My Neighbor I Know So Well (AmeCan)

Matthew's Back! (America)

3 October, 1902

        Dear Diary, quite a long while has passed since my last entry two years back. An amount of events had occurred through the whole of your absence. The eighth of September of nineteen-hundred, a powerful hurricane swept through Texas and killed more than six thousand people. Simultaneously, I began to feel a sharp pain in my lower right side, but excused it as muscle pain. It got worse throughout the day to the point where I could barely walk anymore. It got worse after I tripped over a cork in the parlor and landed on the exact spot. I could scarcely feel my shriek quiver the walls of the room, for the utter pain invested me so. After being rushed to the infirmary for an immediate checkup, they claimed to have found an inflamed organ and had to quickly disconnect it from my body. They were surprised I had woken up instead of losing my pulse and lie dead on the operation table. Storing the organ in a container, they showed it to me; I almost gagged at the sight. Can I live without it? I'm alive and well, aren't I? Another event that occurred was the murder of one of my bosses last year. Apparently someone didn't favor him running into office and decided to shoot him. He died from his wound and a national funeral was held. The Vice President took his role after. I cannot believe there are people like that in my country, around the world! Oh, world, what have we sculpted you into? I'm partially afraid of some certain countries in Europe. News are passed here and it doesn't sound too appeasing. Let's not make this entry all doom and gloom, I have a very special announcement to say: Matthew's back! Diary, you should've seen the look on his face as he dawdled on the boardwalk. He looked so confused! Escorted to the specific harbor with his caretaker, I was hiding behind a pole, awaiting to jump out at him, but quickly decided against it; I'm that nice. Arms waving in the air I yelled to Matthew. Running to me, I had my arms wide open to receive an embrace. That wasn't what happened. He ran up to me and punched me in the face, a little harder than what his small figure would seem to muster. It hurt a lot, but finally he hugged me. I asked why he did that, to which he replied, "Where were you when I was being departed? I thought you said you'll be home soon. Liar!" Apologies were more difficult to accept due to how much danger he's been displaced in and how bad his emotional state was. I told him to let all his anger out on me if it'll help, but he denied it and said, "Start making promises to me, Alfred. I'm through with assumptions, and I want to be certain. God knows what'll happen to the both of us, and what would follow. I'd rather be forced into absolute isolation than have to keep going along with this!" I noticed his change in attitude, it sounded a bit more hardened or solid if you will. I couldn't hear the normal soft spot in his voice like last time; has the war changed him that much? Here is a synopsis of how it played out:

"I missed you too, Matthew."

"That's not the point, what I'm trying to say is to please make promises because I don't want to keep hanging from 'assuring' dates telling when you will return from wars or anything else that will do you harm. I want you to promise me when to expect your return and actually be there. I'm not going to allow a day to pass over the given date."

"I know, you're upset that I didn't return when I said I would, but we're both present here now and that's all that matters. I'll start making promises if it makes you happy."

"It will make the both of us happy, just you see! Promise you'll promise."

"I promise."

"Good."

The rest of the day was spent having dinner at my house. It wasn't big, and only served me, Matthew, his caretaker, and my representative. After cleaning, I pulled him aside into the parlor and said that if we want to meet again, we could meet anytime now that I had the fullest freedom to do so. He said he'll have to ask his prime minister for permission, and the probability of him being allowed is very low. 

"According to him, safety is of utmost importance."

Dressed in my sleeping attire and laying in my bed, I'm preparing to go to sleep. In about a week or two, I'll hear his answer. Hopefully he will have granted permission to meet with me freely. I want to try and make up everything that caused his distress. My eyes are closing, and I still need to shut off the lights.

Your keeper, Alfred