𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎// john deacon

chapter twenty three - welcome home

    APRIL WAS FINALLY coming to an end, and Valerie was relieved. It has been three months since the band had been away, and she was missing them terribly.

     She couldn't wait to show them around her house,  and she couldn't wait for the inevitable sleepover Roger would force upon her.

Valerie had settled into her house, now painting the bedrooms since she had finished on the living room, kitchen, and dining room. She was painting her bedroom, and despite the fact that she had plenty of guest bedrooms, she found herself sleeping in the living room too often.

It helped that she had her cat to keep her company. She had decided on naming him 'Bowie' as he had two different coloured eyes like the singer.

  Valerie was currently in the kitchen where she was making dinner. She always made herself food on the night where she wasn't feeling lazy, and this was one of those particular nights.

From the floor, Bowie meowed and clawed at Valerie's  pant leg. Valerie grinned and threw a few vegetables on the floor for her cat, going back to cooking only for a few minutes before her doorbell rang.

Valerie walked from the kitchen, wondering who it might at the door. She walked through the dining room and through the large hallway before she reached the door and opened it. She smiled widely when she saw who it was.

Outside were Brian's parents, who were more than eager to pet the small cat that had greeted them at the door. "Mr. May, Ruth! How lovely to see you two!" Valerie said as Ruth enveloped her in a hug. 

While she was close to the both of them, she was always embarrassed to call Brian's father by his first name. While he always insisted Valerie call him by his first name, she never did. She didn't have so much trouble calling Ruth by her first name, though.

"It's lovely to see you, Valerie. We meant to come over for your birthday, but Harold had a terrible bout of the flu, and we had to wait. We're so sorry it's so far off from your birthday." Ruth apologized as Valerie invited them into the house.

"Aw, it's alright. No worries." Valerie said as she shut the door behind Harold.

"Are you going to stay for dinner? I'm almost done cooking, if you'd like to eat with me." Valerie said as she turned on the lights in the hallway as she lead them down, Bowie abandoning his path with them about halfway through.

"That'd be wonderful, Valerie. Thank you." Harold replied, looking around the house.

"Lovely house, Vallie. D'your parents buy it for you?" Ruth asked as Valerie walked them into the kitchen, and started to cook again.

"They paid for half of it. It was part of my graduation present, you see." Valerie said as she finished up with the pasta she was making.

"Oh, I see. That's amazing. I hate to say it, but I'm a bit surprised you could pay what with your rent on the apartment and all. Did you ever have a job?" Ruth asked as Valerie started to make plates for them.

"Yeah, I was a waitress for a while, but I stopped working. Then, I became a teacher at a local school before I started to work as the librarian. I made equal pay as the teachers and got to read all the books I wanted when I was there."

    "Isn't that how libraries work?" Harold questioned,  and Ruth lightly hit him on the shoulder, though she couldn't help but smile.

     "I suppose. But I worked there. So I could borrow books for as long as I needed, so long as I didn't get caught."

     "Oh, how sneaky." Ruth joked. Valerie winked at her as she started to serve up the food.

"Now, Vallie, were really here to give you your graduation and late birthday present," Harold said as Valerie set plates down for her and Ruth.