We left Atwater at 7am and got to the airport at 10am. My husband dropped us off and we went in to wait for 2 hours. We sat in the window watching planes and tried to catch up on all the talk we'd be missing. We boarded the plane at noon, and sat there until 2:30pm. They said it would be a 10-1/2 hr. flight.

The 2-1/2 hr. delay would prove fatal...as when we arrived at Narita in Japan at 5pm, Sunday the 4th...our ride to the hotel was not there. We had listened to tapes all the way except when taunting the stewardesses with our story of going to meet Paul. "A" had a good old gloat. It was a very long flight indeed.

The airport was very confusing and I for one couldn't tell which way to go. We finally made it to customs tho. Different lines for different passengers made it even more confusing. Took us 20 min. just to get that far. I put my bag up on the customs desk and got my passport out. As I was about to open the bag he points to me and says something that I didn't understand. It sounds very serious...I sort of shake my head and try to tell him I don't understand. He repeats it...This time from behind me "A" says "He's saying Paul McCartney." The little man nods yes...I realize he was pointing to my Paul sweatshirt...So I nod and smile and say "yes, Paul McCartney"...He hands back the passport and waves me thru...When "A" comes to the desk he doesn't even look at her passport...he merely points to her shirt says "Paul McCartney" and waves her thru...Paul McCartney...our ticket to the world!!!!!

We wander around the airport till 7:30 trying to find the right desk and our driver. We even had the courtesy desk to try to page him. Finally, "A" will walk no more and plops her bags down. I go over to a desk that seems to be offering buses to the Imperial Hotel. So for y2600 (about $18.00) we can catch a bus at gate 8. Which we then go in search of. This airport is built like the starship enterprise...ridiculous!!!!! But we DO find it. Our fear then is to find the right bus...none of them seems to have any signs on them. "A" goes looking for the loo...We had had a sort of a conversation with a woman from Hong Kong...Home visiting family..."A" was much better than I was at understanding what they said...I was hopeless...Of course, while "A" was gone the bus came. I only know it's the right bus because the lady tells me it is...Oh, we had also talked for a second to a boy who worked at the bus station...He was going to see Paul the same night as us...Well, back to the bus...The bus driver gets out and immediately started ordering us to go round this pole and get on the bus...And of course he had to start at my end!!! No offer was made of putting luggage away. So here I was with both my and "A's" bags to lug...I tried to tell him I was waiting for a friend but it fell on deaf ears...He just kept shouting and waving and telling me to go round the pole and get on the bus...I handed him two tickets and tried again...he pushed me onto the bus...I was hoping to put the bags down and get off and wait for "A"...But a solid wall of flesh prevented me...so I peered frantically out of the window and tried to be able to wave to "A"...Luckily our friendly lady from Hong Kong helped out again and managed to signal "A" who had returned and found herself alone...She was scared and mad!! Thought I'd run off and left her.

The bus was built for shorter people and I had to put the arm down to stay in the seat. It was a two hour drive to the hotel. We got there at 10:00. My head was going round and round at this point...I could barely function...We had 2 messages but I couldn't even take in what they said...Don't know how "A" was feeling...We followed our bags and a bellhop up to our room...Room 2845.

It was done in blue and had a lovely bay window...which we sat in constantly...don't know if we ever used the chairs...The hotel was probably the only promise we got that was totally true...It was very nice.

Of the ones we saw...Hotel ANA was the fanciest and tallest...and we assumed that Paul was there...The band and crew were at one near there. But ours was probably the second best in Tokyo.

We got up at 6am on Monday. Don't know why. You'd think we would have slept in a bit...We unpacked, showered and went to eat at the cafe in the restaurant..."Cycles"...We had hot chocolate and rolls or toast every day..."A" had muffins I think. By 9:00 we thought that it was a decent time to return the calls...Wrong...We ended up waking Richard Ogden...He was nice tho and told me to call Fiona...Which I did and woke her up!! She said it was o.k. tho as she had to get up anyway...said she was suffering from jet lag...They just wanted to check that we'd made it and to let us know that a car would be coming for us at 4:30pm...and between 5 and 6pm WE would be meeting Paul!!!!!!!...GULP...

The concerts there started at 6:30pm because of a 9pm sound curfew...

We went out to see a bit of the city...not too far since we didn't want to get lost. We found a bookstore "With" of all things...I got a big Beatles book all in Japanese, and "Rough Ride"..."A" got "Rough Ride" too. We also found the 2 cd special in a record store...I got some chopsticks for my daughter.

