keep it professional - r. taylor

17

~May 1976~

Getting to the pavement part of the aisle was a difficulty. Again, my heels started to sink into the grass if I stood in one place for too long. Luckily, the best man's arm was a sturdy surface I could use to pull myself back out of.

I kept my composure for most of the walk down. At one point, I could've sworn I saw a bee buzzing around my bouquet, but I kept my cool. As I passed by Roger, he gave me a quick wink from his seat. I felt my cheeks slowly flush, so I faced forward again and focused my attention on what was important now.

Once I got to the front, I was able to turn back to see Kathleen walking down the aisle with her father. She looked gorgeous. Even prettier than when she tried the dress on for the first time and we knew it was the one. I couldn't believe this was happening. Since we did not grow up together, we didn't have any stories about planning our wedding days from our childhood. But I do remember stopping by a few bridal dress shops from time to time, admiring them through the window. Both of us agreed that I was far more likely to get married first considering the continuous loop of guys she was going through at the time.

But here we were. Kathleen marrying the perfect guy for her. And I was forced to ask a client to come be my date.

Brushing that aside, I turned my focus to the ceremony. Everyone had already sat down, and we had begun the actual wedding. Both Kathleen and Harry couldn't stop smiling. It was actually getting quite ridiculous when we were getting to the emotional stuff. In retrospect, that was much better than bawling your eyes out, which is exactly what I was doing.

---

Kathleen was now a married woman. It felt strange to say it. The rest of the ceremony went perfectly, and their vows were beautiful. At one point, I could hear Kathleen's voice start to break while she was reciting them, so I pulled my tissues out from under my chair in case she needed them.

The reception was in full swing, with small children running around and grandparents complaining about the noise level of the music. I should remind myself that for my wedding, I need to not invite kids.

Kathleen and Harry had hired a lesser-known band for the reception, I had offered to ask Queen if they would be willing to perform, but Kathleen said that their kind of music wasn't really right for this crowd. I did have to agree with her. I mean, who knows how Harry's great aunt Mildred would've reacted if Freddie had announced to everyone that he hopes they all get laid tonight.

My job during this whole fiasco was to keep an eye on everyone, and try to make sure no mishaps occurred. Nothing looked too dangerous after we wrapped up dinner. The only real threat to a possible party foul was Kathleen's uncle Thomas who had taken full advantage of the open bar.

For most of the night, I was sitting and talking with Roger. I felt slightly guilty since he was forced to sit all alone, not conversing with anyone since he didn't know any of them. He looked like a sad little puppy at the pound before I sat down next to him. But for the rest of our time together, we just talked.

It was nice. We weren't bombarded with any girls wanting to grab Roger and take him for a quick shag, or Queen fans who were grabbing napkins for a signature. It was also nice that it was just the two of us and not the whole band. Don't get me wrong, I love them all. But when we're all crowded in a small booth at the back of a pub, it's difficult to hold a conversation with just one person.

He was telling me all about his life before Queen, and I was telling him all about my life before moving to London. I was shocked to find out that he was a dental student at one point. I could not see him peering in people's mouths for a living. Thank god he auditioned for Smile.