When something happens that only has to do with a few people, yet
bystanders understand it, things can be pretty amazing. I mean, how people
react is pretty amazing. Especially (like in this case) when things happen
at three in the morning.
It depends on how long you've been reading this story about Morgan Mendoza coming into Cory's life and "ruining" everything (or, really, making it better). If you've been reading it from the beginning, you'll know that Topanga left Cory. And you'll also know that everyone assumed she was gone.
Now, this is a lesson you should learn while you're young, because it becomes a habit when you're older. For one thing, you should NEVER assume ANYTHING. The reason is because absolutely positively no matter what, the chances that you are wrong are still there. Even if they're unlikely, they're still there.
Morgan, Angela, Shawn, and Cory learned this lesson. But then again, they were in their twenties - so, it sort of made sense that they had a habit of assuming things.
Well, I'm sure if you've been reading this wonderful truelove tale about Morgan Mendoza finally finding friends and all that mushy gushy crap, you'll know that Cory just proposed to Morgan.
Now, do I really have to tell you what she said? Because I'm sure you already know. The chances that you would be right are 50 to 50, because there are only two answers. Unless, of course, she invents one, like, "Maybe" or "I'm not sure, ask me later". But these aren't really answers, these are used to stall for time and a question as important as that, you just don't say "Maybe". You either take it or leave it.
Before I tell you, YOU tell ME - what do you think Morgan said? Now, come on. Be real here. This is "real life". Anything can happen.
Keep in mind, also, that Morgan Mendoza wasn't exactly the best decision maker in the world, okay? She's a fashion designer and she isn't exactly the sharpest crayon in the box. She's pretty insightful and intellectual, but under pressure, she cracks faster than...well...I don't exactly know at the moment. But she cracks pretty fast.
Oh, and remember it's three in the morning, too. Okay, it's not really three in the morning. It's actually a few minutes after three, since it took some time for Morgan to look around at Shawn and Angela and think for a moment. She was really only doing this to add suspense. But she was partly trying to say, "Yes" or "No" without the accent. Now that she knew people noticed her small English accent she developed when she lived in England for two years (which is long enough to develop an accent for Morgan, plus, she grew up around British people) she was very self- conscious about it.
So let's recap, shall we? Morgan could have either said yes or no. Morgan isn't the sharpest crayon in the box. Cory just asked Morgan to marry him.
Oh, and there's one small detail I forgot to mention. Don't worry; this detail isn't crucial to the story at all. In fact, it has absolutely nothing to do with the story at all. It doesn't change anything, and the fact that this detail arrived at the most crucial moment in the history of Cory and Morgan's life doesn't matter at all, because the detail doesn't matter!
Hah. Yeah, right.
So I'm sure you're wondering what the detail is, right? Well, the detail is this: wait, no. I can't tell you yet. I have to tell you exactly what everyone was doing.
Cory was waiting in suspense. Shawn was sneaking worried glances at Angela, and Angela was returning those glances. Angela also had her mouth open, still in shock. And occasionally she would raise her eyebrow, a habit she had adopted from Morgan.
Morgan opened her mouth to say her acceptance or rejection (I'm not telling you yet, don't think I'm that stupid), and everyone was waiting in agony and suffering for the answer.
Which was why no one was really that surprised when Topanga (now officially) Lawrence walked up at that very second.
"Hey, Cory!" she whispered loudly. Shawn and Angela rolled their eyes at each other and Morgan's mouth closed. Cory rolled his eyes.
Angela was thinking, "Of course this had to happen. This is just totally our luck. Morgan is about to announce her acceptance or rejection of this thing she's wanted for three years almost, and Topanga walks up and spoils everything."
Shawn was thinking: well, actually, he had 50 Cent's "In Da Club" stuck in his head. But when he saw Topanga, the song was whipped right out and instead he thought, "Oh, my, God."
Cory was thinking: "Great. Just my luck. Thanks, Topanga, thanks a lot."
And Morgan? Morgan was still trying to remember who that was. But otherwise, she was thinking: "Where do I know that person.?"
I guess L.A. really washes your brain out and makes you forget the people that really mattered to you.
