When I woke up the next morning I felt like I was glowing. My skin still tingled where Merry had touched. I repeatedly recalled the way the light hit his face, and how his skin felt so warm next to mine. I could hardly get my chores done for all the daydreaming I was doing. Hard as I tried, I couldn't focus. I spent as much of the day as possible outside, working on menial tasks as close to the road as I could get, that way if Merry walked by I would see him first.
He didn't walk by. He didn't come by all day. I was starting to wonder if I had done something wrong. Surely he wouldn't have smiled so wide and walked so straight if something was amiss. I droned through the day, and actually got quite a bit of work done outside, so at least it was a productive day around the farm. My mother could see the look of concern on my face as I helped her prepare supper.
"Don't worry, my dear," she began. "He'll be back around. I'm sure he doesn't want to seem too eager. Real love takes time." She looked to me and smiled sweetly. I tried to return the gesture, but I could barely manage to get the corners of my mouth to lift at all. My mother reached over and patted my shoulder, then gave it a tiny squeeze.
As we sat down to eat, my brother told us of all the girls he talked to. I couldn't help but laugh to myself over his story of how he had all of the girls at the party captivated by his adventures. My brother was a good man, and he had always been denied attention by the hobbit girls. Now he was so worldly to them and I loved it for him. I hoped to myself that he picked a good one out of the bunch. He made multiple mentions of a girl named Lily. I knew her and she was, indeed, a nice girl. Also from a hardworking farming family. She was pretty too. About my height, a little more plump, but she had the prettiest hair of any hobbit woman I had ever seen. It was long and with perfect curls. Her smile lit up a room, and apparently lit up my brother as well. I hoped he picked her out of all of the girls he mentioned.
Shortly after we got done eating, my father and brother told us they were going to the pub. My mother and I cleaned up from supper, then sat around the fire. She made no mention of Merry, and I was glad for that. I was a little hurt that he hadn't come by the farm that day. Mother and I turned in rather early that night. I was tired from the days work, as was she. I laid in bed for a long time before I fell asleep. I relived the night before over and over. It made the hurt sting a little less. Finally I drifted off with a tiny grin on my face.
I was awoken a few hours later by my father and Fredegar, stumbling in the house, talking loudly about their night at the pub. I couldn't make out all of their slurred words, but some things rang in loud and clear.
"I'm so proud, (hiccup) my boy. Such a strong man to...uh...take care of my...uh...Estella! What more could a (hiccup) father ask for?" My brother mumbled something back, then loudly stated, "I told him if he ever does anything to hurt her, I'll knock that curly hair right off his head!" At that, my mother stormed out of her room.
"Will you two PLEASE quiet down! You'll wake the whole Shire!" She yelled. There was utter silence. I could imagine the look on their faces. My mother rarely yelled, but help you if you woke her up at night. My mother went back to her room and shut her door loudly. There was a moment of quiet, then the two drunkards busted out laughing. They stammered good nights to each other, then retired to their rooms.
I thought about the words they had slurred as they walked in the door. My heart rejoiced in thinking that Merry had asked my father and brother to court me. The courting process for hobbits was usually much like everything else they did, slow moving and thorough. It wasn't unusual for hobbits to be engaged for two or more years before getting married. Some however, like Tosto, were in a much bigger hurry to start their family. I wasn't in such a big rush, but I certainly hoped the courtship wouldn't last a full two years. This was the time for a couple to get to know each other before they threw themselves together in a hobbit hole of their own.
I looked forward to getting to know Merry more. Not that he was completely unfamiliar to me, we had grown up together. I had watched him grow from a small boy to the tallest hobbit I had ever laid my eyes on. He had gone from a light hearted prankster into a man who risked his life to fight evil and save all of Middle Earth. I never would have thought he would have grown so much in the last two years. I could see he still had a glint of prankster in his eye though. He was quick to laugh and smile and dance, or to pull a chair out from under his cousin, Pippin, while he was trying to sit down.
I had the hardest time falling back asleep after hearing my father and brother. My imagination ran rampant. I dreamed and pictured the perfect moments of my life with Merry. The flowers he would give, the perfect wedding, and the ten children we would have, all named after beloved friends and family. I didn't expect life would let me have it quite so perfect, but that's what dreams are for.
The next morning I woke early, because as soon as I woke up again, I started daydreaming again and couldn't get back to sleep. I went out to Gerda, who since my brother returned, was back to her old tricks. We had our daily wrestling match to get her milk. When I got back in, my mother was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. I pretended to not hear what my father and Fredegar were saying, and I asked her what they were going on about. "Just wait until your father gets up and he'll tell you all about it," she told me with a smirk. I knew better than to inquire any further. My mother wasn't one to repeat herself kindly.
My father and brother were in the deep slumber of a drunken stupor. So much so, that my mother had to wake them up just to eat. She knew how bad they both must have felt from the night before, but she had no sympathy for drinkers, especially ones that woke her as they stumbled into the house. She loudly stomped around the house, intentionally making all the noise she could. I wished she would take it easy on my father so he would be in a good mood and tell me what happened at the pub.
My father and Fredegar shuffled out of their rooms and to the dining room table. My mother and I were already waiting for them there. We loaded up our plates and began eating. I stared at my father, waiting for him to tell me about the night before. He was still dazed by his aftereffect, and wasn't even looking up from his plate. I looked to my mother, and she looked back at me, then to my father. I heard a thunk under the table, from her kicking him. He jumped, then seemed to snap out of his trance. He took a drink of his tea, then set it down. He didn't look up at me, but said, "Meriadoc Brandybuck was at the pub last night." I looked at him, but tried to to make any noticeable faces. Then he continued, "Well, my dear," then he hesitated for a moment, then looked at me and continued, "he asked if he could court you."
I couldn't help myself, and a smile quickly grew on my face. "What did you tell him?" I asked. My father took another drink of tea, then replied, "I told him I would talk to you first, to see how you felt about it." I didn't say anything for a few seconds. My father cleared his throat, then said "Well? What do you want, my dear? Do you want to be courted by Mr. Brandybuck?" I didn't want to seem too eager, but I couldn't contain my happiness. "Yes!" I blurted out, then caught myself. "Yes, father. I feel very fondly of Merry," I confessed.
"I told him if he ever hurt you, I'd knock his head off!" My brother interjected. I smiled and told him thank you for that. I looked around to everyone at the table. They were all wearing smiles, myself included.
My father looked up and informed us "Mr. Brandybuck will be over for supper tonight to discuss the courtship." My mother nodded in acknowledgment, then we finished our breakfast in a content silence.