He feared the moment he would not recognise her. The last time George had seen Elsie, they were both fifteen; now they were thirty, and he could only imagine how she had turned out in that quiet provincial town of York.
Surely she has three children and a husband who spends his evenings at the pub, he thought with a sour grin.
Why he felt such bitterness toward Elsie was unclear, for it was he who had left, not she.
When he arrived, people greeted him as if George were a celebrated actor, and an uncomfortable flush rose to his cheeks. Among the former classmates, no Elsie appeared, and he told himself it was better that waywhat a foolish nostalgia, what use could he have for that Elsie!
Then, at last, he saw her.
Elsies hands were slender, the blue veins visible beneath the skin; her face was sharpedged, like a foxs, and her light, fluffy hair was forever cropped short, perched atop her head like a flattened dandelion. To George she was strikingly beautiful, and once, almost without thinking, he whispered:
What a beautiful Elsie
His schoolmate, Pip Granger, laughed and barbed:
Youre talking nonsense! Look at Agnesher hair is long, her complexion smooth. And Elsie is freckled and pale as a moth.
Elsie did indeed have a scattering of tiny spots, but George felt they did not mar her at all. He grudgingly agreed with Pip:
True enough.
He did not know how to befriend Elsie; girls no longer mingled with boys as they once had, and if he simply approached, someone like Agnes would already be teasing about a fiancé and a bride.
The idea came from Pip, who invited the lads to his birthday. His flat was not as spacious as Georges, and it felt cramped, yet the night was lively: Pips mother devised riddles for them, and later they played with the Transformers their classmates had given them, the biggest of whichGeorgestood guard.
Mother, George said the day before the party, may I invite the whole class?
The whole class? his mother asked, surprised. Where shall we fit them all?
Please, Mum, just let me!
It wont matter; theyll never all come, Pips father called from the next room. Set up a buffet tablelet them stand, they wont be sitting at a table anyway.
What about the relatives?
Well see them another day, his father suggested calmly. Then well need a tablecloth, napkins, and a proper spread of seven dishes
Thus it was decided. Of course George worried that Elsie would refuse, especially since she could not afford a present. Everyone knew she came from a large family; her mother worked in the local library, her father was a chronic drinker, sweets were a holiday luxury, and she handmeasured jackets for an older sister. So, when George approached Elsie to ask her to his birthday, he stammered:
I was hoping you could do me a favourcould you sketch a cover for a record?
Elsie did not grasp what he wanted, and George clarified that his dog had torn the original sleeve, leaving only a plain white one, which he found dreadful.
Dont you have a record player? she asked dubiously, because everyone knew Georges father owned a chain of pubs in town, and their home certainly had the latest appliances, not an old gramophone.
Yes, we do, George waved off. But I love listening to vinyl. So, will you draw it?
Elsies art skills were topnotch, and her paintings often adorned not just school exhibitions but also the countys art shows.
Alright, she agreed. Ill do it.
At the party, while half the lads were on the console and the rest watched a film on the VCR, George showed Elsie, Mike, and two other girls the record player and the stack of discs. He loved the Beatles, just like his father, and it was a dog named Bun that had shredded the sleeve of their favourite album.
At first Elsie was indifferent; a record player would not astonish anyone, even if it were a bit unusual. Yet when the music started, she sat up straight, listening intently as if a march were being performed. Mike grew bored and returned to the console, while the girls turned the room into a makeshift disco. People swarmed in, flailing like theyd been struck by a spark, but Elsie remained perched at the edge of his bed, unmoving.
A few days later she approached him.
Could I borrow a record? I promise Ill be careful, truly!
Its my fathers, George replied instantly. He wont let anyone have them. But you can come over to my place and listen whenever you like.
It feels a bit inconvenient, Elsie blushed.
Its as inconvenient as wearing trousers over your head and sleeping on a shelf where the blanket keeps falling, George parodied his father. Everything else is fine, so dont think twicejust come.
Thus their friendship began, forged first by a shared love of a legendary band, then blossoming on its own without any pretence.
George, are you really interested in this girl? his mother wondered aloud. She barely speaks, just nods at everything you say. I understand men like a bit of drama, but this is over the top. What could you possibly have in common? Shes practically penniless. A proper upbringing is essential, you knowshe should have gone to the grammar school!
Mum, I dont want to travel to the other end of town, George whined. Im happy at this school; the teachers are fine. Even my tutor said my pronunciation is excellent and my vocabulary richsuch opportunities arent everywhere.
His mother had mentioned the grammar school before, but George resisted; it wasnt just about Elsie, he genuinely liked his current school.
Let the girls spin their heads, his father said, its a youthful thing.
Im not spinning anyones head! George snapped, his ears flushing hotter, which only angered him further.