"Topanga! What are you doing?" Shawn said, trying to make Cory and Morgan forget that she was here. Too late.
"I came back...I wanted to see you guys...you don't mind, do you?" she asked, suddenly worried.
"Why do you care? Why aren't you with Will?" Angela asked teasingly. "Oh, huh? We never got married. We broke up because...long story. Anyone think we should go inside? I think most people are sleeping." Topanga replied.
"Actually, we were in the middle of something..." Shawn told her. "Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I'm incredibly sorry if I am. You guys just continue, and pretend I'm not even here." Topanga said.
Everyone looked at her. "Oh, was it something I shouldn't know about? But then again, you guys are all...oh. Hi, Morgan." She said.
"Hello, Topanga. Are you...visiting for a week or so?" Morgan asked. She always tried to be nice to people. Hey...I said tried.
"No, actually, I was thinking, if Cory doesn't mind, if I could move back in with you guys. I really missed all of you in D.C." Topanga said.
"D.C.? I thought you were in Seattle," Cory replied. "D.C., Seattle, same thing. It's exactly like raspberry and strawberry. Anyway, do you mind, Cory? I don't really have a place to stay."
This, as you can obviously tell, ruined everything. "Actually, no vacancy," Angela informed her. "Really?" Topanga laughed. "Who?"
Being in Seattle or D.C. or wherever she was really turned her mean, Cory thought. "Umm...it's me..." Morgan said, her voice trailing off. She said it in a question form.
"Are you asking me, or telling me?" Topanga said snobbily. "My God, Topanga, what is with you?" Shawn asked.
"I know! Who are you and what have you done with my former best friend? Because whoever you are, it most certainly isn't Topanga Lawrence!" Angela said, shaking Topanga's shoulders.
"I am Topanga Lawrence, duh. I just haven't exactly taken to Morgan the way some people have. Listen, Morgan. You may think you fool some people but you don't fool me. I know who you really are and what you really want. You want to steal the person I really love." Topanga said firmly.
"Umm...sorry to inform you, Topanga, but no one really thought you were coming back," Cory admitted.
"Umm...maybe she's tired?" Morgan guessed. Angela nodded. "Yeah, you just need to sleep a little. Come on, into my apartment. Cory and Morgan need to t-a-l-k TALK." Angela told her.
Angela and Shawn ushered Topanga into their apartment, but Shawn couldn't help feeling anxious. What was Morgan going to say?
So, about now I think you know that Morgan could have either said one of two things (well, obviously). She could have either said yes or no - each one had an equally fair chance. However, as seconds in the minutes in the hours of the clock ticked slowly away, things were thinning out - chances that Morgan would say yes were getting lower and chances she'd say "No, Topanga's here now," were getting a lot higher.
Cory was confused, too. Now that Topanga was here, was everything Shawn said - erm, yelled - to him wrong now? The main part of it all was that Topanga was gone. But now that she was here, should he just withdraw the question? Would Morgan even answer it, anyway? Topanga had come at exactly the wrong time.
"Are we just going to stand outside, or...?" Morgan asked him. "No, we aren't, we're going to go inside like normal people." Cory answered.
They went into their apartment and without a word, went to sleep. Umm, no, never mind. They went to their bedrooms. They never fell asleep. No one except Topanga was able to fall asleep. Angela thought all night about what would happen. Shawn thought pretty much the same thing, as well as Cory.
But Morgan's thoughts were a lot more complex than that. Not only did they involve plenty of different things, they also involved branches - like a tree. There was the trunk of the tree, which was the proposal.
Then it all stemmed out into different questions, and then it branched out into different things. The Tree of Morgan's Thoughts is way too complex for me to even begin to write, so I won't.
But Morgan was unsure about what she should do. If she accepted the proposal, then Topanga might feel bad. But if she refused it, then everyday she would wonder what would have happened if she had said yes. She didn't want to wonder. She wanted to know.
But did Cory still mean it now? Did he still love her, even with Topanga there? Topanga was a beautiful person, that was true. Everyone admitted it, whether they were married or unavailable or whatever. Even the people that hated her admitted it.
