Through Chrissie's eyes

Complicated Romances

We spent the week going to Hyde Park, with the boys checking out the final details of the show, and I was following them because Brian made a point of my presence and I also really enjoyed their company. Of course, in order to get all the information they wanted they had to ask Dominique, and now, since her pranks, the bad tension between her and Roger had turned into friendly coexistence.

I had known Taylor for some time, and so most of the time I knew very well what he was thinking and feeling, and every time he had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Branson's assistant, it was clear how he respected and admired her. I'd never seen him act like this with any other girl, not that he didn't respect them, he just had a passing obsession with them, that he wouldn't feel anymore as soon another girl caught his eye. Although he had actually become obsessed with Dominique, now I felt it was more than that.

She, in turn, treated him courteously, and Dom and Roger made jokes with each other that didn't make them offended, just to have a good laugh.

Again, something else I had never seen him to do with another girl. And look, there I was already worrying about what Roger was going to do, again. No wonder he used to call me mother sometimes. This time, I was going to let him settle what he was up to on his own.

Finally the day of the show arrived, and I was with Dominique in a stateroom reserved for the organizers and the band's closest people, which meant that Mary and Veronica were also there, and I took the time to introduce my old friends to my new friend.

"Dom, these are Mary and Veronica," he said as they greeted each other "Freddie's girlfriend and John's girlfriend, respectively."

"Pleasure to meet you," said Miss. Beyrand "be at ease and if you need anything, just ask me."

"Oh, thank you," said Mary, "and by the way, we really wanted to meet you and congratulate you."

"Congratulate me, for what?" Dominique didn't understand.

"What you did with Roger was something that everyone wanted to do" Austin explained, laughing. "We feel avenged."

"Oh my God, that?" Dominique joined in with our laughter.

"I hope you don't mind me telling them." I shrugged, slightly embarrassed.

"I confess that later I regretted it a little bit" the assistant said, embarrassed.

"Deep down, in the background, behind all that anger and flirting has a nice guy, isn't it?" Veronica pointed.

"Yes, I think so" Beyrand had to agree.

"Look, I don't know how busy you are during the show, but when you can, come and watch it with us here" I invited.

"Yes, yes, I'll come, Chrissie," she promised me, and went back to her work.

We went to see the boys quickly, Brian and I exchanged our traditional good-luck kiss and we went back to our place to watch the show begin, right at sunset and last for most of the night. The crowd that packed Hyde Park to see Queen cheered the whole show to the end, without losing their breath. We waited a long time before the crowd dispersed before we saw the boys. We all went home, except Roger, who stayed for a while longer, and the last thing I saw before we left was he talking to Dominique.

Days after the show in Hyde Park, I was visited by a very different Roger from the usual, the poor guy was so downcast he looked like a scarecrow, and the messy light hair and plaid shirt he wore helped keep that look.

"For God's sake, but what happened to you?" I was too scared to see him like that.

"Chrissie" he grabbed my shoulders, deadly serious. "You need to help me."

"All right." I gave him a hug and he went into the house, sat down on the couch, but didn't stop shaking.

"Boy, just say it before I faint!" I said to him, distressed.

"It's just that I-" He took a deep breath. "You know the days we spent in Hyde Park, I talked to Dominique a lot, and seriously, Chrissie, I don't know why, but I always wanted to be around her when we were there, It was so good to hear her talking, you know? With confidence, wit, and the way she laughed when I told her a funny thing, I wanted to talk to her in a quiet place, without any show rush, without being Queen's drummer and being just Rog..."

He paused, his expression pure incantation. I knew what was happening. For now I couldn't judge whether it was good or bad.

"Um and what else?" I asked, feeling calmer now.

"I told her that" Roger sniffed, "that I would take her wherever she wanted to go, but-"

"What Roger?" I was agonized again.

"She said we're just friends, and now she's too busy to go out with anyone like that." He couldn't stand it and started to cry.

I wanted to laugh, but soon I felt sorry for him.

"At least she already considers you a friend." I put a hand on Roger's shoulder.

"Yes, because also, now I realize that I annoyed her too much right?" He turned to me, looking with me with his puffy, red eyes "but I apologized ..."

"Roger" I said as sweetly as possible "don't you realize what's happening to you? Have you ever felt like this before?"

"I ..." he glanced forward, frowning "only when Eileen broke up with me, but that was centuries ago."

"So, you know what it is, come on, admit it out loud that you're going to start feeling better," I asked him, seeing a slight improvement in his shaken state.

"Good Lord!" Roger exclaimed suddenly "I am ... Really ... In love ... with Dominique!"

"Uh huh" I nodded.

"But ... But ... What do I do with this now?" he returned to despair.

"Be sincere!" Brian came out of nowhere, which scared me and Roger a little bit "that was what worked for me."

Bri made a smarty pants face to his best friend, and kissed my cheek to prove the effectiveness of his declaration of love. It was true that it had worked, I married him after all.

"How long have you been listening?" Roger was annoyed.

"Hey, you can't blame me for that, I'm in my house" Brian countered "but seriously Rog, try to do as I said."

"What if she doesn't feel the same as me?" Our friend was very worried.

"Well, you're still be friends," I advised this time, "it hurts, but it's the right thing to do."

"Anyway, Roger, I'm happy for you," Brian commented.

"Are you happy for me?" The drummer sounded angry and confused "but I'm suffering, man ... A lot..."

"I'm glad my best friend finally fell in love with someone" Brian explained, smiling. "It hurts, that's part of it, but it's the best feeling in the world."

As soon as he finished saying that, my husband looked directly at me, making me blush.

"I have an idea Rog" I came back to his dilemma "I can invite Dominique for one of our movie nights, if she comes, then the rest is with you, what do you think?"

"Sounds like a good plan" he sighed "thank you, Chrissie."

"You're welcome." I smiled at him and left the boys chattering to ease the tension of that moment while I made tea.

Although tea was not Roger's thing, the drink would help calm his little heart in love.