This Time Tomorrow (Beatles Fan Fiction)

July, 1960

Minnie tries to smile. It's nice to see her sister so happy and George is a sweet kid. It's a pity that it's going to have to end soon.

'You're spending a lot of time with him.'

'Yeah, I suppose so. Do you want a cup of tea?' Hannah crosses the kitchen and picks up the kettle, taking it to the sink to fill it from the tap. Loose raindrops fall off her coat as she moves leaving a trail of water in her wake.

Things have to change around here. Things will change. Whatever the outcome, things will change.

'You know, you shouldn't really get so attached--' Minnie says gently, trying to steer the conversation towards what they should really be talking about.

Hannah spins round to her, water sloshing from the spout of the kettle in her hand. 'It was you who said I should go out with him in the first place!'

Minnie sighs and sits down at the kitchen table. 'Yeah, go out with him, have some fun. I didn't say fall in love with him...'

'I'm not "falling in love with him."' Hannah snorts like the idea is preposterous. She puts the kettle on the gas hob and lights it underneath. She sounds like a child, which, Minnie supposes, is what she still is. She's not really had chance to be a kid. They both had to grow up far too quickly. She turned seventeen two months ago. In some ways she behaves a lot younger than seventeen, and then in others, she's much older.

'You're always with George these days and...'

'You're always with John,' she says, wrinkling her nose like his name produces a bad taste in her mouth. 'Or Stu. Or one of them.' She leans on the sink, folding her arms defensively. She's clearly smitten with this boy. That's going to make this even more difficult.

'No, I'm not. I haven't seen either of them in weeks. All I'm saying, Han, is you have to be careful...'

'Why? Has someone said something?'

'No, but you're always out and...'

'Oh, so that's it then? You think I should stay here and share the... the chores with you.'

Minnie falls silent and stares at her, shocked that she'd bring that up so overtly, when it's an unspoken agreement that they never do, and even more shocked that Hannah would accuse her of that, when she knows, she knows, that Minnie does everything within her power to keep him away from her.

'Sorry,' Hannah says, quietly, contrite. 'I didn't mean that.'

Minnie gathers herself. If Hannah knew what Minnie was going through, how it was taking all of her strength just to remain sitting here, talking to her, calm and still, when all she really wants to do is run screaming from this hateful house. If she knew, then crap like her little puppy-love romance with George would pale into insignificance. It's all so futile. All of life is so bloody futile.

'All I'm saying, Hannah, is don't get too attached to George,' Minnie says, trying to bite back her temper. 'We're going to leave soon and you might have to leave him behind. There might not even be time to say goodbye--'

'You've been saying that we're leaving soon for the last two years, Minnie. Are we ever going to go?'

'Yes, of course we are.'

'Really? When?'

'We were waiting for you to finish school--'

'I left months ago--'

'--And we needed to save some money up. Something you're hardly contributing to.'

'Well, what's the point in getting a job if we're leaving soon. If we are.' The kettle whistles but Hannah doesn't move.