But then again, they also admitted it about Morgan. Except, Morgan didn't know this because she's Morgan, and you don't often know when people say you are beautiful.
Morgan found herself in the dark. Not just literally, but in the mind, too. Why was she doing this to herself? She deserved better. She just had to know if Cory still meant what he said.
She loved him. No, it wasn't just that. There was a difference between loving someone and being IN love with them.
Naturally, she was in love with Cory Matthews. I mean, Morgan loved Angela and Shawn - they were her friends. Everyone loves their friends, especially if they are as good of friends as Angela and Shawn.
But she was in love with Cory Matthews. And it didn't take a genius to recognize it. It didn't take a rocket scientist to recognize it. It didn't take Albert Einstein to recognize it, although Morgan wouldn't have known because she didn't know if Einstein ever got married or what. If he was the smartest man that ever lived, did he ever fall in love?
No, he couldn't have, Morgan told herself. Only fools fall in love. And that's what she was - a fool. She wasn't as smart as everyone thought she was, because she, Morgan Mendoza, had fallen in straight, plain, old love.
She remembered before any of this had ever happened. Strike that. She tried to remember. She couldn't. She tried to remember when she had first fallen in love with this person that was currently torn between two lovers.
She couldn't. She couldn't even remember their first kiss. When had it been? Had it been right after she'd returned? Had she been in the lobby, having coffee? She thought so, and if she was wrong (which, she bet she was)...
This scared her. You should remember the first kiss of someone you loved. You just did.
No, she remembered it. She hadn't been paying attention to when or where she was, but she remembered it. She had wanted to stay in that moment for as long as she lived.
She relived that moment, then sighed. "Why can't I relive that moment in my dreams?" she asked herself. "Why do I have to constantly relive the car crash?"
"I get it!" she said, louder than she had wanted but she didn't care. "I get it now! See, I relive the car crash because it means that I'm not over those people, but I will be if I..."
For a second, Morgan Mendoza had understood it all.
But then, she had lost it.
The next day, Morgan "awoke" before Cory. She went into the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of coffee.
He walked in there. "Oh, you're already awake?" she asked. "Yeah, I've been up for a long time." He told her.
"No, you didn't fall asleep either, did you?" she asked. "No duh. I've been up thinking all night. I don't see why everyone has to think so much." He said. "Well, you know what I mean."
"Yeah," she smiled. "So. Are you happy Topanga's here?"
"Not really," he said. "She kind of ruined everything. Now I have to deal with her, not to mention everything else. Really screws it all up."
She smiled at him again. He was right. "So..." she said. They both knew what they wanted to ask, but none of them wanted to say it.
"Morgan, I meant what I said earlier," he said, but the words didn't come out. In fact, his mouth didn't even move.
He stared at her again - but tried to pretend like he wasn't. She was beautiful, she was all dressed in purple, in pajama pants and a tank top that showed part of her stomach. Her long brown hair sort of draped over her shoulders and framed her face. She leaned over and reached for her glasses and put them on.
"I don't remember seeing you in glasses," he noted. "Oh, well, I haven't put my contacts in yet." She said.
"You really need contacts?" he asked her. "Um, well, no, not really, but I got them anyway. I can see fine without them. It's just, all my friends got contacts and glasses, so I did too, and then I just sort of got hooked on wearing them." She explained.
He decided now was the time to do it. "Morgan, I meant what I said earlier," he said. "I really, really did. And I think that no matter who comes and interrupts, I don't think that has anything to do with how I feel about you. I don't care about Topanga. She left, and you didn't. You stayed here. You could've left, but you didn't. I mean, how many job offers have you gotten since you came here? Twenty?"
"Twenty one," she replied, ashamed of the fact that he knew about them. "And they were all for different places. You could have moved to anywhere in the world. Paris, London, Sydney...anywhere. But you didn't, you stayed here." He continued.
"Yeah, so?" she asked. She knew what he was getting at, but she tried to keep her cool.
"So...I asked you once but I think I have to ask you again. Morgan, will you...will you marry me?"
