My dream ever since I was 11 was to meet John Lennon. But it all ended the day that my best friend Cynthia told me the dreadful news. That fateful day of December 8th came around once again, and Cyn told me that 13 years ago John Lennon was killed. I was astonished, being the news-deprived child that I was.
That day she spent the night at my house and we cried while "Imagine" was constantly playing in the background. Mom knew exactly what was wrong and she left us alone. But my twin brother Kyle was a different story. "What's so sad? Who cares if he's dead? He was stupid and old anyways!" were his constant words of torture.
"Shut up!" I exclaimed as I pushed him from my bedroom and into the hall.
Now here I am, crying again for it has been exactly 20 years since John's passing. Cyn couldn't come over this year for our mourning day because her parents are trying to spend "quality time" with her. Yeah right. Her parents have time for one thing only, work. Cyn promised me that her vow of silence would prevail, although her mother will get angry.
So this year, since I was alone, I went to the roof of my house to star gaze.
Science class has been a real drag this year, so far. We are currently studying astronomy. As a senior, I should have much more on my mind than those stupid balls of gas in the sky. But, I don'tat least not tonight.
The clock in the living room just struck midnight. I can talk again. "Hey Lucy," I called down to my younger sister.
"What Aud? Wait, I thought you couldn't talk," she yelled to me.
"It's midnight. Can you tell mom that I'm gonna stay up here for a while longer?"
"Sure. Have fun!" she replied sarcastically.
Ignoring Lucy's tone, I stared up at the night sky. The stars sparkled like diamonds. "Wow, Lucy should be up here!" I joked to myself, and even laughed.
Suddenly there was a flash of light across the sky's black canvas. A shooting star! The wish stars. Ok, a wishwhat to wish for? I thought about the day when I was 11. The day I cried for all it was worth. "I wish John Lennon was alive again" I whispered into the stillness of the night. A tear rolled gently down my cheek as I climbed down the ladder and went inside.
I walked into my bedroom, greeted by Beatles posters adorned with John's smiling face. If only dreams were realityIf only miracles could happen, I thought as I crawled into bed. I cried myself to sleep while listening to John's sweet voice sing "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..." You're not John, you're not, I thought as I closed my eyes.
* * *
"Wake up, hun," my mom cheerfully said. I opened my eyes to a bright sunny day. Light was streaming through my opened curtains and I squinted to see my clock. Ten A.M. Wow, mom sure was being nice today. "Get up! Get dressed, Audrey! Breakfast will be ready soon." I could smell bacon cooking in the kitchen. I groaned and crawled out of my bed.
I put on my fuzzy green bathrobe and went into the bathroom. The cool water from the shower instantly woke me up.
After twenty minutes, I turned off the water and got out. I quickly dressed and combed my long brown hair. "Breakfast is ready!" Kyle called from downstairs.
"Okay," I said as I ran down the steps.
When I reached the kitchen, I took my place at the table next to Lucy, across from Kyle. It was amazing how different Kyle and I were, being twins and all. Luckily, we dont look anything alike, and I came out first, so technically I'm older.
"By the way, Cynthia called this morning, Audrey," my mom said as she set the table.
I lifted my head in surprise. "Really? When?"
"Oh, about nine o'clock. You had a rough night so I decided not to wake you. She said something about coming home early and you meeting her at the usual spot," she paused and then said, "Whatever that means." The usual spot was, of course, the music store on Main Street. We went there almost every day to hang out and chat. It's called Rock 'n' Roll Music Supply and sells CDs, instruments, and anything else you can think of. We buy coffee and listen to the CD samplers to waste time.
After breakfast I returned to my room, still in a melancholy mood. I changed into my homemade shirt that says "Lennon Lives" on it. Cyn and I made them when we were 13 on the 15th anniversary of the terrible event. "Lennon lives..." I said aloud. "Oh, I wish it were true."
I went into my mom's room to call Cyn's cell phone. No answer, but her voice mailed picked up. I decided not to leave a message, considering how she has caller ID anyways. I'll just go down to the music store and wait.
When I stepped into the hall, I heard "A Hard Day's Night" playing in my room. Lucy! I thought angrily.
I entered my room quickly. Lucy was sitting in my big inflatable chair with her back to me. I reached for my stereo and turned it off.
"What ya do that for?" someone asked. But it wasn't Lucy speaking, it wasn't Lucy at all. The person turned around and I gasped.
* * *
"Hello? I asked you a question!" the man asked. My mouth was wide open and I could only stare at him. "It's not polite to stare, it gets on me wick." I rubbed my eyes and looked at him again. "Stop being cheeky luv!"
Cheeky? I thought. Only one person would say that. "Who...who are you?" I asked timidly, not trusting my senses.
"Who do you think? I'm all over your bedroom!" he replied, irritated. He indicated my posters dating back to the 60s up through the late 70s as if I was stupid. Well, I guess at that moment, I was acting pretty stupid.
"Oh my god, oh my god! It worked! It really worked!" I ran toward him and he stood up.
"Yeah, and it feels great to be back."
"Are you really..." I paused, "John Lennon?" I asked, still in shock.
"In the flesh," he replied, looking at himself in my dressing table mirror.
