The four of us were coming back into the bus chattering about the press event that we had just left. This was it: after nearly two weeks of being on the road together we had arrived at our final destination: Hyde Park.

 “Well, it’s like I told Freddie, you know, I….” Mary stopped as she opened the door and we filed into the bus, Veronica trailing behind us. She had reached a point now that was starting to feel more uncomfortable. She had officially passed the seven month mark and was now into month eight of her pregnancy. We all stood there with Mary, looking in the direction she was. “What the hell happened on this bus!? I mean, I know we’ve been messy but Jesus! There are…liquor bottles all over the floor. The sink is piled up to the top of the cabinets! God! Look at all these Scrabble tiles! Stupid “tournament!” There’s cocaine residue in the carpet! I see three bags of chips crunched up to the point of no longer bein’ identifiable! I don’t even know what the hell that stain is as you walk in here! I see at least eight empty packs of cigarettes, another dozen cigarettes on the floor and three lighters! This whole bus wreaks of John’s horrible musky cologne mixed with…aftershave or somethin’! Look at all these clothes! Look! Look at all these fuckin’ clothes everywhere! Someone threw all out clean underwear in a bloody pile! My god! All those drumsticks fell out of the overhead again! There’s like fifty of ‘em! That stupid tape is…stuck to stuff!”

 “Fuck…throw eight or nine used condoms on top of all this and have Veronica’s water break and we’d really have a shit show.” I remarked, looking over Mary’s shoulder.

 “Why are things….covered in glitter? My god….there’s so much glitter…did we even have any glitter on this bus?” Chrissie asked.

 “Ooooh that’s got Freddie written all over it.” Mary shook her head. “He’s the only man I know who can get by with holdin’ on to that much glitter and not eventually doin’ something stupid with it.” Mary said. There was a silence among the four of us.

 “Oh my god I love touring!!”” Mary finally yelled and turned around, outstretching her arms toward the three of us.

 “It’s the best, ever!” I agreed with her.

 “Hey, you wanna’ read the newspaper article!? It went to print!  I have it here!” Chrissie beamed and pulled the newspaper out of her handbag.

 “Yes! Yes, let’s read it. But we gotta’ get over to the stage area tonight by 9:15. Hold on, I need to get my pill. I’m only late by about twelve hours.” I said sarcastically, trying to wade through the mess in the bus. Chrissie sat on the couch with Veronica and Mary brushed glitter off the opposite couch and eagerly awaited my arrival.

 “What the hell!? There’s a half empty bottle of champagne in this bathroom….and two mostly empty champagne flutes!” I yelled as I popped my pill out of the blister pack and washed it down with a warm swig of champagne.

 “Why on Earth is there champagne in the bathroom?” Mary asked.

 “Or more importantly…who was drinking champagne in the bathroom…together?” Veronica questioned. We all glanced at each other for a moment.

 “Well…uh…who wants warm champagne?” I asked, diverting the subject before it had a chance to entirely derail.

 “Yes! I’ll take some!” Mary insisted.

 “Alright, we’ll just pass this bottle back and forth.” I told her.

 "Okay, okay here we go!  I’m gonna’ read this!” Chrissie said, whipping open the newspaper to our article. L”ast week I had both the honor and privilege of taking a tour of London-based rock band Queen's tour bus. As many of readers are aware, this summer marks Queen's first tour as an up and coming rock band. Queen consists of front-man and lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, lead guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon, and Roger Taylor on drums. However, many are unaware of the private and tucked away side of Queen." Chrissie stopped reading and giggled excitedly. "Oh my god! I can't believe this is about us!" She skipped over some of the bio about the boys and the bus until she got to the part about us.

 "While on Queen's luxurious bus, I had the privilege of meeting four very different and very bonded ladies. Swept away from the public eye, yet secretly playing a powerful role in the Queen machine. There was the very with child and very maternal; both literally and figuratively, Veronica Tetzlaff-Deacon. The soft-spoken, polite, sincere, and charmingly awkward Chrissie Mullen. The perfect, polished mix of sophistication and danger, Lydia Campbell. And finally, the kind-hearted, spirited,  life of it all. The very air that breathes life into the bus, Mary Austin." Chrissie paused again. "She was kinder than I expected!" We all agreed. We truly thought the reporter would rip us apart rather than build us up like this. Chrissie skipped over some of our interview comments and continued to read.