They both looked towards the door at the same time, but no one came in.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, I will."
And at that moment, Topanga walked in the door.
Again.
It depends on how long you've been reading this story about Morgan Mendoza coming into Cory's life and "ruining" everything (or, really, making it better). If you've been reading it from the beginning, you'll know that Topanga left Cory. And you'll also know that everyone assumed she was gone.
Now, this is a lesson you should learn while you're young, because it becomes a habit when you're older. For one thing, you should NEVER assume ANYTHING. The reason is because absolutely positively no matter what, the chances that you are wrong are still there. Even if they're unlikely, they're still there.
Morgan, Angela, Shawn, and Cory learned this lesson. But then again, they were in their twenties - so, it sort of made sense that they had a habit of assuming things.
Well, I'm sure if you've been reading this wonderful truelove tale about Morgan Mendoza finally finding friends and all that mushy gushy crap, you'll know that Cory just proposed to Morgan.
Now, do I really have to tell you what she said? Because I'm sure you already know. The chances that you would be right are 50 to 50, because there are only two answers. Unless, of course, she invents one, like, "Maybe" or "I'm not sure, ask me later". But these aren't really answers, these are used to stall for time and a question as important as that, you just don't say "Maybe". You either take it or leave it.
Before I tell you, YOU tell ME - what do you think Morgan said? Now, come on. Be real here. This is "real life". Anything can happen.
Keep in mind, also, that Morgan Mendoza wasn't exactly the best decision maker in the world, okay? She's a fashion designer and she isn't exactly the sharpest crayon in the box. She's pretty insightful and intellectual, but under pressure, she cracks faster than...well...I don't exactly know at the moment. But she cracks pretty fast.
Oh, and remember it's three in the morning, too. Okay, it's not really three in the morning. It's actually a few minutes after three, since it took some time for Morgan to look around at Shawn and Angela and think for a moment. She was really only doing this to add suspense. But she was partly trying to say, "Yes" or "No" without the accent. Now that she knew people noticed her small English accent she developed when she lived in England for two years (which is long enough to develop an accent for Morgan, plus, she grew up around British people) she was very self- conscious about it.
So let's recap, shall we? Morgan could have either said yes or no. Morgan isn't the sharpest crayon in the box. Cory just asked Morgan to marry him.
Oh, and there's one small detail I forgot to mention. Don't worry; this detail isn't crucial to the story at all. In fact, it has absolutely nothing to do with the story at all. It doesn't change anything, and the fact that this detail arrived at the most crucial moment in the history of Cory and Morgan's life doesn't matter at all, because the detail doesn't matter!
Hah. Yeah, right.
So I'm sure you're wondering what the detail is, right? Well, the detail is this: wait, no. I can't tell you yet. I have to tell you exactly what everyone was doing.
Cory was waiting in suspense. Shawn was sneaking worried glances at Angela, and Angela was returning those glances. Angela also had her mouth open, still in shock. And occasionally she would raise her eyebrow, a habit she had adopted from Morgan.
Morgan opened her mouth to say her acceptance or rejection (I'm not telling you yet, don't think I'm that stupid), and everyone was waiting in agony and suffering for the answer.
Which was why no one was really that surprised when Topanga (now officially) Lawrence walked up at that very second.
"Hey, Cory!" she whispered loudly. Shawn and Angela rolled their eyes at each other and Morgan's mouth closed. Cory rolled his eyes.
Angela was thinking, "Of course this had to happen. This is just totally our luck. Morgan is about to announce her acceptance or rejection of this thing she's wanted for three years almost, and Topanga walks up and spoils everything."
Shawn was thinking: well, actually, he had 50 Cent's "In Da Club" stuck in his head. But when he saw Topanga, the song was whipped right out and instead he thought, "Oh, my, God."
Cory was thinking: "Great. Just my luck. Thanks, Topanga, thanks a lot."
And Morgan? Morgan was still trying to remember who that was. But otherwise, she was thinking: "Where do I know that person.?"
I guess L.A. really washes your brain out and makes you forget the people that really mattered to you.
"Topanga! What are you doing?" Shawn said, trying to make Cory and Morgan forget that she was here. Too late.
