I've Just Seen A Face

I've Just Seen a Face -2

Many Years Between

Through the year's between from age 9 and 17 George and I grew up together, many summers at the holiday house and back in Liverpool.

We had sleepovers and walked and discovered places from the docks to 'Strawberry Fields'. Endless afternoons nattering about nothing or everything, any problems either of us had were dissected and solved between us. Anybody bothering the other was quickly 'sorted out' and sent packing.

When George was 15 his friend Paul McCartney, who I knew of but hadn't met due to our going to different schools, got George a trial with the new band he was playing in. George had become so good at guitar and regularly tore up the bedroom with his playing, he deserved to shine brightly on a stage. He taught me some chords but I was better on the piano and better again at sports.

For months George, had been away with the band in Hamburg. Pretty much the whole year was spent away traveling. I missed him but got on with my studies and life. I was 19 at this stage and finishing off at a sports science school I had learnt massage, yoga and remedial sports medicine. Being involved off the field was almost as good as being on it; I hadn't made any Country level sports teams so this was my backup plan.

While George and the lads were away we wrote weekly well I wrote weekly George mainly wrote weakly!

He was busy but he was also scared of the events happening in Hamburg feeling pressure from the older boys, mostly John Lennon, teasing and pranking him badly; so I was his Agony Auntie by mail, helping or listening to his issues and writing back with my limited wisdom and adding lots of funny stories and pictures of happenings in Liverpool to give him a sense of home and a little light relief.

Often the lads would tease him but more than once I would receive 2 and sometimes 3 letter in the one envelope. Not having met John I wasn't sure of his background but his witty poems, brash way of speaking his mind through the letter and his funny pictures that littered the page, endeared him to me even though he picked on my George for his age and virginity status!