So, I've been debating on whether I want this to be the primary space for The BOM or not. I feel like I take up SO MUCH SPACE on the FF site with this AU paracosm, when I probably could better handle it in a blog. So, I might do the way that I used to and have it posted both places. I'm definitely having an alternate version (with original names) set for my Unshackled Monologues account, to adapt it to an original work more easily.
That being said, Happy Birthday, Sweetiedee85. Here's to you, my love. And Belladuke! Good luck, always. Happy Belated to Matt Rutherford. He deserved better than what we know he gets. Here is his story...
Matt's Manhood Mainspring
In a few short weeks, summer vacation would be over and Matthew Rutherford Jr. would be going to junior high. He was excited about this. This was when his career path would start. This was when he would start shaping himself to be the best that he could be. His father had always told him that as a parent, it was always his goal to create sons better than himself and to make daughters who find men greater than himself. 11 was far too young to understand this thought process, but he'd heard it for as long, so he at least knew that it was a goal and he knew that goals took hard work.
His mother had been working on some seminars about neurological science, while his father was on a leave of absence from work to deal with some personal issues. Matt wasn't privy to that type of information, but he knew that it had something to do with his father's mental stability, because his mother had prescribed the man medication.
Matthew Sr. had stressful work. The entire family knew that much. The man had been a lawyer in his earlier years, joined the military and worked as a military lawyer for many years before branching out into intelligence, where he finally seemed to find his calling, and also found his wife, Margerie. But, by the time he found her, he had gone through some of the most troubling events of his career. He had access to information and stories that would haunt most people, and continued to build a normal life. He'd come from a well off family whose roots honestly began in military decorum, but the tree sprouted and seed was scattered. Most of them went into law, some into politics and some into the church business. Matthew was one of the few in many years, that actually decided that he might want to follow a military path… And it definitely had an effect on him.
Now, he was home, preparing a party for his eldest son - knowing good and well that party planning was not his area of talent. Fortunately, his 19 year old daughter had a better handle on all of the things that he would never think of. His wife would be returning home just in time enough to miss all of the planning, but to attend the gathering. The gathering was going to be 12 of the wealthiest and most influential families in the state, which Meaghan invited on clout of the Rutherford family name and sought out those with children, who may not find it strange to attend a large birthday gathering for a young boy.
Certain families, they knew to expect - The Cohens, The Robinsons, and The Haywards would all most definitely be there. Those four families had several generations of closeness between them and a few marriages, as well. Matthew Sr.'s grandfather and the grandfathers of those of his generation connected through the struggle of trying to hold on to their wealth without being destroyed by the white communities surrounding them that did not wish for Black citizens to have equal access to the same type of lifestyles. So, for a time, as they built and grew, they were each other's main providers of various things.
Eventually, these four families ushered great changes in the black experience and even after they became an accepted part of general society - they passed down reminders. Never forget your people. They had you before the rest accepted you.
Matthew Sr. had always found the families to be a bit elitist. They made sure not to "marry down," seeking out spouses who came from wealthy families or white or blended families - spouses that could maintain or elevate status and acceptance. A lot of them admittedly didn't marry for love and he wasn't about that type of life. It took him a while to get married, because he worried that his interest in Margerie was due to her family's status in the medical field and in black history as scientific pioneers. His family loved her, despite the fact that she didn't pass the paper bag test and he knew that it was because she was from even more money than he was from and she had stature.
But, he did fall in love with her and whenever he finally got around to asking her to marry him, she was practicing in her field, skilled enough to work wherever she wanted to and stationed in Philadelphia while he was still nearly constantly traveling for work.
Whenever she got pregnant with Meaghan, she actually picked up and settled their home in Ohio, near his family, to prove her seriousness to the commitment. She worked until she needed to take her maternity leave, then gave lectures, wrote books, and reviewed research for analysis after giving birth. Over the years, whenever she took her maternity leave, she did work that she could still do from home, and returned in whatever capacity that she could when her children were old enough for the family to comfortably transition to her working full time again.
Meaghan was 7 when Matt was born, and it was obvious enough to her that this boy was their father's pride and joy. He had his junior and now wanted to be able to be around home more often. He went to work for the CIA, and even though he still travelled pretty regularly, he had more time to spend actually showing his face at home. Meaghan wished that she didn't harbor any hard feelings about it, but she knew that she did. Even being close to Matt and watching over him when neither parent was around and they were left with nannying couples, she kept watch of him and all later siblings. Mark was born when Matt was 2. He was often sick, but had some of the best medical care in the world, coming from a mother who was a powerhouse in the medical field.