"I came back...I wanted to see you guys...you don't mind, do you?" she asked, suddenly worried.
"Why do you care? Why aren't you with Will?" Angela asked teasingly. "Oh, huh? We never got married. We broke up because...long story. Anyone think we should go inside? I think most people are sleeping." Topanga replied.
"Actually, we were in the middle of something..." Shawn told her. "Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I'm incredibly sorry if I am. You guys just continue, and pretend I'm not even here." Topanga said.
Everyone looked at her. "Oh, was it something I shouldn't know about? But then again, you guys are all...oh. Hi, Morgan." She said.
"Hello, Topanga. Are you...visiting for a week or so?" Morgan asked. She always tried to be nice to people. Hey...I said tried.
"No, actually, I was thinking, if Cory doesn't mind, if I could move back in with you guys. I really missed all of you in D.C." Topanga said.
"D.C.? I thought you were in Seattle," Cory replied. "D.C., Seattle, same thing. It's exactly like raspberry and strawberry. Anyway, do you mind, Cory? I don't really have a place to stay."
This, as you can obviously tell, ruined everything. "Actually, no vacancy," Angela informed her. "Really?" Topanga laughed. "Who?"
Being in Seattle or D.C. or wherever she was really turned her mean, Cory thought. "Umm...it's me..." Morgan said, her voice trailing off. She said it in a question form.
"Are you asking me, or telling me?" Topanga said snobbily. "My God, Topanga, what is with you?" Shawn asked.
"I know! Who are you and what have you done with my former best friend? Because whoever you are, it most certainly isn't Topanga Lawrence!" Angela said, shaking Topanga's shoulders.
"I am Topanga Lawrence, duh. I just haven't exactly taken to Morgan the way some people have. Listen, Morgan. You may think you fool some people but you don't fool me. I know who you really are and what you really want. You want to steal the person I really love." Topanga said firmly.
"Umm...sorry to inform you, Topanga, but no one really thought you were coming back," Cory admitted.
"Umm...maybe she's tired?" Morgan guessed. Angela nodded. "Yeah, you just need to sleep a little. Come on, into my apartment. Cory and Morgan need to t-a-l-k TALK." Angela told her.
Angela and Shawn ushered Topanga into their apartment, but Shawn couldn't help feeling anxious. What was Morgan going to say?
So, about now I think you know that Morgan could have either said one of two things (well, obviously). She could have either said yes or no - each one had an equally fair chance. However, as seconds in the minutes in the hours of the clock ticked slowly away, things were thinning out - chances that Morgan would say yes were getting lower and chances she'd say "No, Topanga's here now," were getting a lot higher.
Cory was confused, too. Now that Topanga was here, was everything Shawn said - erm, yelled - to him wrong now? The main part of it all was that Topanga was gone. But now that she was here, should he just withdraw the question? Would Morgan even answer it, anyway? Topanga had come at exactly the wrong time.
"Are we just going to stand outside, or...?" Morgan asked him. "No, we aren't, we're going to go inside like normal people." Cory answered.
They went into their apartment and without a word, went to sleep. Umm, no, never mind. They went to their bedrooms. They never fell asleep. No one except Topanga was able to fall asleep. Angela thought all night about what would happen. Shawn thought pretty much the same thing, as well as Cory.
But Morgan's thoughts were a lot more complex than that. Not only did they involve plenty of different things, they also involved branches - like a tree. There was the trunk of the tree, which was the proposal.
Then it all stemmed out into different questions, and then it branched out into different things. The Tree of Morgan's Thoughts is way too complex for me to even begin to write, so I won't.
But Morgan was unsure about what she should do. If she accepted the proposal, then Topanga might feel bad. But if she refused it, then everyday she would wonder what would have happened if she had said yes. She didn't want to wonder. She wanted to know.
But did Cory still mean it now? Did he still love her, even with Topanga there? Topanga was a beautiful person, that was true. Everyone admitted it, whether they were married or unavailable or whatever. Even the people that hated her admitted it.
