Ticket to Ride:book 1

Chapter 17

(John)

 "just pull up her sleeves a bit." Max says, I watch Pru pull up her sleeves revealing the scars on her arms, my heart sinks to the bottom of my chest.  "I knew I still had an impact on your life baby cakes." I hear max say to pru, Paul's eyes go dark and he turns around punching max across the jaw. I notice his body go limp as the consciousness leaves his body.

"Come on Love, let's get back to the party." I follow them out into the crowd of people who are settling down after the big new years countdown. What a great way to start 1965. 

"Somethings wrong." Anna-Marie says as I walk up to her. I wrap my arms around her and feel tears coming to my eyes. I hold them back... I never cry. At least not in front of anyone. "Hey John...talk to me. I promise to listen." 

"No talking right now." I pull her in for another kiss, deeper than the peck on the lips I gave her at midnight. "Let's get out of here." I say she smile and grabs my hand. She pulls me out to the street and we wave for a cab. The cab driver asks us where we're going, "I have no idea." I laugh. I haven't felt this free in ages. 

"I know just the place. Could you take us to the sea horse parlor in Santa Monica please?" He nods his head and pulls away from the theater.   The drive is about twenty minutes and me and Anna laugh about everything. 

We driver drops us off at an ice cream parlor on the beach.  We walk in and all the walls are painted to look like we're underwater. "Wow... I'm totally digging this joint." I say, there's no one here except an elderly couple. "And a ton of flavors. All we have in Liverpool is chocolate and vinilla, strawberry if we're lucky."

"Are you serious?" I poke her nose.

"No... but I had you fooled didn't I?" she laughs. 

"What can I get for you lovely young'ns?" The old lady who owns the store asks us.

"Can I have a cone with one scoop of vanilla bean and one scoop of sea salt caramel?" Anna Smiles.

"So your usual then. And how about you young man?"

"I'll have the same thing." She gives us our cones and tells us they're on the house. I take a lick of mine, "Wow, this is the best ice cream I've ever had."

 Anna smiles widely at me...man I love her smile. She has crooked teeth like Ringo and deep dimples. "I knew you'd like it. They make every thing here in the shop. I used to work here until..."

"Until what?" 

"Until I couldn't work anymore. I was diagnosed with anxiety and being in a workplace like this was too much. So I set my focus on collecting shells on the beach for an art project in school and I've been collecting shells ever since. That was my senior year two years ago." 

"So that makes you..."

"twenty one... How old are you anyway? I can never tell with you boys. You all seem so young ans spirited but you all have old and wise souls."

"Twenty Four as of October." She smiles at me again. "You seem very connected with your surroundings. How did that come about?"

"Spending all my time at the ocean." We laugh and talk for another eternity, her curls bouncing around when she laughs. "This has been very fun but... you still seem worried. What happened tonight."

"Pru's old boyfriend took her to some quiet hallway. He was very abusive and it caused a lot of problems for her and Paul when they first got together. Then... he told Paul to check her arms and when he did..." My eyes well up thinking of all the pain my friends are going through. "She had scars on her wrist from hurting herself. I know because I've seen them before on George when we were first starting the band."

"Oh my god... I's sorry John." She puts her hand on top of mine and I turn it over letting our fingers intertwine. "You've never... you haven't though about stuff like that have you? I know how hard it is to get out of that dark place."

"Anna....Ever since I met you I haven't been anywhere near finding a dark place." 

"Would you kids like more icream? We've got to throw it out and bring in the next batch before it melts."

"We'll take all of it. We can bring it back to the others, its not that far from here."  The lady smiles. 

"I'll go put it in a cooler." She brings us a big cooler full of pints of ice cream and on our way out I put all the money in my wallet in the tip jar. "Sweetheart you didn't need to..."

"Ma'm I just got to spend the last two hours in your parlor getting to know the girl of my dreams. This is the least I could do." She smiles and wishes me luck, I lean over the register and kiss her little old lady forehead. "Thank you so much ma'am!" 

I haven't smiled this much in a long time. "I can see your place..." She says walking next to me. "All the lights are on, I wonder if everyone's okay."

"They will be... They always find a way to be okay, including me." I stop and put the cooler down in the sand. "Anna-Marie, I think you are my way to be okay again."She turns towards me and its the most beautiful thing. Her in her long purple sequined dress against a backdrop of the full moon and stars reflecting off the ocean. "Can I kiss you?"

"I would like that very much." I put one hand on her neck and the other on her waist and kiss her deeply.  "John...Your music has always been a light that I could never touch, and and now I'm here touching you... Its crazy isn't it?" 

"Far out starfish." she looks at me with the brightest smile I've ever seen. 

"Starfish?"

"Well..." I say picking up the cooler. "I can see the stars in your eyes and you are always by the ocean. Therefor you are my starfish." 

"You know... I would like to see other oceans someday."

"I think that could be arranged." She grabs my arm as we continue walking to the beach house. "I'd love to be with you in those oceans."