Paradise at last!  And solid ground, too!  All alone in her hotel room, Kate twirled in a circle before falling onto the bed in happy exhaustion.  Tired though she was, the nervous energy she’d built up over the flights didn’t allow her to sit still for long, and she rushed to the sliding glass door, fiddled with the latch, then pulled the door open.  Oh, yes, the ocean breeze rushed through the door and filled the room, the scent tangy with salt, and she could hear the sound of the waves lapping at the beach only feet from where she was standing.

This wasn’t paradise, this was heaven!  Why had she never made this trip before?

She grimaced as she thought of the exact reason……flying! 

She tried to push the thought from her mind, but it wouldn’t be dislodged.  She tried to twist it into other thoughts.  Subvert, rather than conquer.

It was a shame the plane had been so late arriving, she would have loved to watch the sun set in the azure waters of the tropical bay.  Well, there was always tomorrow.  And the day after that, and more days after that!  For now, Kate thought she could content herself with the smell and sound of the ocean, relaxing after the long flight that had been so much longer than it should have.  Yes, come morning, she’d be on that glorious seven mile white sand beach that the tour brochure had promised, and in that heavenly blue sea, forgetting all about her scare!

Oh dear, she had to stop thinking of that, or she’d be right back in the panicked state where she’d spent the entire day!  First things first.  She checked her watch, it was only six o’clock back home, she’d better check in or her parents would have kittens.  Mom was probably already in a dither because she was so late already; she’d better not put this off or there would be hell to pay!  Kate picked up the phone, figured out the calling differences from home, and dialed their number.

“Hi, Mom, it’s me, I’m here, safe and sound!” she said in a rush, anxious to get it out before her mother worried.  She remembered calling home from San Francisco once.  She’d thoughtlessly paused for a sip of Coke between the “it’s me” and the “I’m here, safe and sound”, and Mom had nearly fainted with fear.  There was nothing like having a fainting mother on the other end of the line to remind you of your priorities.  First things first, after all!

“Oh, Katie, you should have called before now, I’ve been worried!” Mom exclaimed in relief.

Kate winced in resignation and tried to avoid shuddering in revulsion.  Nobody called her Katie except Mom.  She’d ditched that childhood name about the same time she’d quit wearing pigtails!  Kate was a woman of the 90’s now, grown up, confident, secure.  She was woman, hear her roar! 

Well, she might be a roaring woman, but even at age 25 Kate supposed she’d always be Mom’s ‘little girl’ to one degree or another.  So she accepted the Katie from Mom.  But not from anyone else!  No one else dared call her that despised name!

“I just walked into my room, Mom…” she began.

“Oh dear, was there a problem with the airplane?” Mom broke in, her voice worried and breathless.

“No, the flight was just a little behind schedule,” Kate lied. 

Mom didn’t need to know that they’d actually been nearly halfway to the Bahamas when the pilot had turned them around because of a caution light on one of the engines.  The flight back to Miami had been a little tense. 

Well, that was a lie, too. The flight had been a lot tense, it had been downright frightening. 

Especially the part about being out over the ocean and not knowing if there was anything seriously wrong.  Even though the pilot had said it was just a precaution and there was nothing to worry about.  But she had worried, continuously and constantly, and she’d kept her hands clasped together so that no one could see how they shook.  Logically, she knew the pilot would do everything in his power to get them to safety, since his safety was riding on the flight, too!  And he had gotten them to Miami in complete safety, of course!  Everything had been fine except for some jangled nerves and a little bit of a scare.  All the passengers had waited a while in the airport, and then boarded another plane for the flight.  Kate had needed to force herself onto the plane, she’d been so frightened, but there was no reason for Mom to have to know about that.  An uneventful flight later and here they were!  Nothing to get upset over, right?

Nothing except the fact that Kate hated to fly, and she hated heights, too!  But she was a strong, confident woman, wasn’t she?  And she’d always wanted to have a tropical island vacation and had decided now was the right time.  After breaking up with Bob last fall and all the heartache that had entailed, it was time to pamper herself with a dream vacation and just enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Kate resolutely pushed aside the thought that she’d have to get in a plane again for the trip home.  Right now, she didn’t want to think about that, she currently didn’t ever want to be high up in the air ever, ever again!  Maybe she’d just stay here on the island for the rest of her life.  Even though she’d only been here for an hour, she loved it already, it was so different from home, exotic, foreign and beautiful.

