If I Could

{43} - As It Began

SEVEN YEARS EARLIER

LAKE GENEVA, MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND

JUNE 20

Freddie, Mary and Belle used to get together, all three of them. Constant trips to Montreux, Switzerland, where Freddie Mercury's music studio was, were the norm. One day in particular stands out for each of them in different ways, seemed as if the water of Lake Geneva erased the congruence between the memories of the Bulsara family.

If memory serves, Belle ran reckless and breathed joy into the water. Mary told her to be careful and Belle's joy grew. Freddie was sitting in a bench, radiating anguish through his dark brown eyes. He looked at Belle, beautiful as the sparkling blue water and foggy mountains of Lake Geneva, looked at her as she smiled for Mary's camera, posing for pictures, most of which she would never see. Freddie looked doleful. Of course he wasn't happy, he was almost suffocating on his own thoughts, thinking about how the hell he would be able to look into his daughter's eyes and tell her that he was going to divorce Mary. The problem wasn't the divorce itself - the problem was that Mary wanted to move out of Garden Lodge with Belle. Freddie wanted his daughter to stay with him. Her mother did not. Mary's mind did not hold a place for such preoccupation though - she was sure that Belle would understand that they would always be her parents regardless of their marital status or address. Her logic was accurate, but a feeling of preoccupation still managed to find its place inside Freddie.

He watched Mary lean a comfortable arm around Belle's shoulder, and Freddie watched Mary's light blue eyes find him.

And when they did, she turned away.

·

Belle quietly put her father's divorce petition in the studio's table, putting it as far as she could so she wouldn't have the chance to lay her eyes on that goddamn piece of paper again. Belle saw it coming but it still hurt.

"Dad, I want to move in with you".

Belle heard and saw her mother in the shape of Freddie telling her: No. Because Belle knew Freddie wanted his daughter to live with him, she really did, but her mother would never allow it. Mary's will was to move out of Garden Lodge and live with Belle for her college years.

Now the problem for Belle was dealing with Mary alone.

LONDON, ENGLAND

JUNE 21

There is this boy. His name is Roger Taylor. Belle doesn't know him, at least not personally. She doesn't even know why she thinks of him. She only knows that he is the heir to one of the biggest corporations in the world. But when she sees him on the TV or newspapers, he takes her breath away, and Belle, more confused than she's ever been, lets him. He leaves her mesmerised, not only because they both support the same charities, and he has such a cute raspy voice, but also because he was incredibly handsome. Ordinary people would call her crush a 'celebrity crush', but members of the high society like Belle, knew there was no such thing as celebrity crush in their vocabulary - celebrities were just acquaintances, and unlike ordinary people, who had to spend their lifetimes dreaming about meeting their favourite celebrity, Belle could find any public figure at her next weekend outing.

In other words, even though she didn't know how or when she would meet him, Roger Taylor was somewhat approachable to her.

That made her happy.