Love Is Strange - Chapter Four, Part Two
Title: Love Is Strange
Pairing: Ringo Starr/Charlie Tillman (OC)
Rating: G (But, subject to change)
Summary: Interracial. During The Beatles first trip to the States, Ringo Starr connects with Charlie Tillman, a member of the black girl group The Debutantes and friends of The Beatles. What happens when two people who appear to have nothing in common have more in common than they thought possible?
Notes: Takes place during the events of ‘Dearest’.
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Chapter Four, Part Two - Another Tillman McCartney Original
Charlie gripped the handle of her suitcase and boldly strode through the lobby of the Plaza hotel. She believed if you pretended you belonged, nobody would question you. She hoped that held true now.
The driven young woman made her way over to the row of elevators. The doors slide open and she stepped on with a handful of other people. She pressed the button for the first floor and the doors closed.
She didn’t think the police officers assigned to the Beatles floor would let her see the guys. Not without being on the arm of one of those Beatles or a scheduled photo op set up by their managers. The doors slide open and she stepped off as the doors slide closed behind her. She looked back and forth down the corridor. What she needed was a room service cart. And, there wasn’t one on this floor.
(****)
Paul was bored. He knew it was a odd thing to feel after such an exciting day. The group had been presented with gold discs for chrissakes! Yet, there he was slouched down into an arm chair with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles in front of him. He nursed his bottle of Coke. All of his mates had disappeared on him.
After they were done with their final public act as the Beatles that evening, George had gone off and taken Mal, a driver and a police escort with him. Ringo had excused himself to his suite. Paul didn’t know where John had gone off to but he assumed his own suite as well. It was just him and Neil, watching news coverage of the Beatles in the main room where everyone could congregate. Paul stood up from the armchair. “I’m going to my suite.” He finished off his Coke and placed the empty bottle onto the coffee table.
(****)
Charlie found herself a room service cart and placed her suitcase underneath it, hidden by the white table cloth. She made the cart look presentable and covered up the half eaten food on the plates with their silver lids. She left behind the dirty silverware and empty glasses on the carpeted floor.
She stepped off of the elevator and onto the Beatles floor. Charlie was immediately stopped by an officer on duty.
“Room service,” She brightly smiled and tried to push the cart around the stocky man but he gripped the cart and prevented her from going further.
“Room service?” He raised an eyebrow at her. She knew all he had to do was lift one of those silver lids and it was all over for her. He laughed, “You can do better than that.”
She maintained eye contact. “Yes, room service.” Charlie learned to lie from an early age. It was a skill she’d crafted over the years out of necessity and she was good at it.
He looked her up and down. “Dressed like that?” It wasn’t even close to resembling a hotel uniform. She was wearing her heavy winter coat over her pedal pushers and turtleneck sweater.
Charlie smiled. “Okay,” She let go of the cart and briefly lifted up her hands. “You caught me.” She laughingly spoke and read the name off his badge. “Officer Falco, I’m not room service but I am housekeeping.” She playfully pressed a finger to her lips and winked. However, he remained stone faced. “I changed here after my shift because I’ve got a date tonight with a very nice young man.” He motioned for her to hurry up. She smiled, “And, downstairs when we -”
“We?” He crossed his beefy arms over his chest.
“Oh, sorry, we - the girls heard that someone on the Beatles floor had a room service order that needed to be taken up to them. We drew straws for it and I got the shortest one.”
“I’ll have one of the boys take it to them.”
“Okay,” Charlie laughed. “Once again you got me. Nothing gets by you.” She wagged her finger at him. He briefly smiled. Charlie felt she was close to getting him to buy into her lie. She lowered her voice. “I was hoping to get a look at them. Maybe, even a nice tip.”
“I don’t know if those fellas have it. They’ll probably pay you in their funny money, and that can’t be worth much.” He snorted and let his hands drop down to his duty belt. “Okay,” He stepped back. “You don’t look like one of their crazy fans out there. You’re not in tears or screaming.” He chuckled and rocked back on his heels.
“I’m a bit too old for that.” She smiled.
“You couldn’t be any older than -”
“Charlie?” Paul called out. She watched him walk down the hallway toward them. She briefly frowned, he ruined the lie and the excitement of pulling a fast one over a figure of authority for her.
“What’re you doing here? And, what’re you doing with a room service cart?” He laughingly spoke.
“You two know each other?” Falco gruffly asked and crossed his arms back over his chest. Charlie knew she lost him.
Paul nodded and briefly lifted up the lid on a plate. He revealed a half eaten meal of roasted chicken and vegetables. “Yeah, she’s one of the Debutantes, man. England’s hottest girl group.” He grinned and winked at Charlie.
“Housekeeping?” Falco glared at her. “Time for you to head back downstairs.”
“She’s with me.” Paul spoke up.
“I’m with him.” She awkwardly stated. It didn’t sound right. Charlie lifted up the tablecloth and grabbed her suitcase.
Paul repeated himself. “She’s with me.” He held out his hand for Charlie’s suitcase, but she held onto it. “This way.” He thumbed backwards down the the corridor.
She walked alongside him. “You blew my cover.”
He chuckled, “Your cover? Are we on an episode of Z-Cars?” Paul questioned. He explained, before she could ask. “Police show back home.” He stopped in front of the door to his suite and opened it for her and stepped inside behind her. “I’ll have them put you on the list, that way you won’t have to do that to see…” Paul trailed off. “Is something wrong?” He pointed to her suitcase and shut the door.
“I’m here to see you, Paul.” She replied.
His eyes briefly widened. “You’re not here to see him?”
