Catchin' feelings - Roger Taylor

Chapter 15

I walked to the living room, shaking. “Who was it?” asked Roger. “It was, mum.” I whispered. “She wanted to meet me and Mary to catch up all the years she haven't been there for us.” “Seriously?” I reached for a cigarette and lit it.“Yes, but Mary didn't want to see her so she asked only me to come with, she said she needed to tell me something.” I dragged the smoke deep in my lungs. Relaxing enough. Everything was a mess. “Will you met her?” “Uh, I don't know! Everything is tearing apart!” The fact that Lucy sat between us did not stop me from talking. She coughed from the smoke and I dumped the cigarette. “I really, really don't know!” I froze and put my arms around my chest as an attempt to maybe get a little bit warmer. “I told her I would consider it, but I don't know. Maybe I'll go there.”

*Two days later*

I was shaking from nervousness. I still didn't know if this was the right choice, but here I was, only five minutes from my mum and there was no way I could return now. I was curious on her life now, I wanted to know. I saw a lady sitting where we were supposed to meet. Nearing her I took a deep breath and tried to look responsable. When she saw me she hugged me but I just stood there and didn't hug her back. I had forgotten how young she was when she got me and Mary. Her lips was covered in a red lipstick, her head in a hat and her body in a white suit. Her hair were in the same shade as Mary and was short with curls. She looked like she wanted to copy Marilyn Monroe but she was failing it. “Oh I'm so sorry for everything!” she said talked with big hand movements. I looked at her with disgust. “Sorry? After all this years, our whole childhood and you say sorry?” I couldn't cry even if I wanted to, everything that filled me up was anger. I looked away for a moment. “I want to know you Louise. Who are you now?” she looked at me with sad eyes. “Louise Taylor.” I said and took a sip of the coffee she had ordered for me. It was black, no milk at all and not the way I used to like it. It was hot and burnt. “Taylor, huh?” “Oh don't even try to act like you're interested.” I couldn't stand to look her in the eyes, so I didn't. “I am! Tell me more.” “I've just started to work at a magazine. We write about music, classical rock to be precise. I live here in London, with my husband Roger and my daughter Lucy. Lucy is four years and she's my biggest priority. Me and Roger have been married for like four years now. He, Mary and dad are my other priorities. Right now he's home and take care of Lucy. And also I'm pregnant.” I said everything fast in a monotonous tone in my voice but said the last very fast for a reason. She looked shocked. “Wow. You have a child? Already?” I nodded and thought that I wasn't earlier than her. “I've missed so much.” “You surely have.” For a moment we sat quiet before the waitress came. “Have you finished?” I hurried to answer quickly “Yes! We're done here.”  she smiled and took the two cups on her tray. “How would you like to pay?” Mum answered. “Just put it on my tab.” “Of course, what's the name?” The beaming waitress took notes. “Starr. With two R's.” I raised my eyebrows.

We started to walk through Hyde Park. “Starr? How come?” I laughed a bit but she started to open up for me. “I moved to Liverpool. There, one day I met a man. At first, I thought he was a bit weird but when I got to know him I fell in love.” she looked dreamy when she talked about him but I felt nothing other than disgust over her easy way to talk to me after she behaved that way. She continued “He's the drummer of The Beatles, Ringo. Maybe you know who he is? I mean since you work with music.” My mum? Was married to Ringo Starr? “Of course I know who he is. I love The Beatles, I always have! Don't you remember? ” now I talked in excitement. “But isn't Starr just his stage name?” “It is.” After a while she stopped me. “Why don't you, Roger and Lucy come over for dinner at our place?” I thought for a moment. I didn't want mum to think that she was forgiven right now, just like that, but the thought of meeting Ringo convinced me. “Sure.” she smiled and hugged me again but I did not answer the hug like before. 

“Your mom's married to Ringo?!” Roger almost screamed and I chuckled. “I know, I know! We're invited over dinner at their place next week!” Roger lifted me up and spun me. I screamed and laughed. He put me down “They must be super rich.” “I know. It feels weird that she's rich when dad have such problems with his economy.” “Indeed.” he whispered. I speached. “What if she is abusive to Ringo? What will happen then? What if she still burns him too?” Roger and I sat quiet for a while and thought. 

*A week later*

A week later, we parked the car at the address we we're given. As expected, they lived in a huge mansion. 

Ringo opened the door, smiling and both me and Roger jumped a bit. “Welcome to our humble home.” Not that humble, I thought. Mum wore a short cocktail dress and Ringo wore a long-sleeved green turtleneck. “Lucy, this is your grandmother.” I said smiling and pointed at mum. She bent down and opened her arms in a big move, smiled and waited for Lucy to run and hug her but she didn't. “But you and daddy said she was an evil witch!” she screamed, went to grab Roger's leg and hid behind. Both me and Roger blushed and I was kind of embarrassed, even if it was true. Roger shook Ringo's hand. “I'm a big fan, a very big fan actually. Probably the biggest fan you have.” Why was both he and Lucy embarrassing me? 

They showed us the amazing house, filled with extraordinary things. Lucy didn't stop to talk. She looked up at Ringo once and asked “Are you famous?” Ringo laughed, slightly awkward. “My dad is famous too.” Roger laughed “I'm not-” but Lucy interrupted. “He's also a drummer. He have pictures of you everywhere, he says your the best drummer in the world, apart from himself. Mummy says your one of the best, but that dad and Rick Allen are better. Rick only have one aaaaaarm.” she put one of her arms in the shirt and tried to demonstrate how Rick looked like. “Lucy, that's not fair. I've never said that. Take out your arm from the shirt. ” I laughed nervously and tried to see if Ringo looked angry but he didn't. “Well the food is ready!” said mum. A wave of feelings washed over me, she never cooked food when I knew her. 

“Some wine?” mum bent over me with a bottle of wine. “No thanks, I'm pregnant as you maybe remember.” The atmosphere was tense and the only thing you could hear was the cutlery against the plates. It was a funny situation, here I was, together with my family eating dinner with my mum I haven't talked to for years and a man from The Beatles. After the dinner Roger and Ringo went upstairs to talk about drums and music while me and mum was left alone. No one said anything. 

A couple of minutes later, Roger ran downstairs and locked eyes with me. He mumbled something and I got the thing. “We're just going out for a smoke.” I faced the wet, damp air that left tiny, little water drops in my hair. “Baby he got them too. All over his arms.” I didn't understand what Roger was meaning. “What?” I could see the panic in his eyes, he was stressed, talked fast and used the whole body when he talked. “Ringo got the burnt scars! That's probably why he wore a long-sleeved shirt! ” I immediately ran inside and upstairs. I could hear mum walking around in the kitchen from downstairs. Grabbing Ringo's arm I whispered “Is my mum abusing you?” He looked bothered, like there was something he wanted to say but couldn't. “Because she did the same to my dad. The burnt scars. That's why we haven't talked for all this years. Is she burning or doing things to you?” He fluttered with his eyes a bit before he nodded. I let go of his arm. “Leave her, trust me, leave her!” His answer was expected. “I want to but how? I love her so much.” I grabbed his arm again, tried to get him to understand the severity in the situation. “I will, I will.” “Good. Here's the phone number to my dad in case you don't believe me.” I wrote the number on a note and  left him standing there.

“Unbelievable! Don't you ever try contact me or my family again!” I left mum speachless. Grabbing my coat I put it on and waited for Roger and Lucy. Angry wasn't enough to describe my feeling right now. I wanted to get away from here, get away from her and never come back. 

Author's note
Pretty long chapter and also Ringo is in bc he's babh