For the first time, I understood what she meant. I couldn’t truly wake up from the, for lack of a better word, dream until I really believed it and spoke it out loud. I had so many questions and was suddenly filled with excitement as everything began to sink in. I knew Grandmother preferred one question at a time and tried my best to adhere to that.
“Do I have to always speak to use magic?”
“For some things,” she clarified. “Most things, as you become stronger in your powers, you will not need to, but that will be all in due time.” I was about to ask another question when Grandmother held up her hand and said, “I am sure you are filled with questions, but we must put them off until a more suitable time. We need to dress and eat breakfast before Matthew gets here.” With those last words, she hugged me tightly and walked out of the room to get dressed. Luna jumped off the couch and scurried over to me.
“You don’t have any secrets too, do you Luna?” I joked half seriously. She just meowed as I scooped her up in my arms and began to pet her as we walked out of the room and went upstairs to dress for the day.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MATTHEW
MY SWEET AMELIA
The drive to the Manor seemed to take ages. I tossed and turned all night thinking about how I would tell my sweet Amelia that I loved her. Wow, there’s that word again, I thought smiling. It felt nice to know that I, Matthew, loved someone, and I knew in my heart that she loved me too. I honestly have not been this happy since my parents were alive. For so long, I felt locked away in my shell, trying to keep myself from being hurt after they died. Then comes this princess, waving her magic wand over my heart, taking all that hurt and anger away and putting love in its place. Geez, I was becoming all mushy. I’m sure Jason from back home would have laughed his tail off if he knew I was thinking like that. I was sad that with hard work the gardens would be done today, and then what. I was having a great morning and wasn’t going to let my doubts ruin my day.
As I pulled through the big iron gate, as I had grown accustomed to doing, and parked the truck, I saw her sitting on the front porch. I guess I was a little late today, but it took time trying to look just right and picking out her flowers. Uncle Bart helped me choose red tulips because he explained they symbolized a declaration of love. I laughed once again thinking of how Jason would have been giving me a hard time over the flowers. I didn’t care though.
“Hey, Amelia,” I hollered, waving my hand. Geez, can you act like a bigger dork, I wondered to myself shaking my head. She waved, but didn’t move from her rocking chair. She seemed to have a lot on her mind and wasn’t herself today. I have been giving her a lot of mixed signals lately, and I did run off after she kissed me, I reasoned. So I guess I owe her as much to accept however she treats me and try to show her I really do love her. “I brought you flowers … red tulips to be exact,” I noted, handing them to her. She mumbled thank you and nodded her head. Not the reaction I was expecting, I sulked as I put my hands in my jean pockets and began to shift from one foot to the other, nervous that my feelings had come a day too late. Before I could say anything else, Ms. Matilda came out the door.
“Oh what lovely flowers, Amelia. Did you say thank you to Matthew?” she asked. Amelia just nodded as she ran her fingers over some locket that she seemed to wear a lot lately. Ms. Matilda apologetically looked at me and spoke, “Amelia, go put those flowers in some water. Matthew and I will wait out here for you.” Amelia said nothing, just rose and went into the house. After making sure Amelia was far enough away from the door she said, “I apologize, Matthew, for Amelia. I am sure she loves them. She just is not herself today. She has got a great deal on her mind.”
“Oh, I understand. I know I have been giving her a lot of mixed signals lately, but after a lot of consideration last night, I’ve come to the realization that I truly love Amelia!” I confessed nervously. “I was actually going to tell her today. That’s why I brought the flowers.”
Ms. Matilda smiled putting one hand to her face as if to reflect what I just spoken, but then frowned. “I am sure your intentions were noble and heartfelt, but today is just not the day for it. She is just truly not herself today.”
“Is she sick?” I asked, suddenly fearing the worst.
“No, no. She is not sick,” Ms. Matilda replied, squashing my fears. Putting her hands on my shoulders as she remarked, “I have an idea. Show her your love today. Show her by being nice and what not, but please wait until tomorrow to tell her. After all, tomorrow is her birthday.”