She switched her suitcase to the other hand. It wasn’t the weight of her luggage that made her uncomfortable, but what she felt he was implying about her. “Which him?” She defensively pushed back with her words. He didn’t answer. Charlie continued, “I said I was here to see you.”
“Why are you here to see me?” He slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks.
“I want you to listen to something I wrote this morning and tell me what you think.” Charlie felt she sounded demanding and that’s not how she wanted to come across. She softened her tone. “I’m here because I want to know what you think about it. I really do.” It wasn’t easy for her to say, but she respected his opinion and thought he was talented. And, he actually encouraged her writing, and aside from her friends and manager, no one else had done that.
Paul nodded. “Let’s hear it.” He smiled.
She walked over to the coffee table and placed her suitcase onto it.
“We made a good team with that other one you wrote. Why isn’t that on the radio or the one I gave you?” He asked.
She opened up her suitcase and dug out her tape recorder from underneath her clothes. Charlie was secretly relieved that her panties and bras weren’t visible. “Our record company isn’t much of a record company. They haven’t got the money to make copies of the acetate that your producer George gave us.” She explained and closed her suitcase and placed her tape recorder on top of it.
“They haven’t got the money?”
“You sound surprised.” She briefly looked over her shoulder at him and Paul walked over to her.
“It isn’t right. I’ll talk to Brian. He could do something about it.” He proposed.
Charlie shook her head. “You’ve already done enough.” She stepped away from him and shrugged off her coat. “And, I - well, thank you.” She dumped it onto the armchair. “Howard is working on it for us. He’ll figure something out.”
“They still play your record back home.”
“Yeah?” She broadly smiled.
Paul nodded and returned her smile. “You’re still a hit over there and you should come back soon.”
“I thought it might’ve been over that night they booed us.” She walked over to the sofa and sat down.
“It’s never over unless you want it to be over.” He softly stated.
She didn’t want to assume that there was a hidden meaning behind those words but that’s what it sounded like to her. She chose to ignore it and pressed play on the tape recorder.
“But, all the same I’d like your company. Take one.” There was a knocking sound on the tape. Paul smiled. “I need to make a call.” “I’m using it.” He laughed at the irritated tone of Charlie’s voice. “You people.” “No, you people. But, all the same I’d like your company. Take one. The real take one.”
(****)
Ringo stepped out of his suite and into the hallway. Except for the cops on their floor it was surprisingly quiet. He crossed the hall and headed several doors down to the main suite.
He opened the door and stepped inside, there wasn’t anyone in the front room. He would’ve went to George’s suite but his mate wasn’t around. After what happened with John earlier that day he didn’t think his mate wanted to hang about with him. But, Paul was around and he knew they could have a laugh. However, he was still smarting a bit over his friend’s warning him off Charlie. He walked inside and shut the door and sat down in an armchair. The television was still on and he disinterestedly looked at coverage of himself and his mates.
(****)
Charlie pressed stop on the tape recorder. Paul took a long drag off of his cigarette. “This could be a fantastic ballad. It’s a bit rough around the edges but nothing that can’t be fixed. You’ve got something with this song. But, I see you’re still having trouble with writing a middle eight.” She stood up from the sofa and over to the armchair. He continued, “You asked for my opinion.” Paul reminded her. She replied, “I know. I’m not upset.” She picked up her coat and dug out the napkins with the lyrics written on it and joined Paul on the sofa.
He took the napkin from her, Paul looked over to them. “Let’s get to work.” He grabbed a hotel stationery pad and pen off of the end table. “Line by line.”
(****)
Annette didn’t want to marry him, and all George wanted to do was sulk in the room of his private suite. However, Mal had talked him into stopping by the main suite. He hadn’t contributed to the conversation that Mal and Ringo were engaged in. He could only think about his former fiancee and wonder what he’d done wrong to lose her love.
“Are you looking forward to it?” Mal asked George.
“What?” He irritatedly snapped. “What exactly am I supposed to be looking forward to, Mal?”
He hesitantly replied. “The trip to D.C. tomorrow.”
“I’m going to my room.” He stood up from the armchair, swiftly crossed the room and showed himself out the door.
“He’s in a bit of a mood.” Mal pointed out.
Ringo nodded. He was in a bit of a mood himself. Instead of being seemingly angry like his mate, he was down. Ringo reached out and patted Mal’s shoulder. “It’s nothing against you.” He stood up and stepped out of the room as well. Ringo headed for George’s suite and didn’t bother with knocking on the door. They just allowed themselves into each other's rooms, the lads were that close.
George was settled on the sofa with his boot covered feet propped up until the table. He eyed his mate but didn’t say a word. Ringo wasn’t intimidated and joined him on the sofa, he’d wait there until his friend said what he needed to say. He leaned back, closed his eyes and let out a yawn.
He spoke up. “It’s over.”
Ringo knew who it was over with without George having to name her. He could tell his mate was upset about it. “Sorry, to hear that, Geo.”
“You and Charlie?”
He shrugged. “She’s a fun girl. I tried to phone her today, but her boyfriend answered the phone. He said she weren’t round.”
“He could’ve been lying. What would you do if some bloke phoned you looking for your, Mo?” He asked.
“Nothing.” Ringo didn’t have to think on it. Maybe, if George had asked him this question a few months before his answer would’ve been different. But, he hadn’t asked him then, he was asking him now.
“If some guy called looking for Annette I’d tell him she wasn’t around. I’d also tell him to fuck off.” George smiled. Ringo looked over at him and they both burst into laughter.
End of Chapter Four, Part Two - Another Tillman McCartney Original
Chapter Four, Part Three - She's Got A Full Dance Card