Brothers - Lennon/McCartney

Chapter One

***

'Do you want to go see your mum, John?' He asked, making John's heart race. He was aged 16 and was finally going to meet his mum after so many years of not seeing her.

'Yeah! How much do I need for the bus?' John asked, his mind racing with the possibility of finally meeting his mum properly. How would she take seeing him?

They kept walking, 'we don't need to catch a bus.' John's Australian (or he could possibly be from New Zealand, it is unclear of the relative's origin or name) relative looked confused. 'She only lives past the Golf course.'

John's heart dropped. 'Just over there?' He asked, not truely believing his words. 'You must be mistaken.' He said. 'She lives two buses away, Mimi said so herself.'

'No,' he replied. 'She lives this way, it's about a 10 minute walk.' He shrugged. 'I thought you knew.'

'No.' John scowled, walking behind him for the rest of the journey and not saying a word.

'You can knock.' He smiled. John took a deep breath and walked up to the door, banging loudly on the wooden frame. The door opened slightly to show a woman with red hair, curled slightly in the middle with bright red lipstick covering her tender lips.

'Hello?' She said, not looking at the person by the door.

'Mum?' Was all John could say, he could feel all of his emotions threatening to show. He felt betrayed and hurt, wounded by the lies Mimi had fed him from a young age.

'John?' Julia opened the door in disbelief and ushered him in, pulling him into a tight hug. 'You've grown so much since I last saw you!' She suddenly let go again, her eyes wide. 'What are you doing here? Does Mimi know?'

'No.' John said, simply.

'She can't find out you came here! She can't know that you've been here!' Julia cried, her voice showing clear signs of worry. 'Oh but we have so much to catch up on.' She tried to run into the living room, grabbing John's hand. He stood completely still and overpowered her excitement, grounding them both where they were.

'Why didn't you come back for me?' He asked.

Julia's eyes looked sorrowful. She sighed. 'I'm so sorry, John.'

'Why didn't you come back?' He let a few tears drop from his eyes before he straightened himself back up and manned up. He wiped the tears away and shouted. 'Answer me!'

'Julia? Who is it?' A grubby man walked through the door from the garden. His eyes grew into flames as he saw John by the door. 'You're not supposed to be here.' He folded his arms.

'Oh Bobby please!' Julia screamed. 'I need to speak to him, just for a while.' She said, calmer now and walking over to her clear boyfriend. His eyes narrowed.

'Any funny business and you come get me.' He said.

'Go Bobby.' She said, reassuring him. 'Come on John, come through here.' She showed him to the living room and sat him down on the sofa. 'How did you find me?'

'Why didn't you come back?' He stamped his foot down, his eyes threatening to well up again.

'I wanted to. I did.' She admitted. 'But Mimi told me I couldn't cope, she said she'd take better care of you. I wanted what was best for you. You needed Mimi.'

'I needed my mum.' He said, finally subsiding to tears. Julia grabbed his hand and cried with him.

'I needed you too.' She sobbed. 'But it wouldn't have worked.' She told him, 'I was living with my dad - your grandfather.'