Chapter Ten: Quite the Entrance

Quite the Entrance

I was silently looking down in stark embarrassment when all of the sudden I saw a flash of bright green and heard a crash before me.

I looked up and saw nothing. I looked around me thinking, God, what is it this time? All the people were staring at the floor next to the seat opposite me. Oh boy, I guess she is back. I felt my heart get caught in my throat.

I got up and only saw a bright green calves and silver Chucks. I leant over to see her in a daze, staring at the ceiling. I sputtered a laugh and took her hands. She popped out of her daze and held onto my arms as I pulled her up into her seat. “Thank you…” she muttered. She looked down in embarrassment.

“Sorry about that… I tend to be a little…” she looked up. “Klutzy.”

I merely smiled at her at did not try to hold back the laughs escaping my lips at the moment. “It is no big deal. I think you have just made my day. Plus, that was the most epic entrance since Hendrix burned his guitar.”

She smiled shyly and seemed to remember she had come here to eat. I watched her behind my eyelashes (wow that sounds gay). She picked up her fork and stuffed some pasta in her mouth. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and smiled slightly.

“So what brings you to my sacred table?” she asked a bit more confident this time.

“You will think I am ridiculous for this, but…” She raised an eyebrow questioningly. “I am trying a hand at being charitable. You know, like random acts of kindness?”

She nodded. “And what shall you bestow upon this sorry victim of your charity?” I froze. What was I supposed to say to that? “I am not quite sure yet… I , er, need more information… about you…” Both the angel and devil on my shoulders had their heads in their hands. Why do we assist such a loon? WHY?

Feeling ridiculous I looked into her eyes, a bit dimmer than before. I quickly identified what dimmed the brightness in her eyes as I was an old victim of it: jet lag. I suddenly knew this would be the key to my charitable acts. I thought of what I wanted most when I had jet lag. Not food. Not water. She will most definitely not need a shave. I shuddered at a picture of her donned with a beard which flew past my mind’s eye.

I knew exactly what I would do. But first I needed some information.

*

“Where are you from?” he asked, stuffing more pasta in his mouth. Oh crap. I realised now that I had been speaking like a British person from the time I had given my order. I already felt the familiar pang of embarrassment.

“I just flew in from New York City. But first I lived in Maryland and when I was six we moved to the Big Apple.”

He gaped at the change in my voice. “I really am sorry. I know it sounds like I have been lying to you the few seconds we have known each other, but I started talking for the first time at the register and British flew out my mouth. Did not want to be inconsistent, you know? But then again I do not want to lie at the first question you ask me…”

I stopped because he had come out of his gaping stare and had his eyebrows risen. “How the bloody hell did you pull that accent off?”

I sighed a relief and explained to him my YouTube nerd… er… issue. I was amused to find he had no idea who Charlie McDonnell was or Alex day, Todd or whataboutadam. “Well, I have always felt comfortable talking like that. Sometimes I would randomly just burst out in British speak and wonder why. I do not know if it was just being “surrounded” by people from the United Kingdom or that I am secretly British…”

“Wow. That is quite impressive. Most Americans just chop up our accent. Or make us sound Cockney. Which we very well are not.”

He twirled his fork in his pasta. “Can you describe yourself?” I laughed. “Me? Describe myself? Not very accurately I am sure. But I do know that you will proberly find me odd and unreasonable.”

“We shall see about that”, said Matt, doubtfully shaking his head.

Suddenly that old lady and what appeared to be her husband shuffled over. The old man shook my hands with his wrinkled ones saying, “Congratulations on the baby, take good care of the kid!” I just smiled back and reminded myself to shoot myself when I got a chance.

The lady pushed her husband over. “We wanted to recommend you to a maternity centre where you find your and your child’s inner peace, and you can use telepathy on your child!” she exclaimed, handing me a card. Mooney’s Magnificent Marvellous Maternity Centre. Super. Sounds like something out of Harry Potter.

“Thank you, I will definitely look into it!” I looked over to see the grandpa shake Matt’s hands in the same way. Oh. Shit.

“Be a good father and you can use telepathy, too!” And Matt being Matt just had to ask about the telepathy and the two of them ended up talking for ten minutes. At the end he seemed rather amused by them. I just stared at my pasta.

“So you are pregnant, then?” he asked with a bit of sadness in his voice. I burst out laughing.

“Me? Pregnant? No way! One: I am most certainly not married, two: I am a virgin and have not even had my first kiss, and three: do I look pregnant to you?” He looked quite taken aback, but then pleased with my answer smiled. “Oh… hah, sorry about that…”

I crossed my arms. I covered my mouth in fake offence. “Gasp! Are you trying to tell me something?”