“It is?” I exclaimed surprised.
“Yes, that would be a nice gift to her. Pledging your love for her, I mean,” she clarified smiling. I just nodded. “So please, just wait until tomorrow,” she repeated. “We are having a birthday dinner at 6 o’clock sharp. You are welcome to come. Maybe you could bring that guitar that you mentioned.”
“Oh no … I-I-I couldn’t do that,” I stuttered.
“Oh, come now, my lad. Would that not be the perfect way to tell her you love her?”
“I mean, I guess,” I murmured.
“Then it is settled, my dear. You are coming to dinner tomorrow at 6, and you will bring your guitar and tell Amelia then,” she confirmed, removing her hands from my shoulders and smiling.
“Yes,” was all I could get out.
“Good, good. Let me go get Amelia, and we will be ready to start the day.”
As she went inside and closed the door I stood in amazement at what had just transpired. It was just something about Ms. Matilda. She always seemed to have a way to persuade me to do things her way. Oh well, she knows what’s best for Amelia, and that’s all I want, I concluded and turned to go back to the truck to get the tools I needed.
It wasn’t long before Amelia and Ms. Matilda were back outside again, ready to work. Man, Amelia could even make a pair of overalls look good, I noticed, grinning from ear to ear as she walked down the steps of the porch, her black hair blowing in the breeze. I’d never really seen her wear anything like that before, but Ms. Matilda did say Amelia wasn’t herself today. I didn’t really care what she wore because she made everything look nice.
“What?” she retorted, catching me staring at her as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
That hurt hearing her say that. Maybe that’s how she felt when I treated her that way, I reflected. I could tell if I wanted to prove my affection for her, that it was going to be a trying day.
Amelia had already started pruning the Moonflowers again when I walked up to join her. That was one thing out of the whole garden that her grandmother said she wanted done above everything else. I didn’t know why, but I just did my job anyway. Having my mind on Amelia and not paying attention to what I was doing, I almost cut my finger off with the pruning shears. “Nice one, Matthew,” I murmured to myself as I readjusted my hand so as not to repeat my mistake. “So, Amelia, your grandmother told me your birthday is tomorrow.” Amelia said nothing but nodded. “Is there anything in particular you would like for your birthday?” I asked, continuing to try to get the conversation going.
“You don’t have to get me anything,” she mumbled.
“I want to though. I—,” before finishing with an “I love you,” a strong urge not to say it came over me as I remembered Ms. Matilda’s request.
“You what?” she snapped, stopping pruning and looking me in the eyes, catching me off guard.
“I, umm, I.” I tried to get the words out but the need to not to say them until tomorrow was too strong.
“I mean, I just want to get you something you like.”
“Oh,” was her only response as she refocused her attention on the blossoms. An hour or so had passed by and we finally had all the bushes looking nice.
“They should be really pretty when they bloom tonight under the moon,” I said, breaking the silence.
“Yeah,” was once again her only response. I just couldn’t bear to watch her in pain thinking I didn’t love her. I mean, I wanted to abide b
y what Ms. Matilda advised was best, but maybe an apology wouldn’t hurt. I put my shears in my back pocket.
“Amelia,” I uttered.
Almost ignoring me she said, “Do you think we should work on the fountain next? I’ve always wanted to see what it would look like fixed up.”
“Sure,” I responded, rather glum. This is harder than I imagined it was going to be, I realized. But what did I expect, I’ve been back and forth since we met. I couldn’t help but watch her as she almost glided across the yard as we walked to the fountain. “Beautiful,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Did you say something?” she muttered over her shoulder.
“Oh, I, umm, I was just saying the fountain will be beautiful when we get done,” I responded quickly. She didn’t say anything, just nodded. Geez, the nodding is getting old, I thought, but I probably drove her up the wall this week with my actions.
When we reached the fountain, Amelia quickly began to clean out the debris as I began to hack away at the moss that had taken over. “This is going to take a while,” I concluded. Once again the blasted nod is all I got, and it was absolutely all I could take. I stopped what I was doing and quickly grabbed Amelia’s hands to get her attention.
