Real Life or Fantasy? - 'Bohemian Rhapsody', Roger Taylor

Now I'm Here

1985

"Mum, there's a man at the door!"

Mal rushed into the front hall. "Penny! What did we say about opening the door to strangers-" She stopped when she saw him.

Freddie removed his sunglasses and gave a half-smile.  "Oh come on. I can't be that unrecognizable." 

She only stared.

A few minutes later, Freddie was inside and admiring the family photographs in the living room.

"We had to invite him in?" Rog whispered to Mal from the hall.

"He came all this way, he must have a good reason. I say we hear him out." 

"Is it him? It's really him, isn't it!" cried Penny.

"Please go upstairs to you room, Pen. This is an adult conversation," said her mother. 

The little girl ran up the stairs, still muttering excitedly. 

"You two are certainly living like rock stars," Fred said, noting their quaint, modest house. 

"We're happy."

"That's good. I'm glad."

"And you?"

"Getting there. Your children are lovely." He nodded to a photograph of the two kids.

"Thank you. Penny you've already met, and Andy is upstairs. He's quite shy. Please, have a seat." Mal gestured to the couch.  

"Thank you." Freddie sat down, she and Roger sitting across from him in chairs. Then he  launched right into it. "Did Miami call you about the concert?"

The couple exchanged a glance. "Yes."

"I think we should do it."

"We?" said Rog.

"Yes, we. Queen. I think it's time to wake her up."

"It's been a long time."

"I know, and that's my fault, I know."

"Why are you here Fred?"

"About the concert. And because I wanted to apologize... I've already been to see Brian and John. I wanted to apologize to you all individually." 

"Well then get on with it."

"Rog," hissed Mal.

"I've been terrible, not only to you. And that led to the breakup of our family. I was wondering - and hoping - if we might all reconnect-"  He cut himself off when a huge coughing fit arose. He heaved heavy breaths between each cough - it sounded painful.

"Oh, Fred - here, we'll get you some water." Mal rubbed his back soothingly. 

"Thank you, Dear," he said, taking the glass Roger offered and taking a few large gulps. "Sorry about that. It's been happening lately."

"No, don't be sorry. You alright?"

"Alright, yes."

Freddie didn't stay much longer, having apologized as he had come to do. 

Just as he was about to leave, there came a call from upstairs. 

"Ay oh!"  A young boy - their son, Andy, he guessed - was sitting on the top step, looking down to where Freddie stood by the front door.

"Ay oh!" Freddie called back, giving the boy a smile. With that, he was gone.  

--------------------------------

"Hello everyone, thank you for being here," Miami addressed the band who sat in his office.  "If anyone wants any coffee, tea, bladed weapons, just let me know." No one said anything.  "Who'd like to go first?"

"I'll start," Freddie jumped right in. "I've been hideous, I know that. And I deserve your fury. I've been conceded and selfish - an arsehole really."

"Strong beginning," remarked Rog.

"I've apologized to each of you, and now I'm apologizing to you all.  What's it going to take for you to forgive me?"

"Is that what you want, Fred?" asked Brian.  "Forgiveness? I forgive you. There, can we go now?"

Freddie sighed.  "I went to Munich, I hired a bunch of guys. I told them exactly what I wanted them to do and the problem was, they did it. No push-back from Roger, none of Brian's rewrites, none of John's funny looks. And none of Mal's indecisiveness. You were right all along: I need you. And you need me." Then he cracked a smile.  "Let's face it, we're not doing so bad for five ageing Queens."

"Could you give us a moment please, Fred?" requested Brian.

Freddie looked confused, but did as asked and stepped out of the office.

"Why'd you do that?" asked John.

"I just felt like it," Brian admitted, making the others laugh.

When Freddie came back.

"We decided," began Roger. He looked to the others.  "What did we decide?"

"From now on, no matter who wrote it, music, lyrics, it's by Queen," John filled in. "Not one of us, all of us. And all the credit gets split five ways."

"Done."

"We have a problem with the people around you," added Mal.

"Paul is out, I fired him."

"Oh what pretext?"

"Villainy."

"Bob Geldof," spoke up Miami.  "I called him to squeeze you lot into the line up for the Live Aid concert but he wants an answer now. You need to make a decision - now.  Every ticket is already sold, sold out at Wembley and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. And a global TV audience."

"We haven't played together is so long," sighed Rog. "It would be suicide to play again for the first time in front of millions."

"Try over one-point-five billion," Brian corrected. Roger gawked at the number. Brian scoffed.  "'Who are these four dinosaurs? Where's Madonna?'"

"It's a twenty-minute set," continued Miami. "Everyone gets the same: Jagger, Bowie, Elton, McCartney, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Phil Collins... Anybody who is anybody is doing this concert."

"Certainly good company," remarked Deaky. 

"Look, all I know, is that if we wake up the morning after the concert, and we didn't do our part, we'll regret it for the rest of our lives - until the day we die." Freddie was adamant. 

"Fred's right," agreed Mal.  "This is a good concert for a good cause. And that's what Queen's always been about, isn't it? For the people?"

"That's what it was supposed to be," agreed Freddie.  "I think I lost sight of that somewhere along the way."

Everyone was in agreement. 

Mal grinned. "Live Aid, here we come." 

(Aw Fred :( Love him so much!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))