Gnik Nus

Chapter 22

I retreated to Ethel's bedroom, a habit of mine these days. Seeing Kylie and Ben laughing and having fun just triggered me. I thought maybe it was him – he was the problem. But seeing him act like his usual old self around other people affirmed the issue – it was his problem with me. I didn't know what I'd done to deserve his neglect.

As I was curled up on the bed sulking, I heard a commotion outside. Rolling not-so-gracefully off the bed, I pulled the door open to hear cheering and clamouring. George, John, Ringo and Paul were all in the living area, clutching their various instruments (except Ringo had a tambourine instead of a drum kit).
"What's going on?" I asked.
"We're here for the birthday girl!" Paul exclaimed.
They got into position in the middle of the living area, facing Kylie who was on the lounge between Ben and Adam. Oh my god... they were going to play a song! I had never heard them play live, except for that time I visited the studio. I was almost literally peeing my pants. This was a dream come true!
"One, two, three, four!" Paul began with a count-in, and I knew almost immediately which song they were about to play – and it was oh-so fitting. They began playing the iconic riff, belonging to the first song from their first album. I must've looked like a maniac, beaming and writhing in excitement.
"Well she was just seventeen, if you know what I mean, and the way she looked was way beyond compare," rang out the legendary voice of Paul McCartney before John and George joined in, "So how could I dance with another, ooh! Since I saw her standing there."
They even did the mop top headshake on the "ooh", and my ovaries may have exploded. They finished the rest of the song and as the final note rang out, the four of them exclaimed, "Happy seventeenth birthday, Kylie!"

I'm not sure Kylie was too familiar with the song, but she must've known it was a Beatles hit by the way I slumped against the wall. The three on the lounge turned to look at me in alarm when they heard me hit the wall in the hallway behind them. George basically dropped his guitar to rush over to me.
"Soph, are you okay?" he asked in concern, holding me up.
"Just fine!" I assured in an airy voice, "Just overwhelmed, is all."
"You've really done it," Kylie commented, "She'd have reacted similarly watching you perform any old time, but coupled with her pregnancy hormones she's been driven over the edge."
She was right – my hormones were going into overdrive. The gentle way George was clutching my elbow combined with the jealous way Ben was ogling us played with my emotions.
"I'm really fine," I assured in a squeaky voice before bursting into spontaneous tears. Through the blurry veil of tears I could see Ben jerk his head even further in my direction, and had even turned his body slightly. Adam and Kylie, who were next to him, also looked concernedly at me. But it was perhaps George who was most bewildered by my sudden crying fit. Of course, he was not usually around to witness it. Kylie had witnessed plenty, so this was not an odd sight for her. Whenever this happened any other time, I would retreat to Ethel's bedroom and close the door to sulk on my own, with Kylie occasionally joining me. This time, however, I didn't want to move. I had a strong feeling that this was largely due to George's comforting arm around me. I hugged him as I wept. I briefly opened my eyes to see Ben furiously whispering in Kylie's ear. She was trying to brush off whatever he was saying. I wish I knew what it was.

Kylie then stood up, and her baby bump was apparent at that moment, as her shirt clung to her stomach. No longer incapacitated, I caught Ringo staring at it. She tugged on the bottom of her shirt, loosening it.
"Thanks for that, boys," she acknowledged, "How lovely of you to play a song for me – the first song on your first album, too."
My face instantly brightened as I beamed at her – I did not expect her to know that! I expected her to know the song (living with The Beatles' manager, you listened to their records a lot), but the fact that she knew which album it was found on and the track listing pleased me immensely. I half-ran, half-shuffled over to her and embraced her excitably.
"What's that for?" Paul queried.
"Sophie's happy that Kylie knows that much about the song," Adam informed. I guess if you didn't live in the house, you didn't know all these obvious things about us. It's remarkable that Adam knew exactly what I meant – that only came from living as the close-knit family we are.
"Are you sure you're okay, Sophie?" Ringo surprisingly asked.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," I huffed, emerging from the embrace with Kylie, "I'll explain it like this: I am pregnant, in my second trimester. My hormones are toying with my emotions. My favourite band is The Beatles. The Beatles performed live in front of me whilst my hormones peaked."
There were sighs of understanding around the room.
"We can play you another, Soph," Paul offered.
"We don't want to overwhelm her," Kylie scoffed, half-jokingly.
"No, please!" I begged.
"The lady says yes," Paul said, giving Kylie a playful pointed look.
"What's your favourite, Soph?" George asked, picking up his guitar.
"Well, I don't know if I have a favourite. The ones I'm thinking of you haven't even written yet. Play me something from A Hard Day's Night."