Hamilton sat in the back of the church on the left side, staring up at the picture of the Harvest Goddess. Sometimes, after he had a long day of work, he would go to the bar. After his trip to the bar, he would sometimes unlock the church and sit. Today, however, was different from the rest of his drinking days. Today was the day...
"Dad?" Gill said, peeking inside, "What are you up to this late?"
Hamilton turned in the pew and smiled at his son. His son, almost never amused by anything (with the exception of tomatoes) flashed a quick smile back.
"Gill," Hamilton said, "let's have a talk."
Gill slipped inside the church and closed the door. He smelled the alcohol coming off of his father and wondered if this talk was a good idea. His father was usually good humored when he had taken it upon himself to drink too much. But, seeing him so serious gave him a bad feeling.
"Are you sure?" Gill asked, "We can always talk in the morning." When his father made no indication he was going to move, Gill sat down in the pew in front of him and turned sideways so he could look at him. "Alright old man," Gill said with a smirk, "what words of wisdom shall I hear tonight?" Hamilton sighed, and Gill went back to his ever-serious demeanor.
"I never thought I would see the day when my own son would get married." Hamilton said, his eyes glued to the stained glass Harvest Goddess, "I am happy for you. But I have to wonder... you grew up with a single father. I raised you the best I could... but do you know what it takes to have a functional marriage?"
The word marriage echoed through the church, and Gill stared at his father. Hamilton was waiting for a reply, but Gill needed a moment to think. Gill knew two things: He loved the island, and he liked Luna. If he married Luna, then Luna would stay on the island. She was a breath of fresh air. When Gill started taking himself too seriously, she was always there to bring out the kid in him again. But... marriage had always just been the next step after you figured out you liked someone. He had never actually witnessed it firsthand.
"I guess," Gill said hesitantly, "if I'm being honest, I don't really know. But I'll try my hardest to make it work." Hamilton his son in the eye for the first time since he'd entered the church. Gill held his stare, feeling on edge. He knew he wouldn't like what would come next.
"Love..." Hamilton said finally, breaking his connection with Gill, "Love is what it takes for a functional marriage. I don't mean those fuzzy feelings you have when you see her. I'm talking about the love that comes even when you don't like her, like still making the bed in the mornings when she's not talking to you, and being willing to go to Toucan Island three times in a single day to satisfy her pregnancy cravings. It's the dedication you have to her, even when you're both being immature." Gill was silent. Hamilton looked back up at the Goddess and gave a small smile.
"I learned to love your mother that way. I wish I would have learned sooner." Hamilton whispered. Seeing the stars twinkle behind the Goddess' green hair, Hamilton folded his hands together. "I think it's time you heard a little more about your mother. We never had the perfect marriage, but it was one for the record books. It all started when..."
Hamilton was twenty. Having been the same height as when he was thirteen, his mother always joked that he would always be her 'little' boy. It irked him to no end. Seeing as he'd never left the island in his entire twenty years of life, he was emotionally pent up and what the kids now would have pegged, 'forever alone'. With shaggy platinum-blonde hair and two bright blue eyes that twinkled as soon as the light hit them, he was convinced that he could get any girl he wanted to fall in love with him... if he had just been a foot or two taller.
"Oh, come on," Dale laughed, "if you can't get over your height, how are you going to expect any woman to?"
Dale was much thinner back then. He was well built; wild blue hair and tan skin had tied him down to his special lady almost as soon as he'd been legal. Luke was a year old now. It only made Hamilton lose hope. Ramsey's sons Henry and Marcus had left the island and had both started families. Cain had married Hannah... even grumpy old Craig had found a wife. Irene and Paul's daughter had settled down with some handsome farmer. Their son Jin was already six. Ozzie and Ida were going steady, Colleen and Jake were 'talking' and there were rumors that Mira and Issac were barren... but still more in love than ever.
"I'm never going to find anyone," Hamilton sighed, "I must have been kidding to hope for so long."
