Queen Of Hearts | Roger Taylor

XXII

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1973

The sun was shining brightly for a day in September. Roger had picked me up early this morning and together we had driven over to Freddie's parents place. It was his birthday today, something that should be celebrated with much joy, cake and some tea. I had never met his parents before, but from what I heard they were pretty strict.

I can't tell you how fast the last year had flown by. Roger and I were still together, and I was pretty sure this was his longest relationship ever. It was mine too, which made it easier for the both of us. We were equals.

Things changed for me, too. I had finished the first half of medical school. Now I was a primary care physician, and had to choose what I wanted to specialise in. It was a hard pick, but after careful evaluating every option that I liked – I narrowed it down to three; neurology, oncology and psychiatry – I chose the latter.

When we walked into the house, everyone was already there. The table was neatly set with different plates and there was a beautiful cake in the middle. I greeted everyone happily, before making my way over to Freddie's parents to introduce myself.

"You must be Lotus!" his mother greeted me. She was a small woman, with brown hair that just reached her shoulders. She was wearing a green top with gold embroidery on it. I could definitely see the resemblance when I looked at her and Freddie.

"It's so nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting us to your home," I thanked her. I wanted to shake her hand, but she pulled me in for a hug.

His father looked at me with a blank expression when I shook his hand. He didn't say anything to me, just turned around and took a seat at the head of the table. I was a little confused why he didn't say anything, but soon enough was distracted by the others.

We all sat around the table and Freddie's mother began to give everyone a piece of cake. I poured some people a cup of tea and soon enough the chaos began. It was only a matter of time with this group. I sat in between Roger and Freddie, who both had a different conversation and I didn't know where to put my attention.

"Mary, I can't tell you how long I've waited for Farrokh to bring home a nice girl," Jer – as she told us we could call her – said. I raised my brows by the mentioning of Freddie's real name. I figured he wasn't really called Freddie, but I thought Farrokh was just as pretty.

"Farrokh?" Mary repeated confused. Brian nodded and took a sip of his tea.

"Did Farrokh not tell you he was born in Zanzibar?" Jer kept on going. Now I was confused too. I didn't know that.

"No, he didn't," Mary answered. Jer got up and excused herself for a minute to grab something.

"I thought Freddie was born in London?" Deaky now asked.

"He was, at the age of eighteen," Kash joked. She was Freddie's younger sister and still lived at home. She was really dedicated to her studies – but also not allowed to come to our shows because they always ended late.

Freddie told her to shut up and gave her a little push. Jer got back and was now holding a photo album against her chest. She looked at Mary with a wide smile. I already knew were this was going. My parents did exactly the same when Roger came over for dinner.

"Our family is Indian-Parsi," she enlightened us. "Mary, have a look at this."

"Please!" Mary had a wide smile on her face as she was trying to fight Freddie in accepting the album. By the red tint that was creeping up on his cheeks, I could tell he was embarrassed. He lost the fight, and Mary was now flipping through the photos.