By the time Meaghan was 10, she was used to being a surrogate mother for two boys, and had a very nurturing spirit and kind heart, but not much direction for herself. I know, at 10 - that's not really something that one necessarily needed to have… But, Matt somehow did. Hell, Matt had direction by the time he was 3. This party that she was planning for his 12th birthday was something that you would hold for a college graduate… Because Matt showed that much initiative and was this important to the family and their legacy.
At 19… She still didn't even have a major. It frustrated her mother, though Margerie never gave her a hard time about it. She was more relieved that she hadn't simply gotten pregnant and given up on college altogether. She went to community college and spent most of her free time helping to keep her siblings. She barely even had a social life, so doing this for Matt didn't even interfere with anything that she had going on.
"Dad, I maxed out the card that I was using on Matty's party. Requesting permission to move on to the birthday backup fund?" Meaghan said, at the doorway of Matthew's office.
"How could you have possibly maxed out that card, Meaghan?" He asked, reaching for his wallet, with a partially amused grin. "This is getting more expensive than your Sweet 16."
"Well… He won't have a sweet 16, so this is kinda like his Manhood Mainspring."
Matthew smirked and nodded his head, "I like that. I like that. Do we have time to put it on a sign?"
"Matty's Manhood Mainspring? I can make it happen."
"Just put Matt. He told me that 'Matty' sounds like a little kid."
"He's hardly tiptoed into puberty and already thinks he's grown," she chuckled and accepted the card from her father's fingers. "Gonna have to change the cake, too then. The things we do for love…" She left the room and called behind her, "Don't spend too much more time working, Dad. Mom tasked me with telling you to remember to relax, until she gets back from this trip."
.
Meaghan also helped to raise her youngest sibling, who was born when she was 16. Miracle was named Miracle because Margerie had no idea that 16 years after her firstborn that she would actually give life to another child, and more importantly, another girl! It was slightly unfair, but Margerie and Meaghan never bonded the way that either of them wanted to. They loved each other dearly, but never had even one similarity besides loving this family. Margerie secretly hoped that she and Miracle would be able to connect more. So far, Meaghan was the one who really got that connection. The 3 year old toddler clung to her for the most part and Matty (or Matt) for the remainder.
The nannying couple wasn't as hands on after Meaghan got old enough to help out and babysit alone, and now, Matt was old enough, too. Miracle was heavily babied. She was honestly a living princess. Margerie even sometimes took her with her on work trips! None of the other kids ever had that privilege. Now, Meaghan was taking her with her to finish up details for this party.
You may be wondering, why on Earth in this, The Book of Matthew (meaning Matt Rutherford Jr.), are we even looking at or thinking about who Matthew Sr., Margerie, Meaghan, Mark, and baby Miracle are?
Because, it was his connection to and the disconnection from his family that made him into the Matt he is today. All those years ago, he thought that he was becoming the Matt that he would be someday… He had no idea. None of them did. For the time being, they were just living their life and loving it.
.
The Rutherford Family was all adorned in peridot and sardonyx jewelry, accessories, etc. Gladiolus and poppies garnished the setting. A table was set and elevated above all of the others, and a roundtable was set near it, where his closest friends were seated. The rest of the guests were seated in other areas of the outside party area. The venue they rented was spacious, and the twelve families invited were all present, some of them bringing extended members and other close friends of the family - all had RSVP'd. Matt didn't even know half of these people, but he did know that their presence meant a lot for his reputation. Matt's Manhood Mainspring sounded… honestly corny to him, but Meggie put so much work and energy into all of this, from making sure that the August birthstones, flowers and such were included in the aesthetic, making it look like a royal feast, or something… She liked Arthurian legend and wasn't sure if she would ever have her own children (this inspired look was likely a vicarious display of living on her part. He had friends there, so he wasn't bothered about that.
There was more formality to the ceremony than he liked and he made his family swear that next time it would just be an enjoyable party for he and his friends. But for today there were several rich families there some of their children weren't even around his age! He'd seen toddlers and little kids, but hardly any teenagers or tweens, except for ones he didn't even really know that well - the Pierce and Fabray girls, then the Smythe dude and Motta chick… It always perplexed him when parents dragged their kids to social gatherings that held no significance to them. He hoped that he wouldn't be expected to go to all of their birthdays! He didn't even KNOW them!
