hear my call | brian may

present-four

April 1974

A month later, on April 10, Sera was packing up the last of her stuff and pushing it into a suitcase that was dangerously approaching maximum capacity.

"Got enough stuff there, babe?" Aiden asked, leaning against the side of the doorway.

"Don't think so. I think I need at least eight more shirts." Sera grunted, forcefully pulling on the zipper.

"Surely there will be a chance to do your laundry somewhere."

"Maybe. For now, I'm set for a few months." Sera finally closed the suitcase and sat down on her bed beside it, gazing at it. How would she ever lug that thing around? She grimaced just thinking about it.

Aiden came and sat beside her, sighing. "These next couple months will be hard."

"Yeah. But I'll call you when I can. It won't have to be so hard." Sera held his hand.

"The bed will be cold." Aiden fake-pouted, and then he smiled. Sera felt a pang in her chest. They'd spent the whole day together (spent mostly cuddling and sleeping) after having a going-away party the day before with Sera's family. Sera wasn't sure she ever left Aiden's arms the whole day.

"So will mine."

Aiden sighed, laying back on the bed. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Sera said. She definitely would miss him, but she was growing tired of how pouty he (and the rest of her friends and family) had been. They all acted like she was being shipped off to war and they'd never see her again.

"You'll be so changed," her mother had said, a statement that Sera had simply laughed off. What would happen that would change her that much? Sera never voiced this, however, and just let her mother hug her and attempt to kiss the top of her head, for she was a short woman that never grew over five feet tall.

It had been just like this when Sera had gone to college for law in the United States after high school, but except for just a few months, Sera had been gone for a few years. That had created a bigger rip in her family than Sera cared to admit—her parents, having sent her away to boarding school in London, had barely got to witness her high school years, and then they never got to see her during college. It was acceptable behavior back then—wanting to hang on and let her stay a little girl just a little bit longer—but now it was just a little irritating. She'd visit. She had enough money (though not a lot) to pay for international calls. She would send pictures and postcards from places like Little Rock and Los Angeles.

This was her making it. Who knew a girl from Beverley could make it all the way here?

Aiden had been just the same, although he'd never had to give her up for a long period of time. However, he was a bit clingy—he didn't even like when she was out for the weekend with Mary or any of her other friends. God love him, he just liked knowing where she was at almost all the time, but then again, both of his parents had been gone all the time when he was growing up. That was the reason she actually didn't really go out anymore—Aiden fussed so much that she didn't have the energy to deal with it. However, if they were going to get married, she figured that she'd just have to deal with it. Settling wasn't the right word. Dealing. Dealing was what she wanted to call it.

She loved him, she really did. But with his clinginess and his dead-end job (she would never call it that to his face) as a writer for the sports section at The Sun, she needed time away from him. From her whole life here.

The doorbell suddenly rang, making both Aiden and Sera jump.

Sera sighed and stood, going to the living room and answering the door, pleasantly surprised to find Mary standing there, holding a bottle of wine and two red Solo cups.