Though this is a companion to All for the Love of Maple Syrup, if you've never read any of it, you should be able to understand this. After all, this is all about how various characters met one another.

All for the Love of Maple Syrup

First Meetings

Matthew and Gilbert.

The summer Matthew turned seven was the year the elderly couple next door moved to a warmer climate, making way for a new family in the neighbourhood. It just so happened that in that family were two boys around the same age as Matthew.

Ms. Williams combed her fingers through Matthew's golden curls and wiped a smudge from his cheek before deeming him presentable. She'd dressed him in a Montreal Canadiens jacket earlier that day, but he'd spilled his grape juice all over it and so she was forced to change him into his favourite red one. She hated it. It had all sorts of rips and tears in it and mysterious stains that wouldn't come out no matter what she did. However, she knew she'd never get him out of the house if she didn't let him wear it.

She stood up and took a box of home-made cookies from the counter and handed it to her son.

Matthew tightened his grip around his fluffy polar bear, staring unsurely at the cookies.

"Kumajiro can go too," Ms. Williams said gently. "Hold him with one arm. There you go! Now lets go welcome our new neighbours."

Matthew shook his head, which messed up his soft curls. His mom could only sigh when his one stubborn looping curl came free to hang in front of his face.

"We'll just be over there for a few minutes, sweetheart. Then we can come home and have lunch. We'll make pancakes."

Matthew smiled and nodded, happy to follow his mom next door with the promise of his favourite food. However, by the time they were standing at the neighbour's front door, he wanted nothing more than to turn around and run home.

His mom kept him anchored to her side as she knocked on the front door. She didn't have a problem until the door was opened by a tall, intimidating man with long blond hair. Matthew squeaked in fright and hid behind her.

"Matthew, don't be rude," scolded Ms. Williams. "I'm sorry, sir, usually he's so polite. I'm Katherine Williams and this is my son, Matthew. We live next door."

"Wilhelm Beilschmidt," he introduced in a heavy German accent. "Nice to meet you."

"Welcome to the neighbourhood! If you ever need anything, feel free to ask," said Ms. Williams. She tried to tug Matthew out from behind her. "Sweetheart, won't you give Mr. Beilschmidt the cookies we made?"

Trembling, Matthew stepped out from behind his mom just long enough to hand over the box of cookies before hiding again. Unfortunately, it was too late. He'd already been spotted by the Beilschmidt children.

One of them, a boy with choppy silver-coloured hair who appeared to be the same age as Matthew, was carrying his little brother on his back. He walked over to his father's side and put down the small blond boy.

"My sons," Mr. Beilschmidt introduced. "Gilbert and Ludwig. Boys, these are our neighbours."

The silvery-white haired boy began chattering almost immediately. "Hi, I'm Gilbert! And this is Luddy! Isn't he cute?" He grinned and hugged his little brother, who stood there staring blankly at the ground.

Ms. Williams knelt down with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Gilbert. I'm Ms. Williams and this is my son, Matthew." She gently steered him around her and held him in place, praying his shyness wouldn't result in him bursting into tears like he did the last time she encouraged him to make friends.

Gilbert grinned. "Awesome bear."

Matthew stared at him in wonder. Most kids made fun of him for carrying around Kumajiro. He smiled hesitantly, hugging the toy to his chest. "Th-thanks…"

"Wanna go play? I wanna explore the backyard!" Gilbert announced.

Matthew looked to his mom for permission. "Can I?"

"Of course, sweetie," said Ms. Williams, relieved her efforts were finally starting to pay off. She ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead. "Have fun!"

"Awesome!" Gilbert exclaimed, already heading for the backyard. "Let's go, Birdie!"

Matthew hurried after him. "Birdie?"

"Yeah! 'Cause you're quiet and fluffy and adorable, just like a little bird! And birds are awesome!"

"O-oh. Okay."

Ms. Williams beamed ad stood up, watching the two run off and play.

"Interesting," Mr. Beilschmidt murmured. "I've never seen him make a friend so quickly. He mostly just plays with Ludwig.

His words got the attention of Ms. Williams and she couldn't help but feel even happier with the way things were going. "Matthew's so shy that he never talks to anyone. This is a first for him too. Maybe they were just waiting for each other."

"Perhaps. Would you like to come in?"

Ms. Williams balked for a moment. "Oh… oui, eh, yes. If I'm not intruding. Is there a good place to watch the boys from?"

Mr. Beilschmidt nodded. "In the kitchen. Watch your step, we're still unpacking."

End

Oh, what am I doing, starting another side project?

This is a companion piece to All for the Love of Maple Syrup, focusing on how various characters came to meet each other. So far I have planned

- Alfred and Kiku
- Gilbert and Elizaveta
- Matthew and Ivan
- Matthew and Alfred

And I dunno who else. There's so many I could do, I just need to figure out how they met. Any requests?