Eddie ~Paul McCartney Fanfiction~

End of Part 1

January 16th, 1964

Eddie huffed, expressing her annoyance as she tried to hurry down the busy Boulevard des Capucines in the middle of rush hour. She abruptly stopped behind two men, closely walking together, casually discussing the surprisingly hot weather they experienced the day before.

Eddie didn't have a second to lose. She groaned, separating both men with her arms, making her a new pathway forward. ''Oh hey Mademoiselle! Demander pardon, c'est gratuit!'' Exclaimed one of the two men, offended. Eddie scoffed, looking back for a brief moment before speeding up her run.

She felt her hart could burst out of her chest at any second. She couldn't keep still al day behind the counter of Les deux magots; the cafe she was just hired at a month prior, fidgeting with the cleaning rags and the green serviettes to fold constantly as new customers walked in. The woman blamed her absent mindedness on some made up housing issues, lying about being threatened to be evicted from the the small room she was renting in a convent nearby when her manager reproached her for being too slow. This new rosbif he was reluctant to hire due to her native country but ultimately did, impressed by her accent, was however swift to leave his café the second her shift ended.

Eddie was convinced she burned a hole through the sole of her old patent leather Mary Janes from all this running. It was the second of the two pairs of shoes that followed her in her suitcase from Liverpool. She abruptly stopped in front of the place she was thinking about all day. She bent over, out of breath, allowing herself a few seconds to recover from her 2 and a half kilometers dash. She looked up the building, feeling like she was going to vomit, dazzled by the brightly lit red lettering of it's marquise. Or maybe it was all the anticipation and stress she built up all day now bursting deep in her stomach. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, needing to convince herself to follow all these neatly dressed people and walk through the opened doors.

She had waited so long for this. She would never forgive herself if she would give in to her fear. Exhaling loudly, Eddie opened her eyes and looked down at her fancy black wool skirt suit she spent the remaining of her savings on for this very occasion. She had to blend in with the others tonight. She had too. She couldn't attract eyes on her with her old clothes.

Eddie puffed up her chest and finally decided to dive into the mass of people entering the theatre. The slow pace at which the crowd advanced down the red carpeted stairs made Eddie want to tear her hair off, unable to bear with the stress this suspense was making her feel. To her relief, she was offered an almost clear path when she reached large stairs to her right leading to a mezzanine overlooking down the main lobby. When she saw the majority of those hatted men with a small number of women amongst them made Eddie's jaw clench, giving her the irresistible urge to back away once more. It was not the sea of young teenage girls she expected.

She stopped again and brought her fingertips to her temples. She had lived the past 2 years following her impulsions. That is what she promised herself to do when she embarked herself in this journey. She knew the slightest hesitation could bring the old Eddie back; the one she tried to flee. This could not be her breaking point... Although what she was going to do could change everything she had worked on since passed the threshold of her aunt's house.

With a quick shake of her head, Eddie was back on her way, walking to a usher standing by the concert hall's entrance. The elegant young man wearing a red velour blazer, matching the carpet perfectly nodded to Eddie, welcoming her. ''Bonsoir Mademoiselle. Votre billet?'' He held out his gloved hand to Eddie, smiling. Eddie dug her hand in the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a scratched and worn leather coin purse. She opened it and grabbed a small stack of pale yellow ticket stubs. Seeing it wasn't the right date printed on the first one, she cliqued her tongue, fearing she might make the man loose his patience. She shuffled through the pile, looking carefully at the dates.