Hello, I have been reading many of these Mary Poppins fics, and all are amazing, but I notice all center around Mary, no brainer, seeing as the Books/Movie/Musical are called Mary Poppins, but I feel that Bert doesn't get much of the limelight in any of them, well, maybe the movie, and a little bit of the musical, seeing as he is the narrator, but I digress, I wanted to write a story that centers around Bert perhaps, so bare with me! Thank you!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just the story idea, why do people do these things? No one famous is going to look on here anyway.
Herbert Alfred stood in the dimly lit park. He gently touched his cheek where Mary Poppins had just kissed him sweetly there. She had never done that before, and it was shocking to him. He couldn't tell if it had been to her to, but, as he watched her walk slowly away, he felt tears brim in his eyes. "I love you Mary Poppins." He whispered and he turned slowly in the opposite direction, and began to walk away.
He knew it would be a long time until he saw Mary again, then again, her job may never bring her back to him. He kicked at a small pebble and shoved his hands in his pockets. He remembered his easel was still in the park, and the park keeper would probably throw it out, but he didn't care, he was still shocked.
He rounded a corner and looked up into the sky, and saw a shooting star. "I wish, you would come back to me again Mary." He whispered, and he continued on his way, back to his home, where he laid in his bed a few moments later, and sleep never overtook him.
The next day, Bert walked back to the park, and saw the Banks family flying a kite. He pulled the collar of his coat up higher as to hide from them. He loved the two children to death, but it would be better prehaps if they forgot he existed. He walked by them, just barely glancing at them, and he could tell that they were happy with their father now. Bert wished he could be a father someday, but, he knew that would probably would never happen. He sighed as he headed back to where Neleus was standing, with his father right behind him. Was the world mocking him today?
Surprisingly, the easel, was still as he'd left it, the silhouette of the flowers he'd brought to life was still in the place. He sighed as he gathered them up, and when he bent down to pick something up, he felt someone kick his side, and he fell over, and then he felt someone fall on top of him. He opened his eyes slightly and saw that a young woman had falled on top of him.
"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry!" She said as she jumped up and dusted herself off. Bert lifted his head slightly and shook his head a little bit, and in the light he saw the woman clearly now. She had long black hair, that was hanging loosly in a ponytail type thing, and she was stunningly beautiful. She was petite and her skin was a light tan color. She was holding out her hand for him to take, so that he could have some assistance in standing up on his feet.
"No 'arm done." He took her hand and put his other hand on the ground, to help hoist himself up, so she wouldn't have much trouble helping him up, she wouldn't have needed his extra help anyway. She yanked him to his feet quickly and dusted his shoulders off. Bert let out a small laugh, and stopped her. "It is really ok Miss, it was an accident, no bruise, no blood, all's well." He said.
She didn't look up at him, she bent down and grabbed the item that had caused the catastrophe, her book that she had her nose shoved into which caused her not to pay attention, and collide with the gentleman.
"I really am sorry. I wasn't paying a word of attention, when I should have, are you," She looked up at him and her mouth nearly dropped open. Bert was tall, gangly, and handsome. He had sparkling brown eyes and a beautiful smile. "alright?" She asked finishing her sentence trying not to squeak.
"I'm alright, as I 'ave told you, three times now I believe." He said, trying not to sound like a jackass, but he was proving his point.
"Oh, right. Um, well, I guess I should be going." She said as she started to get around him.
"Hey wait a minute!" Bert grabbed her arm gently, and she looked back at him.
"Yes?" She asked.
"I didn't catch your name." He said as he smiled at her again.
She let a small laugh escape her lips, and she returned the smile. "Evangelina, Evangelina Porter."
"Well, my name is Herbert Alfred ma'am, most people call me Bert, it was nice to make your acquaintance." He let his hand slip into hers again, and slowly shook her hand.
"That's a name you don't hear to often." She replied.
For just a few moments they stood there, staring back at one another, brown eye for brown eye. For what seemed like an eternity, Evangeline broke the gaze and dropped his hand.
"Well, I must go, um, maybe we can meet again sometime, where could I find you if I ever I looked?" She asked, as she put a strand of her black hair behind her ear.
"You may find me on the rooftops, if you ever looked mum." He said.
"On the rooftops? Never heard that one before. Alright, on the rooftops it is then." She said, as she started to walk away, she heard Bert say "Please look!" She couldn't help but trifle a laugh.
Bert watched her walk away, and he knew already he was in love. Then he began to think about Mary. His best friend, and the woman he had loved the night before. The one who always left him, never promising him if she would ever return, the one who always made him second best to her, well the last time he'd seen her, would be the last time. Never again would he be made a fool of.
He turned quickly around and began picking up his things. Before he left the park completely for the day, he wrote on the ground in big letters, "Goodbye Mary Poppins" He threw the piece of chalk on the ground and it broke into tiny little pieces. He grabbed the sack he kept his supplies in, took one last look at the writing, and rushed off, he had some errands to run for Mrs. Corry, and if he were late, she'd never forgive him.
Evangelina walked into her new flat she had purchased a few days ago, and immediately set to work on fixing the place up. She had bought it when she had had some time off after helping a family sort through their affairs, and she wished she had something to put in it, besides herself. Her dream had always been of being a wife and mother, her previous job, had never aloud it.
She put her book on the shelf and sighed as she tried to find another that she could read. Her job had paid her well, so well that she would never have to work again. She'd been a human slave, not literally, since she was 16, and she was glad her sentence was over. She was now 27, and glad to be rid of the past.
She closed her eyes and just randomly picked a book up off the massive wooden shelf. When she looked down at it, it was a romance novel, how ironic.
"Oh well, beggars can't be choosers." She said as she went into the parlor. She sat on the window sill and opened the window to let the breeze in. She let the rest of her hair down as she listened to the sounds of carriages driving past, and children screaming with delight as the ran around in the streets, playing fun games with one another.
Evangelina opened her book to the beginning page, and never even really paid attention to the first sentence. She was too busy thinking about the man she had met in the park. It was as if she'd known him all her life, but they'd only met for the first time. She smiled contently as she thought about his soft hands and shining eyes, she'd never seen such eyes before.
"On the rooftops." She murmured to herself. She heard the bell chime, it was now just turning 1 o clock in the afternoon. How had time gotten away from her? She jumped up suddenly and, dropping her book, rushed out the front door, she had an old relative to see, it was his birthday, and his birthday was nothing without her.
! How could you leave Bert?!c'monSo-o-o, I hope you like my story. I know this is short. This is just basically introducing you to Evangelina, whom I completely own, sorry to the disclaimer (still no use for it) Don't be to hard on me. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Sorry if I made Mary out to be a bad person, but
With Love,
Christine Petrillo 4-26-09