Disclaimer: I don't own The Mr. Men or any of its characters, but I do own Mr. Thoughtful.
For the rest of the day, Mr. Thoughtful stayed home and tried to calm his anxieties. He put on some music while he laid on the couch. He refused to go to sleep until tonight. It was bad enough he'll have that same dream when he sleeps tonight; he didn't want to have it during the day too.
He was thinking about that dream and what happened when his old friends turned on him after they found out the truth about him when he heard a knock on the door.
Surprised, he fumbled to turn off the music and then went to answer the door. He reached out his senses and he was hit by happiness and a strong power of joy. He took a step back.
"Hello?" he asked awkwardly.
"Hello! I'm Mr. Happy!" he said and Mr. Thoughtful felt a hand touch his, shaking it and immediately a vision of this Mr. Man flashed in his mind. He was walking down the street, waving and smiling, but silently he questioned if he was smiling big enough, if people believed he was truly happy, and if anyone noticed the side of his mouth twitching as he tried to hold the big grin.
Then blackness slammed over him again and Mr. Thoughtful found himself standing in his house with his door opened and in front of Mr. Happy. He could feel his concern for him as he looked at Mr. Thoughtful.
Is he okay? the yellow Mr. Man thought and then he asked out loud," Are you okay?"
"Y-Yes, fine," he replied and then he asked," Are you okay?"
Surprised flashed from Mr. Happy. Can he tell? Am I smiling? Just smile and everything will be okay. "Uh yeah I'm… wonderful." Outside, he was happy or so he seemed. Mr. Thoughtful could feel a deep buried sadness in him that he tried so hard not to feel.
I'll keep an eye on him, he thought. Then he turned to the Little Miss who was beside Mr. Happy, but he was speaking to both of them when he said," Hello, I'm Mr. Thoughtful."
"Hello!" The Little Miss reached for his hand and shook it as well and Mr. Thoughtful found himself skipping through town, humming and greeting everyone he saw. This Little Miss was genuinely happy and bubbly.
Once again blackness covered Mr. Thoughtful's vision as the Little Miss let go of him. "I'm Miss. Sunshine!" she said, beaming with happiness.
"It's nice to meet you both," Mr. Thoughtful said, exhausted after having two visions back to back. He took a deep breath and added," It's late, isn't it?"
He could feel the difference in the air and the sunlight wasn't as strong anymore. He'd guess it was close to sunset.
Mr. Happy was confused at first and then he understood. "Yes, it's close to nighttime, but we only found out that you moved here. If we'd known sooner, we'd come earlier. But we wanted to welcome you to Dillydale."
"Yeah!" Little Miss Sunshine exclaimed. "It's great here! I'm sure you're going to love it!" New neighbor! Her thought entered Mr. Thoughtful's mind. New friend! This is so exciting!
Is he friendly? thought the other Mr. Man. He seems friendly. I hope he enjoys living here. Am I smiling? I need to smile.
Blocking out their thoughts, Mr. Thoughtful yawned and said," Well, it's been a long day. It was nice meeting you, but I'm tired, and I think I should just head off to bed. Goodnight."
He went to close the door, but halfway it stopped and he realized Little Miss Sunshine had put her hand on it. "Actually, we didn't come just to meet you. I mean, we did want to meet you," she quickly added. "But we also wanted to invite you to a 'Welcome to Dillydale' party, just for you!" She squealed with excitement. "It'll be so fun! There'll be games and food and everyone in Dillydale is invited so you can meet them!"
Mr. Thoughtful gulped. He could barely meet two people together without getting overwhelmed. How is he supposed to meet the whole town at once? Then another terrifying thought struck him. What if I slip up at the party and expose myself? They'd run me out and I just got here! He can't go and he was about to decline when suddenly the Little Miss's thoughts crowded in on his mind.
Why hasn't he said anything? Oh please come! It'll be fun! Please don't be like Mr. Grumpy and hate parties. Come on, give me an answer!
Then he heard Mr. Happy's thoughts: He's going to say no, I can feel it. Why else would he be hesitating? I hope we didn't scare him! I wanted to welcome him to Dillydale! What if he decides to move because he didn't feel welcomed?
Mr. Thoughtful's head was spinning, and he forced their thoughts and anxieties out of his head. He took a calming breath and forced himself to smile. "Okay, I'll come."
A mix of surprise and joy hit him so hard it nearly left him breathless.
"That's so great!" Little Miss Sunshine declared, and she threw her arms around him in a big hug.
A vision overtook him and she was sitting on the floor, crying. Her heart was broken, and she didn't understand why he snapped at her like that. Didn't he care about her anymore? Didn't he love her? None of it made any sense to her. Whatever I did, I'm sorry…
Then he was snapped back to the present, and he blinked as Little Miss Sunshine pulled away. Something bad was going to happen at the party. He saw it through her eyes and felt her pain. He shook his head. Now he had to attend, to hopefully keep the peace between the two in front of him. He didn't want the bubbly Little Miss to break down crying because the Mr. Man she loved yelled at her.
"When's this party?" he asked them.
"Tomorrow night at 7," Mr. Happy told him. "It's at my house on the other side of town." He hesitated and then added," I can pick you up if you like?"
Mr. Thoughtful didn't like the thought that he needed help, but since he was new in town, he didn't yet know the layout–and only that; not because he was blind! If he spent his whole life here, he could have found his way around, no problem! Like back home, he thought with a pang of homesickness.
Then he realized he never answered Mr. Happy, and he quickly nodded. "Yes, that'll be fine. Thank you."
"I'll be here around 6:30. Uh I'll knock on your door to let you know I'm here." He could feel Mr. Happy's awkwardness as he tip-toed around the fact that Mr. Thoughtful couldn't see.
"Yes, fine," Mr. Thoughtful murmured. "Okay, goodnight." He closed the door and sighed. He had to prepare himself mentally for tomorrow night. He needs to get a good night's sleep and spend the morning meditating so he's ready to face everyone.
Deciding to go to bed early tonight, he moved around his house, getting ready. He brushed his teeth and combed down his hair. He put on some calming music and climbed into bed, hoping he wouldn't be disturbed all night by dreams. His hope was in vain and he tossed and turned all night, hearing his old friends turn on him, and at some point he thought he heard the voices of the few people he's met in Dillydale tell him to leave their town for good.
He woke up, exhausted and anxious. He spent the morning sitting on his couch, listening to a meditating CD and just focusing on his own thoughts for a change. He had completely lost track of time, but after what felt like no time at all, there was a knock at his door and he heard Mr. Happy calling to him.
He took a deep breath and blew it out, forcing calmness to wash over him. "I can do this," he told himself. Then he got up and went to answer the door.
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