The last night they behaved wildly and I don't think Roger was the only one. The main act, Mott the Hoople were complete scoundrels and they were really the ones who teached them what a good american tour was all about. The excesses and fightings were integral part of life on the road and Queen were advanced pupils.
A four days break to the next show in Boston awaited us. They must celebrate that for the first time since the tour began, they hadn't to take the damn bus to the next stop.
I'd kept relatively sober in that initial contact. Far away from alcohol and drugs despite being the official partner of Roger. I hoped made him clear our break-up and I didn't wish to lose his friendship.
- Fooling, I don't know if I can survive a whole tour.
- You haven't told me anything about Freddie for days. Is he ok?
- I think so. He's doing amazing shows. His voice is so wonderful...
- I know that, Black. I want to know what happen when he climbs down the stage.
- It's under control. It's just... I've been busy controlling Roger to Roger didn't control me. It's crazy.
- I hope you aren't falling in love with our favourite blonde.
- No, don't worry. I think I have my feelings well tamed.
- Try not grow fond of him too much, ok? I don't want you suffer and lose your focus on your goal.
- I will.
The quite numerous havoc in New Orleans hotel made us move out after paying the corresponding fee for the damages and they searched a new lodge.
Brian didn't appear on the hotel lobby and we must depart now. We were all meeting like a group of civilized scholars, putting on our sun glasses to hide the last night signals. What a pity not using a phone. With a simple whatsapp we could get instantly information if he was alive, dead or agonizing.
I've found out that in the dynamic of a tour everyone could get wild. Brian wasn't an exception. For a weird reason he had a wild success with girls. His beautiful mop of curly hair, his imposing height, those hands. He looked real good but those spider legs seemed to me as at any time they would break in the middle of one of his solos.
- You turn up at last, Bri. We were worried -Freddie came closer to him, always exaggerating waving his hands.
- I'm here, Fred. In one piece.
- Where have you been? You weren't in your room.
- Oh, I went out searching some fresh air.
Brian wore also the oficial outfit of the day. Sunglasses. It looked like he got a beating.
- Are you alright? -I couldn't help but asking, touching his arm.
Brian shrugged with my gesture hand, drawing me apart and I felt miserable. What happened this man to me? I just tried to be nice. His attitude towards me it seemed ridiculous to me.
Then May fixed his eyes to one side and at the bottom by the revolving doors he spotted a stunning blonde hair woman who smoked quietly there. Without thinking, he ran to her and lifting her in his arms they started to kissing without stopping.
- That was his delay, Fred -I cleared him smiling.
I was a privileged witness once more of another character within Queen universe. Peaches.
That amazing blonde cast her spell upon Brian in that tour. It must be something very intense to get her into his wonderful Now I'm here. „Down in the dungeon just peaches and me..." I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic and I couldn't keep my eyes off those two, devouring each other not caring about who was around but everybody looked at them stunned.
Brian was so wild as everybody else and the groupies were part of the enviroment as well as the instruments. But what shocked me was Brian, so reserved, was turning everyone on with that scene so early in the morning.
The surprises didn't end there. As bold as brass, I think after the battle of kisses they only spoke just a few words, he grabbed her by the hand and involved her within our tour entourage.
- Welcome -I told her joyfully-. I love your earrings. Are made of nacre?
Peaches nodded, smiling shyly. She was out of place and a bit awkward and I just wanted to make her feel good. Sometimes I couldn't control my overwhelming empathy. At last there was a girl with whom I could talk girls stuff. But Brian wasn't ready to get rid of her yet. They spent the rest of our New Orleans stay locked down in in his room.
- Which is your role now that you aren't Roggie's girlfriend?
- God, Freddie. You are like a damn cat. You could warn you were coming.
- I know, I'm so sibylline and elegant like them. What did you have in your hand?
- Nothing. It's not of your business.
I've lowered my guard too much putting out my phone in broad daylight and without the defence of my room's privacy.
- Now you should leave, don't you think? You aren't useful anymore to our Rog to calm down his wild appetites.
- I got no money for the plane ticket -I lied with a smile.
- Well, don't look at me. I'm broke.
I burst into laughter. It was funny seeing Freddie penniless. But at that time it was like this. Queen were a poor band and I loved that. They had an undeniable charm.
- Would you like to come with me and take a walk? I wanted to know the town.
Freddie made an undefinable gesture wrinkling his nose. He didn't feel like sightseeing.
- Those boots are made for walking -I pointed out his beautiful platform boots that suited him so well.
- Ok. I'm coming with you.
New Orleans was a beautiful place. Luckily our stop before taking up again the tour was this nice town. I couldn't believe I was taking a walk around the french quarter with my favourite idol. Still it seemed to me crazy.
