If the Sun Has Faded Away...

The invitation

« John.... » My heart skipped a beat when I saw him. I instantly got up from the stair I was seated on.

John was staring at both Crowther and me, with a mischievous smile brightening his face. His eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses he was wearing.

« What are you doing here ? Is everything all right ? I asked, loud enough so that he could hear me from the distance.

« Calm down, missus » John's smile widened. « I just thought I would pay you a small visit». As he took off his sunglasses, I noticed the glitter shining in his brown almond-shaped eyes. This undescriptable spark was always there in his eyes.

I turned my attention to Crowther. Still seated, he seemed to be unable to take his eyes off of John, as if he was fascinated by him.

But then, that's the kind of effect John Winston Lennon instantly had on everyone who met him. Including on myself.

Before John and I became friends, I also used to be quite impressed by him. During our days at college, he was a typical Teddy Boy. Not interested in studies, carefree, aggressive in his behaviour and harsh in his words He was a rather mediocre student. But his self-confidence, his I dont-give-a-damn- about-anything attitude , his lively yet irreverant nature added to his tongue-in-cheek sense of humour - all of these added to his charisma. All of or college mates – even those who had had the misfortune to experience his wrath – respected John for who he was.

Unlike John, I liked studying and I was quite good at it. That's precisely what had brought us closer. One fine day, he had put his pride aside and had asked me if I could help him in the History assignement we had to write about the French Revolution. Too impressed by the fact that the inaccessible John Lennon had spoken to me and that he was asking for my help, I had obliged. Besides, when John Lennon asked you for a favour, you had no other choice but to accept. Dumbfounded, a little bit scared and also – I have to admit - quite happy that I had finally come to the notice of the most popular boy of our class, I had tried my best to explain to him the course of the events that had taken place during the French Revolution. After hours of working hard, he had gotten to understand in what way the French Revolution proves to be a major turning point in European History. He had even managed to get a more than decent grade in his assignement.

I quickly got to see that John was a quick-witted person. Had he shown a bit of interest in his studies, he would have been one of the most brilliant students of our class. But, the fact was that studies were not at all his cup of tea. His music, his friends and girls – he obviously knew how to charm girls – were what intested him the most.

Within a few weeks of time, my relationship with John had drastically changed. From the girl who used to just stare at him in fascination and in disbelief from afar, I had gradually become the one he would turn to everytime he needed help for his assignements. In fact, he often asked me to do his assignements for him while he would find better ways to spend his time – practising his rock n' roll music, chilling out with his friends in bars or wooving girls – birds, as he called them. God knows why, I had always obliged him. I had sometimes felt that he was taking me for granted. But, for some reason, I never thought of telling him off. As I already said, I was quite fascinated by him. Today, when looking at it in retrospect, I think that I was so in awe of him that I was just happy that he had aknowledged my presence and that he was talking to me on an almost daily basis. Even if this relaionship- if we could call it one- was not exactly a healthy relationship.

With time, John had started to consider me more than as just the girl who he could use as a substitute for getting better grades in his assignements. As strange as it may seem, he had slowly started to see me as a friend he could trust. Our friendship had grown slowly but steadily.