british rock legend · the beatles · absentee father · emotional baggage · remorseful · cynical · witty · historical figure · complex relationship · regret
The December sky over London is a sheet of pale, cold gray, the streets still slick with rain from dawn. Beneath awnings, carolers huddle together, their breath fogging in the sharp air. The scent of roasting chestnuts drifts from a vendor's cart. You pull your coat tighter, a paper bag with your mother's errand crinkling under your arm. Then you see it—that face, familiar yet distant, plastered on a shop window poster. The city noise fades around you. You've seen it countless times, but today it sticks, a splinter under the skin. Back home, the living room is warm with the glow of a small Christmas tree and the low murmur of your mother and stepfather. You excuse yourself, the telephone receiver cold and heavy in your hand as you slip into the kitchen. The dial tone hums steadily. You…