Fairy Tale
Martha & Mickey
"Cos I knew you were trouble when you walked i-in," he sings along, dancing up to join his wife at the bar. "So shame on me now-ow..."
"Mickey the Idiot," she smiles slightly, but he knows he's about to get an earful. "You're late,"
"I got a flat," his explanation receives only a doubtingly raised eyebrow. "I've got the spare on my car, you can go out and look!"
"A flat doesn't take an hour to fix, Mickey!" they've been shouting over the music, but right then the song ends and all eyes within a 5 foot radius of the couple turn to watch the imminent quarrel.
"I had to run an errand," trying to lower his voice as another song comes on, he places his hand on her arm, only to get it shaken off.
"An errand to where? Your girlfriend's house?" slamming her beer onto the counter, she storms out of the bar and finds his car, with a spare, in the car park. People always say that the first year of marriage is always the hardest, but theirs had been relatively easy. It was the second year that was harder. And the third year. Three years, we just barely made it to three; there's no way we'll make it to four, the woman thinks to herself, leaning against the car. And she's right, they won't make it to four, the divorce papers have been in her car for weeks, but she's been waiting to give them to him. Because she at least wanted to make it to three years, and now that they have, she can finally give them to him.
"Martha!" he yells, coming out after her.
"That is just like you Mickey Smith, putting the spare on your car just so your excuse has backup!" Martha jabs her finger in the direction of the tire, still yelling at the same volume as when they were in the bar.
"C'mon, let's take a drive, I don't want to do this in public,"
"Fine," they get in the car without saying anything. She doesn't ask where they're going and he doesn't tell her, just pretending to drive aimlessly. He also waits for her to speak first, knowing that anything he says will make her mad. Martha holds her silence, trying to make him uncomfortable until Mickey reaches his destination.
"Surprise," he gets out to open her car door, while her eyes remain fixed upon the scene before her. They've pulled up behind their house, and their back garden has been transformed into a place from fairy tales. There are white lights strung through the tree and across to the house, creating a canopy of stars under the dark, cloudy sky. Martha steps out of the car, still in awe, and follows Mickey to a table set for two, across rose pedals sprinkled on the grass. "Happy anniversary, Mrs Smith," he says, pulling her into a tight hug; and she laughs, laughs because how could she ever think of divorcing this man. This man who she had fought off aliens with, who didn't think she was off her rocker when she talked of her days with the Doctor, this man who so obviously loved her.