Chasing Dreams in Liverpool

Sandi flicks through the pages of her mum’s library book. Mills & Boon again. These books do not appeal to Sandi; they are sentimental and feel dated. It’s the sixties; times are changing, and not all girls are fixated on getting a man.

A note was placed at the beginning of Chapter One. It could be a shopping list being used as a bookmark. Her mum was always doing that, then asking everyone if they had seen her shopping list. Then again, it might be a love letter, tucked away; after all, it’s a Mills & Boon book. That would be amusing. Unfolding it showed no such thing. Just an intriguing note.

Don’t bother reading this trash. We all know how it will end: girl meets boy, falls in love, and lives happily ever after. Instead, are you aged between 17 and 22 and think you have the voice and looks to become a pop star? Then call us on the number below between noon and 1 pm and speak to Brian.

Sandi is always entering talent contests. Singing along to the radio from an early age, she loves music and loves to sing. She often performs at the local club, singing the latest hits. As for looks, only last month she had been crowned Queen of the May, with the local paper calling her the prettiest girl in the county. Her mum just shrugs whenever Sandi approaches the subject of the possibility of being a pop star. As far as her mum is concerned, what is wrong with finding a charming young man and settling down just like she had done. Right! If her mum is that happy, why does she have to read Mills & Boon books?

The next day at college, she shows the note to her best friend, Judy. They are both undertaking a secretarial course and are bored by it. Sandi’s mum had even said, ‘You never know, you might get a great job and end up marrying your boss.’ Too much Mills & Boon, her mum saw romance at every corner.

“Who’d leave a note like that in a library book, anyway? Especially someone from the music world,” says Judy.

It crosses Sandi’s mind, though she figures folks in pop music do weird stuff all the time.

Judy’s busy looking at the note, flipping it around like she’s searching for hints.

“It’s handwritten; there’s no sign of who they are other than the phone number, and speak to Brian. It could just be a joke.” Taking a breath she continues. “Hey, isn’t Brian the name of that guy who manages the Beatles? No, he wouldn’t be putting notes in a library book. Wait, if you check the book, it’ll say if it was at other libraries before your mum got it. Might give us a clue.”

That’s a thought. It could be real if the location were Liverpool. The phone number is a Liverpool number. She had already checked the code. Hopefully, her mum is still reading it and hasn’t taken it back yet. She would check tonight before meeting Judy to go to the cinema.

“Turns out you were right! The book was in Liverpool first. Mum was the first one to bag it when it came to our library. So, that note came from Liverpool. What if we call the number tomorrow? You know, nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Judy chewed her lip before speaking.

“Sandi, it’s gotta be a joke. I bet a bored librarian thought it would be a hoot to do it.”

She had a point, but librarians were serious people, making it unlikely. Perhaps the previous reader intended it as a joke, though it’s possible they were serious.

Judy handed the note back to her. “Thinking about it, a Mills & Boon book, I admit I read one once for a laugh, and it’s the sort of thing someone would do there: put a note in a book. Maybe a reader was like, “Why not?”

What was there to lose by calling? It could be a wrong number, or someone might pick up and laugh, saying, “Gotcha.”

The next day Sandi clicks at her keyboard while watching the clock tick down the minutes. Sandi’s inattentive typing, riddled with mistakes, provokes Miss Harris to strike her knuckles with a ruler, then order Sandi to lose her break and redo the entire document. She should focus more after the break. After all, she didn’t want to miss the lunch hour.

After what seemed an endless morning, the bell signalling the end of morning lessons rang out. Gathering her belongings, she heads out to meet Judy from her shorthand class.

“Are you ready? Have you any spare threepenny coins? In case I require extra time. I’ve got around three, but it might run longer.”

Judy gives a sigh as she hands over two.

“Are you sure about this? I still think it’s a joke. I mean, if you need a singer, you’d look in music papers, talent shows, or local clubs, right? You don’t leave a note in a library book.”

Where was her spirit of adventure? Maybe it’s a joke, maybe not.

As they approach the payphone at the end of the street, Sandi is annoyed to find someone already there making a call. It’s already 12.40, so the guy better hurry. Five minutes later he is still there, and what she hopes is an impatient tap on the glass has him turning before pushing open the door.

“What’s the hurry, girls?”

She gives what she hopes is a sweet smile as she holds Judy’s arm.

“I am sorry, but my friend is feeling unwell and needs me to call her doctor to see if he can see her.”

With a sweep of his gaze, the man nods.

“Sure, luv, no problem. I will just finish, and it’s all yours.”

Squashed together in the box, they wait with bated breath. Will it be a hoax? Ten minutes later, instructions written on her shorthand pad, they head for the park to decide their next move. Judy shakes her head.

“Friday, that is tomorrow, we are supposed to be at college. Also, we need to get a train. How much is that going to cost?”

This is no problem. Sandi has some savings, so she can use them for their train fares. Liverpool cannot be that big, and Brian says his office is in the centre near the train station, so she is sure they will soon find it. College is easy, they can just skip class and say they were sick.

That night Sandi sorts out one of her best outfits. She wants to look her best. Make-up as well. Mum might wonder why she is dressed in her best outfit, but she will tell her a little white lie: the paper wants to interview her again about being the May Queen, so she has to look her best. If it turns out a joke, well, they can always visit the famous Cavern Club everyone seems to rave about.

She’s optimistic as the morning dawn breaks. There had been a glorious sunset the night before, and now the day promised summer sun. Meeting Judy outside the chippy, they head for the station, Judy still worrying if they are doing the right thing.

They have to change trains, then an hour later sees them pull into Lime Street Station. Busy with people unlike their own small station at home.