We didn't find any flower stores (for Paul, etc.) and in the end just ended up being ready in the nick of time. We were picked up by a driver in a black car that was the most common sight in the city. With little lace doily things on the seat tops. He didn't seem to know where he was going and kept looking at a map. We just about creamed this little car at a round a bout...I squealed and he asked me if I was ok...We got to the Dome just before 5 and the guard talked to the driver and waved us down a ramp drive to the door...A big body guard met us at the revolving door. I told him my name and he said he was waiting for me. He took us in to meet Fiona.

She took us up some stairs to a lounge where we were offered drinks and told us we could sit and listen to Chris being interviewed...She gave us photos and programs and a Hofner badge. I asked her if I could get Chris' autograph for a friend. We had passed a door where we thought we saw Robbie huddled round table with a group of people but he was the only one that looked familiar.

Fiona said we'd be meeting Paul with some other guy as soon as he got there. We were given VIP badges (back stage passes) We heard a bit of Chris...What I remember is him saying he had other things he wanted to do after the tour. That this wasn't really his kind of music...maybe not in those words but...

I'm sure I was nervous but felt better than when I was in the car. I was very nervous then. Fiona came back quickly tho and said we'd be going to meet Paul instead...(he was going to come up there) We went out the opposite door of the one we came in and down another flight of stairs. We stopped in a corridor just outside an open door. Several people were hanging about. One of them was Richard Ogden...Which is funny as I'm not sure why I was so certain it was him...I didn't question it at the time...I think he said something about the call and I confessed I was the one who woke him up...So I assume it was him...

Stella was just opposite me outside the door. She chatted with Fiona. She got a kiss from Paul and I think Lin gave one to James inside the room...They were just getting ready to leave when Paul stopped them...He said "Wait"...and turned to us (the people in the hall not specifically "A" and Me)...and said "You've gotta see this." He turned back around and a little Japanese boy and a guy we couldn't see started playing "I Saw Her Standing There". Paul had a great old time...dancing and shaking his bum...He sang along at the end...BUT before I go further...When we FIRST got to the room I could see Paul and I heard him say something...But it was soooooo weird...it didn't sound like him at all!!!!!!!! It was a shock as I thought I knew that voice better than my own....."A" said she had the same feeling...Tho I didn't know till later that she couldn't actually see him. My mind was so focused on him the whole time that even the edge of my vision was blurred like a special camera effect.

The kids left and Fiona led us into the room. It was a very dark room...very low lighting and I think it may even have been painted black...tho I'm not sure about that...Paul was off to the left now...five or six feet...He was all in black too...in fact all of us could have gone to any funeral...Black levis and a black Polo shirt writing over the left breast and black tennies. Don't know what Fiona said...But Paul smiled and said "Hi Bonnie" and stepped forward and held out his hand...Which to my great suprise I found myself able to take and say with a smile "Hi Paul"...I tried to sound casual...don't know what it really sounded like...Tho I felt pretty calm...not what I expected after reading so many articles about journalists who go to pieces when they meet him...He started to step back and I don't know if he said something or if I could just see the decision being made on his face, but he came forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek...the right one...and put his left hand on my arm as he did...he still held my hand........oh bliss........

He was so soft and soooooo warm.....like a baby....I don't recall any smell of cologne...tho I did smell my hand later to make sure...But mostly I was just overwhelmed with his just being there and his touch...He seemed to me smaller and greyer and his eyes didn't seem as dark...He also seemed older but none of that mattered a bit...He was so sweet and so nice and he was so there!!!!!!! My mind couldn't really handle all the details...While he said hello to "A" I must have been in a coma...I think Lin may have said something...Whatever it was I never saw or don't remember seeing him and "A" say "hello"...You'd think that I would not have been able to take my eyes off him...but my manners got the better of me...when someone speaks to me I look at them...@#*!...then all of a sudden he was back in focus...He asked us where we were from and seemed amused by the fact we were from different coasts...He kept saying "Coast to Coast"...Lin said that she had gone to school near "A"...Vermont..and Paul repeated it after her. They were both so natural and he wasn't ON at all...not performing...And lest I forget...BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!! ;-)