But then again, they also admitted it about Morgan. Except, Morgan didn't know this because she's Morgan, and you don't often know when people say you are beautiful.
Morgan found herself in the dark. Not just literally, but in the mind, too. Why was she doing this to herself? She deserved better. She just had to know if Cory still meant what he said.
She loved him. No, it wasn't just that. There was a difference between loving someone and being IN love with them.
Naturally, she was in love with Cory Matthews. I mean, Morgan loved Angela and Shawn - they were her friends. Everyone loves their friends, especially if they are as good of friends as Angela and Shawn.
But she was in love with Cory Matthews. And it didn't take a genius to recognize it. It didn't take a rocket scientist to recognize it. It didn't take Albert Einstein to recognize it, although Morgan wouldn't have known because she didn't know if Einstein ever got married or what. If he was the smartest man that ever lived, did he ever fall in love?
No, he couldn't have, Morgan told herself. Only fools fall in love. And that's what she was - a fool. She wasn't as smart as everyone thought she was, because she, Morgan Mendoza, had fallen in straight, plain, old love.
She remembered before any of this had ever happened. Strike that. She tried to remember. She couldn't. She tried to remember when she had first fallen in love with this person that was currently torn between two lovers.
She couldn't. She couldn't even remember their first kiss. When had it been? Had it been right after she'd returned? Had she been in the lobby, having coffee? She thought so, and if she was wrong (which, she bet she was)...
This scared her. You should remember the first kiss of someone you loved. You just did.
No, she remembered it. She hadn't been paying attention to when or where she was, but she remembered it. She had wanted to stay in that moment for as long as she lived.
She relived that moment, then sighed. "Why can't I relive that moment in my dreams?" she asked herself. "Why do I have to constantly relive the car crash?"
"I get it!" she said, louder than she had wanted but she didn't care. "I get it now! See, I relive the car crash because it means that I'm not over those people, but I will be if I..."
For a second, Morgan Mendoza had understood it all.
But then, she had lost it.
The next day, Morgan "awoke" before Cory. She went into the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of coffee.
He walked in there. "Oh, you're already awake?" she asked. "Yeah, I've been up for a long time." He told her.
"No, you didn't fall asleep either, did you?" she asked. "No duh. I've been up thinking all night. I don't see why everyone has to think so much." He said. "Well, you know what I mean."
"Yeah," she smiled. "So. Are you happy Topanga's here?"
"Not really," he said. "She kind of ruined everything. Now I have to deal with her, not to mention everything else. Really screws it all up."
She smiled at him again. He was right. "So..." she said. They both knew what they wanted to ask, but none of them wanted to say it.
"Morgan, I meant what I said earlier," he said, but the words didn't come out. In fact, his mouth didn't even move.
He stared at her again - but tried to pretend like he wasn't. She was beautiful, she was all dressed in purple, in pajama pants and a tank top that showed part of her stomach. Her long brown hair sort of draped over her shoulders and framed her face. She leaned over and reached for her glasses and put them on.
"I don't remember seeing you in glasses," he noted. "Oh, well, I haven't put my contacts in yet." She said.
"You really need contacts?" he asked her. "Um, well, no, not really, but I got them anyway. I can see fine without them. It's just, all my friends got contacts and glasses, so I did too, and then I just sort of got hooked on wearing them." She explained.
He decided now was the time to do it. "Morgan, I meant what I said earlier," he said. "I really, really did. And I think that no matter who comes and interrupts, I don't think that has anything to do with how I feel about you. I don't care about Topanga. She left, and you didn't. You stayed here. You could've left, but you didn't. I mean, how many job offers have you gotten since you came here? Twenty?"
"Twenty one," she replied, ashamed of the fact that he knew about them. "And they were all for different places. You could have moved to anywhere in the world. Paris, London, Sydney...anywhere. But you didn't, you stayed here." He continued.
"Yeah, so?" she asked. She knew what he was getting at, but she tried to keep her cool.
"So...I asked you once but I think I have to ask you again. Morgan, will you...will you marry me?"
They both looked towards the door at the same time, but no one came in.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, I will."
And at that moment, Topanga walked in the door.
Again.