31. Carter
CHAPTER 31
CARTER
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Brian remarked, looking me up and down.
I gave myself a once-over. I wore the same suit I usually did. “Is it the tie?” I joked, fingering the leaf-patterned wool. “I thought it was festive.”
“While it is an ugly tie, I’m used to you making questionable fashion choices. No,” he shook his head, “this time I’m referring to your willingness to do an interview.”
I tugged on my tie to get it to lie straight again and cleared my throat, feeling suddenly self-conscious. “Yes, well, I’m doing it for Megyn.”
“The power of love,” Brian sighed, and I almost believed that he wasn’t being dramatic.
“Did you do the research I asked for?” I questioned.
Brian handed me a piece of paper with a phone number written on it. “This is the most reputable agency I could find. And you didn’t comment on what I said.”
I blinked at him. “What did you say?”
“I said, the power of love.”
“And?”
Brian scoffed at me. “Now is when you should start acting all embarrassed over being in love. That’s what happens in the sitcoms.”
I smiled. “Unlike the immature characters on most TV shows, I’m ready to settle down and live my life. Yes, I’m doing this for Megyn because I love her and there’s nothing weird or laughable about it.”
“You’re no fun.”
I started dialing the number of the news agency into my phone. “I haven’t said it to her yet.”
“Why not? Maggie practically blurted it out to me the first time we met at the party.”
“Maggie is very sure and confident of herself,” I said, laughing. “But I don’t want Megyn to feel pressured into saying it back.”
“Maybe she’s waiting on you to say it so she won’t feel presumptuous.”
“Well, at this rate, I guess we still won’t have said it by our twentieth anniversary. And that’s fine with me. I can feel it.” I touched my phone to my chest to prove it. A buzzing ringing sound startled me. I’d accidentally pushed the call button. I jerked the phone up and put it to my ear.
Brian opened his mouth to say something.
I lifted my finger to my lips to silence him as the ringing stopped and an unfamiliar voice came on the line. “You’ve reached the offices of Channel 13 News, the most accurate and up-to-date news network in the state of New York. Iris speaking. How may I help you?”
“Hello, Iris,” I said. “My name is Carter Bryant.”
I had more to say but something happened on the other end of the line that prevented me from talking: a huge crash. I stared at Brian and he stared back, not knowing anything was wrong.
“Iris?” I asked. “Everything okay?”
Iris cleared her throat. “Yes, sir, Mr. Carter. Mr. Bryant! Ah, um, what can I help you with?”
“I would like to schedule an interview with your channel, for myself and my princess Cinderella.”
“We would-We would be glad to come talk to you!”
“That’s good. I hope you’re ready, because it has to be today. You will come out to Cinderella’s address—I know you have it—and we’ll hold the whole thing there.”
I heard a lot of shuffling and then a frenzy of scribbling. “Absolutely, sir. Of course. Today. Cinderella’s castle. House, I mean. Do you—”
“6 p.m.,” I answered, predicting what she would ask. Brian was laughing at my braze attitude. I ignored his silent guffaws. “You’ll send only two people. A reporter and a cameraman.”
“I, well, we need to send along a producer—”
“Two people,” I said firmly. “Thank you for being patient and putting up with me, Iris. I know that you aren’t the one in charge of all this and might take some flak as the messenger. But I must insist that there only be two people. This interview will take place in a house that belongs to my Cinderella and I don’t want it to be filled up with news people.”
Iris scribbled more. “Will you hold while I go confirm this with my superior?”
I decided to take it easy on the poor girl and agreed.
She did forget to put the phone actually on hold and so I was able to hear most of the conversation, though not the specific words. Whoever she spoke to seemed extremely unhappy and did a lot of moaning and yelling. Iris, for her part, seemed to take the whole thing in stride. When she came back on the line, her voice was steady and professional.
“6 p.m. it is. We’re sending a reporter and a cameraman only, as per your request.”
“Thank you. Take care.” I hung up.