“They gave us free drinks on the flight,” she blurted without thinking, recognizing only that the silence had stretched too long.  What would Mom say about that?  Probably something like “oh dear, I hope you didn’t drink too much”.

“Oh, dear, I hope you didn’t drink too much, Katie!”

Kate coughed to avoid the somewhat hysterical laughter that was welling up.  Mom would be able to hear it in her voice, so she determinedly throttled her misplaced humor down.

“No, of course not, Mom, I only had one glass of wine with dinner.  Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I’m here and my room’s beautiful and the hotel staff is great and I know I’m going to have a great time!  I’ll call again on Wednesday, ok?  Give Dad my love and tell the twins I got here, ok?  I’m tired and I’m going to take a shower before I go to bed,” Kate rushed, anxious to get off the phone before her mother noticed anything was wrong.

Not that anything was really wrong, it had just been a very tiring, stressful day.  And Kate was soooooooooooo glad she was on solid ground after a day spent in airports and on planes! 

“All right, but remember, Katie, don’t……”

“…don’t drink the water and don’t talk to any strange men,” Kate dutifully finished her mother’s statement.  There was no use in telling Mom (again) that the water on the islands was safe.  At least, that’s what the tour brochure had said!  And as for strange men, well, everyone on the island was a stranger to her, she’d be having a completely silent vacation if she followed Mom’s dictum, but there was no need to tell Mom that.   “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll talk to you on Wednesday.  Love you!”

“Love you, too, dear, just be careful.  Have fun, but be careful.  You know how your father worries.”

“’bye, Mom!” Kate said, hanging up the phone with undignified haste to avoid giggling in her mother’s ear.  Dad was probably busy watching a John Wayne movie and didn’t even know she’d gone on vacation!  Not that Dad was an uncaring man, he was just absent-minded and old fashioned!  And he loved his John Wayne movies!  Mom was the worry wart.

Kate closed and locked her sliding glass door (she was her mother’s daughter, after all!) and instantly regretted her actions, as the sound of the ocean waves lapping against the shore was cut off as if it had never existed.  Well, she’d have a quick bath to relax her and then hop into bed and the morning would be here before she knew it. 

Wait, what was the hurry?  She could take her time and enjoy an old fashioned bubble bath, couldn’t she?  That was an indulgence she rarely took!  A nice luxurious soak followed, and all the travel grime and stink remaining on her skin washed away and down the drain.  Kate finally relaxed as the warm water and bubbles pushed away her lingering fear over the flight scare.  It was over and past, she had her entire vacation to look forward to, and she wouldn’t have to worry about taking her feet off solid ground until next weekend!

Happily clean, she pulled on her jammies and crawled into the big bed, sighed and snuggled under the covers. 

After a few minutes, the unfamiliarity of her surroundings caused her to get back up and rummage through her luggage for an old familiar friend.  She set her little cassette player on the nightstand and popped one of her many tapes into it, relaxing further as the sounds of the White Album filled the room.  She’d played it every night for as long as she could remember, using it as her falling-to-sleep music.  Bob had hated it.  He’d been a Rolling Stones fan and had sneered at her devotion to The Beatles. 

Oh dear, where had those thoughts come from?  Kate resolutely plumped her pillow and snuggled into it, determined to give her ex-boyfriend not one more thought!

Half an hour later, Kate was drumming her fingers on the bedspread and wishing she could fall asleep.  Maybe this was jet lag.  She’d never traveled so far from home before.  Another 15 minutes of mindless drumming and she sat up. This was ridiculous!  She read through a few of the brochures she found in the nightstand, oohhed and aahhed over the delights they promised, from champagne buffets to diving in the ocean, from…… hot air ballooning to…… bungee jumping??? 

No thanks, Kate thought with a shiver, that’s not anything I’m even remotely interested in! 

