Sad and Mad

o

part three.

LOU

the people in this horribly lonesome town have already declared me insane. go figure, since everyone here is so normal.

i know there is a life beyond humming mills. there's got to be, because i've read books where people are surrounded by jungles and others are engulfed with waves. they could be fictional, but surely the world's population is not 2,374.

humming mills is the town i've lived in my whole life. everybody knows everybody, and nobody moves in, or out. it's distantly off of the california bay, but i've never travelled anywhere besides the local fairgrounds.

my school is the only school in town. it's a private christian academy where beatings and prayers occur on a daily basis.

my father, the only surgeon in town, is an extremely wealthy man. the homes in humming mills are old and creaky. they were built around 1902 and were small. my father, with his extreme family and business wealth, had bought two homes and demolished them, leaving a clear space of land to create his dream home.

my mother, a happy novelist, agreed to allow him to waste our money on his home, as long as her closet was large and her bathroom clean. her standards for the new house were more logical than my father's, who wanted to add a bowling alley between the kitchen and dining room.

for six painful months we lived in a cramped hotel room, waiting for my father to complete his construction.

after the debate was over, nicholas, my boyfriend, decided to drive me over to the construction site, where i hadn't visited in three weeks.

nicholas had a huge grin stuck on his face and was holding my hand tightly as the other gripped the steering wheel.

"don't get so excited, silly goose. knowing my father, he probably procrastinated and won't get it done until christmas." i laughed, rolling my eyes at nkw's excited facial expressions.

nicholas just brightened even more. "you did fantastic on your debate. congratulations, love, you won!"

bashfully, i just waved it off. "well, it wasn't my best work. i'm just glad you arrived."

he helped me out of the car and into his fragile, yet protective arms. we stood appalled at the masterpiece before us.

my father peeled his helmet off and smiled brightly. "what do you think, guys?"

i think this was the best surgery my father has completed yet.

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NKW

this was by far the prettiest house in humming mills. it twisted modern designs with homey features, such as the heated pool inside of the living room, or the crystal walls in the bathrooms.

mr. undersaw beamed at us as we stared in awe at the game room he placed in the attic. it was truly magnificent, and it was a blessing to be able to come over whenever i wanted.

lucy seemed slightly impressed but contained most of her emotions. she finally smiled shyly when she saw her room, and how there were secret compartments for every wall and floorboard in the room. she hugged her father tightly and thanked him for the extra large room.

"well, you are my only daughter." mr. undersaw said somewhat contently. he had made her older brother's rooms smaller, but still very nicely.

the last room he showcased was my favorite of all. it was a movie theatre with private and soundproof walls. not that i loved watching movies, but i loved having a quiet region to enjoy myself with lucy. i could tell she was also imagining things by the way her hands got sweaty and her knees shaked slightly.

we treated ourselves to popsicles on the front porch while lucy's father continued unpacking their items.

"so, i guess i know where we'll be staying whenever we want to hang out." i joked lightly, still holding her hand.

she just bitterly finished her popsicle, tossing the stick onto the brand new circle driveway.

"nicholas." she said quietly.

i squeezed her hand. "hmm?"

"i don't deserve you."

frowning, i countered, "that's not true."

"it is." she was emotionless.

when lucy said these things, it made me hurt. to think my wonderful girlfriend thought she wasn't good enough for me was ridiculous, but she often said these things. it was because of her mood disorder, that's what her parents insisted.

"lucy." i mimicked her.

"what?"

"you are more beautiful than a hundred stars. smarter than a thousand einstein's. stronger than a million muscles. sweeter than a billion lollipops. and best of all, you're mine. i'm so grateful for you."

she laughed, her happiness creeping out. it was the phrase i said a lot to her, as if to remind her that she was all of those things so her self confidence would boost. she was very depressed most of the day, so severely she normally wouldn't even talk to me. i'm glad i cheered her up before she got too deep.

"thank you, the same applies to you." she said, her eyes twinkling as her teeth shined.

i threw my popsicle stick away and came back to her. the wooden porch steps weren't exactly comfortable, so we went inside to the living room.

i clicked the television on and watched her favorite comedy show until she passed out curled up by me. i held her closely and ignored the melting m&m's in her hand.

i didn't even notice her father was admiring us until he yelled, "you better not get my new couches dirty!!"

i cleaned the m&m's.

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