 "After speaking with members of Queen, I now see how very appropriately matched these women are. At first, their commonality and seemingly boringness caught me off guard. However, Mr. Mercury's over the top flamboyance and passion is balanced by Mary Austin's quick wit, lust for life and her genuine nature. Brian May, very intelligent, kind and articulate, is so very well suited to Miss Mullen who doesn't have an ill bone in her body. She is just as well versed, gentle and predictable as he. It is John Deacon's wife who is the plainest of all. The bassist himself, quiet and sincere, mirrors his wife who exhibits no pride nor is impressed at the idea of fame. She is delightful. Finally, it is the unarguably gorgeous and brimming with personality, Mr. Roger Taylor who is exquisitely matched to the equally beautiful and easy going Lydia Campbell. Like it or not ladies, Miss Campbell, and her trademark red-soled Louboutin's, are here to stay." Chrissie stopped again, looking to the three of us. We all looked at each other and Mary and I worked on the bottle of champagne.

 “It’s well written and very accurate.” Veronica finally said.

 “My…I had no idea I left her with such an impression. I’m rather pleased. Wow. We…” Mary interrupted Chrissie.

 “The public…they know who we are now…they know our names.” Mary said seriously, looking to the three of us.

 “I suppose they do. Whether or not we want it…I think…I think fame just happened.” Chrissie said. I held the bottle of champagne in the air.

 “Let’s hold on and enjoy the ride, ladies.” I smiled reassuringly to all the headshakes around me.

 “Come on, it’s time to go.” Veronica said. Indicating that it was time for us to make the trek to the Hyde Park backstage area.

 Thankfully, there had been a car waiting on us not too far from where the bus was parked. By the time we arrived to Hyde Park the show had begun. It was a magnificent July night and the lights illuminated the stage as if it were high noon. Once out of the car, we easily made out way to the backstage area that was roped off. It was basically just the backside of the staging area considering this was an outdoor venue and all. They were well into the set and in fact, it was nearly time for an encore. I’m not sure what overcame me, but as the four of us stood there at the bottom of the scaffolding, looking up to the stage, taking in the lights, the sound, the sheer volume…the spectacle; it all seemed so familiar, like it was a Déjà vu. Waiting in the wing, in the shadows until the main event came to a close. It brought back a flood of memories and an adrenaline rush. We could look up there on that stage and see it all…all that brought us together right here in this moment. My deep thoughts were interrupted by a voice yelling at us. It was one of the roadies.

 “Hey! Hey who wants to climb the lighting rig?” he yelled at us, a huge smile on his face.

 “What?!” Veronica yelled back having no idea what he said.

 “The lighting rig! There! Which a’ you’s is gonna’ climb it? There’s a platform up there! You can see everythin’ the crowd, the stage. It’s high up there!” he yelled and pointed in the air. Sure enough, one of the massive floods towered into the air. It was perched on high scaffolds and there was a platform at the top where the light had been positioned. “Oh come on! At least one a’ ya’s gotta’ climb up that thing! You’ll be sorry if ya don’t!” the roadie insisted.

 “Oh yeah….sure…let me get right on that.” Veronica said sarcastically as she rubbed her stomach. Chrissie shook her head.

 “I’ll watch from down here. I’m dreadfully scared of heights.” Chrissie said, uneasy by the very sight of the tall scaffolding. Mary looked over at me.

 “We’ll do it.” She said, grabbing my hand. I gave Mary a bit of a horrified look but I didn’t exactly disagree with her. The roadie smiled at us and hurriedly motioned us over to the massive lighting rig.

 “Whichever of the two a’ you is strongest, get on the platform and pull the other one up.” He pointed in the air. Mary and I stared at the daunting vertical scaffolding before us. I gave Mary a look.

 “You know, I may be tough…but you’re the strong one. You go first.” I said, all smiles. Mary smiled back at me and put her hands on the first rungs of the scaffolding. She was up four rungs in no time. I looked back at Veronica and Chrissie who gave us reassuring nods. I took a deep breath and immediately began as Mary had done.

 “Don’t look down until you’re up there!” the roadie gave us some final advice as we continued our ascension. We could feel the cooler July night air when we were hallway up. I felt like I kept gripping those rungs tighter and tighter the higher we got.

