About Music and Determinism

"Wow... did you hear it?"

"What?"

"The king of all good heart flutters, my angel..." To press his point, Matthew made an exaggerated and very loud sigh.

"You big goof!" They kept chatting, Mea drinking her coffee, Matthew his tea, while playing footsies and both thinking they were the luckiest person in the world... and, in a sense, they both were. "So, husband of mine, what's the program for today?"

"Our lovely guests take us out to brunch in about an hour, then we set them up on a ferry tour - apparently both you and I have been rambling about the horses and they want to see them - and, at last, we start our honeymoon drive. While you get ready, my darling and adored wife, I make final checks on the car, the studio and the finances."

"About that, you never got around to tell me why you were weary of overseas travel. Not that I mind... I was charmed by your idea of discovering your adoptive country and I have never seen the Grand Canyon myself. But you got me thinking it was about more than finances or politics."

Matthew sighed. "You're so perceptive, baby. One day - it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when - I will have to donate a kidney to Oliver. I'm a match. A cadaveric transplant at his young age will not last a lifetime. Usually, when they transplant a kidney, they only add the new one but, in his case, his own kidneys were so shot off the surgeon considered removing them... I was told he changed his mind at the very last minute. All this to say that, should his transplant fail, his health with deteriorate very swiftly. So I have to remain ready and healthy; plus, of course, remain free of malaria, hepatitis and other such diseases. After that, though, we can offer ourselves the world at your whim, my darling love. Please say it's okay."

Mea did more than say it, she kissed the message in loud and clear. "I really have married a saint... I love you so much, baby."

"Then it would make sense I fell for an angelic guide, now, wouldn't it?" And Matthew kissed his love right back. "Oh... before you go get ready, baby, what was in your envelope?"

"Well wishes from Emily, apologizing for leaving on an internship in Haiti and asking me to make you happy. I have never heard her voice but, reading her, I felt she sounded like you. It gives me hope for the future... I believe you were right, honey... and yours?"

"A wish card, plus a trust notification. Oliver got my asking price on the house and, when he returns to Gatineau, he will put my stuff in storage and start cleaning house with Jacob and James. He is finally making his move to Montreal, where there is more tourism and nightlife..."

"Is he moving with James? Did you talk to him about that?"

"Maybe, maybe not... the whole dialysis / home schooling / transplant at 16 experience left him an old soul. For all his brash talk, he already wishes to settle down - he had already made that clear to me several times - but he is seldom meeting a kindred spirit at his young age. I hope for him James is it. In any case, talking about Oliver, I feel obliged to tell you I suspect he knows..."

"Knows about what?"

"About... our corny and unconventional love. That second hug, when he arrived at the Inn, that's what it was about. I don't know how, but I think he figured it out after hugging you. Since he never said a word about it, even to me, I suppose his love and support of us are really sincere."

"You don't have to tell me, honey. It was good of him to befriend me on Facebook and accept me, just like that. Now he lets us live our happiness... you really have raised amazing children Matthew and I know you're really proud of them, so I don't have to tell you to. You know, this driving honeymoon is such a good idea, baby... you and I still have SO MUCH to talk about!"

"Right you are, sweetheart... including what kind of port-of-call we want for ourselves when we return home." Mea was mollified and Matthew could not fathom why "What?"

"You did it again..."

"Great... but how?"

"You said Gatineau a minute ago and now you just said home ... That's not a slip, is it? It's how you really feel?"

Matthew leaned towards Mea and put his hand on her heart, caressing her bosom. She gasped and shivered. "At the risk of myself being over the top, my love, THIS is my home and I wish to stay near it to my last breath... but on the domestic side, yes of course, you are absolutely right: our life is here, with the seashore, with the horses, with our boats, with our love. Beaufort is home."

And then, the hungry, husky smile appeared out of nowhere. "It's almost gone, honey... and I think I miss it!" She was walking her fingers on his neck, on the site of his hickey.

"Beware, vampire queen, I intend to defend my blood! Have at me if you will!"

She laughed a warm, sultry, laugh. She literally leapt at him.

"Oh Great! Nice hickey dad!!! No wonder you guys are late! Do you think about EVER growing up? Well? Anything to say for yourselves?!?" Oliver was mockingly scolding them at the brunch table, to the delight of all the guests.

"Well, it's a good thing you can't really look at the totality of my better half." Matthew had a smug, beaming smile and Mea was blushing deep-red under the lewd clamor erupting from all around the table... they had such fun at it that the topic of a possible biting fetish would be added to the driving conversation, later today. And when that later came, with all the goodbyes said and done, Matthew looked at his beloved and stunning Mea, seated in the Sentra, and asked eagerly "all right baby... are you ready to be our navigator, our climatologist, our pit-stop coordinator, our tour guide and our entertainer for our 34 hours drive?"

She smirked and rubbed two fingers up and down on his crotch. "Challenge accepted."

They kissed and drove off towards their happily ever after, just married and both madly in love.