“Hey!” she yelled irritated.
“This will only take a minute I promise. I just can’t bear to see you in pain any longer. I’m truly sorry for my actions over this week. I know I have been hot and cold like a Katy Perry song.”
“Who?” probed Amelia confused.
“Never mind that,” I said quickly, though I was amazed that she didn’t know who Katy Perry was. “I apologize, Amelia. I’m sorry for everything … for the mixed emotions … and especially for running off from that kiss.” I stopped to deliberate whether or not to tell her that I liked, no, that I loved the kiss and wouldn’t mind doing it again, but held my tongue until tomorrow. Amelia let go of my hands and threw her arms around my neck hugging me.
“You’re sweet,” she proclaimed. “Thank you for thinking of my feelings. It’s okay if you just like me as a friend. I understand,” she added smiling.
“No, I liked the kiss,” I assured her taking her hands in mine and kissing them. “I didn’t mean I just want to be friends … I lo—” I tried to tell her I loved her, but it was as if I was under some kind of spell; the words just wouldn’t come out. “Tomorrow … I promise to explain tomorrow.”
“Okay” she cheered and hugged me one last time before returning to cleaning the fountain. The next few hours were a blur. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her … even being filthy from debris, moss, and mud, she still looked beautiful to me.
“What?” she asked, this time more cheerful.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” I announced as I brushed a piece of dirt off her cheek.
She smiled, “Thank you, but believe me I’m not beautiful,” she said frowning. “I fail in comparison to my grandmother and you. For one thing my skin is so pale compared to Grandmother’s. And you … well you are an Adonis. You are the beautiful one. That’s why I could understand if you didn’t want me. There are so many other pretty girls around here for you to choose from. I’m just Amelia.”
“Just Amelia … you are not just Amelia. You are as beautiful as a shooting star. Rare to see, but beautiful and with an air of magic about you.”
“Te-he,” she giggled.
“Cheesy, I know,” I blushed.
“No, I liked it,” she reassured me. I wanted so bad to kiss her but I wanted everything to be right when I told her I loved her, so I decided to wait until then.
“How is it coming?” asked Ms. Matilda, breaking the moment as we subconsciously jumped backwards from each other.
“Fine. We are done with the fountain, Ms. Matilda. I think I unclogged it and all the parts look fine. If we filled it with water again, I’m sure it would work,” I explained nonchalantly.
“Well, you are quite the handyman,” she smirked. “We are really finished with the gardens now, but if you would like to stay on around here as a handyman, you are welcome to it. There is plenty to be done to this old place.”
Perfect, I noted to myself. “Yes, Ms. Matilda. Thank you. I would very much appreciate that.”
“It is settled then. Okay, my dears. It has been a long day and the gardens look great. Good job. Now let us go in and clean up for dinner,” she suggested with a clap and a smile.
“Sounds good to me. I’m starving,” I agreed as I turned to help Amelia out of the fountain. Just perfect, I pondered, Now I would have a way to stay around and be with my sweet Amelia. Tomorrow I would tell her I love her. Life is great. Well, at least now it is.
We were all so tired from gardening that we quickly and quietly went off to separate parts of the house, showered, and dressed for dinner. After sitting down at the table, I discovered Ms. Matilda had made my favorite tonight, spaghetti and meatballs. “Ms. Matilda, you shouldn’t have. Thank you,” I said in between bites.
“It is just my way of thanking you, my dear. You have been so helpful this week,” she affirmed smiling. Amelia sat across the table not saying a word, just grinning from ear to ear.
Man, was I ever grateful for this new chapter of my life, I contemplated. No one spoke anything after that, and we quickly devoured our dinners and the apple pie that Ms. Matilda had made for dessert. Amelia and I began to clear the plates.
