?"
"Well, wouldn't you rather leave it a surprise?" I continued to smirk at them, but they both shook their heads vigorously. "Really?" Vigorous nodding. "Well, I thought we could all go see a film at a drive-in," I vocalized, searching their faces for hints of approval or excitement.
"And Brian agreed?" George asked rather suspiciously, and I nodded.
I looked at John and, to my surprise, saw that his face had fallen into a somewhat unhappy frown, but he immediately smiled at me catching my gaze.
"That's really gear," he wiggled his eyebrows and gave me an approving nod.