I'll Be Back

Seventeen

I don't think I've had one of my flashback dreams in awhile. It's nice, to be normal while sleeping for once in my life.
It was the day after the fete at St. Peter's. John seemed to be still proud of himself. That's good, he and the Quarrymen played very well. I feel bad for leaving Ginny there with George, though. Hopefully she got home safe.
I heard that Julia was holding John and the Quarrymen a celebration party or something. I wasn't wanting to go. Besides, Julia is too peppy for me and I hate parties.
I hear Mimi talking on the phone in a hushed voice sometimes late at night, through the door. I don't know if John can hear too, he may even be asleep by the time she calls whoever she calls.
I can tell Mimi is still troubled and upset. I think I need to get a job and save up so I can move out and stop being such a burden. I'm sure she's tired of me hanging around her house like a lone mutt.
Maybe that's why she's calling people.
No, I can't think that way. I sat on one of the chairs and stared out of the window, zoning out. For that reason, I didn't hear John come down the stairs.
"Woah, I never knew you had auburn hair!" He remarked and I jumped a little. "Whoops, sorry."
I turned around to glare at him. "I don't have auburn hair."
"Yeah, you do."
"No, it's this purplish shade."
"It's auburn at your scalp."
My dye was fading? I hurried into a bathroom, and sure enough, the hair near my scalp was returning to its natural colour. I groaned and leaned against the wall unhappily. This happened once, the first year I had started to dye my hair. I didn't know how long it took to all fade out, so then my hair went almost completely back to auburn before I got it dyed again.
But yet again, there may not even be a place to get it dyed.
I glared at myself in the mirror. I don't look in them often, I don't pay attention to my or other people's looks much. Maybe it's time I did. It seems like everyone else does.

After awhile, I decided to try my luck in finding a dye and doing it myself, or going to a barber or something. Not much really ever changed in Liverpool, though. So it was easy finding my regular one. I opened the door and the bell rang. I looked around for any dyes with no success. A few people were getting their hair cut, and one girl was paying for some hair products. As I pretended to be looking at some combs, I strained my ears to listen.
"Patty, you have to-"
"I'm sorry, Sylvia, I'd be fired."
"If you just-"
"No, I can't! I'm sorry!"
"Take one for the team, Pat!"
"I'm not going to lose another job because of you! My mum and dad are already angry enough that I've lost two!"
I cut their argument out. That was enough for one day. I silently slipped out of the barbershop, hearing the tiny bell.
"Now look, Sylvia! I lost a customer! I'm going to have ask you to leave."
The door opened and closed, and one of the girls from the barbershop stormed out. This one was Sylvia, I'm guessing. I glanced at her, only for her to turn around.
"What're you looking at?"
"I was looking for dyes."
"I'm not a dye."
I raised my eyebrow and she huffed. "What even happened in there?" I asked.
"Why would you want to know?"
"You strike me as a person who needs to talk about things to get over them." I leaned against a building and stared at her. "Shoot away."
Sylvia gave me an odd look, then took a breath, heaven knows why.
"Well, that was my friend Patty. She's apparently lost two jobs because of me, although it's obviously her fault for slacking off constantly and listening to Elvis on the radio. Now she's angry at me, even though I have absolutely nothing to do with it," she paused. "Are you following me?" I nodded, although I really wasn't.
She had gone on about this for a few minutes.
"Wow, I do feel better." Sylvia said after awhile, smiling at me. I had zoned out again. I smiled back half-heartedly. "Thanks a bunch." I shrugged.
"It's nothing." I stopped leaning against the building just as a bus pulled up at the nearby stop.
"Oh, goodness, that's my bus." Sylvia hurried over to the bus and hopped on. I shuddered as I watched it rumble away before carrying on my way back home. It wasn't too far away either, thank goodness.

I opened the door just as John hurried out.
"See ya, Roxanne!" I had already told him I wasn't going to go, no matter what. I set my jacket up on a peg and sat down in the living room across from Mimi, who had a book.
After a few minutes I finally spoke. "Should I move out?" Mimi's eyes darted up from her book and she sat more upright.
"And why is this?"
"I'm becoming too much of a burden, Mimi. Seeing as you already have John, and so then I would-"
Mimi cut me off. "No, no. Absolutely not, for a matter of fact, you are more of a help than anything." I was glad to hear that.
"Thanks, Mimi."
"Nothing to be thanking me about."
I nodded and got up, heading into John and I's room. Snatching a book I climbed the ladder and laid back against the wall and opened it.

Quite awhile had passed. I think it was nearly midnight, and I had finished my book. I set it down, staring at the back. It wasn't half bad.
I laid back and stared at the ceiling, and before I knew it, I was dreaming.