While we took a stroll quietly at Bourbon Street filled with beautiful and historical bars, sadly I had a vision of what the town would become in a matter of 31 years with that hurricane. Katrina. Sometimes it was frightening being a time traveller.
Freddie was fascinated by the architecture from the end of the 18th century and beginning of 19th. I knew that he loved beauty in general and by force he'd enjoy watching those marvellous historical buildings. The colourful roofs and those sophisticated iron balconies. Everything seemed exploding with colour.
The heat was unsufferable at that season. We were approaching dangerously to 86 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity made you sweat like a fried chicken. As I was dripping, I stared at Freddie, he even hadn't wet his fringe. But he admitted that he wouldn't walk any longer because his boots were killing him. Among laughter we got into the town park. It was huge, seemingly 50% bigger than Central Park. We stood strategically below a big lavander wisteria to get benefited from its fresh shadow.
Freddie stretched his long legs over the bench and naturally I took off his boots and socks, placing his feet over my knees. He had such aesthetic feet that though swollen and reddened were beautiful.
- Would you massage them? -Freddie asked mockingly raising his eyebrows while he moved his toes with energy.
- Hang on. Something better.
Heading to a near fountain, I put out one of my handkerchiefs and drenched it in cool water. I came back and gently, I mopped with it his instep.
- Better? -I asked him delighted seeing how he lifted his chin to the sky like a kitten just caressed.
- You and your handkerchiefs. Would you tell me who the initials of your mythical handkerchief belonged?
- Mythical?
- I don't know which was its useful life till Rainbow show but from then on it can be regarded as mythical.
- Only because it dried out your sweat and it was stuck to your sex?
- That's why -and he covered shy his mouth after a loud laughter.
I could tell him the initials belonged to Ashlee Polley, my true name. A girl who came from the future. It wasn't a good idea. I must set in motion the lies machine and whenever I lied I tried it worth it. After all I was a good girl and I knew telling lies was a sin.
- Alan Peirce.
- Your boyfriend?
- In high school.
- I'm sure you broke his heart.
- I actually think it was him who broke mine. He cheated on me with his classmate, a good looking boy.
- Oh, darling. Another poor confused soul with his sexuality. I noticed that handkerchief was so feminine. Do you still remember him?
- Not anymore. Now when I have the handkerchief in my hands I rather think about you.
It seemed to me funny how he ignored completely my nice words to focus on what he wanted to talk about. He was such a controller. I found out at this moment how controller he could be.
- Oh, it must be the name. Alan. Alans of this world -he placed the sunglasses over his head narrowing his eyes to the sky.
- I know you dismissed him.
- He left. The truth is I wished him the best. He was a good guy but most of all he fucked me amazingly.
- I know it -I looked at him from the back of my eyes mocking, searching his complicity. I found it in his smile-. Did you fall in love with him?
- I always fall in love a little bit the people I fuck with. I'm a bloody sentimental.
- Alan was very nice and he seemed a good wardrobe assistant. You should insist in reinstate him and not accept his resignation.
- It's better this way, darling. It's not a good idea fucking people whom you work with. It's not professional and bring a lot of problems at long term. We would end up killing ourselves.
- Why did you say that?
- Because it's true, mousy. Because it's always true.
At the end it might be a better idea having Alan because Freddie would be close to fresh meat and not go and find it at dark corners after each show.
- You know what? I'm starving -I said suddenly.
I think I've repeated that sentence over and over again in my lifetime. I always said that, that hunger came from my early hunger in life when I was born. I made up with it after that.
- Well, let's eat. But you must inviting me. I haven't got not a dollar on.
- Can you walk?
- You've cured me.
- Good. Then you've found a good job for me on tour. As your nurse.
- Hmmm. I think you'll have to cure me a lot.
I couldn't wait tasting the alligator hamburger. Freddie looked at me funny pulling away constantly while I was trying to get into his mouth a little bite. He was happy with his tea and his sandwich muffuletta.
- You're not eating much -I noted.
- Eating is boring. And I'm having fun watching you. With you it looks like a different verb -he cleaned the corners of my mouth as though I was a careless child.
I didn't tell him that all the verbs involved him were different to me.
- I hadn't breakfast today. The other day I had breakfast at three in the afternoon and I had breakfast again at midnight.
- You've survived. Really, I thought you wouldn't -he looked at me like a proud father.
- You mean... you know... Rog?
- I mean it for everything, my darling. For breakfast at midnight and dinners at the break of dawn. Among other things.
- I guess that's what I am. A survivor.
