I remember that day in 1998 clearly when I heard the news- I was 16 years old and was in a drive-thru of Taco Bell when we heard about it on the radio. Both of us went "aww" and then "wait a second, Paul's now single!" (I wonder how many Beatles' fans have thought of that?) It's not meant to be insensitive as we both knew our chances were laughable none. We then went to my Aunt's house for a little family gathering where we told them the news and most of them looked at my mother and said "So, Paul's now single, are you going to England?" I guess we weren't the only ones who thought that! All joking aside, it was a sad day.
I did like Linda, I still do. My birthday is a day after hers- which makes her exactly 40 years and 1 day older than me; we're both Libras so I have that kinda special connection with her. During the years that Linda lived in my lifetime, I could tell that Paul was deeply in love with her. I remember watching a tape of old Wings concert videos where Linda's keyboards were stationed right on Paul's left side and he would often turn to look at her, give a smile or making sure she was there and doing all right. Today, Linda's station on stage is now where Paul puts his grand piano. I do often wonder that whenever he looks back at that area and forgets but then remembers "oh yeah". Time to time since with his concerts I do catch him looking back there- maybe it's out of habit? Or maybe just checking out the rigs? I don't know since I'm not a musician but then again I'm sure he's looked over at his sides expecting to find John and George there (especially after the Beatles broke up and Paul went back to touring) time to time. I remember in Wingspan Paul told Mary that he always fearing being in another band that he'll look over and think "who the hell is that? Where am I???" and having Linda there was very comforting.
Because I knew that Paul was deeply in love with Linda, my 16 year old brain was worried about him. There were a few moments where I thought that he may commit suicide so he could join her or become very reclusive and spend his time watching the wallpaper peel off the walls. They spent only 9 days apart during their 30 years of being together (29 years of marriage) so perhaps the idea of continuing on with life without the love of his life would be unbearable. I know it sounds a bit over dramatic but again I was 16 and 16 year olds tend to be over dramatic! Thankfully Paul didn't go in that direction- he gave out a good cry for a year and went to the "woman" that had never abandon him: his music. He also fell in love and got married (twice) and became a father for the fifth time (I am not going to make this into a Heather Mills-Nancy Shevell post, this is all about Linda today) so I am glad that Paul managed to face life without Linda and move on. Linda is still all around him- he has friends that knew her well, he still keeps in touch with her family and her brother is one of his lawyers, there's also Wings and her photography that Paul continues to perform and use. He also continues her crusade of encouraging to go Veggie and save the animals. He also comforts himself knowing that Linda was a happy person while she was on Earth, she was a devoted wife and beloved mother. Her children still think about her to this day and she's woven into their jobs one way or another.
Rest in Peace Linda
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