My Love Life Part Six: Joseph Morton

Greetings.

Here we are at the final installation of the "My Love Life" series of posts. (Well, at least SO far...)
I met Joseph Morton when I was about eleven. He played Schroeder in A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS at our local community theater for kids. I laughed until I cried when he and the girl who was playing Lucy did the "Jingle Bells" bit. I met him once or twice and I was intrigued by him, especially this scarf he wore. It had the piano keys on it and I loved it. We talked, but I had no clue how big a part of my life he would become.
A year later, we met again doing PETER PAN. He played John and I played two minor roles. But he had my one weakness: a hat. And not just any hat. He had the epitome of hats: the top hat. I had to have it. So every chance I got I would sneak up behind him and grab his hat and run away. Sometimes he didn't notice until the end of rehearsal (one time I managed to take it home because he didn't notice I had it) but most often he chased me around and tried to make me give his hat back. I was twelve, in seventh grade (shudder), but I didn't really consider him my good friend. We were friends. And I liked him as a friend.
Eighth grade, we were in another show together, but I don't remember what it was... or maybe that was the year we were in all the plays that the other was not in. YEAH, that was SECRET GARDEN. (Which is where I met his cousin, Jasper.) Anyways, we entered high school. He didn't have anywhere else to go so Bennie and I kind of adopted him. Then we included Freddy and the Fantastic Four was born. We've had some staffing changes (Joss replaced Freddy and now we have added, hopefully temporarily in some cases, Emma Weiss, Lucky Stevenson, and Pete Sanders) but the three of us, Bennie, Joseph, and I have always been together.
Last summer, something went off in my head: Joseph is perfect. I was kind of in a bad place because of Nate and I turned to Joseph. And I figured out that I had feelings for him of the non-platonic variety. It was ground-breaking. Joseph is one of those guys that stays inside all day, collects Batman comics, and quotes STAR WARS. In fact, he does all that stuff AND he can speak Mandelorian. (By the way, that's a totally made up language from STAR WARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) But it didn't matter. I liked him. And, given his robotic status, he had a) no clue, b) no intent to return those feelings, and c) absolutely no idea that there was anything different about me.
When I went out with Wayne, I realized it. Joseph was the only one for me. So I stopped seeing Wayne. And... it's been unrequited and unspoken love ever since. I have hinted, but there's a reason his parents sometimes refer to him as "Mr. Oblivious". And those are his PARENTS, whom, by the way, I adore with all of my heart. Joseph Nathaniel Morton and Taylor Morton are two of the sweetest and most wonderful people in the world. And somehow, by some stroke of God-given fortune, they have a son who is the most socially awkward person I have ever met. But whom I am unrequitedly in love with. (Sigh...)
I hate my love life.

Hugz
HM