 “Oh my god, I can’t watch anymore.” Chrissie said as she turned around and put her head on Veronica’s shoulder. Veronica seemed a bit mesmerized with the climb. My hands began to tremble when I realized that there was no way to go now but up. I hesitated and swallowed hard. I had to be strong…there was no turnin’ back. I kept watchin’ Mary who had kept a steady pace as she reached for each rung above her. Neither of us said a word, as we were concentratin’ on getting to the platform. She paused, five rungs from the top…she paused.

 “Go, Mary! Go! All the way, Mary!” I encouraged her. She was frozen.

 “I don’t think I can.” She yelled back.

 “Damn it! Yes you can! Go! We’ve already made it! Go! This is it!” my voice was more desperate. Mary was still frozen, her body completely still. “God damn it Mary!” I yelled at her and slapped my hand on her arse to give her as much of a push as I could.  It was all she needed…knowing that someone had her back. Up the last five rungs she went, pulling herself onto the platform. Her hair whipped wildly in the night air as she turned around and reached a hand to me. She smiled and laughed, part rush part freedom.

 “C’mon! I got you! Gimme’ your hand! I got you!” she yelled at me among the noise, extending her hand to me. I had three rungs of scaffolding to go as I reached for her hand, alleviating the rest of the climb for me. Mary pulled on me and as my feet hit each remainin’ rung, the climb was that much easier knowin’ she had me. Once on the platform and my hands resting on Mary’s forearms, she gripped my arms as tightly as I hers and we slowly, very slowly got our footing. We were facin’ each other in the bright light as we slowly rose up. I’m not sure which of us was smilin’ bigger. And then, still holdin’ on to one another we first looked down to Veronica and Chrissie who were cheering their heads off for us. We shifted our focus then, to the illuminated stage. The brilliant lights, the stage fog…the pure electricity and the sound of that drum kit could be felt deep inside your soul. Mary and I were taken aback as we looked to each other again. We shifted our focus again, now to the adoring crowd.

 “Mary…” I uttered softly. “Mary…L…lll…lllook…” I was trembling a little from nerves and from the chill. She turned in my direction, our hair tangling together practically as we gazed out over the sea of people. There were probably a hundred rows, all making the most fabulous noise for the encore. We stared in awe for a moment and then turned back to the stage. Freddie, Brian, John and Roger had left momentarily and were preparing to come back onto the smoky stage for an encore. We looked intently at the setup, each piece…everything exactly in place. The crowd went wild when the four of them returned and we watched it all unfold under the lights. Mary and I were not prepared for the boom above us as the fireworks began to explode overhead as Brian’s sound tore through the first twenty or so rows.

 Mary and I should have been warned…not because it scared the shit out of us but because she and I were verging on losing our composure. We stared at the stage as explosion after explosion of color burst over the Hyde Park crowd. I looked at her and the tears began to fall from my eyes. She had the identical reaction. We both stood there smiling all over as the tears rolled down and the encore carried on before us.

 She put her arms around me and I squeezed her just a hard as she did me. We didn’t need any words. We were so emotionally speechless in this moment. God, I hated it when somethin’ drove me to tears like this, especially in public. “Perfect.” I choked out to her.

 “What?” she sniffed and looked at me.

 “It’s just perfect.” I uttered again. I gasped before I could say anything else. “Mary! Mary! Freddie! He knows you’re here!” I pointed and spun Mary around. There he was, a beautiful smile on his face as he perched himself proudly in the upper right hand corner of the stage. He twirled his mike stand around and reached it up toward Mary to acknowledge her presence. She cried a little harder. “Reach! Reach over! Reach! Reach!” I encouraged her to lean over the scaffolding. She laughed, gripped the bar of the scaffolding with one hand and stretched out her left arm. I held on to the back of Mary’s jeans as she stretched and stretched for Freddie’s mike stand, knowing good and well she wouldn’t at all touch it. Mary reached until her arm, and her outstretched fingers grew sore.

 It was in that touching moment that Roger had stood up from behind his set. He was done for now and he looked up in Freddie’s direction, resting his hands on the mid-toms before him, sweat clumping up the ends of his hair. I made eye contact with him, drying my eyes with my free hand. The smoke on stage was starting to dissipate around him as the finale boomed above the crowd. I stared at Roger and I knew…I knew his eyes were burnin’ a hole through me. I could feel it. It was the most intense of stares and I felt confident he could see the ridiculous smile plastered across my face, ‘cause I could sure as hell see his. Mary let go and put her arms around me again. I didn’t take my eyes off Roger as I leaned my head over on Mary’s shoulder. The crowd agreed: It was perfect.