Paul and Nancy McCartney

by Frank M. Roberts

October 2015

A pretty young lady from Suffolk, VA. lived for awhile in the county of Suffolk on Long Island. There, she met the man described by the Guiness Book of World Records as "the most succesful composer and recording artist of all time."

Not once, but twice, Nicole, who has since become a Californian, spent quality time with Sir Paul and Nancy McCartney. The 27-year-old blonde, who studied communications and English at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, kept her cool, retaining her composure while schmoozing with the famous couple.

Nicole, and 16-month-old Marlowe, the girl she was 'nannying', were an audience of two for what could be described as the performer's most unusual performance.

"That's how I met Paul," she said. "The first time, I was on the phone with Pam (her sister). I pulled into the parking lot, and I saw a man walk by. I told Pam, "oh my God, I think it's Paul McCartney."

She hung up in mid-conversation. "Then, I got the baby out of the car to get her to the park. I think he was going to his car. I decided to walk toward him. I waved discreetly. Then, he walked up and shook my hand. I said - 'it's such an honor to meet you. You're such a legend.' He was very nice. I was trying to be discreet."

The McCartney's have a summer home in Amagansett, one of several areas known as The Hamptons, one of the country's wealthiest communities.

"After that meet, we went our separate ways," said Nicole, quickly noting that meeting number two was more fascinating.

"It was the same routine, two days later," she said. "This time we were sitting in a gazebo in the park. I was feeding the baby when Paul (Paul?) and his wife sat beside me.

"I thought it was weird - seeing him again," Nicole said. "The baby pretended to hide. He made faces at her to get her to laugh. I said, 'I met you the other day.'" This time we spent about 20 minutes talking about his summers.

"They seemed friendly, not stuck on themselves. They were always smiling," she said.

Then came the unexpected treat. It was time for 'that' - a gazebo concert. McCartney's songbook is a little smaller than the New York City telephone book. Was he going to do a medley? "Hey, Jude," or "Let It Be" "Eleanor Rigby," "Penny Lane," "Silly Love Song" or "I Want To Hold Your Hand?"

None of the above - not even Nicole's favorite, "Yesterday."

Before mentioning the piece of music he spontaneously selected for the gazebo performance, it should be noted that the performer's instruments are listed as guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and drums. The instrument he selected for the cozy mini concert was the only one he could carry around inconspicuously - the harmonica.

The song he chose was one written a couple centuries ago by this country's first pop composer - Stephen Foster.

"The baby is great," Nicole said. "She's always smiling. Anyway, Paul (Paul?) took out his harmonica and, to get her giggling, he played "O, Susanna." She giggled and he was stomping his feet."

"Then, they got up. He said "nice to meet you." I shook his hand and whispered, "can I take a picture?"

He said, "sorry, I don't do pictures."

Lots of famous people live in the Hamptons.

"I saw Chris Martin (Coldplay's lead singer). I saw Gwyneth Paltrow, and I saw Billy Joel unloading groceries from his car and taking them into his house.

"But Paul (Paul?) takes the cake. He's on my iPod."

Nicole continued nannying and doing online marketing with her rescue dog, Layla, by her side. "Eventually, I want to start my own business - a produce delivery service working with farmers," the farmer's daughter said. "I want to be my own boss."

***

Speaking of 'friendly neighbors' here is the tale of a man telling his neighbor, "I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost $4,000, but it's state of the art."

"Really" the neighbor said. "What kind is it?"

"12:30."