A hush falls over the barroom as the band takes their place on the stage. Paul looks out at the expecting crowd but strangely doesn't feel any fear. It's like he's perfectly confident performing with this group. He feels a gaze on him and turns to find Jape waiting. He nods at him and Paul nods back. The drummer crashes his sticks together and the room bursts into sound.
Jape leads the song with his guitar and Paul falls into the rhythm plain as day. His hand seems to know the notes by itself. The hair on his neck stands up excitedly as the Big Bopper's voice rings out beside him: "Well, in North Carolina way back in the hills... Me and my old pappy and he had him a still..."
Paul loses his cares for a moment and gets sucked into the music. His heart is racing. He hasn't had this feeling since the early days of the Beatles, when all they wanted was to play that music that had given them a drive. He never realized how much he missed the simple old rock and roll.
As they finish the song, White Lightning, the crowd explodes into applause. Evidently they're having the same feeling.
The band proceeds into That's What I'm Talking About, and then into The Big Bopper's Wedding. It was when the group coasted into the second chorus for the latter that Paul noticed the door open and shut. A shadow entered the bar and stood at the back of the room, observing.
The band played through the rest of the set, and then the lights came back on. It was only after the light flooded Paul's eyes that he could see clearly to the back of the room where the person stood. His face was clear then, too.
Suddenly Paul's legs went numb beneath him.
The room slowed down, and he looked out at the smiling faces strewn about the crowd. The applause was drowned out by his frantic heartbeat. He felt Jape's hand clap down onto his shoulder and shake him. Paul hazily looked towards him and saw that Jape was displaying him to the cheering crowd.
He gives a feeble attempt at a smile and nod to the crowd, but his eyes keep wandering back over to where... he is. It's like he's... in a dream. His heart desperately wants to believe it's true, but his mind, with whatever sense of reason is left in it, tells it not to get its hopes up. Still, with each continuing glance over to that corner...
The band takes a bow and one of the other men whose names Paul doesn't know leads the way back to the back room. Paul maneuvers his way through his bandmates to tug on Frankie's sleeve. Frankie looks up to Paul curiously.
Paul looks for a way to word it. "Buddy Holly," he splutters, "Buddy Holly is here."
Frankie slowly nods. "Yes, like he said he would be."
"You know him?"
"Don't you?"
"What's that you're talking about, son? You look like you've seen a ghost," says Jape from behind them.
Paul forces a laugh.
Frankie explains for him again, "He's just had a rough night."
Jape gives a hearty laugh. "Must've been some woman," he says, "to leave you all stutterin' like that."
Paul automatically nods in agreement and Jape, satisfied with that, walks past the two of them.
Frankie smacks him on the arm. "I thought you said you weren't with a girl," he says indignantly.
Realizing he's caught himself, Paul just chokes out a laugh again.
"Great show, fellas, great show!" Jape's booming voice cuts in, saving Paul from answering any further. He watches as the bandleader enthusiastically shakes hands with one of the other two men. "I told 'em we've got something worth boasting on. Paul, I don't think I've ever heard you play like that. Where'd you pick up those licks?"
Somewhere around 1964. "They just came to me, I suppose."
"Well, keep it up. That's the innovation Mercury likes seein'. We'll be back to cut a new record in no time, I'm sure of it. We've got something here. Can't wait to see what the kids thought of it."
"They seemed to be enjoying it," contributes Frankie. "With those fellas being such big hit-makers, that must be a good sign, huh?"
"We'll be big hit-makers ourselves someday. We've got something here, I know it."
"Why don't we go ask them what they thought?"
"Good thinking." Jape turns to the others. "We're all a-going for hamburgers, on me. Occasion like this needs celebrating."
With a cheer, the group deposits their respective instruments and heads out to the main room. Paul sees a familiar face chatting happily with two others near him, and his feet stop moving, like an emergency brake. Frankie practically has to push him to keep him going. Up towards him, up towards Buddy Holly.
"So, boy?" Jape calls to him. "What have you got to say for yourself?"
Buddy turns around to face him and gives him a wide smile. "You fellas, great work. I thought it was swell." He turns and looks directly at Paul. "This is the bassist you've been talking so much about?"
Paul can barely breathe, let alone respond. Buddy's eyes, behind his famous black-rimmed glasses, remain focused on him curiously, and Paul cannot fully process that it's him Buddy is looking at. Luckily, there's no need for him to say a word; Jape quickly fills in.
"Sure is. Picked him while we were in New Orleans. Said he'd taken a boat out there... Where'd you say you come from?"
"Liverpool," Paul manages. His voice surprises him, being so controlled.
"English kid, if you couldn't tell?" Jape says with a smirk. "Anyway, he came to New Orleans to play some rock 'n' roll, and he fell in with us. Curse or a blessing, he'll have to decide for himself."
"So far it's been more on the blessing side, I should say," Paul says honestly, still watching as two of his heroes converse before him.
Buddy nods, then turns back to Paul. "I don't think I've heard of Liverpool, I'm awful sorry," he says politely.
"I wouldn't expect you to." Paul quickly adds, "I mean, not much goes on there. It's not known for a whole lot. Well, except barges, and that awful smell that comes with 'em."
Paul internally smacks himself. Excellent, he thinks, you get a chance to talk to Buddy Holly, and the first thing you do is bring up barges?
But to his relief, Buddy just laughs. "I hope I didn't make you feel bad, I didn't want to. I don't come from much myself. What matters is where we're headin', huh?"
Paul can only nod.
Suddenly, Buddy reaches out and taps him on the shoulder. "Oh, would you look what the cat dragged in?" he mutters in a teasing manner.
Paul looks down at his shoulder, stunned by Buddy's touching him. So real.
Then, when he sees Buddy and Jape looking past him, Paul turns to look at what they had been trying to direct his attention to. When he sees, he's forced to wonder how much more of this he can take before his heart finally gives out.
"Well," Jape repeats Buddy's words loudly to the newcomers, "look what the cat dragged in."
"We've played this ol' joint long before you ever did," says Don through a laugh.
"And you're welcome, by the way," adds Phil.
Jape mockingly takes a little bow. "I'm sorry, your majesties. Tell me, what did you think of your jester's show?"
"Cut that out," Phil smiles. "You were great."
"This your new guy, Jape?" Don gestures to Paul.
"Sure is," the bandleader confirms.
"English boy, from a town called Liverpool," contributes Buddy.
"It's very nice to meet you," Phil says to Paul, extending his hand. "Great work out there!"
Paul numbly thanks him. He shakes Phil's hand first, then Don's. This was a moment he'd dreamed about for as long as he could remember, and he hated himself for not knowing what to do now that it was here. The Everly Brothers, right in front of him.
"I was proposin' to the fellas that we go out for burgers," Jape says. "You wanna join us?"
"Sounds great, Jape, thanks," says Don.
Everyone turns to Buddy.
"When have you known me to object to a milkshake?" he says simply.
Jape gives out another of those big laughs of his. "That's what I like to hear."
He gives a loud whistle and, simultaneously, Paul sees Frankie and his other two bandmates look up. The two come over to Jape like a dog that's been called by his master; Frankie, who was standing with the girl Paul had helped with the amps, seemed a little more hesitant to leave. Paul watches as he disappointedly bids the girl goodbye, and follows the others over to Jape.
The group files out of the bar together, headed who knows where. Paul can barely keep his legs moving, standing between Buddy Holly and Phil Everly as they walk. And yet, somewhere inside, he feels a desperate urge to stay with them.