May 1, 1964
We had all decided to fly home from Scotland late last night. It hadn't been a long flight, so we didn't lose much sleep over it.
Donna was working at NEMS today. She'd be getting off in time to take me and the others to the studio to record for the BBC, but until six, I was on my own.
I took this as the perfect opportunity to take a trip down to the jewelers in search of a ring. I had to find one today or I was in trouble. She had left at nine and I'd waited around for about a half-hour before I began to dress myself.
I really had no idea what I was doing, so my next idea was to call Brian. He probably knew Donna better than anyone else I knew. I didn't really have much of a choice. I couldn't even go alone because I couldn't drive.
I waited patiently as the phone rang a few times. I drummed my fingers on the cold countertop of the island where I was sat.
"Hello?" asked Brian's even voice.
"Eppy!" I said enthusiastically.
"John," he responded, clearly surprised to hear my voice. "Everything alright?"
"Yes, everything is just dandy!" I responded. "I just had a little dilemma. Thought I could use some help."
"And what might that dilemma be?" he asked confusedly.
"Well," I said. "As you know, I've got plans to ask Donna, you know, to marry me. The first thing you need when that happens is a ring, right?"
"Yes," Brian said coolly.
"I thought that perhaps you could help me? You know her just as well as anyone, yeah? If you're not busy, of course."
"Um, no, I'm not," he responded. "Why exactly can't you do this on your own?" he asked teasingly.
"Well, I can't drive, for one," I began. "And I have truthfully no idea what I'm looking for, for two. Besides, I dunno, I thought maybe you'd like to help?"
There was a bit of silence on the other end of the line as Brian mulled over my offer. "Oh, alright," he said finally and I sighed in relief.
"Thanks, Eppy," I quipped.
"Anytime, Lenny," he said jokingly. "I can be there in a bit," he added.
"I'll be waiting!"
"See you soon, John," he said before hanging up.
I looked around at the empty house around me for a moment before deciding to get a guitar and take it outside for a bit. We didn't currently have any contractors working because they were taking a bit of a break in between building our deck and then the pool, so if I'd ever had the chance to work outside more, was that chance.
The basement was cold, as it often was earlier in the day, regardless of the temperature outside. I want down there long, only long enough to grab the first acoustic guitar in sight and retreat back upstairs and out the back door. Leaving the door open so I could hear when Brian got here, I situated myself on the edge of the porch and looked out over our backyard. It was the first time I'd noticed the woods just beyond the back of our fence. I'd never really been looking for it, I suppose. Maybe sometime I'd get to go out there and check it out.
I strummed around with some random chords for a few minutes, trying to put whatever I was thinking about into words. All I was thinking about, though, was how I wanted Donna forever. I thought back to a few months ago when Ringo was tired and blurted that we'd been working "eight days a week," and thought that that sounded like a good place to start. Eight days a week sounded like forever.
I began a loop of chords I liked, D being the one I based the entire song off of. I threw in an E, then a G, and finally landed back on a D again.
"Doo, doo, doo?" I hummed along uncertainly with the chords, trying to find a melody I liked. I stopped the loop and looked up at the sky, picking out shapes in the clouds.
"Love you every day, girl / Always on my mind," I dug deep for something that could go with the line, and didn't turn up anything. I stopped strumming again and then laid back on the porch, staring straight up at the sky. I laid the guitar on top of me so that I could continue to play. I really needed Donna right now.
Click!
I sat back up, starting up my loop of three chords. "I need your love, babe / Guess you know it's true. / Hope you need my love, babe / Just like I need you." Something about that set well with me. They gave me a sense of satisfaction.
I continued with the little tune until someone knocked on the front door. I took the guitar and a little piece of paper I'd retrieved to write on back inside, discarding the guitar by the back door and the paper on the counter before answering the door.
Brian was looking at me expectantly on the other side of the door. "exactly how long have we got?" he asked.
"Hello to you too," I mumbled. "The other three are coming by at five, so Donna can drive us all to the studio when she gets home" I replied. "So until then."
"Well, c'mon," he said. "I have a feeling this is going to take much longer than it needs to."
I shrugged. "You're probably right."
He turned to go back to his car and I scrambled to get my leather jacket to slip over my white shirt and my hat, my only hope at hiding who I was.
"How exactly do you plan on asking her?" asked Brian curiously as I climbed into the passenger seat of his car where he was waiting for me.
"Well," I began. I had actually started thinking about it on the plane ride home last night. Everyone else had been asleep since it was so late, but I couldn't seem to find it in me to fall asleep too. Instead, I resorted to looking out the window. Of course, I couldn't really see much, maybe a few clouds if I squinted hard enough. Between it being dark and me being blind, it was quite the challenge.
"I'm still working out the details, but I wanted it to be in Tahiti, of course. I wanted to, y'know, go out for a little walk around the island, and then down to the beach. I thought that would be the time, maybe." I found it impossible to keep my hands still, so I was constantly fiddling with something, whether it be the zipper of my jacket or the seatbelt.
When I finally looked up, it was because Brian hadn't responded to my stuttering speech. I saw him smiling amusedly and I frowned.
"Have I done something wrong?" I asked him.
"No, you haven't," he responded. "It's just a relief to see that you care so much about this."
I gave him a confused look. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"You know, John," he said as he pulled out of the driveway and started towards the city, settling back against his seat. "At first, I didn't know how to feel about you with Donna," he admitted. "But you've really proved yourself to be quite the guy." He smiled at me and I nodded, unable to suppress a smile of my own. "I truthfully don't think that anyone would be willing to take such good care of her." We chuckled. "And that's really gotta count for something, yeah?"
"I wouldn't let anything happen to her," I said. "I don't think I could live without her, Brian," I admitted, looking down to hide my heating face.
"I know you wouldn't let anything happen," he responded. "That's how I know this is right."
I smiled at him gratefully again. I was glad to hear this from Brian.
~~~
I love Eppy🥺🥺