"Dude, really? You're twenty." Dale pointed out, "You've got plenty of time. Just because everyone on the island is settling down doesn't mean you have to yet."
"Yeah," Hamilton said, rolling his eyes, "It's gonna be super fun to be a one man show at the bar every night." Dale put his arm over Hamilton's shoulders. Hamilton pushed it off, not taking the idea of being a lonely armrest for the rest of his life well. Plus, Dale did a lot of hard labor. Body odor wasn't exactly Hamilton's cup of tea.
"Fine then Hammy," Dale said, "I guess your mother would approve. She's been the mayor and a single mother for all of these years. I'm sure she'd love it if you focused on becoming the next mayor." Hamilton growled and balled up his fists.
"I won't be like her!" Hamilton shouted. Dale jumped back, arms up in defense.
Hamilton never had a good relationship with his mother. She had groomed him for perfection. He was 'heir to the island', as it were. With their big house on the hill, his mother thought it was acceptable to raise him as if he were better than all of the other children. But, they had grown up his friends. Though she had been a great mayor, Hamilton knew that everyone needed to work together to make the island flourish. Ever since Hamilton's father had died, the part of his mother that had cared for people had died too... even the part that had loved her son.
"Okay.." Dale said, putting his arms down. Hamilton cooled off and then sighed. He uncurled his fists and put his hand through his hair. Dale crossed his arms, thinking of anything that might help. Finally, he got an idea.
"Alright. I've got a plan." Dale stated. Hamilton looked up and gave an awkward smile. Dale sighed. "Let's get off this island and clear your head a little bit."
The city was a little bit different than Hamilton had imagined. He had lived a bit of a sheltered life while on the island. There was no television, only radio. There were a few people on the island. Here in the city, people were all over the place. There were more people than you could even look at. You couldn't take time to see their eyes or their hair or wonder what kind of life they lead before they passed you in an instant, never to be seen again. Walking with Dale, Jake, and Ozzie, Hamilton was sure he looked like they had been forced to take their little brother along for the trip. He was pretty sure he thought a thirteen year old making goo goo eyes at him when they passed the ice cream , they had moved on rather quickly.
They arrived at a hotel and checked in and got two rooms that were connected to each other through a door. Hamilton had a hard time leaving the room after turning on the TV. It was amazing. People from all over could broadcast what they wanted to everybody who wanted to watch. He wondered if they could have something like that on the island one day. His mother probably wouldn't go for it... but hey, future mayors only needed to be patient. Ozzie managed to pull away the remote long enough to grab Hamilton's attention.. but not before he saw a flash of the most beautiful angel he had ever seen. Hamilton reached for the remote, but Ozzie turned the television off.
"Come on, Hammy!" Dale said, ushering his short friend out of the hotel room, "We've got a club to go to!"
"What's a club?" Hamilton asked. But, they were headed down the stairs before anybody could even hear his question. The rowdy boys hooted and hollered down the stairwell and burst into the city street. They only walked a couple of blocks before they went into a 24 hour jazz club. They were seated in a large booth and talked for awhile, listening to the smooth jazz covering the sounds of the city overhead. They talked like they always did, but it was always exciting to get away from the island. After awhile, Hamilton excused himself to go to the bathroom. As Hamilton exited the restroom, he looked at the stage.
The woman from the TV was singing her heart out on stage. She was tall and thin, with pale skin and blonde hair. Blue eyes twinkled under the stage light, one winking at Hamilton as he stared. She looked like a ghost under the lights, a beautiful ghost that would haunt his memory until the day he died. Hamilton found himself clapping at the end of the song, and she took a bow. Hamilton stood there for awhile longer before heading back to the table.
"What happened in there?" Dale laughed, "We thought you were dead!"
"Nah," Ozzie said, "I thought you got sucked in."
"Oh haha," Hamilton said, sitting back in the booth, "very funny. For your information, I just saw the most beautiful woman that has ever walked the earth." Jake laughed, and Dale shook his head.
