The Show Must Go On

I'm going slightly mad

One night later

It was a warm cloudless night in London and two young lovebirds were sitting outside a local fish and chips restaurant. Now if I wanted too, I could tell you that this was the night of their first kiss. I could inform you that one of them would accidentally slip out an 'i love you' one week later. I could also mention that a few years later they would get engaged and later have a child they called Meadows. All this I could tell you, but it would be completely pointless since this story isn't even about them in the first place. They're actually completely irrelevant. As one of them leaned their head on the other ones shoulder, an elderly man walked by. He passed without a glance in their direction as he was going home from the grocery store. Why he had been there at 11pm is a good question, but we're not gonna ask him. 5 more minutes and he'd be home. If it wasn't for all the streetlights, the sky would have been splattered with stars, but this was central London, so what could you expect. At times like these you just wish to be in the country side to experience the full beauty of it all. He had considered it many times, moving, but he knew he would never do it. This was sort of the last thing he had left from his old life, and wouldn't let go of it for his dear life. He got the sort of nostalgia that made him realize what an absolutely mental life he'd had. 

The man passed a pub and hesitated for a while, before stopping. He gazed inside, trying to make out if there was anyone he knew. There wasn't. There used to be, though. All the times he popped in his head there would be someone moderately familiar to get hammered with. Nowadays people have gotten boring, they call it settling down. He couldn't understand how people would want to abandon their life completely. One of his best friends had and now he didn't even remember the last time they talked. It's sad but he assumed that was what his friends wanted so what the hell.

There weren't too many people in the restaurant. For one moment, he thought he saw an old friend. How silly, that would be impossible. A man with short black hair and a thick mustache. He was in a heated discussion with another man, about what, we will never know. The man outside the window shook his head and continued his walk.

"Old times, old times" He shook his head and continued.

After turning left by the next block, and passing some closed shops, the man was finally home. He didn't open the door immediately, but instead looked up at the foggy London sky. If Brian had been there, he would have told him all about the constellations and stars, but he wasn't. Roger was alone.

_____________

He got his keys and opened the door to the apartment building. His wife was away for a business trip but Roger didn't mind, he had plenty of work to do anyway. Yeah sure, who was he fooling. Not himself at least. He was incredibly alone and had no intention to do anything about it because he just couldn't be bothered. It had been like this for about a week now and he was going slightly mad. Soon he'd start touring with queen again. Just the thought of that instantly made him smile. It wasn't exactly 'Queen', it was Brian and Adam and him, but it was as close as they could get. Roger loved to tour. it made him feel like he was 25 again and it made the loss of Freddie just a tad bit easier to bare.

He took the lift up to the 10th and highest floor. The apartment had a beautiful view over the rooftops of London, it was almost as magical as in Mary Poppins, expect there were no dancing cobblers of course. Tonight Roger was gonna make 'vegan zucchini lasagna'. It was a recipe Brian had taught him and was apparently healthy, sigh. He did really need anything healthy he could lay his hands on right now. He couldn't really understand how he, Roger Meadows Taylor, could do anything worth even giving a pig, with what he had got from the grocery store. But, the tour would start in less than one month so he really needed to get in shape. Back when Queen was still going strong and touring he pretty much used to life on alcohol, cigg's, pain killers and alcohol. Not really but not far from the truth. Not very healthy and not very smart, so now he would compensate with lasagna just for the hell of it.

Roger had packed up all the ingredients from the grocery bag, when the phone rang. He raised an eyebrow and picked up the phone.

"Hey Brian, this was unexpected!"

"Nothing much, just making that god damn lasagna."

"No I haven't smoked weed, yes I'm making a lasagna at 11.30am do not question me, why are you calling this late?"

"You're on the train on your way here now?! Brian its in the middle of the night, are you high?"

"John too?! Mate whats happening?"

"Uh yeah there's lasagna for all of us but that's completely besides the point why- Brian?"

Brian had hung up.

It took some time (and a beer) for Roger to process what was going on. He sat down in his sofa and scratched his head in confusion. At that moment he realized that his flat really wasn't very well tidied up for guests. 

So apparently Brian and John are on their way here right at this moment, but why?Roger said for himself. Brian had hung up before Roger had got the opportunity to ask anything, and now he was just one big question mark. After a few minuted of pondering without any further success, he thought that the least he could do was to start making that fucking lasagna, if that so was the last thing he did. 

One hour later it was ready and the table was set. Roger didn't have any wine, just a few beers so that had to do. He had always figured that if they'd do a "reunion" like this, it'd be a bit... How should I put it, more fancy and planned out. Not like this, and not in the middle of the night..? But Roger certainly didn't complain. This night would have been spent like any other, beer and tv, if it hadn't been for Brian and John. To be honest Roger was a little nervous. What if John had changed? What if he had bad news? What if he doesn't approve of the tour? What if he's sick and possibly dying and wanted to meet us one last time? So many what if's and so many worries. He suddenly got really nostalgic and felt like he could go cry in a corner thinking about all the wonderful things he'd done with queen and everything that he could never get back. He had managed to control these feelings quite good, at least that was what he'd thought. Now however, he really didn't know, he just missed it so fucking much! Oh god, he couldn't start crying now, for gods sake Roger! This wasn't like him at all.  Maybe it changed as you get older.

But now Roger was as restless as a 5 year old on Christmas morning. And so finally, after a few more long minutes the doorbell rang. And it was with a huge smile, that Roger Taylor opened to door for his old band mates Brian May and John Deacon.