You Stole My Heart

Part 2: The Blond Boy With A Hangover

             December 4, 1972

I woke up on the couch from the sunshine. I got up and walked to the bedroom, Roger was sleeping with his hand over his eye. "Are you getting out of bed?" I whispered to Roger. Roger groaned. "I have a headache." He said.

I laughed. "You have a hangover!" I laughed. Roger threw a pillow over his face. He mumbled words that were unintelligible. "What are you saying there?" I asked curiously as I sat down on the bed next to Roger.

Roger got out of bed. "When are you going to rehearse again?" I asked Roger. Roger yawned for 10 seconds. "We will start practicing again on Sunday, Freddie had a good idea." Roger said when he put on his jeans. I nodded, "That's why he was so excited."

Roger walked to the toilet in baggy pants. I sighed and lay down on the bed. I thought about a great future with Roger.

Roger was peeing. "Drink makes you pee, right?" I laughed. Roger grinned back. "Yes indeed!" Roger said with an ultrasound from the bathroom. I took off my bathrobe and put on my long black pants and a red sweater. Of course there was a lot of snow.

"I'm already preparing breakfast." I said. I went into the living room to set the table with all the bread stuff. Roger walked up to it, his face still pale. "You have to do something about your hangover!" I said to Roger. Roger's eyebrows flew in the air. He hung his arm under his head.

"Yeah yeah, but I'm used to it darling, don't worry." Roger said with a smile. I sighed and put a cup of tea in front of Roger. "Drink this tea darling." I said to Roger. Roger slapped my ass. "HEY!" I shouted with a big chuckle. "Come here my sweet little beautiful girl!" Roger said.

               ----------

Later in the afternoon we sat on the couch. Watching old movies together, I was on Roger's lap. Suddenly the phone rang. Roger got up and went to the phone, sighing hard. "Roger, who am I talking to?"

I watched the movie calmly. I didn't pay attention to who Roger called because I was absorbed in the film a lot. "In coma?" Roger shouted.

Roger put the phone in the holder and gripped the table tightly, sniffed and walked back to the couch. "Honey, who was that?" I asked.  Roger sighed and looked up. "My mother called me, my grandmother is in a coma because of her dementia." Roger said.  I sat up with a fright, "No, not your dear grandmother, she's so sweet!"

I grabbed Roger hand tight. "Let's hope she's okay!" I said. Roger turned off the television. "Yeah, she must be okay."  Roger said with a very hard sigh.

I know Roger as a spontaneous sweet cheerful boy. He's never sadly tired or sick, he's always busy with music, relationships, dating me. And more special things. But when something unexpected comes all at once, Roger is very quiet and fragile.

Roger picked up the phone to call his mother back. "Mom?" Roger asked in a pathetic voice. I took a sip of my tea, with a lump in my throat.

Roger put the phone back in its holder.  "We can visit her now." Roger said. I nodded and got up, "Come on, honey, we're going straight to your grandmother." I said. Reluctantly, Roger put on his coat. He was hungover and so was his grandmother, what a stupid day.

We got into the car carefully because it was very slippery. Roger had asked me to drive, I agreed. I tried to support Roger as best I could during this time.

Fifteen minutes later I arrived at the hospital. Roger got out of the car.  I put an arm over Roger's shoulder. Roger gave me a kiss and a hug. "Let's go."  Roger said with a big sigh.

We walked the long corridors of the hospital. His mother sat on a sofa behind his grandmother's room reading a book. "Roger my boy, what do you look tired?" Roger's mother said in surprise. Roger gave his mother a hug.  "Yes, I have a hangover, you know."

Roger's mother shook my hand. "Glad you could come, Antonia." Roger's mother said with a dazzling smile on her face. I laughed, "Yes of course, I am now part of your family too."

We walked to the hospital room where Roger's grandmother was sleeping. She was on a respirator, to get her alive she had a lot of patches on her body. But the doctors told us she has less than 15 days to live.

Roger bit his nails and looked at his grandmother. Roger stood in front of the bed, took off his scarf and sat down on a chair. "Would you like a cup of coffee, Roger?" His mother asked.  Roger nodded and bit his lip.  I sat down next to him and put an arm around him. "Darling, are you all right?" I asked.

Roger looked at me with tears in his eyes. "It was my second mother, Antonia, she was always there for me."  Roger sobbed. I gave Roger a hug, Roger held me tight and cried. Roger's mother came back to the room with coffee. She put down the tray and gave us a group hug.

          ~

We sat in front of the Roger's grandmother for hours. Roger was already feeling better, he was joking again and sharing the best memories of his grandmother and himself.

"The best memory was when I was 5, she always knitted clothes for me and my sister. Until one day, when I had one of her knits on, it itched so bad!" Roger laughed. I laughed and took a sip of my coffee. "And then?" I chuckled. "Well, she always had to laugh when we were scratching in the living room. Later she threw the sweaters in the fireplace." Roger told through and through.

"I remember that about myself, she always knitted me and my brother's wool sweaters." Rogers told dear mother. "She used to be so creative in the past, she made me a guitar that she had made myself." Roger told me with a yawn.

"Are you tired, Roger?" I asked. Roger nodded and snorted. "Let's go home, it's better for her to take her rest."

Roger's mother stood up, "It's going to be fine son, hopefully she's still alive until Christmas." Roger's mother said.  Roger nodded, "Of course mom, she's a strong woman!"

Who got into the car, we were tired, wrecked.  Roger took off his scarf.  "Are you all right, Roggie?" I asked again.  When Roger nodded, it started to snow and storm hard. "I'm fine, love, come and let's go home." Roger said.

We were finally home. We walked into our apartment because the weather was awful. When we got in, I sat down on the couch. Roger took off his coat.  "I'm going to bed, get some sleep."  He said.  "Do that sweetie, take your rest, I'll do the housekeeping." I said. Roger walked up to me and gave me a big kiss.

I closed the bedroom door, I looked through the door. Roger was asleep, he was on our bed. I took the vacuum cleaner from the basement. Dust was everywhere and hair was on the ground everywhere. "How filthy here!"  I whispered.

An hour later when I finished. I wanted to check how Roger was doing. The room was quiet, all I heard was Roger's snoring. I walked over to Roger, I stroked his hair. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and then left the bedroom to watch TV.

I watched a scary movie, not that I'm easily scared. But this movie was awful. I lay down on the couch to watch the movie. A lot of things happened in the movie.

A scene from the movie startled me, a scary man entered a girl's living room. The scary man squeezed the girl's throat, causing the girl to scream. I closed my eyes to just look at the images from the scary movie.

I kept my eyes closed as long as possible, which put me to sleep.  I could still hear the sound of the TV softly.

"Antonia, Antonia, wake up sweetheart." Roger rubbed his hand on my head. I was startled and screamed.  "Hey, what is this? It's just me." Roger laughed.

Roger picked me up from the couch, he held me in his arms like a bridal couple.  Roger kissed me. "Are you feeling better?" I asked with a smile at Roger.  "Much better!"

We survived the day like this, just being at home and together. Roger was still sad about his grandmother. He hoped she would get better. It was a beautiful evening, then we went to bed peacefully. See you tomorrow!