"Nope, not possible." Dale sighed, "Though, I could be biased." It was Hamilton's turn to laugh. He could understand that Dale should be biased around the townspeople... but maybe that was how he actually thought of her. It was... cool.
"Didn't you see her? She was on stage just a little bit ago." Hamilton said. The guys shook their heads.
"We were betting on when you'd get married." Jake joked, "Whoever's closest gets fifty bucks from the other two."
"Oh come on!" Hamilton said, "What about me?" Dale laughed.
"Okay Hammy," Dale said, "When do you think you're getting married?"
"Less than a year. No, seven months." Hamilton said, nodding his head.
"I had two years." Jake said.
"I had ten." Ozzie laughed. Hamilton elbowed his ribs. Ozzie laughed again, rubbing his side.
"I had two weeks." Dale said, "You might go crazy. You never know."
The group laughed together for awhile, making bets for the next steps in each guy's life. As they joked together, a beautiful woman walked over to the booth and sat across from Hamilton.
"Hey stranger." She said with a smile. The men fell silent, each of them shocked that someone so beautiful had come over to talk to Hamilton.
"H-hey." Hamilton stuttered. Dale elbowed Hamilton in the side, Hamilton letting out an oof and glaring at Dale.
"Excuse my fine friend," Dale said politely, "What Hamilton really meant to say is that he appreciates such a gorgeous woman coming to say hello and wonders if he could buy you a drink of your choice." The woman giggled.
"Hamilton, huh?" The woman smiled, "I'm Lacey."
Hamilton was mystified the entire night. He fell more in love with every word she said. Somehow, though it seemed impossible, he knew she felt the same way. Soon the guys left for the hotel. Hamilton and Lacey talked the entire night through. Hamilton told her about where he lived, and she told him about her life in the city. She said living on the island sounded like paradise. Hamilton said he had never lived anywhere else. Hamilton talked about his mother, about her seemingly constant disappointment in him. She talked about how she had never had a family. Hamilton told her he wanted a happy family one day. It wouldn't be perfect, but the love provided by the family would all of the hardships worth enduring. She said she wanted a family like that one day. He said they could make it together if she would want that. She said she would.
Dale won $150 dollars two weeks later.
His mother didn't approve at first, but when it was certain that they loved each other and that Lacey was willing to be under her mother in law's wing for as long as she needed to, the couple was set for life. The honeymoon phase was long, and seemed like it would never end. But, fights are inevitable in any relationship.
"Hammy," Lacey shouted across the house, "can you go up to Souffle farm and get some spinach before they close?" Hamilton was sitting in his chair. He had gotten his hair cut to a respectable length and often dressed in suits. He was reading a new book. After taking a brief look at his look, he resumed reading.
"No," Hamilton shouted back, "They'd be closed by the time I got up there!" Lacey came down the stairs gracefully to see her husband sitting in his favorite chair. Usually she would smile, but as she looked at the clock over the mantle, she frowned.
"Honey, you have just enough time to get up there before they close." Lacey explained, "You don't even want to try?" Hamilton sighed and closed his book, keeping a finger inside to mark the page.
"Lacey, I have short legs. Remember the last time you tried to send me up there so late?" Hamilton asked. Lacey sighed, getting frustrated.
"Okay, will you watch the noodles then?" Lacey asked, "I'll get the spinach myself."
"You know I can't cook." Hamilton joked. Lacey clenched her fists. She was as beautiful as ever, but her anger made Hamilton shrink back into his chair.
"Hamilton." Lacey said through clenched teeth, "I cook. I clean. I run errands. All day I run around like a servant. Can you not at least try to get the spinach!?" Hamilton sighed.
"Look, I work all day too!" Hamilton said, "I just got back from an entire day of organizing! I keep this island in working order, me! I don't see why I have to come back from work and run all the way up to souffle farm when I'm already tired!"
"You're tired!?" Lacey asked, amazed, "News flash, Hamilton! I'm tired every single day! I still get up every day and cook and clean for the entire house! You don't do a thing on your day off! I don't have your mother around to help me anymore, and I would like a little help once in awhile!"
