Sheer Heart Attack

Chapter 18 - December 1973

POV Roger

In the last week of November, I said goodbye to my sister Clare, Sue and Bella. Queen will do a mini tour with Mott the Hoople for three weeks in some cities in England.

"I promise I'll send you some news and I'll take lots of pictures," I said smiling, hugging them, and before getting on the band's bus, Jena came yelling at me,

- ROG! WAITING! I WANT TO TAKE OFF ME FROM YOU.

Jena ignored the presence of my sister Clare, Sue and Bella. She kissed me on the lips and I hugged her.

"You stayed a week without talking to me and now you show up?" I asked her.

"You're right, love. I was very hard on you. You should help your friends always, family too. I apologize, I beg you - she said with tears in her eyes and I hugged her. I like Jena, I do not love her, but, I like her and we have incredible sex nights.

"You're forgiven," I said, smiling, and we hugged and kissed.

Then Jena greeted my sister Clare, Sue and Bella and I went on tour with the boys on the Mott the Hoople bus.

"Jena, did you regret everything you did, dear Rog?" Freddie smiled.

"I hope you have regretted it," he said thoughtfully, lighting a cigarette. "I do not know, I do not totally trust Jena. But only time will tell if she truly repented.

A day after the trip, we opened the Mott the Hoople show in Liverpool. There were two presentations there. Then we went to Manchester and made two more shows there and then we went to Bristol. The last week of November passed by quickly and I kept in touch with the girls.

December arrived. We opened Mott the Hoople concerts in the cities of Newcastle, Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge, Leeds, Leicester, Portsmouth, Derby and Bath. Before we went back to London for the show on the closing tour, overall the tour went well for Queen, we were not welcomed in Liverpool, but in other cities people liked us. EMI's Bob Mercer witnessed an argument with someone close to the band Mott the Hoople who said,

- Queen is off the tour. My band will never survive this!

Bob replied to him:

"Sorry, dear, but that's your problem. I paid them to be here!

In contrast, Mott the Hoople keyboardist Morgan Fisher has made great friends with us and Peter Hince, the Mott the Hoople roadie, has also become close friends.

The day before we returned to London, in the parking lot where the band bus was, we noticed a message left by a fan written on the sand next to the door of the bus: Mott died. Long live the Queen.

Freddie, Bri, Deacy and I smiled, joyfully, hidden from the Mott the Hoople boys of course.

All these details I told the girls by telephone. Bella is very happy for the boys and me. She has already gone on a college vacation and is looking forward to our return to London.

POV Isabella

After all the confusion that occurred after I smoked marijuana, I asked Luke to never offer me any more drugs, because I will not use it and I asked him to give up his life of selling drugs and also being a user.

"Bella, I'm not a drug addict, I told you that already. I use from time to time and as for the drug sale I will not stop. I want to keep making good money from the traffic owner. Said Luke.

"There's Luke," I said irritably. "I really like you, but I'm not going to risk it, for the police to come after me and I'm being arrested too, just to be with you." I'll give you a choice: you'll have a month to decide: either you keep selling your drugs or our dating. If you choose drugs, it will all be over in us.

"Bella, that's unfair," Luke said flatly.

"One month, Luke. After a month or so, depending on your response, we talked again, "she said, giving him an ultimatum.

Meanwhile, the guys are touring with Mott the Hoople and Roger was calling Clare, Sue and me and telling all the details of the tour and I was smiling. I had class in college until December 12, now finally vacations. I have one more semester to finish the baccalaureate course in English Language and Literature, but then I intend to do a Masters.

On the fourteenth day of December morning, the boys returned to London, and at night they will have the closing concert of the tour.

On the fourteenth day Queen opened the Mott the Hoople show at Hammersmith Odeon. And there was a second presentation, which would take place at the end of the first, late at night, because of the public's demand. And Queen's performance was remembered as one of the best of the whole tour that night.

Bri's parents, Mr. Harold and Mrs. Ruth were present in the audience, who, perplexed, signed autographs for the band's fans.

After the presentation we all went to a pizzeria to celebrate. The pizzeria was closed for us.

On December 19th, Queen made a new recording session for BBC Radio, for John Peel's Sounds of the Seventies. In addition to the songs from the first album, they also recorded Ogre Battle.

After recording the BBC, Freddie and Bri stayed in London to spend Christmas with their families and Mary and Chrissy. John and Veronica went to Leicester to spend Christmas and Roger and Clare traveled to Truro. I said goodbye to them all. I went to Brighton with Sue. We'll see our friends over the coming days in Liverpool at a performance and we'll spend New Year's Eve again in Brighton.

We all had a great Christmas and on the twenty-seventh of December, Queen performed at the Top Rank club in Liverpool. Sue, Clare and I were present. Mick Rock was also present, taking pictures of the boys and was looking for a photo idea, for the cover of the band's second album.

On the twenty-eighth we stayed in Liverpool and on the twenty-ninth of December we all went to Brighton. On the thirtieth day of December Luke spoke to me about our relationship and said:

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I can not quit my job of selling drugs. I already have an agreement with them and I win very well. I'm so sorry, I adore you so much. Please, Bella, stay with me, I promise I'll be careful not to get caught by the police or to harm you.

"You made your choice, Luke and I, but please do not insist on anything else." Our relationship ends here, what will stay will be just the friendship, which I already had with you, I hope you understand this too. I like you and I want your good, but, our relationship unfortunately ends here.

Luke looked at me sadly and said,

"I bet Roger said something to end your courtship with me, did not he?" Confess!

At that moment Roger appears listening to everything and said:

"Oddly enough, I did not say anything to Bella about her ending her date with you. If she did, she did so of her own accord.

"I hate you, Roger," Luke said, coming close to us.

"The converse is true, Luke. I hate you, too, "said Roger angrily.

"Rog, please, it's not worth it, let Luke go his way, he's very hurt, his revolt is natural, but what I did was right.

Rog would spend the New Year with us while his girlfriend Jena is in Newcastle with his family.

"That was very correct, Bella," Roger said, hugging me.

December 31 and the turn of the year were perfect, exciting, wonderful, with my relatives and friends. Rog and I exchanged vows again for eternal friendships. He wore the silver bracelet I gave him, and I wore my chain with our name and a few words.

Let it come 1974.

POV Luke

I hate, I hate Bella. I do not accept the term of our courtship. I'm sure Roger influenced her. I'm at a party, at the turn of the year, with some friends and I have cocaine and heroin. I promised myself that this year 1974 will make the life of Bella and Roger a real hell.