 |
| Photos by Pat Dees |
By Pat Dees
McCartney Ltd.
Nov-Dec 1973
Friday, September 21 (1973)
It was my last day in England and the next day Paul was
returning from Africa. So it was with a
heavy heart I stood in line at the Air Terminal that Friday, my mind hoping and
praying for a miracle to happen. But
when it did, it was a shock. After we
checked our luggage through we were turned away because my mother didn’t have a
certain card on her that allowed her re-entry to the United States (she was
born in Ireland). So we had to stay in
England for a few more days. We (my
mother, my sister and I) were at Paul’s just before noon, Sunday as Rosie had
told us the day before that Paul would be in late Saturday. Two girls from Maine that we had met before
came along. Some character who looked a
sounded exactly like Peter Lorre came down the street telling us to knock as
they certainly would have us in to eat.
Around five he was walking down the street and saw us and came down to
the house again. He told us lots of
girls used to be there before Paul got married and they used to never leave.
Heather occasionally opened the gate looking up and down the
street but never across at us. One time
she was wearing huge orange earrings. We
thought perhaps she got them in Africa and was showing them off. Once Mary and Stella were with her. One of Paul’s dogs, Poppy, had run off and
two kids found her, bringing her home.
They were looking for his house so we pointed it out, telling them to
ring the bell which they did. The gate
opened a minute later and the dog went in.
We yelled at them to keep the gate open, as we ran across the
street. We looked in and saw Martha
sitting on the steps and Linda looking out the door, telling the children to
shut the gate.
That gave us the idea to ring the bell and ask if Paul would
come out. So my mother was the brave
one. She rang and a women’s voice
answered. She asked if Paul would come
out because she had been there all day with the girls and was famished. The voice said they were still in bed because
they hadn’t gotten in until 5am. Well,
we knew Linda was up because we had just seen her. So we waited a bet and decided we would try
again. My sister said that she would
ring and ask, but she kept chickening out so finally one of the girls from
Maine decided to do it. We were told
they had just gotten up to which the girl said, we had to go back to New York
the next day. She asked if Paul and
Linda would come out and they said yes.
So they came out a few minutes later, Paul wearing dark
pants, a blue and white striped shirt, Wings button. Linda wore a blue shirt with 50’s lace on it
and a knee length orangish-skirt. Paul
was unshaved and hair a little tossed; he looked super good and sexy. My mother said something about us waiting all
day to see him; he answered with “And now you can’t think of a word to say can
you?” So I asked him how the recording
went in Africa and Paul said good. “Will
you have another album out soon?” “Yes.” We aksed how Africa was and they said quite
hot but they were beginning to like it.
Paul was shivering as he only had a sleeveless top on. Then he commented on how he had just gotten
out of bed. Then I asked if we could
take some pictures to which they answered yes and posed. I love looking through a camera then that
face is on the other side. They were
asking where we were from and when she heard the others were from Maine Linda
said she used to be a counselor in Washington, Maine but we had probably never
heard of that place.
Two girls who had been hanging around in a car nearby came
over. Paul looked at Linda saying one of
the girls had on a shirt like hers. It
seemed to me that he said it to cover up the fact that he’d been giving the
girl “the eye” or so it looked to me.
The girl asked for an autograph, so while he did that I asked Linda for
hers. The other girl asked Paul for one
for her husband who as sitting in the car.
Paul looked surprised that she was married and asked her how old she
was. She replied 16. Very surprised and still staring he asked how
old her friend was and she answered 20.
He replied, “Twenty? My you are getting up there in age. You better watch it. “Linda, upon hearing
this remarked, “Yes, you are almost getting as old as I am.” I got my autograph, and my mother told my
sister to get one saying her name was Janet.
Paul, hearing the name Janet, said “Janet, Janet, oh Janet.” He noticed my sister POW bracelet reading the
name and asking who it was. I told him
it was for a guy in Vietnam to which he replied, “Oh is that when you pick a
serviceman and root for him?” While
saying “root” he swung his fist through the air. The girl said they thought the war was over,
and Paul added, “Oh it’s on in Cambodia.”
Ni the meantime, one of the girl from Maine was going
slightly insane and Paul noticed her. “I
think the English weather is getting to her, yes, the English weather is
getting to her and she’s cracking up.”
He gave her a whack across the shoulder and she looked as if she were
going to pass out. She wanted an
autograph yet she didn’t quite know how to ask since she didn’t have any
paper. “Don’t go daft just because you
have no paper. Come on…” Taking my pad
and pen once again. I continued to take
pictures and ask questions. Anything to
keep him there. Someone asked if he
were wearing a wedding band, as he had a band on that ring finger. “Yes,” he replied where upon he showed it to
us, turning his hand over showing the other side that had little green hearts
on it. He said Linda had one also like
it. Then with a grin he put his other
hand out, up to my face saying “I have a have, see?” He’d drawn a horse on it. The guy’s crazy.
He asked how we liked his house, since they’ve had it
painted quite wildly in yellow, red, pink and blue. We all said it looked quite nice. He turned to my mother with that mischievous
look in his eye and asked her if she were going to paint her house like it when
she got home. She replied, “Sure!” He laughed.
During this time my mother had also mentioned that she was from Ireland,
to see his reaction. He only rolled his
eyes back just like at the end of “Help” and I just happened to have my camera
taking a picture.
He glanced down the street seeing a gang of people coming,
and then said it was time to go in. One
girl made it in time to ask for an autograph so he stayed out, signing for the
newcomers. Then after a few minutes and
comments, said it was time to go in as it was chilly. The poor boy looked like he needed some
warming up as he was shivering. The
gates opened and they went in, stopped to say goodbye. He started to close the gates then pulled them
open saying, “Now, you’re not going to hang around the house all night, are
you?” Looking at my mom as if to get us
going. We had already begun to walk
away, so she said
‘We’re leaving” he gave us one of those sexy smiles and
closed the gates. So we left quite
content on our time with him.
No comments:
Post a Comment