“No, no, my dears. I will get this. This has been a thank you dinner for you, Matthew, and tomorrow is your birthday, Amelia. You two go on in to the sitting room. I think Luna is in there. Later I hoped we might go out and look at the Moonflowers before you leave tonight, Matthew,” she proposed as she quickly began to gather the dishes. Amelia quietly walked into the other room, and I followed her. Luna was sitting perched, looking out the window into the backyard.
“What do you see, pretty kitty?” I wondered, scooping her up in my arms.
Meow, she answered, sounding irritated that I had interrupted her.
“Sorry, kitty. I just want to sit here and listen to the beautiful and talented Amelia play the piano,” I said, causing Amelia to blush ten shades of red. “You’re welcome to sit with me.” I told her as I pet her. She let out a low growl, but settled down on my lap and began to purr.
Amelia sat down at the piano. “What would you like to hear?” she asked, beaming.
“Whatever you want to play, princess,” I replied, flashing a smile. She began to play. I admit it was beautiful and all, but I don’t really know classical music that well. I couldn’t tell a soul what it was called. She finished and looked at me as for approval of her work.
“That was great,” I said.
“Thanks. Did you recognize it?” she asked.
“Of course I did. It was …” I lied and paused to think. Why did you tell her that? You don’t know classical that well. Think, think, think … famous composer … ummm, I mused. “Beethoven?” I blurted out, it being the only composer to pop in my head.
“No, I’m sorry, it was Chopin. Guess I didn’t do it right.” She frowned.
“No, no you were great. I’m sorry, Amelia. I just don’t know classical music that well.”
“That’s okay,” she insisted perking up. “If you don’t listen to classical, then what do you listen to?” she asked, confused.
“Oh, I’ve got my mp3 player in my pocket. You want to give it a listen?”
She stared at it strangely like she had never seen one before. “What does that do?” she asked after a brief moment.
“Oh, put these ear buds in your ears, and I’ll turn it on,” I instructed, pressing play.
“Whoa!” she yelped, falling off the bench while ripping the ear buds out of her ears.
I placed one in my ear to see what the problem was. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize how loud it was. I like to listen to music really loud. I’ll turn it down. You can give it another go if you want,” I urged handing them to her again. “Do you not own an mp3 player?” I asked.
She j
ust shook her head as she began to examine mine. “I’ve never seen one. Did they recently invent these?” she asked innocently.
“Um, no, sweetie. They’ve been around for a while.” She still looked confused, but put the ear buds back in her ears and began to bop around a little to the music I had on there. “Would you want one for your birthday?” I asked, thinking that it would be a good gift.
“What?” she screamed, not being used to the loud music.
I laughed and took the buds out and took her hands in mine. “Would you like me to get you one for your birthday? An mp3 player, I mean?”
“Okay,” she said, still a little uncertain.
“What music would you like on there?” She didn’t say a word, just looked kind of helpless for an explanation. “How about I just surprise you? Sound good?”
“Yes,” she squealed throwing her arms around my neck again. I didn’t really know what she would like, but I would do my best. It felt so nice to have her in my arms. Tomorrow would be the icing on the cake when I proclaimed my love to her.
Meow, interrupted Luna, tearing us from the moment as Ms. Matilda walked in.
“Everything is clean. Would you two like to go outside to see the Moonflowers bloom?”
“Sure,” we both agreed. Luna seemed to pick up on the vibe and jumped off my lap to follow Ms. Matilda.
“Come on, my sweet,” I prompted, rising from my chair and taking Amelia’s hand in mine as we walked to the door. There was a chill in the air as we walked outside, and Amelia cuddled up to me to stay warm.
“The ground is wet from the evening dew, so be careful, my dears,” cautioned Ms. Matilda as she and Luna scurried ahead. The moon was at its fullest and Amelia looked radiant under its glow.
“Ohhh … they are beautiful,” exclaimed Amelia as she took my hand, almost dragging me to the flowers causing me to trip and drop the mp3 I had in my hand. “I’m sorry, Matthew. I’ll get it,” she said before gasping. “Grandmother,” she shouted quickly.
“What is it, my dear?” Ms. Matilda asked, almost running over to her.
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