The very idea of leaving solid ground behind was ridiculous and she wouldn’t be caught dead doing any of those adventurous trips!  This vacation was for relaxing, and she was going to do a lot of it!

Sighing, Kate checked her watch.  Oh dear, it was only seven o’clock at home, no wonder she couldn’t sleep!  And it was only ten o’clock here on the island, it wasn’t all that late!  She crawled out of bed, rummaged through her as yet unpacked suitcase and pulled out a lightweight summer dress and a pair of sandals, then dressed and combed the tossing-and-turning snarls from her hair.

Locking her room behind her, she went to the lobby and walked into the lobby bar, taking a seat at an empty table.  Before she could even order a drink, the steel drum band announced it was going on break, much to Kate’s dismay.  She listened to their last song and then left the bar before the cocktail waitress came for her order.  There were several other nearby resorts to check, maybe one of them would have a band, too!  Some nice island music would be soothing.

She almost missed the tiny resort tucked between two of the larger hotels, it was hidden away by a riot of green fronds and flowers.  Once inside, Kate found herself wishing she were staying here!  It was really pretty and elegant, and nearly made her very nice hotel look shabby!  Beautiful wicker furniture, spotless tile floors, green plants everywhere….. and some beautiful music coming from the lounge.  She’d have thought that the island bands would all play Caribbean-type music, not Beatles!  But she wasn’t going to complain, this was great!

Another surprise awaited Kate when she walked into the darkened lounge, it wasn’t just a band playing some Beatles tunes, it was a Beatles tribute band!  But The Beatles had never looked that tan, she thought with a giggle.  Still, the men on stage were all cuties, with dark hair cut in the mop-top style, wearing their collarless gray suits.  She suspected their hair was real, too, and not wigs!  Their “Paul” was right handed, and the drummer didn’t look at all like Ringo, but she thought the “John” and “George” musicians looked pretty good!

The tables were all full, as were all seats at the bar, and Kate had resigned herself to standing for the performance when she saw an empty chair at a table near the darkened back corner of the room.

I am woman, hear me roar, she reminded herself, then walked over to the empty chair.  Oh dear, there were three well-dressed gentlemen sitting at the table, their faces hidden in shadow.  She swallowed nervously, reminded herself (again) of her woman of the 90’s status and smiled pleasantly as she rested a hand on the back of the empty chair.

“May I?” she asked. 

She hoped they wouldn’t think she was being forward, she just wanted to sit down and listen to the band!  The men looked at each other, then the one closest to her nodded guardedly.

“Thanks,” Kate said with another friendly, but hopefully not too friendly, smile.

She pulled the chair a little ways away from the table, turned it so that it was facing the band, then sat down.  She hoped they’d realize by her actions that she was just here to see the band; she wasn’t looking for companionship!  She heard their voices in whispers behind her, but tried to ignore them while still keeping aware of her surroundings.  Tales her mother had told her about women being dragged off into white slavery came to her mind, and she resolutely pushed them away.  Mom had just been trying to keep her from going to the Bahamas on vacation!  Not that Mom didn’t want Kate to enjoy herself, she was just overprotective, that’s all!  And Mom had liked Bob. 

Stop it, stop it, stop it! Kate thought furiously.  No more Bob!

The music quickly pulled her away from her worries, and she clapped and sang along with the band as they strolled through the years.  She must have arrived just as the set was beginning, because they started out with old standards like “Please Please Me” and “Love Me Do,” then unbuttoned their jackets and went on to mid-60’s songs like “Taxman” (“George” was fantastic on guitar!) and “For No One.”  At that point, they announced a little break, but said they’d be back in half an hour for the Sgt. Pepper set, including music from The White Album, Let it Be, and Abbey Road.  Kate clapped vigorously as they left the stage.  She thought she’d happily wait for the band to come back on stage, and she ordered a Coke from the passing waitress.

She realized that the men behind her were continuing to talk, but they were so quiet about it that she could barely hear them.  She pricked up her ears to listen in as she waited for her Coke to arrive.  There wasn’t a lot else to do, besides letting her eyes wander around the darkened room.  So she eavesdropped to the best of her ability!