Freddie watched me with a glance indescribably beautiful. As someone watching a talkative child who doesn't know what she's talking about but still he finds irresistible. It was normal. He didn't know anything about me. He just saw a girl three years younger than he talking about survival.
- Do you think I'm not a survivor?
- Yes, you've survived to six wild days of touring and probably to the demanding sexual games with Roger. It's too much.
- Oh, that's nothing comparing to what I've had to get over. Didn't you have to survive to a lot of things?
- Of course.
- I guess it's not easy being involved with Alan and then being involved with Mary. That's survival too.
I noticed Freddie tensed his body for the first time in all day. His beautiful hand balled into a fist over the table. I saw it and fast like a shot I took into mine. I stretched two of his fingers struggling, threading them with mine.
- I'm not judging you -at last I noticed his tension went down and he let them entwined. Suddenly I remembered his fingers hooked on Winnie's 10 years later-. I won't never judge you.
- Never? Are you following my tracks or are you asking me a job within Queen entourage?
- Ok, fine. "Never" is a very big and broad word. I'm not judging you right now and tomorrow I'm not judging you either. Do you like it better?
- At any case I don't know if that's survival.
- I regard Mary a friend. As I'm sure you can understand when I'm talking about not judging you I would like you to know it's not cheap talk. I mean it.
- Oh, darling. I forgot about your boyfriend cheating on you with other man. What an unsensitive slut I am. Of course you mean it -he took my index finger hooked on his to his mouth and kissed it gently as though I would hit on it. Those pouty lips... fuck-. He was your first and only boyfriend till now, wasn't he?
Again this man guessed me with an unusual accuracy. Despite my lie, I have had just one boyfriend in my life. So I nodded.
- And from your high school romance to Roger. It's such a sharp change.
- Yes, a bit.
- Then is it over?
- It was just sex.
- Oh, my darling. She says it was just sex. I don't think you knew most of the things that little blond devil did to you.
Now I blushed and let go his fingers. He hooked on them again and he was relentless with my flush.
- That's what he appealed from you, sure. You are innocent like a child but then all of a sudden, you lift your hair over the back of your neck and you look like the fucking Rita Hayworth. You are the most singular groupie we've ever met.
- Why?
- Because you're never aware of what you cause in your way. And then you complain when you burn yourself. Love, fire is dangerous. It use to burn up.
Fucking Mercury, what did he do to my body from my waist down with those simple words? Just uttering this and with those big eyes he could get amazing things from me. I vouched for it. This mission awoke too many new things inside of me. I had sweaty hands but he didn't seem to care. He was gripping my fingers.
- Are you thirsty? -he asked me staring at my lips.
I nodded staring at his.
- Garçon, the bill. Pay and let's get a drink.
He couldn't either guess the enormous pleasure I got to invite a poor Freddie.
He was taking for granted. I mean walking through the streets so quietly with no harassment from fans. He was just another man walking, looking curious whatever moved around him. Just one or two years later that would be inconceivable and he'd love it.
Just a few streets from the french quarter we got into a place which looked quite nicely and where it was played a jazz concert. Jazz wasn't my thing and Freddie's either but it was music after all. Sophisticated and cool but music. You couldn't took away our eyes from the stage.
- I'd like another one -Freddie asked the waiter-. You don't mind to pay, do you?
- I love inviting you.
- Remember me the next one I'm inviting you.
- Of course, I will.
- Just one more. I don't want to get drunk and forget about today.
- I won't forget it although I go into an ethyl coma.
- For you -he lifted his glass to me waiting to clinking it and gave me one of his beautiful winks.
- For you -I answered back with my own wink.
- Did you notice that wonderful grand piano from there? It's empty now. I'm dying to play it.
- Freddie, are you enjoying your free day and do you want to play?
He didn't even hear what I was saying, the longing to play was so big right now and he would do it. He talked to the waiter about when the band will again appear on stage.
- In twenty minutes, sir -he informed him.
- I'm a musician. Would your boss mind if I entertain the people those twenty minutes at the piano?
- I'm consulting with him.
Freddie was like this. Two quick chats and he was sitting on the piano warming up his beautiful fingers on the shiny keys.
I thought in some years that scene would be unthinkable. When Freddie went out to pubs and his first goal was camouflage like a chamaleon among the crowd and nobody could know if he was a musician or a paperboy. In 1974 he was a rising star with an enormous hunger for renown, fame, acclaim.
As soon as he started the first bars I knew which song was. It lacked Brian's ukelele and John's double bass but without doubt, so naked with just the piano and Freddie's falsetto voice, it was delicious. He premiered a swinging Bring back that Leroy Brown. And it fitted in that place like a cake on its mould.
- He's good -the waiter said with a smile.
- The best -I said elated.