"What do you mean, help?" Hamilton asked bitterly, "Who do you think pays for the food, or the soap to clean things? Who pays for the gas in the house? Or the electricity?" Lacey scoffed in reply.
"Huh. When I came here to marry you, I was pretty sure a happy family meant more than paying for the family to be happy." Lacey muttered. She walked to the front door. "Finish supper by yourself." Lacey walked out of the house and walked down the street to the Inn.
Hamilton slammed his book shut and threw it towards the bookshelf. He rested his head in his hand and sighed. He looked at the clock. Ten minutes. Could he get there in time? Probably not. Still, Hamilton got up and ran up to Souffle Farm. They were about to close the door, but he barreled inside just in time.
"Sorry about that," Hamilton said, gasping for air, "Spinach please?" Ruth, holding Anissa in her arm grabbed some Spinach and Hamilton paid quickly. "Thank you so much Ruth."
Hamilton exited the store and remembered that he had left the noodles cooking on the stove. Hamilton ran back down the hill, almost tripping over himself in the process. He ran into town, Spinach gripped firmly in his hand as he ran into the house. The noodles were boiling over. Hamilton turned off the heat and sat down on the floor, not caring that he had just sat in a hot puddle of water. He put his head in his hands, laying his face on the spinach. Tentative footsteps approached him from the door.
Lacy walked up to Hamilton and helped him up. She smiled and took the spinach, leaning down to kiss him. He stood on his tiptoes to reach her, but slipped, bringing Lacey down with him. They ended up laughing in a warm puddle of water. They laid together until the water was cold, and ended up skipping supper and drinking cocktails at the Inn until they had to lean against each other just to walk home. They learned it was okay to fight.
But sometimes it was Hamilton who was at his wits end.
"I just went to the city last weekend to get those! How did you run out already!? I bought five pounds of dried pineapple!" Hamilton shouted angrily. Lacey started to cry. Hamilton calmed down and rested his hand on his wife's tall shoulder to calm her down.
"Are you calling me fat?" Lacey asked through her tears. It was a tough question to answer. She was fat. Most of it had to deal with the baby that made her belly look like the underside of a timpani, but not calling her fat would be a lie. But, calling her fat would be an atrocious mistake.
"I-" Hamilton stopped himself, "Well I mean.. you're pregnant.. I would never call you fat. But, shouldn't you be eating healthy things? I got you some carrots and eggplants. What happened to those?" Lacey crossed her arms and tried to calm herself down.
"I can't eat them." Lacey pouted, wiping her eyes, "I spit them out when I even try. Are you sure you don't have any tomatoes? I think that's the only thing Christina is going to eat when she gets here."
"Christina?" Hamilton asked, "Why do you think it's a girl?"
"I don't know," Lacey said, "But can you go to the city as soon as you can? I feel like I'm starving all the time." Hamilton sighed. He had gone to the city more than he had his entire life during the past season. Things at work were getting chaotic. Besides himself, only Ozzie's wife helped organize town hall. But, seeing as she was pregnant as well, she wasn't always the most reliable worker.
"I'll go," Hamilton sighed, "As long as you don't have Christopher before I come back."
"Christopher?" Lacey asked, "You don't think it's a girl?" Hamilton smiled.
"No..." he replied, "But, I think he'll be the best son on the whole island." Lacey laughed and Hamilton left for the city with Pascal.
When Hamilton got back, Lacey was waiting for him on the dock. Hamilton grabbed the bags tightly in his hands and stepped onto the dock. Lacey just stood there with a smile on her face. Hamilton walked towards his wife and she ran to him with open arms. Hamilton set down the bags carefully and Lacey hugged him tightly. Hamilton smiled warmly and Lacey picked up a couple of the bags.
"Let's go home." Lacy said with a smile, "I think Gill can wait that long." Hamilton looked at Lacey with a raised eyebrow.
"Gill?" Hamilton asked, "Is that his name?"