“Good God, not th’ White Album!” one of them men behind her groaned.

“Behave yourself, son,” another voice growled.

“Yeah, right, but I’m leavin’ if they do that stinkin’ “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” crap,” the first voice sounded disgruntled.

“It’s a good song,” the second voice replied smugly.

“Can’t b’lieve ya talked me inta this, Paul,” the first voice complained.  “Can’t b’lieve a band like this could draw a crowd.  Th’ music’s over 25 years old, fer hell’s sake!  Those kids on stage weren’t even born when th’ Fabs were playin’ live.”

Paul?

“Ah, get a life, George,” the second voice said.  “It’s timeless, they’ll be playing Beatles music five hundred years from now.  And anyway, it’s just a bit of a lark, my cousin’s nephew’s boy’s playing here for the season, thought it might be fun to hear how he’s doing with his band.  Don’t forget, you agreed to come!”

George?

“I only agreed ‘cause Ritch said he was coming.  An’ what’s a cousin’s nephew’s boy mean as far as a relation goes?  Is ‘e yer fifth cousin twice removed by marriage, or what?”

Ritch?  Ringo?!?!?

“Means he’s family,” the answer was firmly spoken.  “Billy calls me Unca Paul.  And don’t go off on me about family, just because I’ve got a big family and you’ve got…..”

“Thought ya said ‘is name was Jimmy,” the one addressed as George interrupted with a chuckle.  “Jimmy, Paul, not Billy!  Ya old coot!  In’t that right, Ritch?”

“Look, don’t drag me into this, son!” a third voice spoke up.  His voice was so familiar!  “Don’t think I ever heard th’ lad’s name.  An’ anyway, I ‘aven’t been t’ th’ Bahamas since th’ 60’s, it’s a lot warmer than I ‘member, I like it.  Might have t’ buy a place ‘ere.”

“Doncha think ya got enough houses th’ world over?” the George-voice asked curiously.

“Ya must be thinkin’ of yerself an’ Olivia, ya got more rooms in that monster o’ yers in England than most countries have concert halls!  Anyway, think of all th’ things we can do ‘ere.  Whatcha wanna do t’morrow, lads?  I’ve never been up in a hot air balloon, might be fun. Champagne flight, first thing in th’ mornin’, what d’ya say?”

The other two groaned and groused about having to awaken early while Kate shivered at the thought of leaving solid ground.  But…… Olivia!  And England!  And a monstrous house!  It had to be them……!

“I dunno, Ritch, hot air ballooning sounds a bit tame.  Thought you’d wanna be doing that new fad, what d’ they call it?  Where ya put ropes on yer ankles an’ jump off bridges or sommat?”

“There’s a smart sport for a person, bungee jumping!  Ha!” the Paul-voice jeered.

Kate private agreed, but apparently it was something they’d discussed earlier.

“What’s th’ matter, Paulie, ya chicken?”  The George-voice made ‘chicken sounds’ under his breath, and Kate barely kept herself from giggling. 

Giggle?  Hell, she could barely breathe, this was unbelievable!  She sat stiff and straight, unmoving, silent, praying they’d continue.  Could this really be happening?!?

The cocktail waitress approached, and Kate fumbled for a few dollar bills.

“Are you all right?  You look awfully pale,” the waitress said in concern, holding the glass out to her.

Kate nodded numbly and took the glass with shaking hands.  The waitress kept hold of the glass as well, steering it towards the table.

“Here, let’s put it down here, I’m afraid you’re going to drop it.”

Kate kept her eyes focused on her hands as the glass was placed on the table.  Turned at an awkward angle, she could barely breathe, and didn’t dare look up into the eyes of the men sitting at the table.  This couldn’t be happening……!

A new voice joined the table.  A youthful voice, excited and happy.

“Thanks so much fer bein’ here, th’ boys can’t b’live it, me neither!  How’d we sound, Unca Paul?”