Brian started laughing aloud again. “If you were always so swift and professional, we could get things accomplished so much faster.”
I started to speak, but he cut me off with a shake of his head and a wave of his hand. “Save it. I’m aware that’s not you. Quality over quantity.”
I grinned and whacked him one on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
“What are best friend assistants for? I think you’d best get along and go tell Megyn what’s happening.”
Looking at the time, I realized he was right. 6 p.m. wasn’t all that far away. I probably should have requested a later time, but it was too late now.
“You’ll be fine without me?” I asked, already heading for the door.
“When am I not?” Brian called after me.
I texted Megyn while riding the elevator down, letting her know the details and that I was on my way over. I first had to stop by my house to pick up my prince outfit, and then I made my way to her house. My house now, technically.
The street as clear, the night air cool. A single light was on in Megyn’s house, shining from her bedroom.
I bounded up to her porch and let myself in. “Megyn, I’m here!”
“I’m in the bathroom.”
“I’ll wait.”
“No,” she laughed. “I’m just putting my makeup on.”
Lugging my suit along, I went in search of her and found her already in her costume, looking so sweet and adorable in her ruffle-y body-hugging dress. She slid a tube of lipstick over her lips, painting them deep plum-red. Her hair hung around her shoulders still.
I went up behind her and slid my fingers in her hair, and softly kissed the back of her neck. “Hey, Cinderella.”
She smiled at me in the mirror and rubbed her head on mine. “Hi, Prince Charming. This is crazy.”
“Yes, it is. But necessary.” I shucked off my suit jacket, undressing so I could put on my own costume.
Megyn watched me in the mirror, her brown eyes going hazy with a mist of lust. “I just hope no one will be too disappointed when mice don’t run out of my house.”
I laughed and started putting on my costume, wriggling in the fitted trousers and shirt. “Your evil stepmother also isn’t here.”
“Thank goodness for small favors,” Megyn sighed. “I can do without being fully accurate to the source material.”
“Well, in the original story, you have sisters who try to cut off part of their toes to fit in the glass slipper you leave behind.”
Megyn started laughing and whisked her fingers over my chest. “You think Suzie wouldn’t take hedge clippers to her toes if she thought it would work?”
I laughed and hugged her tight. “I guess she can take the role of the evil stepsister, sure.”
We finished dressing just in time for a knock on the door, announcing the arrival of our so-called guests. I motioned for Megyn to go and sit on the couch and answered the door for her.
A rather polite, professional-looking young woman with blonde hair and big blue eyes stood on the porch, backed up by a much larger man who would have looked more at home in a Louisiana bayou. He was vast in all meanings of the word, in possession of a huge belly and almost tall enough to knock his head on the top of the doorframe.
The young woman smiled shyly at me and held out the hand not holding a small backpack. “Mr. Bryant? I’m Iris. We spoke on the phone.”
As soon as she spoke, I recognized her voice. I shook her hand warmly. “Just call me Carter. I’m sorry for how brisk I sounded before.”
Iris seemed to relax. “Carter, then. This is my cameraman, George. He had a crash course in producing before coming here with me, so I suppose you could say we are in good hands.”
I think I like this kid.
“Come inside. Come meet Megyn.”
Megyn got up from the couch and shook Iris’s hand, and gave George a big smile. He grinned and winked at her from behind his camera.
“So, is this where you two wanted to do the interview?” Iris asked, looking around.
“Yes,” I said.
George nudged Iris’s shoulder, almost knocking her over. “I think if they sit on the couch and we can pull that chair over at an angle, the framing will work.”
“Can we move that armchair?” Iris asked.
I looked to Megyn. She nodded.
Quickly, we got ready and set up the scene. George had us sit while he ran some test footage. “Megyn, say something.”
Megyn, sitting primly with her hands folded in her lap, declared, “Peas and carrots.” That set George off into a gale of laughter. Iris and I exchanged confused looks.
Must be some filming thing I don’t get.