"Yes!" Lacey giggled, "I asked him what name he liked best. He didn't like Christopher."
"But... Gill?" Hamilton asked, "What about Hamilton Jr.?"
"He liked that one the least." Lacey said as seriously as possible. Hamilton laughed.
"It's alright. I didn't like it much either when I learned it." They both laughed and went to the house, not knowing how difficult life was going to become.
The baby was born two weeks later. Gill was born a healthy 7 pounds 18 inches, and brought chaos in his wake. Lacey and Hamilton were up all night trying to calm him, and tried their best to continue their work schedules as normal. It didn't work. They fought more often, argued over who's turn it was to change Gill, and argued over the rest of the house chores as well. It was like living with a stranger and their child.
They adapted, like all couples do. Hamilton seemed to grow horizontally as he aged, and Lacey grew even thinner. When Gill was two, Hamilton and Lacey decided to go to the city to have the hospital do some tests. They didn't think it was anything too serious, but after several different tests and no replies, Hamilton and Lacey were getting worried. Gill didn't really get what was going on. He was just learning to talk. Finally, the family was sent home with a grim diagnosis.
Hamilton turned into the most loving husband and father he had ever been. But, even though he learned how to work hard to be the main provider in all ways for both of his family members, nothing seemed to help to ease the pain of watching his wife waste away. They tried to make their love grow, but as Lacey grew thinner and thinner, she resembled the ghost of their love, already wasting away the moment she had heard the word 'terminal'.
"You know what happens next," Hamilton said, still staring up at the stained glass goddess. Gill was silent for awhile, thinking about his mother and father's relationship. Would marriage really be like that? It seemed difficult... how would he remember how he felt at the beginning? Could he do that? Why couldn't marriage just be all of the happy things? Why couldn't there be no suffering involved?
"For the longest time, the only thing I wished was that she was back. I only knew that she had gone somewhere far away, and I wanted her to come back more than anything I had wanted my entire life." Hamilton whispered, "As time passed, and I raised you on my own, I made sure to love and care for you all of the time. I tried not to hesitate when you wanted something, but, I also tried to balance your desires with good parenting so you wouldn't be too spoiled. I don't think I balanced it too well, but I never knew how much longer I would have you... I never knew when you would decide to venture off on your own, maybe as far as your mother. I guess, when I look back now, the only thing I wish is that I could have treated your mother with more love and kindness. If I had known how much time I had with her... I wouldn't have been so selfish. I would have thought of her first. I would have helped around the house more, and not grumbled as much when she sent me out to get things from the city. I would have taken her to the city more, so she could sing in front of an audience like she loved to do when we first met. I would have treated her like a queen... because she was my queen."
Hamilton looked to his son. "Gill," Hamilton said, "A marriage isn't about what the other person can do for you, but about how much of yourself you can give to the other person. It's not about receiving, but giving. It's about loving them more than yourself, and acting like every single one of their heartbeats is one that you cherish. It's when you forget that you're never guaranteed another day with them that you start to fight over the little things. Of course, you're still going to fight. Nobody's perfect. But never forget that any day could be your last day together." Gill nodded.
"Hey, Dad?" Gill asked, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, Son." Hamilton replied.
"Do you think I'm ready to get married?" Gill asked. Hamilton chuckled to himself.
"I think you're ready to get married. Nobody is ready to BE married. No, you learn how to be married afterwards." Hamilton smiled, "I'm sure you'll make a great couple. You'll love each other like no other two people can." Gill smiled and looked up at the stained glass Harvest Goddess. He would be standing there soon, watching Luna walk down the aisle. Gill took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay." Gill said, "I am ready." Gill stood up and rested his hand on his father's shoulder. "You... you did a great job, Dad." Gill smiled, "Don't stay up too late." Gill walked out of the church and Hamilton rested his head on his arms. For the first time since his wife had died, he cried. He cried because his son was leaving, and because his wife was gone. But mostly, he cried in relief. He had done a good job. That's all he needed to know.