He fortunately had friends here. Mike Chang, Anthony Rashard, and to a lesser degree Andrea Cohen and Jesse St. James. Actually, Andrea and he sometimes had to be around each other because their dads were old friends, and Jesse St. James was someone that he was interested in building a friendship with, but hadn't yet had the opportunity. In fact… The guy brought a small entourage with him to this party. Who TF were those kids? Was that Paul Kurofsky's son? Who was that other boy with the elongated face? Didn't his father WORK FOR Jesse's father? Hank… Maybe? Ugh. Why did Meggie allow this?
At any rate, after lunch and cake, everyone mingled and Matt hung out with Mike, Jesse and company. Hank Saunders was that kid's name and Jesse made it a point to let everyone know that his family bought Hank's party outfit. It was degrading, but he hadn't stood up for himself, sadly. Matt felt bad for the kid. Nobody was going to ever embarrass him that way. Mike even commented, "It's not really nice to tell people that, Man. It's… Kinda gauche."
Jesse wondered, "You think that's gauche? What about this?" He pulled his eyelids back and began to make, "Bing bong, ching chong" noises, to his possee's entertainment. Matt's lip dropped and Mike just sighed, shook his head and left the group. Jesse called out, "Wait, Chang! I was just kidding!" He made more fake "Asian sounds."
Dave chimed in with, "We love you long time!" And everyone immediately turned on him, "Whoa… whoa… It was a joke, like Jesse's…"
"Yours went too far," Jesse told him.
On that note, Matt announced, "I'm gonna circulate some more. You guys take it easy."
Mike returned to his parents' side, holding back rage and frustration. Anthony left with Matt, announcing, "I hate Jesse St. James."
Matt shrugged his shoulders, "He's alright."
"I'm surprised he didn't make any jokes about your parents basically paying for me to be able to be here," Anthony commented.
"Jesse doesn't know about that. Anthony, my family doesn't speak about stuff like this. It's better to help people out without some type of expectation of reward or attention. That way, if you ever find yourself in need of help, you've got somebody who might be willing to give it. And, I know that if I were ever in need of help, I wouldn't want somebody just broadcasting how much I owe them… Not to say that I feel like you owe us anything. We're friends." Matt gave Anthony a squeeze on the shoulder.
"Speaking of friends, you think Andrea would be interested in me? She's majorly pretty," Anthony said. The two looked over at Andrea Cohen, dolled up in the necessary color pallette, complete with accessories, like she was part of the family, or something, and surrounded by girls that she seemed to be making laugh.
"I don't see you liking her all that much beyond that, though. I don't really know her like that, but her parents are super religious. Her dad is always telling mine to come back to the church for help, and her mom and my mom always seem to be competing. I think our parents dated in school or something. It's weird."
"Okay, but she's hot, funny, and nice," Anthony pointed out. "I don't care about her parents."
"Oh, Anthony. Poor soul. Here's the thing, she does. We do. You see all these people that are here? They aren't here because it's my birthday celebration. They're here for politics, appearances, social standing, and so on. I don't even know Andrea that well, even though we have been at gatherings like these our whole lives together. If she dates somebody here, it'll be one of these families that has whole tables to themselves. That's just the way that it is around here."
"I mean… I get that you're all rich and popular and stuff, but I just like her as a person. She wouldn't like me as a person?"
"What I'm trying to tell you is that it doesn't matter whether or not she likes you as a person. She couldn't date somebody that she can't bring home or bring to these gatherings, even. She couldn't date someone that other parents would call her parents, concerned about it over. She just wouldn't be able to, whether she wanted to or not. Our parents treat us like… basically like we're smaller versions of themselves. Our behavior and choices reflect upon the whole bloodline."
"I get that. I'm just trying to see if she would think that I'm legit!"
"Rashard, anybody with sense and taste would love you, Man."
"Cool. Then, I'm gonna go for it!" He rushed over to where the girls were, before Matt could say, "No, don't!" But, moments later, they all laughed, except for a clearly embarrassed Andrea, who simply took Anthony's hand and waved to her friends with it. Matt waited for them to come over to him and she handed Anthony's hand to him, "I believe this belongs to you," she said and patted Anthony on the shoulder. "Word of advice, Brother? Maybe, choose a more lowkey setting. Girls don't like to just be put on the spot like that. At least, I don't."
