Paul McCartney Is My Teacher

Let It Be

"So you're okay, Winona?" I nodded and stared out of the car window. "How about some music?"

"But Ms Senneth is sleeping." I pointed out.

"Well, she's a very heavy sleeper- I speak from experience. I almost choked- thank Beatle I wasn't drinking anything. Paul started almost cackling in the drivers seat.

"James Paul McCartney!" I jumped as Ms Senneth appeared right in between us.

"Sorry, dear." Paul apologized, looking like a reprimanded child. "Ah, we're here!" We pulled up to a neat, good sized cape cod house. It had a wooden base with brown accents, flower boxes that hung from the windows and held exotic plants that bopped in the breeze. It had a pond in the back, and it lay in the middle of a beautiful meadow.

Lived in a meadow by a po-o-ond...

I smiled, a bittersweet smile triggered by the memories I had of what it had been like before.

"I think we should head to bed." A drowsy Ms Senneth commented. She eyed my backpack curiously. "Winona, do you plan on going to school tomorrow?"

I blushed. "I...yes."

Paul chuckled. "I see we have a bookish girl on our hands. Well, this works out just fine- you and I did forget to take off tomorrow, dear." He sighed and went up the stone steps. He knocked on the door and a lean young woman in a maid's attire answered.

"Welcome back, Mr McCartney, Ms Senneth." She smiled and then she looked at me. "Is this the poor lass who'll be staying with you?"

I smiled at her and Ms Senneth nodded.

"Well, what's your name?" She asked.

"Winona." I answered. "And yours?"

She giggled, as if I'd just said the funniest thing. "Rosa, little miss." 

"Well, I'll introduce you to Ivory and Robin and then we'll head to bed." Paul said, leading us inside. "Hello?" Rosa reached over and tapped him on the back, throwing me a wink as she did so.

"Sir, Ivory is upstairs dusting and Robin is out back, where he always is- doing what a gardener does." She told him.

"Oh, I see." he nodded and as Rosa took my bag and backpack, and I followed Paul and Ms Senneth to a back door. He pushed it open and I got a better view of the lake and the surrounding greenery, although it was difficult to see it in full detail at this time of night. It was breathtaking, with all kinds of wild flowers and little rocky streams, all leading from the pond.

"Robin?" Paul called out.

"Yes, sir?" A jittery-looking man popped up from behind a bush.

"Come here, Robin." Paul chuckled at the man, and I could tell that his bouncing, on-edge disposition was an ever present and amusing one. I instantly felt comfortable with this man, for one reason or another. "I'd like you to meet someone."

He climbed quickly up the steps, tripping on the last one and falling on his face.

I kneeled down and extended my hand to help him. He took it and smiled gratefully at me. Then, a moment later his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Who are you?" He asked bluntly.

"Winona." I replied. It was a good thing that I only had one more person to introduce myself to- it was beginning to fell like my name belonged to everyone else as well...

"Hasn't Ivory told you? Or Rosa?"

"Well, I vaguely remember...but I-"

"But you weren't listening." Ms Senneth finished for him. He looked down sheepishly. "That's alright, Robin. But what were you doing gardening at this time of night?"

"Well, I-I'm the gardener, and th-that's what gardeners d-do, I suppose." He answered. I liked the stuttering in his speech, it wasn't an impediment, ad you could tell. No, only a result of his nerves. "I-is this the young lady who lost her mother?"

I glanced down at the ground, unsure of how to respond. I felt a hand on my shoulder and was surprised to find out as I looked up that it was Robin's.

"Well, I never had any parent either." He said, wistfully looking off somewhere else. "No, my mom died in a plane crash and my father, well, he never was one to care for my brother and I. So we stayed with my cousins out in Liverpool, but I got out of there as soon as I could, and I came straight here. Well, it was very nice to meet you, Winona. I'll be seeing you around. Have a nice night, Mr McCartney and his lovely lady." He gave Paul a nod and picked up his gardening tools, tripping again down the stairs and stumbling clumsily into the garden.

"What a strange man." I commented to myself as we went back inside. 

"Well, we've only one more household member to introduce you too, and then it's off to-" suddenly, Canary and Chita came bounding down the steps, Martha following- and with Eeyore on her back!

"I see the pets have gotten acquainted." Ms Senneth smiled. "They've got pet beds to sleep in as well."

I thanked them for their hospitality as we moved upstairs.

"Hello, Mr McCartney." A lady with short, choppy blond hair, a round face and skinny assets met us at the door. "Oh, is this Winona?"

"Yes, it is."

"Well, hello, Winona." She smiled. "I'm Ivory- if you need anything, just...send me a postcard, drop me a line..." She twirled away into another room, dusting and singing all the while.

Paul showed me to my room and I slipped under the covers, forgetting to change.

I was glad that I fell asleep before I had time to dwell on the mortifying events of that day...