Kate finally raised her eyes and looked up into the dark eyes of the tribute band drummer.  He had the same eyes, didn’t he?  He should have been the band’s bass player, she thought dazedly, not the drummer!  He even sounded like his uncle!  Oh, he was very handsome, wasn’t he?

“Ya did a good job on th’ drummin’, son,” the Ritch-voice announced.

“You and the lads sounded great, Billy!”

“Errrr, that’s Jimmy, Unca Paul, remember?  Dad’s name’s Bill.  And ta fer th’ compliment, errrrrm, ummmmm, Mr…….”

“Jus’ call me Ritch, Jimmy.” 

The stress on the young man’s name was obvious, and Kate had to smile.

“In’t Paulie yer great great uncle, Jimmy?  Like, a great grandparent or sommat?  When th’ mind starts t’ go, it goes fast, doesn’t it?”

Kate looked over at the speaker, at……yes, George.  He had a grin on his face.  A crooked grin.  And heavy eyebrows, dark hair with some gray showing.  And eyes so deep they were like a pool of warm dark chocolate.  Eyes to drown in.

Laughter erupted from another corner of the table and Kate found her gaze directed at the laughing man, Ritch.  Sunglasses hid his eyes.  But that nose was unmistakable.  And the smile, too.  An irritated voice cut into the laughter.

“Bugger off, George, I’m not that old, ya know.  An’ you shut up too, Ritch!”

Kate looked over at the owner of the cranky voice, the final man at the table.  Eyes like the drummer’s.  The tribute band’s drummer, she thought in confusion, not……not the sunglasses-clad man. 

Irritation was plain as day on his…… on Paul’s face, but humor was visible, there, too.

It was all a game, Kate realized.  The bickering back and forth, the sly comments, the fun being poked was all in good nature.

“Hey, who’s the pretty little bird?” the young drummer asked as he stood, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Who’s that lit’le old man?” the three men chorused quietly, chuckling.

“It’s not Paulie’s grrrraaaan’father, that’s fer sure,” George drawled.

Kate suddenly realized they were all looking at her with big smiles on their faces.  She stood up too fast, intent on returning the borrowed chair so that this Jimmy could sit down, and she wavered on her feet as the long day, the flight she’d hated, and this latest shock caught up with her.  Jimmy caught her in his arms and she stared at him.  He was very handsome.  And very strong……

“You ok, miss?  Unca Paul, gimme ‘er drink, please?  Take a sip, miss, there’s th’ girl……”

His voice sounded like it was coming from a long, long distance, and Kate simply closed her eyes.

“Is this how it was in yer day, Unca Paul?  With girls jus’ faintin’ in yer arms?”

“Oh, Billy, you’ve got no idea, the girls would drop like flies……”

“His name’s Jimmy, Paul……”

“Shut your gob, George……”

“Don’t tell me t’ sharrup, yer th’ one that keeps fergettin’ th’ boy’s name……”

The distance between Kate and the voices increased and she couldn’t hear whatever was said next.

***

Kate woke to the sound of a knock at her door.  She sat up in confusion, looking around her room in a daze.  Where……?  What……?

The knock was repeated, and she crawled from her bed, dragged her robe on and went to answer it.

“Yes?” she asked cautiously.

“Your breakfast is here, miss,” a muffled voice replied. 

Kate peered out the little peephole and then opened the door to the waiter with the room service cart.  When had she ordered breakfast?  What had happened, she didn’t even remember… what didn’t she remember?  Oh, everything was a jumble in her brain!

She tipped the waiter too much and tried to smile when he protested her extravagance, she just wanted him gone!  Once the door was shut, she wandered back to her bed and sat down, looked at her little portable cassette player and remembered she’d put her cassette of the White Album in it, playing familiar music to which she could fall asleep. 

Everything fell into place in her sleep-fogged brain.  Kate smiled and shook her head as she realized what had happened.

It had all been a dream!

And what a dream it had been!  Of course nothing like that happened in real life. The very idea of meeting up with Paul and George and Ringo……! Oh, it had been a fun dream, though!  And that Jimmy, where had he come from, with his darkly handsome good looks and those somehow familiar eyes……?

