The Pied Piper Finds Love

Being a teenager living with two alcoholics was not fun. There was no escape at school, either. I was bullied there too. I was such an easy target. I was so plain that I provided ammunition for their cruel words. I was the mouse to them, too. They told me that no one would ever love me or find me attractive. Why would they?

When I was 17, I started working with Coral in a fancy dress shop. It really appealed to me, dressing up, becoming someone else. Someone other than me. Someone who wasn't the mouse. Coral and I hit it off. I finally felt that I had someone in my life who cared about me. He told me that he did drag as Madame Coral at weekends. He was only just starting out then. I desperately wanted to see him perform, but I was 17 and looked 13. No one was going to let me go in a club. So that was when he worked his magic on me. Full make-over or glow up as he called it. The aim was to make me look older; what I didn't expect was to look pretty. Apart from my hair, which still looked rubbish, I looked good for the first time ever.

He is a master with makeup. He gave the little mouse features, eyelashes, eyebrows, lips and cheekbones. Just enough to make it look almost natural. He even sorted out my hair too. He put on this hairpiece, a 3/4 wig. The hairline was my own hair but the rest was not. I looked and felt amazing. This new person that I never imagined I could be. People treated me differently, too. They were so kind to me when I looked good. It felt amazing.

I loved watching Coral perform and I felt happy. I felt like me, the me I should have been. A few weeks later, as my confidence grew, there was a particularly nasty argument with my mum. She didn't like the little mouse changing. I think in her drink-addled brain; she was jealous. She hit me hard. She broke a cheekbone. I ran to the only friend that I had in the world. Coral. I never went back. I've been here ever since, being loved and looked after by him. He's my big brother, mother and father all rolled into one."

She paused to gather her thoughts,

"Why have I never met him then if he's your family? Was I not important enough to you?"

"Of course, you were. I was building up to it, but I knew I couldn't keep my secret once you met him. You would have to meet the little mouse."

"I don't understand."

"Daniel, I fell in love with you, but you fell in love with Kari. The pretty girl. I knew you weren't shallow, but I was. I still had enough insecurity to be scared that you wouldn't love the real me. I still am."

I just looked at her; I was amazed at what she had told me. I was also so annoyed that she hadn't trusted me. That she hadn't understood how much I loved her, not how she looked.

"Kari, I don't love you because of how you look. I love you because you're kind and funny and make me laugh like no one else. I love you because you are clever and smart and you are always on my side. Of course, I think you are beautiful, but that's just incidental to me. If anything, that's your only fault in my eyes. It scares me that you're so beautiful and I'm not. I love you and if anything, I think I love you even more now that I know what you have been through. You've got to trust me."

"Why -- you didn't trust me. You didn't trust that I loved you. You couldn't believe me because of how you look."

"You're right; my insecurities nearly ruined the best thing that ever happened to me. Your insecurities nearly did too. Do you know how much it hurts me when you won't stay overnight? How much it hurts me when you leave?"

"I wanted to stay. I always want to stay with you, but if I'd stayed, you would have to have seen me when I look like the little mouse. I couldn't risk losing you."

"Well, I want to see the little mouse now. I think I may like her."

She looked uncertain but knew that it was no longer an option. She got up and went to the bedroom. Coral appeared and put a coffee next to me.

"I've done you a coffee like I like my men -- hot, black and strong."

With that he disappeared again and went back to rattling his pans.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably just minutes, I heard a slight cough behind me and there was Kari. She had no makeup on at all, her long hair had gone and her own hair was in a tiny knot at the back of her head.

She was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I held out my arms and told her just that. I held her all the time, telling her that I loved her and thought she was just as lovely as I ever had.

It seemed that I was the Pied Piper after all, only this time, there were no rats involved; I'd just captured the heart of a little mouse.

With that, the door to the kitchen was flung open and Coral appeared with Eggs Benedict for brunch.

"Finally," he said, "I thought I would have to bang your heads together. I was thinking in the kitchen what a fabulous Uncle I will be when you two have babies. How many would you like? I'd like three."

He wasn't disappointed; we did go on to have three children together. Coral loves to tell people that was so we could have one each. He was right; he was the best uncle and friend to Kari and me. Our three children adored him. I know what you are thinking, what did the children look like? Well, they got Karis's delicate features and my dark colouring, they are gorgeous, but I might be biased.

As for Kari, she continues to be as lovely as ever. I love the idea that only I get the privilege of seeing the real her, and waking up with her every morning is always a treat. Though most mornings these days, we also get to wake up with at least one child and a dog too.

You know I don't care what anyone thinks of how I look now because she picked me and that is all that matters. I did hear someone ask Kari recently why someone that looked like her was with me. After singing my praises as a father, husband and lover, she said;

"Besides, you should see me without makeup. It's quite frightening. Trust me; it's just lipstick powder and paint."