I've forgotten most of the chat I think and kick myself for not having the nerve to bring the little recorder I had thought about buying...Now I'd love to have it to listen to over and over...The next thing I remember is him saying something about pictures...and a little photographer appeared out of the dark...Paul stood in between us with his arms around our shoulders...thumbs up...I finally woke up to the fact that this was THE CHANCE to see Paul and turned simply to stare at him...I was totally lost in his beauty...and don't know how long it was before I became aware of Fiona saying "look at the camera." Then Fiona handed him the programs and pics and a pen. He asked how I spelled my name...And added.."as in lies over the... ?"...and I had hoped he would sing a line of it...oh well!! As he drew a silly face I said "She"(meaning "A") said you would draw the silly face...we laughed as he'd drawn it...and he said "Oh yea, gotta do the silly face". I actually got up the nerve to ask if he'd sigh something for my kids. He said "sure" and asked if I'd like him to sign the program for them...I hemmed and hawwed as I didn't want to give it away...Fiona said something and I looked at her and Paul touched my arm and asked it I was sure I didn't want him to sign it for them...I think Fiona was about to ask if I wanted her to get some more photos for them...but by then I'd gathered a bit of my wits and had gotten out the postcards I'd brought. I had brought something for penpals too but chickened out in the end...Fiona said "oh, you brought something then" and I handed them to Paul. I told him their names were on them. He signed them and said "Well, I'll just sign these anyway then" meaning the program and signed his name. While he was signing for the kids he noticed that they were fan club cards and said "I see you're fan club members then?" (or something close to that) and we panted "OH Yes!!!" He said "OH HEAVY fans" and we said "YES" again..Richard in the door said "Well it's good you won then" I said "WE think so!!!!!" There was more talk here too I'm sure but I don't recall it...While he signed for "A" she asked him what he thought about various concerts and the audiences...He said they were pretty wild in Tokyo..."A" sounded natural but glad to see him to me...While later I was worried that I may have not gotten it across that I was THRILLED to meet him...What I really wanted was for him to know that "I LOVE HIM", but would never have had the nerve to SAY that.....

While "A" was talking to him he turned to include me (perhaps in case I felt left out, which I didn't...I was just drinking him in) with a smile and a wink...Out of it all I think I treasure that most. More than the kiss in a way as this was so much more personal. Or at least it seemed that way at the time...Tho it probably wasn't...Tho it did show he was thinking of me as a person...Oh I don't know how to explain it but I know how it feels...He also touched my arm several times while all this signing went on...just naturally like you do when you talk to someone.

I think there were more pics here...and it never occured to me to reach out and touch him...or put my arms around his back...DOLT!!!!!! Also while signing he had said I see you've got your badges...We think he meant the Hofner pins...During the pics he kept saying "Coast to Coast"...After the pics I believe Richard came back and handed Paul the CD's and Paul handed them to us..."We thought that we give you these special CD's...a sort of promotional package over here." I think we both just said "gee thanks"...knowing we both had them but still wanting THIS one because it was so special...Richard then said something about giving some plecs to the little boy and Paul said "Well let me have some first" and put a few in his pocket...

Then my brain goes "all wet" again because I can't remember how we said goodbye...I'm sure he did...but I don't remember doing it myself. I do recall saying it to Lin!!!!! And...what an @#*!!!!! I DIDN'T even turn around and look at him one last time as I left!!!!!! If I could only do it all over!!!!!!!!!! I think he said something about enjoying the show and we said of course that we would...and he said something about having a good time in Tokyo...

We followed Fiona out of the room. She took us back to Chris and we went with him and his interviewers to see the stage. We went up on the lowered back portion...We could see the piano that would rise later...Fiona said the Dome would hold 70,000 people and that she missed their little show...Said there were plans for a video of the concert tour...She took us to our seats and told us to meet her backstage as far as we could get afterwards...(we got to the second guard, just before the entrance she had hoped we'd get to...I think the guards were a little thorough for her...she seems exasperated to keep having to tell them as we walked backstage..."These ladies are with me"...over and over...She said she would probably be out to check we'd made it on Weds. for that concert...but that we would need to find our own ride for that...We were very far back as far as I was concerned...I had hopes of course for front row seats...That's the thing that I'd really wanted for the concerts I went to...

The show was fantastic of course...people never even sat down in their seats..I had a hard time seeing...Some guy across the aisle kept yelling "MACCA!" and "I love you Paul!!" the whole time. Really nice, as you'd never get that in the States...they'd be afraid that you'd think that they "don't like women".

We were relieved to find that we got to keep our passes...I think we were quiet on the way back to the hotel, but I'm not sure about that either...I do know as I got closer and closer to the hotel I felt more and more like crying... I couldn't say why now...I suppose it was just release...so much tension for so long and now we could relax...It may have been a bit disappointment...That the fantasy of him falling in love at first sight...which I knew of course he wouldn't...but you can't tell my heart...but I don't really think that was it...That came later...Also it was OVER!!!!!!!! And I felt I'd never get the chance again...Never to see him...touch him...never to say "I love you"...Tho this also seemed to get worse, so I'm not sure how much of that there was in the breakdown...But by the time we got out of the elevator and into the room at the hotel instead of us being wonderfully happy and chatting all night about the wonderful thing that had just happened...We both ended up crying in our beds...Don't know A's" reasons...but if she's like me she doesn't know either.