I Saw Her Standing There (George Harrison) Part 1

Chapter 7

The weeks flew by. Shooting was done, and the concert was scheduled for the following Friday. Joie was constantly on the go. Out to the pubs with Freda. Lunch with Cyn...and George took her everywhere...or anywhere she wanted to go. The more time she spent with him, the closer they became.

Joie woke to the sounds of the ever-constant chirping birds outside her bedroom window at Freda's. The night before, she and George laughed the night away, sharing fish and chips and a beer, at a little dive he frequently visited.  She even tried eating fish for George's sake, but one chew turned into a huge gulp, Joie shaking her head furiously, her hand signaling that she still wasn't a fish fan. The chips were good though, so she filled up on those.

When Joie finished her beer and was about to explode chips all over the sidewalk, George took her hand and walked her back to the car.  His hands were delicious. Strong, Gentle. She thought about her feelings for him, but she knew she was leaving in another couple weeks and figured not much could really happen between them. He was...well, a Beatle. She was just Joie.

From Freda, Joie began to learn about managing a wildly popular rock band. Freda was almost on her own, opening mail by the hundreds, sorting what belonged to who and what should be pitched into the trash. One Saturday, Joie offered to help Freda when she needed to go into the office to catch up.

Freda hugged her. "Yes, Yes, Yes!" she replied.

..........

 Joie was stunned by the amount of mail. Thousands came in every day. Thousands of pieces of mail. Asking for autographs, asking for locks of hair, asking for a Beatle to come to a birthday party. And things came in by the hundreds. Panties, bras, teddy bears, pillows. Handmade gifts.

"My Lord, Freda. What do you do with all this stuff?" Joie asked. "How can you possibly answer all this mail?"

"The boys help when they come in. Sign special things, do things for me. They are all very good about that. They really care about their fans."

"But this..." Joie pointed to the thousands of letters.

"I know" Freda answered, wiping her forehead. "At least I have a staff now. Before it was just me. We still don't have enough people to help. I talked to Brian about it. We need more help."

"Well, you've got an extra pair of hands today, Freda. Tell me what I can do." Joie said, rolling up her sleeves.

Freda grinned. "You don't know what you are getting yourself into...."

Joie touched her arm. "I'm ready. You name it."

"Well, just start opening mail. Requests for signed pictures go in this pile. People who want to be part of the fan club go in this pile. Ridiculous requests go in that pile. The sexy ones and requests for a Beatle baby go into the garbage. Don't have time for that nonsense. There are plenty of honest, caring fans who need our attention."

"Got it," Joie acknowledged.

"And for Lord's sake, watch out for paper cuts!"

Joie laughed.

Brian did not. He stood at the office door and surveyed his kingdom. "And Miss Kelly, when did we get more help without my knowledge?"

"Oh, Mr. Epstein, this is Joie Armagh. She's friends of the boys who is staying with me. Remember....California?"

Joie remembered the weak handshake but still extended a hand.

"Hi Mr. Epstein. Nice to see you again."

Brian nodded at her and weakly shook her hand. "But why is she working?"

Freda's eyes darted from Joie to Brian and back again. "Oh, she's just opening letters. Just to help. She came into the office with me today to volunteer her time."