Eventually, with the framing done and the sound quality approved by George, we began.
Iris sat in the armchair and took the lead in a quick and professional way I wouldn’t have predicted from her, going smoothly through introductions before getting down to the meat of things.
“By now, everyone thinks they know the story of how you two met, but why don’t we set the record straight, Carter? Tell us how you met Megyn. Was it at the party?”
“It was at the party,” I confirmed. I submerged myself in the memories, reciting them as they came, how I had been looking all night before finally seeing a beautiful princess standing off on her own. I talked about her blue Converse, and not knowing who she was, and my search to find her identity.
At first, Iris asked questions to guide me. Then Megyn started jumping in with memories of her own and Iris went silent, letting the two of us talk. I loved every second we spent reminiscing. It was the first time we had really done so and it seemed to me like we were weaving a sort of modern fairytale.
Finally, I ran out of things to say. I was out of breath too, which I hadn’t realized.
Iris looked to Megyn. “It’s amazing that the two of you managed to meet and connect under ordinary circumstances. But your circumstances aren’t ordinary, are they? The two of you come from very different backgrounds. It can be hard for couples with little in common. What’s your secret?”
Megyn looked at me, almost like she expected me to answer, but then I realized she was just thinking. I kept quiet, not wanting to influence her; in truth, I was as eager as any viewer to hear her opinion on the matter.
Megyn stirred and started to speak, sounding more like a queen than a princess, full of certainty and a quiet inner strength that brought tears to my eyes to hear. “There’s no big secret,” she said. “The truth is we’re just two people who were looking for the same things. Love. Stability.”
“Love, sure. But stability?”
Megyn looked at me again and put her hand on my knee. “Carter always says he was looking for someone to come home to, someone to share everything with. For me, I was… looking for someone who wouldn’t leave.”
In soft spurts of breathless words, Megyn gave a brief summary of her home life: losing her mother, her father’s inadequate parenting, and her step-mother Crystal coming into the picture simply with the intent to leave again.
I put my hand over Megyn’s and squeezed it, hoping she’d pick up on the signal. This was her chance to turn the conversation, like we had discussed prior.
She performed beautifully, leading naturally into a discussion of her dreams for the house and how I was helping her with making her dream a reality. Then, much to my surprise, Megyn pulled out a box of the things she had made from under the couch, showing the precious dolls and baby clothes to the camera.
George’s dynamic camera work ground to a halt. He seemed incapable of focusing on anything other than what Megyn showed off.
Iris, too, was fascinated. She dropped her professional manner and exclaimed over the toys like a little girl.
“I’m going to donate these and much more to the children’s hospital,” Megyn announced. “But I can make more upon request. And, of course, when I open up my sewing store, I’ll have lots of things like this to sell.”
Iris stroked a doll’s curly hair and shook her head. “This is amazing. Carter has already proven himself an advocate for the people and it looks like you will be too, Megyn. What a power couple!”
Megyn blushed, but she didn’t duck or try to hide like she had in the past. She sat up straight and proud and announced, “I just want to help others have what I didn’t, growing up. Maybe I’ll offer classes…”
She had more to say, but that was as much as I could bear. Emotions swelled inside me and came pouring out. I grabbed hold of Megyn’s shoulders, cutting her off, and declared, “I love you!”
Megyn stared at me, and then tears brimmed in her eyes. They spilled down her cheeks, dripping on my costume sleeves. She flung her arms around my neck and cried, “I love you, too!”
My heart singing, my body full of warmth and love for her, I hugged her tight and kissed her lips. I tasted the salt of her tears, the sweetness that was so uniquely and undeniably her.
Megyn pressed her lips to mine, kissing me back, her tears continuing to fall, wetting my own cheeks.
Iris said, very softly, “It looks like the glass slipper fits this princess. Look for these two in the future. They’re going to be doing amazing things.”
Megyn has already done amazing things for me.
I kept kissing the love of my life, unable to get enough.