Buffalo Pictures owns Doc Martin. In dealing with family issues recently, have begun thinking about conversations between the generations about who people are in the present, and who they've been in the past. How did we get to where we are today? Generally adheres to the canon of the series, but no idea where the next season is going; no intent to mirror anything other than what's in my head. Serious Doc Martinitis is the diagnosis … hope I get over it soon! Cheers.
Past as Prologue
Chapter 2
Philip was working with his father on a project, looking under the hood of his car. He wasn't quite in the same position as his dad incomewise, so needed to nurse his car along with as many fixes as he himself could manage, using his own labor to perform most minor repairs. Although not a mechanic, Martin appreciated his son's attention to these things, and was available to roll up his sleeves, when asked.
His son was a good looking young man, tall, very blond and quite a heartbreaker, if village gossip was to be believed. He had been a serious student in his younger days, and now that he had followed his father professionally into the medical field, he had to continue his focus on his studies.
But his visits to Portwenn and his family, from time to time, meant they had opportunities to hang out together. Martin didn't really hang out with many people, but he loved seeing his boy, and spending some time with him. He was surprised when Philip asked him about how he met his mother, and how on earth two so different people had managed to get (and stay) together for a lifetime.
"Back then, I confess, I didn't believe she could be remotely interested in me for years. Your mother was absolutely beautiful, with the most gorgeous smile and she was also the most confusing person I'd met here in Portwenn," Martin told him. He continued, "she was clearly interested in me, but I just couldn't accept it at face value. I think I once even accused her of stalking me, of mistaking her interest in me for an attraction to the fact that I was older and a doctor. I now know what rubbish that was, but at the time, I really couldn't believe someone so special could love me. Thank God she was persistent."
"Dad, why didn't you just let her catch you? Seriously, what was that about?" Philip asked. "In the end, that's exactly what happened, right?"
"Well, it was perhaps a little more complicated than that," Martin reflected. "We broke up right on our wedding day, leaving each other at the altar, so to speak. Unbeknownst to us at that time, she was already pregnant with you. She left for town immediately following the non-wedding, and I stayed in the village. When she returned five months later, pregnant and jobless, she didn't want me to think she was forcing me into taking care of her (and eventually you). She always was an independent woman."
"So what made you change your mind, Dad? How did you finally come around?" Philip asked. Philip was surprised that his father was so forthcoming about matters so personal, but glad that he was willing to share these insights with him.
"Well, when I saw the taxi crashed into the rock on the moor, I panicked. Suddenly, with blinding clarity, I realized how wrong I'd been, and maybe, we'd been. You arrived really quickly at that horrible pub, and luckily, your mother's defenses were also compromised, because she allowed me to help … with your birth, with you after she was released from the hospital, and agreed to try working things out, for all of our sakes. I will be eternally grateful that she agreed to give it a go, because once we made that decision and relaxed just a little bit around each other, things seemed to work better for us," he admitted.
"Did you always know she was the one for you?" Philip asked. "I have a reason for asking. I've been seeing someone for a while now, and while I enjoy being with her, I have to admit, it doesn't feel as intense as what I've seen with you and Mum. How do you know when you're with the one?"
"You know, your mother might be a better person to consult. I can only say that, yes, in hindsight, I knew all along she was the one I was attracted to, but I had such difficulty communicating with her, that it made every interaction with her awkward. We would start a conversation on one topic, it would morph into something else, or I would get distracted and suddenly, neither one of us knew what we were talking about. It happened repeatedly and it was one of the most confusing aspects of being with your mother. I would say, if your girlfriend has that kind of ability to distract you, she might be the one. On the other hand, maybe that's just how your mother and I interact. Neither she nor I had good examples of parents who loved each other, so we had no roadmap for what healthy, loving relationship looked like. We had to create it on our own. Believe me when I tell you, we made as many mistakes as it's possible to make and still be together, I think," Martin admitted.
"Distraction as a predictor of love. I like it, Dad," Philip said. "What are some other signs? Do you think you have to be on the same intellectual plane as your partner? Do you have to have the same values? I really want to know what you think."
Martin looked at his son, a bit flummoxed at the topic of their conversation, but secretly a little thrilled that his parenting skills had progressed over the years to the point where his boy felt comfortable consulting with him in this way. He would never in a million years have thought that he would have this kind of conversation with his son. Actually, he also wanted to share this with Louisa … he knew she would love it, and he still liked to surprise her when possible.
"Yes, I think intellectual compatibility is important, and similar personal values absolutely. You don't have to be interested in the same things, necessarily, but you each have to be interested in something and engaged in something. Again, I think your mother is probably better at assessing these types of compatibility issues and I'm sure she'd love for you to consult her," Martin told him. Louisa would be thrilled to be asked any of these things by their son. Since neither of them had met Philip's recent girlfriend, they didn't really know what to expect.
"Well, I appreciate that Dad. Maybe I will. Can you hand me that wrench?" Philip asked, and they turned back to more mundane topics.
