Borrowed Time: Saving John Lennon - A Beatles Fanfic

Chapter 9 - ACT NATURALLY

July 2, 1958

Holly woke up to the sound of muffled voices. It took her a moment to orient herself and remember exactly where and when she was, but it was soon obvious that the paper thin walls of the room were letting in the conversations of people on either side of her.

Having only fallen asleep a few hours earlier, she was still groggy. The chatter through the walls was suddenly peppered with the sound of doors opening and closing, and louder voices coming from the hallway. People were up and making their way to and from the communal hallway bathrooms.

"Well, I guess I'm up then," Holly groaned and twisted her body so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

The small communal women's bathroom was down the hall from Holly's room. It offered about the same luxury as her room did; one wall containing a row of toilet stalls, the opposite wall containing the same number of small sinks, and the back wall housing shower stalls with a tiny dressing area connected to each one.

Back in her room and freshly bathed, Holly looked down at the clothes laid out on the bed. The yellow dress that Cynthia helped her choose was a perfect fit. It had small blue and red flowers patterned throughout it and a high neckline, accented with a small band of lace. The fabric and construction of the dress felt different than what Holly was used to. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it just felt different - sturdier perhaps? Whatever it was, the dress looked lovely and felt even better.

Holly then attempted her hair and makeup, using the mirror in her powder compact. She was trying to look as young as possible, and even though she knew she didn't look anywhere near her actual age of 39, Holly also knew she wasn't going to pass as an 18-20 year old either.

"John is currently 17 years old," Holly sighed, looking at her reflection. "Will he take one look at me and laugh to Cynthia about the old lady she invited along?"

Closing the compact with a sigh, Holly decided she would just play it by ear and perhaps her age wouldn't come up at all. She grabbed her handbag and walked out of her room, locking the door behind her.

••••

The bus ride into the city was crowded, and Holly longed for the air conditioned commutes she was used to in 2020. Thankfully the gigantic Liverpool Cathedral was not far away, and Holly was able to hop off the bus only a few stops after getting on.

Ye Cracke was a location Holly had read a bit about, knowing it was one of John's favorite hangouts during his time in art school, but she wasn't exactly sure which direction to go. She wandered the area around the Cathedral before finally asking a pedestrian for directions to Rice Street.

When she arrived at Ye Cracke, yesterday's butterflies found their way back into Holly's stomach. She stood on the sidewalk outside the pub waiting for her heart rate to slow down. After a couple of minutes, Holly walked to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it slowly.

She had to wait a few seconds for her eyes to adjust from the outside sunlight to the dimmer lighting of the pub. There was a number of men around the small bar, some laughing or talking and others sitting in silence at they drank their ales. She looked around and finally saw Cynthia sitting at a wooden table past the bar.

"Hi there!" Holly said as she walked up to the table. Cynthia was sitting alone.

"Oh hello!" Cynthia responded with a smile. "You made it! I hope you didn't have any trouble finding the place?"