John sang loudly.

The window rolled all the way down, face slightly sticking out of it .... like a dog reaching for the wind.

His voice ripped from him as the jeep ploughed the roads. Issy driving, present beside him, listening intently to the great Lennon's private concert. Seemingly just for her!

He grinned at her; like a kid he was sometimes she thought. Such a smile he had, a knowing but ultimately bright happy open smile.

Stopping for pumpkins and fruit, John watched her choosing the perfect produce.

A smell, a slight squeeze, an 'o' of lips and a lovely smile - it was like watching fucking porn with fruit. Gee he needed to get laid. He turned from the obscene fruity scene and watched the farmer lazily strolling his eyeballs up and down her body. Stepping up to Isabelle like some kind of caveman possessed, he hooked an arm through hers and started to squabble with her over the price of the string beans. The farmer gave up, moving his gaze away, watching the clouds instead.

Onwards towards the city, John watched her fingers grasping the steering wheel.

So sure he was...that she was mighty pleased he was pissing off back to town. He leaned back in his own world and watched the mirrors reflection bounce off the roof of the cab.

She slowed the truck, indicating her intent and when John sat up a little Issy was pointing toward a park bench under a huge shady tree. A toilet block stood ugly in the rear of the scene. Now, why would they ruin such a picture, with shit.

An open field of green beckoned him and as Issy slipped the cooler from the rear of the jeep John took off, galloping headlong through the waving green fingers of growth.

Issy grinned down into the depths of the cooler not wanting him to see her laughing at his antics. He looked like a nymph dancing about, hands waving like a fairy ready for flight. He must have known he was putting on a show as he glanced her way more than once.

Hand on hip and one stretched across her forehead guarding her eyes from the sun she waited for him to run out of steam.

How did a person go from high to low then back again, an arch of emotions, a concourse of thought's both good and bad. Issy whistled and waved, if he didn't come soon this 'sit down picnic lunch' would be takeaway on the run.

"Hey! Have fun?" Issy grinned over the cup she handed the winded runner.

"Yea. you should have joined me!" John turned back toward the fields and leaned against the post, sipping more teabag tea and munching a sandwich, quite content.

"Apple for the drive?" Issy replaced the cooler's contents, offering an apple.

"I'd like a peach"

"Sure, I'll grab one and we can hit the road, jack!" Issy smiled and climbed in the driver's seat, handing the peach over.

"I was supposed to drive" John grumbled as he sunk his teeth into the perfect peach, Issy sat watching him, smiling at the dribble threatening his shirt.

"Not until you eat that mister Lennon" Issy beamed at him. He was such a child in ways, endearing himself easily when at other times you could throttle him for the way his eyes burned your soul and his mouth teased you senseless.

She handed him a napkin.

They swapped seats eventually and Issy thought she would be involved in another accident, he hadn't been out this way before. So every field colour change, every farmers roadside trolley plus every single farm animal- cow, calf, sheep, horse, would have him pointing out what Issy was well used to.

Finally she had had enough of the jeep repeatedly traversing the centre line.... she made him pull over and enjoy the scenery. Issy was back behind the wheel.

Reaching the recording studio hours later Issy couldn't find a park, Julian was leant against the building and pushed off with a little wave when she sat the jeep idling in the loading zone.

"Hey dad, the exec's are already in there bleating. Hey Mum"

"Well boo bloody hoo, fucking wankers" John grizzled as he turned in the seat to Issy "Umm yeah ok ...."

"I'll park, I'm giving Julian a ride home and I'm staying there so, yeah ...... See you when I negotiate the lower end of the street!"

"Mum, there's a reserved parking spot round the rear. I'll show you" Issy watched the swapping Lennon's - older for younger and as she leaned forward stretching her back she had to grin to herself. Same features, mannerisms, so similar in every way. John did a slight wave and rolled his eyes for his impending appointment and disappeared inside the studio.

"Thanks for saving me mum, rumour has it they want to dump him from the label. Nuke Lennon has commenced countdown in 10, 9 ..-"

"Julian! Really? They can't do that, can they. To John.." Julian directed Issy down a narrow alley way and he was actually a little fearful, he felt he had made a mistake and the jeep was too big for the passageway. Issy was so blasé about the distance between the building walls and manoeuvred the vehicle like a pro, easily conversing as she went "He's had a hard time of it and they go and pull the rug out from under him, that's brutal"

"They'll probably warn him first. Light a fire so to speak but I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of his tirade. 8,7,6..." Julian grinned as Issy smacked his arm.

"Come on I'm dying for the loo and a cuppa, in that order!" Issy grabbed her handbag and placed her keys and sunglasses inside the side compartment all the while resisting the urge to puke at the horrid smells of the dumpsters close by.

It was quiet.

Issy washed up the pile of mugs in the sink and wondered if Julian had been mistaken, she made her way back toward the front of the building.

Mark rounded the corner intercepting her along a narrow hallway near the open door of the office. He was still handsome, nothing had changed in that regard and he grinned happily as he made his way to her side.

"Issy, you're keen! Weren't we pegged for tomorrow!?" His fingers picked up hers and he brushed her knuckles with his lips. She wasn't adverse to a bloke being so gentile it was nice in the right surroundings - gala functions, romantic dates, castles, dancehalls... But here in a long hallway that resembled an old school building it was like he had licked her, she grabbed her hand back like it was on fire.

"Umm just picking up Julian, back to see Ivy and Sally for dinner" Issy smiled as Mark leaned in to whisper.

"We could go out for dinner if you like .... I could show you the sights" Mark had somehow backed her up against the wall caging her with his body, he wanted to show her more than the city lights she was sure of it. And that scared her, this was too fast, too much, too hurried. Though, was it any different with John? She wasn't sure.

Maybe because she 'knew' John, it 'felt real'.

Like they had history.

When all she had really was biography's, long play records and assorted 45's.

Out of the corner of her eye a seething John Lennon glared through the window as an executive tried to pull him back into a conversation, she suddenly felt like she had committed an original sin when all she was doing was being polite.

"No, no tomorrow is perfect. Italian, wasn't it?" Issy blushed as Mark looked down, eyeing her chest. Issy dragged her handbag to her front and pushed away from the wall and him "Well better go, Julian was waiting for me, bye" Ducking under his arm Issy fled the hallway and both Mark and Johns eye's... John had no hold over her, but she had definitely felt his jealousy through the heated stare.

Issy sat in the foyer chewing her nails, Julian watched from the doorway wondering why she was so upset.

"Mum, you ok?"

Issy nodded absentmindedly bouncing her knee then suddenly she was smiling guiltily up at him

"Dad didn't do-"

"No oh no, he was great" She tapped her lip as she silently count to ten as Julian slid into the seat beside her. Her stress levels were hitting the roof.

"Nearly ready to go to the girls? I'm dying to see Ivy" Issy smiled sincerely letting the light back into her eyes.

Nothing and no one would bring her down when Ivy was around.

"Course, I'll go fetch dad"

"He's coming back to the apartment?"

"Yea, why? Is that a problem?" Julian stood up and paused waiting for Issy to respond. She smiled again after a lapse of seconds and shook her head in the negative "I can tell him to come another night, probably more than three nights with him would be a pain in the -"

"No Julian, I just thought.... Nothing. I just ... arrr, don't worry .... Let's go" Issy wandered away worrying her lip.

John was a lion he would devour her if she wasn't careful.

She liked him and she was sure he liked her, especially after the Mark incident moments before.

Or was it all just her imagination?

It was just that famous Lennon leer surfacing and she got in it's the way.

Anyway, John really needed to be fixed himself before she could entertain anymore of him, didn't he.

He needed to be sober.