"You handled it with beauty and grace!" Anthony said, beaming at her.
"Give me a few years, and it'll be mase. Excuse me," she said and returned to her friends. It took Matt a moment to realize that he and Anthony were standing there holding hands, but he grabbed his back from him and they both adjusted their clothing.
"What did you do?" Matt asked.
"I just stepped to honey dip and I said, "Excuse me, Miss Cohen. I seem to be lost. But, luckily I found an angel to guide me to paradise…" Matt turned red with secondhand embarrassment.
"You're lucky she didn't punch you in the face! I've heard that she does that!"
"Yeah, that means she's feeling me, right?" Anthony asked.
"No. That means that she didn't want Hannibal and Corina on the front page for their daughter punching one of the Rutherford Foundation recipients in the face at an event!"
"Hey… If I'm stepping on your toes, let me know. I want to know NOW, if you want her like I do!" Anthony insisted.
"What? No. I'm just saying… You can't have her, so… Just leave her alone."
"She's gonna have to tell me to leave her alone. All she said was that I was too bold. Mike!" He began waving Mike back over and Mike came to where they were, curiously. "Ok, Mike. What do you think about me and Andrea?" To Matt he explained, "He's not as sadidy as you."
"I'm not as rich, either. You can't go after the only Cohen girl. I can't go after the only Cohen girl, and my parents are doctors!" Mike told him.
"See?"
"Look, it's like… If she was the one whose parents were doctors and my parents were hers, then yeah. She's a girl. She has to date up."
"Do any of you realize that we're kids?" Anthony asked.
"What are these 'kids' you speak of?" Matt asked. "Look at that sign," he pointed to the Matt's Manhood Mainspring banner. "Look at these guests - Judge Fabray, CEO Robinson, Representative Schuester, Buddy Freakin' Leibowitz! We're here for our folks to show off that they're building the future leaders of the world. Our childhoods are training sessions to become affluent, upstanding citizens who dominate how things are done."
"That sounds stressful. I just want to go to the roller rink and buy a girl some ice cream."
"The roller rink? What's that?" Mike asked, jokingly.
Matt jokingly answered, "It's sort of like where we skate at the country club, but smaller, and open to more people." Anthony frowned, but Matt just put an arm around him. "Don't worry, Rashard. Me and Mike will make sure you get hooked up with the best of the best outside of this ring. You're lucky that you don't have to normally think about all of this stuff whenever you just want ice cream and skating."
"I tried to bring a girl for ice cream at the country club and Jesse St. James kept insisting that I was sponsoring a charity date," Mike said, frustrated.
Anthony fumed, "I hate him! Why don't you guys ever challenge him?"
"Well, it's not that simple," Matt said. "I mean… You see how difficult dating is. We know who not to send into a tantrum."
"Matt could easily challenge Jesse and have very little backlash," Mike said.
Anthony cheered, "Be the champion we deserve, Matt!"
Matt shook his head, "No, Man. He's gonna introduce me to Representative Schuester. I might be able to get a recommendation from the Schuester family with the right rapport!"
"A recommendation for what?" Anthony wondered.
Mike and Matt both said obviously, "College."
Anthony clenched his fists and looked at the sky. There wasn't a need to try to remind them that they were just kids and that they were ONLY about to go into junior high. Obviously, whatever level that they were on in their "training session" of childhood had them already too far gone. "I'm gonna go get more of those big ass shrimp," Anthony said and walked off.
Jesse was approaching, so Mike said, "And I'm going wherever he's not."
Jesse passed by Mike and reiterated, "You should learn how to take a joke, Chang!" To Matt he admitted, "Asians take themselves way too seriously."
"Shouldn't we all, though?" Matt asked.
"Ugh. Don't you start, Rutherford. Come on, Preston and Will want to meet you. They're trying to see what the big deal is supposed to be." Matt shook hands for the first time with Representative Preston Schuester and his son, ADA Will Schuester when he turned 12.
You know how you never know just how much somebody is going to change your life when you first meet them? Matt didn't have that problem, typically. Even at 12, he could always just sense when someone's presence would make an impact. He didn't waste his time on people if he didn't feel that when he met them. And with the Schuesters, he wasn't sure what the future held, but something told him that not only the Schuesters, but Jesse St. James were all going to be large components of change in his future.