Thankfully, he hadn’t looked anything like Bob, maybe he’d just been a figment of her imagination, a shadow lover.  Maybe she was finally over Bob.

Imagination is an incredible thing, she thought ruefully as she uncovered the dish on the cart.  Ohhh, this looked good!  All kinds of tropical fruits and a cereal with oats and nuts and fruit, too!  And honey and cream, she thought as she tasted it. 

Funny, though, she mused as she ate, I don’t remember ordering this.  And why didn’t I order bacon and eggs?  This sure tastes good, though!

Maybe room service was delivered for every guest?  Part of the resort package she’d booked?  Kate shrugged and continued with her breakfast, still thinking about her dream and wondering about her breakfast.  She’d just finished eating when the phone rang.

“Hello?” she said.

The softly feminine islander voice that replied was soothing to her ear.

“Miss Gardner?  This is the hotel operator.  The car’s here for you.”

“Car?” Kate asked blankly.  “What car?”

“Errr, the car that’s taking you on the adventure package you booked.”

Kate sat down and took a breath.  “What day is it?” she asked.  “What package?”

“Why, it’s Monday morning, miss,” the operator replied with a chuckle.  “And you booked the hot air balloon and bungee jumping package for this morning.”

“I did?” Kate asked faintly.  Bungee jumping?!?  Oh NOOOO! 

The breakfast she’d just eaten threatened to make another, most unwanted, appearance.

“Yes, I have your order form right here, miss.  You’d best hurry, the gentlemen are getting impatient.”

Kate felt as if the air had been knocked from her lungs and all thoughts of her queasy stomach vanished as if they’d never existed. 

“Gentlemen?” she squeaked.

“Yes, miss,” the operator said patiently.  “The three older fellows and that good looking young man from the band playing over at the Hotel Bayman.  They’ve finished breakfast and they’re waiting on you.”

“I’ll be right there,” Kate blurted.

She threw the phone down, tossed on clothes without even looking to see what she was putting on, raced through a sketchy face washing/tooth brushing/hair combing, and was out the door by the time the phone hit the bed.

Bungee jumping, hot air ballooning, Beatles and the Bahamas, she thought wildly, stopping before turning the corner to the lobby, trying to catch her breath and composure.  This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real…… she chanted inwardly.

She turned the corner and was stopped in her tracks by the dazzling smile on the face of a handsomely tanned young man with familiar eyes.

This IS real, this IS real, this IS real, Kate chanted inside as her heart pounded even more wildly in her chest.

“Hi, Katie, luv, ya look great, ready t’ go?” Jimmy asked, his eyes openly admiring as he offered her his arm.

The three ‘older fellows’ that the hotel operator had spoken of were smiling at her as well.

“’mornin’, Katie darlin’,” Ritch yawned.

“Gawd, it’s too early in th’ day t’ be standing upright, how d’ya manage t’ look so good this early, Katie luv?” George grumbled, squinting at her.

“G’morning, Katie, what George is trying to say is that you look ravishing, my dear,” Paul added suavely.

“Katie understood what I was sayin’, ya old smooth-talker,” George commented, vigorously stressing the ‘old’ part of his statement.

“Sharrup, George,” Paul growled.

George grinned.  Ringo coughed and Kate suspected he was hiding a laugh.  Paul glowered, then grinned and slapped the other two on the backs and turned towards the waiting car.

Kate took a deep breath and then smiled as she took Jimmy’s arm. 

‘Katie’ wasn’t such a bad name after all, was it?  And if that was the case, maybe flying and heights and being off solid ground weren’t such a bad thing, either. 

After all, Kate knew she was walking on air as they strolled over to the car.

Cheryl Mortensen has been a Beatle fanatic since the 1960s, but somehow went on to other things in the late 1960s, only rediscovering her passion for "all things Beatle" in the late 1990s (and on into the new century).  She is a computer programmer and an avid photographer. (Concert photos of bands and performers is her favorite area -- ask her about her Ringo pictures!!)  Cheryl lives with her husband of many years (Mike), her German Shepherd (Sorsha), and a bunch of fish in the tank and the pond that they've never bothered to name.