Anticlimactic Celebrations
Matty seemed really eager to cement our relationship with a wedding as soon as possible. I was touched. He must really be worried that I'll change my mind and desperate not to lose me! I found that thought so sweet that I agreed to rush ahead and have a private little wedding just for the two of us.
I have no idea who took that photograph. We certainly didn't invite anyone to join us. I certainly never would have agreed to let someone photograph me with such a dorky, lovesick expression on my face!
A day later I discovered the real reason behind Matty's haste to plan the wedding. His room mates hate him. They never really looked past the disintegrating sneakers and his witty comments seem to have alienated him from them. Then again, I don't think they like each other either. I could tell that they don't talk to each other by the way that all four of them sent us a coffee machine as a wedding gift.
Knowing that Matty had some sort of aversion to electrical items, I carefully set up my writing tools in a little corner away from everything else so that he wouldn't have to be scared of them. Its so much nicer to not have to travel to the library every time I have a new idea for the book.
I even managed to get a small easel for Matty to practice his painting as he's such an artistic soul. Sadly our little 'home' is still rather messy...just like Matty's shoes. No, no honestly, they aren't occupying my mind constantly. Well not really. Perhaps just a little bit though.
Matty arrived with his worldly possessions which, quite frankly, surprised me. Two dog-eared novels, a portable musical keyboard and a laptop. What an odd selection for a Technophobe! I did question him about the laptop in particular as the slow monstrosity I'd managed to afford to write with was vastly inferior. He insisted that he couldn't remember why he had bought it and even though he hated it he wouldn't leave it for his room mates to benefit from. Another win for me then!
Of his own free will, Matty suddenly decided that it was time for a less moth-eaten look (honestly, no matter how hard I try, mind-control isn't in my powers yet, this was all him!). While he was shopping I wondered just how much worse he could possibly manage to look with new clothes. Yet when he returned, he really did look much better...
...even if they didn't all stay on for long.
As we watched the stars together we began to make plans and talk about our future together. I told him all about my father's dream and how I planned to make it happen. Matty just wanted a comfortable but expensive home and me to share it with. I think we should be able to make both of these dreams work together.
Soon enough, my birthday arrived and I realised that time was marching on. Had we left things too late? Matty had made me a beautiful birthday cake but that sure looked like a lot of candles. At first I thought he'd just lost count half way through and started again, but then I worried that it might actually be correct so I didn't count them myself. I just closed my eyes, made a wish and blew out the candles.
What did I wish for? I wished that Matty and I would be happy and see our plans bear fruit. What
should I have wished for? Less candles or a fire extinguisher. Nothing destroys a girl's ego faster than the candles on the birthday cake setting the house alight.
I heard what his ex-room mates whispered as they were leaving. I was
not impressed.
In fact, after everyone had left I was pretty nigh inconsolable. It was too much. After everything else that had happened it seemed like the whole world was a ticking time bomb with too short a fuse. Matty curled up beside me and gave me a huge hug. He whispered silly things to make me smile and kissed away the tears.
Then he suggested that perhaps we should make a start on the family we had agreed on. I couldn't help but smile. He jumped off the bed, spun around into his pyjama trousers...paused for a moment...then trundled off to do some more painting. He'd forgotten already. Daft man, this would take a lot longer than I had thought!