“What’s the address, Sandi?”

A quick look at her scribbled notes from her shorthand pad.

“He said it’s close to the station, so it shouldn’t be a long walk. The street is called Feathered Folly Street, and he said, next to the Wild Goose pub.”

After walking around for ten minutes, they decide to ask someone. A woman pushing a pram, she would know if she was local. Sandi smiles while Judy clucks at the baby.

“Excuse me, can you tell us where Feathered Folly Street is?”

The woman frowns, one hand rocking the pram handle.

“It is supposed to have a pub called The Wild Goose, if that helps?” Sandi says.

“Never heard of it, luv. There’s a pub called The Wild Goose that’s near the Cavern, if you know where that is.”

Maybe they had misheard the street name. The pub near the Cavern, which sounded probable. Asking directions to the Cavern, they head in that direction.

“Didn’t Brian say his office was next door to the pub?” asks Judy.

“Yes, he said you couldn’t miss it. Once we find the pub, we will find his offices.”

Ten minutes later, they stand outside the pub. Shops line both sides of the pub. One is a clothes shop; the other is a record shop. It might be over the record shop. Best go in and ask.

A young man leans on the counter as several people browse the new records. At a guess, he’s in his early twenties. For a minute, Sandi thinks of her mum’s books where a girl meets a boy, their eyes meet, and the girl’s heart melts.

“Hi there, can you help us out? We’re trying to find a guy named Brian Pestine, although we aren’t sure where his office is. We were told it would be right next to The Wild Goose pub, but seeing only this shop and a clothing store makes me think we have the wrong address.”

As Sandi glances around she is taken back by the number of records. A lot more than they had at the record store back home. A grin spreads across the younger guy’s face when an older man, maybe around thirty years old, appears from the rear.

“Don’t tell me someone fell for it. I guess I owe you twenty quid now, Brian. You have been had, girls. This young rascal is called Brian and thinks because he has the same first name as Brian Epstein, it makes him something special. He is full of pranks, and he bet me he could put a note in a library book and someone would fall for it.”

Judy let out a sigh.

“Told you it would be a joke. Such a waste of time, and we will cop it for missing college now.”

The older guy looks at the pair. Sandi is doing her best not to look disappointed, although she feels like a balloon being let down.

“Sorry, girls, the clues were all there. From the name of the street and The Wild Goose pub, think about it: a wild-goose chase. Then Brian Pestine, again, did you not twig? Pestine being an anagram of Epstein. I didn’t think anyone would fall for it. After all, the chances of someone reading the note and taking any notice were pretty slim.”

Of course, they had been too taken up thinking it could be real; they hadn’t seen it. Now it became clear. No doubt these guys would laugh and tell their friends about the silly girls from out of town who fell for it. Sandi would not show her disappointment; in fact, she would challenge them.

“Why’d you put that in a romance novel? Anyone could have picked the book?”

Another grin from the young lad.

Yeah, well, it could be a bored wife reading that rubbish and binning the note, or an old dear reading it, thinking, ‘how unlike real life these books are,’ and just forgetting about the note. Or maybe it’s some young, attractive gal like you, bored and looking for excitement, who thought, “Hey, I can sing and I’ve got the looks, so why not?” My sister reads that trash; God knows why, but hey, I won the bet. Someone fell for it, and I am twenty quid for the good.”

Sandi grins back.

“Well done, you certainly had us going. Although deep down we thought it could be a joke. However, it is something; I have dreamt of being a singer, so you can’t blame me for taking a chance it could have been genuine. After all, stranger things happen.”

The older guy fingers a record sleeve on the counter as he looks at both girls before addressing Sandi.

“You seem a determined young lady. If you think you can sing, then I guess we owe you. I can’t promise anything, but I know Brian Epstein. I don’t want to waste his time if you are crap, so do I risk it? Shit he will have my guts for garters if you are crap. Then again, he is a busy guy he might just say leave a card.”

Nothing ventured, nothing gained; they had come this far. Judy is busy making eye contact with Brian; it looks like she is smitten. For a minute, those blasted books come into Sandi’s mind. She really needs to stop thinking about them.

“Go on, Tom; nowt to be lost. Give Brian a call to see if he is in town. Don’t forget he owes you a favour, so he might give the kid a listen. She did say when she rang she had won talent contests and sang in her local club so she can’t be crap.” Brian says.

Tom smiles, a warm smile. Her heart beats faster; with his tanned muscular arms, dark curly hair and brilliant blue eyes, she could fall for him. Bloody hell, she is thinking of those damn books again, those very books she scoffs at.

“I guess we can see. No promises, girls, okay?”

With her fingers crossed behind her back, she holds her breath, hoping for the best. Brian Epstein is in town, lucky for her, and headed for the Cavern Club that afternoon. Tom knows the manager at the club, so he says he can sort something out for her.

So, this is the famous Cavern Club. Sandi has one shot, a fifteen-minute slot, to impress the guy who manages a group that is rumoured to become the world’s greatest group. She has her chance now, make or break.

As she finishes, applause rings out from all around. Judy gives her a thumbs-up as Brian Epstein beckons her over.

“Forget Helen Shapero; you are in the same mould as Cilla, and she is on the road to success. Right, we need to get you signed up before someone else spots you and snaps you up. Monday, come to my office and we will sort out a contract. And I’ll have a word with George at EMI. He is a great guy and I am sure he will agree you have what it takes to be a success.”

No more secretarial college for her; she won’t end up like her mother, lost in the pages of Mills & Boon. Yet, she knows she will forever cherish the impulse that led her to pick up that book on a summer day and embrace the unknown. It’s possible in the future she might approach Mills & Boon with the idea for a story.