Ever After

Chapter 14 - Less Than Perfect

Chapter 14 - Less Than Perfect

The area was a large clearing covered in flower arrangements, balloons, and signs with messages like, 'Get well soon!' The field held a wide variety of wild flowers, in every color imaginable. In the center stood a well maintained white gazebo, in it was a late 60ish year old Macro in a worn karate gi. What was left of his hair was pure grey. The old man was practicing various kicks and punches on a training dummy that had the word 'Mina' written on its face. His speed, force, and precision were well beyond what should be expected for someone of his age.

Riding a chariot pulled by warnicorns a similarly aged Star approached. Her hair was still blonde but faded, no longer having the brightness it once had. Once she reached the building Marco stopped. They walked over to comfortable lawn chairs that faced the night sky. Before sitting Marco started speaking in a loud voice, it was clear that the old man was upset. "They know we dream together? Did you tell them we had to be together?"

"Yes dear. They all know, they have always known." Star settled herself in her seat and started knitting as she talked. "I'm going to arrange for more help but the doctors say it would be better if you moved to a different place."

"Just miss your medication once and everyone overreacts."

"Marco honey..." Star sighed, pausing mid-stitch. "...you know it is more than that."

Marco's reaction, "Beh!"

Star put her knitting down and frowned. "Listen to me, look at me." She waited until she had his full attention.

"Remember all those monsters, adventures, and getting hit with magic constantly. Remember being Mister I-jump-in-front-of-crazy-things-to-save-my-girlfriend?" Star held a book in her hand called 'Injuries I'd Rather Forget'. "Looks at all these. My fault here. You saved me in this one but look at that hit you took. Maybe it would have happened anyways but we are falling apart Marco. Sure we didn't drink or smoke but, we still didn't exactly take care of ourselves when we were younger and then you try to do something like what you did at your age..."

Marco's reaction, "Beh!"

"Don't you beh me Marco Daiz. For how slowly we move in the real world our only adventures should involve comfortable vacations and visiting the grand kids."

Macro pointed at an open page of the book now in Star's lap. "Look! Look at me! Look at us! We were perfect then. This...this is when we were." Tears fell now from his cheeks. "Please make sure we are together."

Taking his hand she kissed it. "I'm doing my best dear. Just keep talking to me while we are here. I touch your face when I am awake but I miss your voice, I miss seeing your open eyes. It has only been a few days but until you get better, I live only for our dreams."

Marco tried to talk but all that came out was tears. It took several minutes but once he pulled himself together he reached underneath his chair and pulled out a scrapbook that had been decorated in various rainbow stickers, the hand written title was 'Times Marco Was Awesome!'. He flipped to the last page, it had been torn and most of it was missing. "What happened?"

"No. No. I can't. I never want to think about that day again." Her breathing was panicked as she spoke. Seeing that he needed an answer she tried to continue. "Even as an old man you...you are a hero Marco. The hero we all need...but you need to stop being a hero now. I just need my husband."

Seeing the pain that this conversation was causing his wife he finally let it drop, his tears eventually clearing.

He then turned back to the beginning of the book and started studying the pictures of them young together. "Remember when we learned swing dancing in college?" He pointed to a photo where he was tossing a 20 year old Star into the air.

Star returned to knitting. "You caught me every time...almost."

He reached out to poke Star. "Remember when you earned the title of Lady Roachslayer? I still think about the look on your face."

"First off that was the worst apartment ever. Second the sword was right there and I didn't want a roach near the baby. Third, no one told me that both sides of a roach can live with the head detached. Ehh...the antenna moving and the body running in circles, that was so gross. Why would you bring that up Marco Diaz? You want to think about something nice, think about our summer road trip on Nachos before senior year."

Marco smiled. "I still think about those long rides, our nights together. I miss that dragon-cycle too."

Putting her knitting down again. "Remember how you split your pants dancing at our daughter's wedding right in front of the camera. Classic Diaz. Or when you fell out of that moving truck!"

"It was a big box, I just miss-stepped! How about you always wearing overalls around the house when you were pregnant. Adorable."

She shook her head. "No, the cutest thing was how you were with me the whole time during every birth, catching two, and doing everything so the babies would never leave our sight. The midwives & nurses were always so impressed."

Star booped his nose with her finger. "How about when you snuck into my office and decorated it with thousands of thank you cards for my birthday. That was the cutest thing."

"Phfft. With all the people and monsters you've helped I had enough cards to cover the whole building."

Star giggled. "OK, remember when we found one of Janna's hidden cameras in your room and I faked murdering you! Hahaha! The look on Tom's face when he rushed over to save you!"

Marco laughed with her. "That was a good one! Wait, how about the time you told the president to go fuck himself from the senate floor!"

"That Mina loving asshole wanted to roll back monster rights! He was such a dipshit." Star continued laughing.

Marco laughed with her. "Thank you honey. I can't imagine how this journey would have been without you. I'm sorry that I got upset, I just miss who I was and I can't imagine not being with you."

"Take that foot out of the grave old man. You might be out of commission right now but we aren't dead yet. Plenty we can do still. Never thought I would be the one preaching that to you but, we just need to be a little less dangerous." Star raised an eyebrow while saying this.

"OK honey. So what should I be doing right now as I'm healing? This has been a bit boring when you are not here."

"Well...we have all these memories, do something with them? Plan a book or a script maybe. We can do it together if you want, it'll be fun."

The old man smiled, liking the idea. "Something dramatic starting when we met. I'm thinking the first scene is you attacking that water fountain."

She gave him a concerned look. "When we were 14?"

Marco did not hide his excitement. "Sure! We write about magic and action. It would be about growing up, best friends, relationships, helping monsters, whatever we want."

His wife tapped his hand. "I see what is happening now, some old man is excited thinking about those young girls that were chasing him around way back when."

The old man smiled. "Maybe. But maybe I just like thinking about you and how we chased around each other."

Old Star shook her head in a strange way. "You just wait, I'll see what you are really thinking about when I get back. You are safe for now though, I think the nurse is waking me up."

"Love you." Old Marco replied as his wife slowly disappeared.