Matt’s eyes bulged. “NO!” he exclaimed, “NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! Not at all! You are wearing skinnies that I could wear! I was thinking you were just finding out or something…”

He said it so earnestly and desperately I could not hold out my faked offence any longer. I burst out with laughter for what seemed like the millionth time. “Matt…. Matt, I was joking, no big deal!” I managed to get through between my laughter. He looked as if he had just avoided the death sentence there. “Lighten up lad, I do not get offended that quickly. I am not a big fur ball of lady hormones! Remember that.” He looked incredibly relieved. I wondered why he seemed to care so much. But then again, who cared? I WAS TALKING TO THE MOST GORGEOUS MAN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!

*

I was feeling ridiculously intense and I could not figure out why. I was really thinking I had blown it with the whole pregnant thing. I tried to occupy myself with a spoon. Spoons were just so… addicting.

“ANYWAYS… what is your passion in life?” I twirled the spoon on my tongue and dropped it. I heard the songful laugh erupt from the girl again. “Music, music, and music. Could not live without it. And is that some secret talent of yours? Dropping spoons off your tongue?”

I smiled in slight embarrassment. “Yes, yes, I do it for a living.” I said, inspecting the spoon. I furrowed my brow at the fact that it was showing me myself upside down. “And that is excellent. I have the same addiction problem. Actually I would be depressed and broke without music. I mean, being Matthew Be-“ I slapped my hand over my mouth. Shit. Why are my freaking lips so loose?

I was surprised when I heard laughter floating from the person sitting opposite me. I looked up and saw she was not going into shock or anything. Maybe she was not a fan? She gave me a disapproving eyebrow slant. “Matthew Buh? Right…” She pulled my hands from my mouth. “Look me in the eyes and tell me that you are not Matthew Bellamy.” I peered across the table.

“I… I…” I slapped my hands back over my entire face.

“Ihb Mafoo Bedamee”, I said. I want to be invisible, I want to be invisible, I want to be invisible…

A storm of laughter erupted from the other side of the table. I peeked through my fingers.

“Come on, Matt, that so does not count!” She moved my hands again. “Come on, say it. Are you Matthew Bellamy?”

I nodded. “Yes…”

She crossed her arms and sat back in victory. “So I am not blind after all? But do not worry, I shall not interrogate you or anything. In fact, nothing has changed between the two of us at all except that I now have a friend who’s talent I admire muchly.”

I sighed in relief. It would be nice to have a person to act like a nobody with. “Thank you.”

She nodded. “That is just the way it works for me. Everyone is the same.” I raised my eyebrows and twirled my fork of pasta into my mouth. “That is quite different. You do not even notice strikingly steaming hot men?” I slumped into my best “I am too sexy for my shirt” pose and put my hand on my chin, looking up thoughtfully. “You know, like me?”

She scoffed. “PUH! Your mother should have named you Narcissus. And no, not really.”

I leaned forward. “Lesbian?”

I received a slap on my head and a kick under the table. *cough*

I doubled over. “No, you pervert!” I heard her sit back in her chair.

“Okay…” I wheezed. “Forget I ever said that.”

She crossed her arms angrily. “Would not count on it, mister.” I sat up immediately. “You are not serious, right?”

She did not move.

I was compelled to get down on my knees and beg, but she uncrossed her arms in frustration. “God, do you really think I could stay mad at you?” We both went back to ourselves, smiling.

*

We chattered on and on about everything. He even gave me a giant cookie – er- biscuit. We smiled and laughed like old friends. I completely forgot that I barely knew him, that he was like god to me, that I felt like a weed next to a weeping willow when I thought of standing next to him.

As we spoke I tried to pin point what the warmth inside my heart was. Love? Happiness? Then I realised exactly what it was. I was home; simple as that. It was wonderful to know everything you need to know and yet be totally an alien… in a good way, different than the place I had been in twenty-four hours ago.

Suddenly Matt smacked his head with his hand. “Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture? I told you my name, now you tell me yours! What are you called?”

I tried to hide the panic on my face. I was sure as hell not telling him my real name. “Look… Matt…” I rubbed my face. “If I told you my real name you would end up stereo typing me. It happens to be something unavoidable.” He looked confused. “My name would connect me to something I wish not to be connected to. I am starting out in a new country, a new life, and I will not have anything else come back to me. You will have to learn about me some other way, preferably by talking to me.” I paused and looked back up. “That is, if we ever meet again.”

The entirety of the warmth inside me was turned ice cold with the realisation that I would never see Matt again, my dear, dear Matt. This was a meeting that could only end in saying goodbye, never, ever to see those beautiful eyes again. I tried to control my emotions, using all my will power not to let my eyes well up in front of Matt. Then I would just look pathetic.

I felt stuck, staring at my plate, leaning on my arm which was on top of the table. I went numb, my fear building. Keep talking, cry later.

I was about to look back up and change the subject when I felt a fierce, but incredibly wonderful fire cascade up my arm. I looked up quickly at my hand and then at Matt’s hand, wrapped tightly around mine, then up in the icy blue ocean of his ponderous eyes. He was looking straight at me, and in the most earnest way he said the words that changed my life.

Forever.

*