That quarrel bought him almost a year of peace. His mother rolled her eyes whenever he brought Elsie home, but she never raised the grammar school again. In Year Nine, his mother entered his room while he was studying Elsies silhouette, and everything changed.
At first George thought it was a fleeting fancy when Elsie ran home and his mother said nothing. That evening his father returned quietly. Three days later his father announced:
Were moving to London, lad.
What London? George was bewildered.
Just there. Im expanding, opening a new pub in the capital. Youll need to finish school there, not hereLondons competition is fierce, youll need to be ready. Ive already arranged a place at a good school and found tutors.
I wont go, George answered.
And where would you go then?
There was nowhere else to go. When Elsie heard the news she wept; he promised she would finish her exams and hed fetch her later. She sighed, adultlike, and said:
Youll never come back
As a parting gift he gave her the very record for which she had drawn the cover, the same record on which they had shared their first kiss.
It was clear the idea of moving to London had come from his mother. George felt a deep sting, both at her and at his father. When a classmate later left for Cambridge, he told Georges father, I want to go to Cambridge too. His mother began wailing, fearing she would lose him.
George knew he had an older brother who had been born with a weak heart and died within a year, and his mother had struggled for years to have another child. He understood her fear of losing him, though a bitter part of him took some twisted satisfaction in it.
In London he liked the city. He toured every landmark linked to his idols, started smoking, altered his haircut, and dated a new girl each week, trying to forget Elsie. Each new romance faded quickly.
Years later, back in England, he helped his father run the pubs. By then hed had two moderately lasting relationships: one with a Greek girl who clung to him like a burr, the other with a fellow student, Jane, a palehaired British lass.
As soon as he returned, his mother set about finding suitable brides, and George rarely visited home, preferring the flat his father had gifted him on his twentieth birthday. His mother called, he never answered. His father urged him to be gentler, to which George replied:
She wanted me to be successful? I am. Shell never have me marry herlet her write that on her own nose.
When Mike messaged him, George didnt immediately recognise the profile picture; once they sorted it out, he was glad to accept an invitation to the school reunion, even though he hadnt been there himself.
She looked at him and smiled, not a hint of the anger that had once haunted George.
Hello, he managed, you havent changed a bit.
It was trueElsie was still the slim, pale girl with blueveined hands. Only her hair had grown longer.
From that moment George stopped noticing anyone else. They talked and talked. Elsie was indeed married now, but divorced, with a tenyearold son also named George. Hearing his own name made him blush, but he could not deny the warmth it brought.
Come with me, he suddenly said, aware of how foolish it sounded. Take your son and lets go; London is far better than here.
Youve always been a dreamer, she replied sadly.
So that means no?
Elsie said nothing, turned, and headed for the door. He couldnt stop her; he had no words to persuade her to stay.
Then Ill go with you, laughed Agneswho had popped up at the reunionwhich hotel did you book?
The Central, of course.
Let me see you off, she said playfully.
George didnt even ask; he called a cab, and they left.
When the doorbell rang at the hotel, George thought it might be housekeeping, surprised it was so late. Maybe theyve got the wrong room, he mused.
Standing there in a nightdress, hair tied in a bun, her nostrils flared with irritation, was Elsie.
And where is she?
Who?
Agnes! First she whisked my husband away, now shes after you?
George laughed.
Theres no Agnes here. If you want, go check.
He stepped back; Elsie entered, glanced around, settled on a chair.
My sister called; she said you both left together.
I dropped her off in a cab, like a proper gentleman. Thats all.
And you never even kissed?
He threw his hands up, deadpan:
Not my fault!
Whats that about? Her lips look plumped, and theres more to her than that.
Im not here for that, George replied.
Then why are you here? To see me after fifteen years, remembering a promise?
So you were waiting?
Had to! I forgot you the next day!
Fine, I didnt remember you long either.
So should I go?
Go ahead. But maybe first lets listen to the record?
The record?
Yes, I brought the player.
Elsie squinted, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
So youve forgotten me, but youve kept the record all these years?
Seems that way.
She retrieved a bag shed left by the door, pulled out a wrapped package, and handed it to George.
It was the very record whose cover she had redrawn, the one he had given her as a parting gift.
You left me the next day, yet youve kept this record? George teased.
She shrugged. He eased the record from its sleeve, fingers tracing it tenderlyno scratches at all. He set it on the turntable, lowered the needle. The room filled with music.
Without a word, they moved toward each other; his hands settled on her waist, hers on his shoulders. They swirled in a slow dance, as if at a prom that never happened. A flush rose on Elsies cheeks, Georges heart pounded like a sprints finish. Time seemed to melt away; it mattered no longer why hed forgotten his promise or why she claimed she would not travel with him. All You Need Is Love crackled from the gramophone, and they both knew, at last, that it truly was all they needed.
