Madden Jace Carter has spent his whole life waiting for the day he could finally call his Aunt Sadie his mother.
Having been raised from birth by Sadie - a woman who has unfortunately experienced too much of the darker side of life and love - Madden...
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My speech wasn't anywhere near as good as Jet's, but his was so great it didn't matter if mine sucked anymore—his would more than cover it. I grabbed the microphone away from his hand and extracted myself from the group hug, assuming my role as speaker.
"How about my brother, Jet, everyone? Isn't he just amazing?" The crowd clearly thought so too, getting to their feet and cheering wildly between ongoing sobs and requests to get more napkins at the tables from the waiting staff, who were clearly just using them all themselves.
I waited for Mum and Ruben to sit down again, and for Jet to return to his position next to me before I continued. "People say that Jet and I must have been twins in another life, so I'm going to give it a crack at a speech as good as his just was." He gripped my shoulders affectionately to urge me on, and I drew a huge breath and began.
"I have lived with my mother all my life, and in that time have learned a few things about her: she drinks an unnatural amount of coffee; she can't sing to save her life; she will sacrifice everything for the sake of people she loves; she is unbelievably hardworking; she is ridiculously kind and forgiving; she loves dad jokes as much as Poppy Ray; she cooks as good as Nanny Mary; she is the most passionate and protective mother; and, she is, without a doubt, the most hopeless romantic who ever walked the Earth." My turn to cue the laughter, which came just as I hoped it would.
"I didn't learn the full extent of that last one though, until she started talking to me about her old boyfriend, Ruben; and later when they found each other again, the evidence of my mother's romantic hopelessness just increased tenfold.
"In this Ruben-related discovery, I began learning a few more things about my mother. For example, that she was capable of smiling so wide that I could see her very back teeth; that she blushes the shade of beetroot whenever Ruben touches her; that she relaxes and all her stress just disappears whenever he holds her; that she is filled with hope and joy every time he looks at her; and that just being around him makes her more herself than ever.
"My mum is an extraordinary woman. She took me in and raised me on her own without hesitation. She put herself in harm's way to protect me and everyone around her without caring for the consequences to her. She supported herself through uni as a single mum, forgoing sleep and a social life for years to build a successful career and provide me with everything a young boy might need growing up. She never once complained that it was hard, even though I know it must have been. She just did what she needed to do.
"She always just did what she needed to do, and I know she did it all for me. If I spent every minute for the rest of my life thanking my mother for the life she has given me, I still wouldn't come close to expressing all the love and gratitude I feel for her. Just as I wouldn't come close to being able to explain how appreciative I am of Ruben and the way he loves her. He loves her like she deserves to be loved—with everything that his heart and soul is capable of.
"When I first re-met Ruben, there was something about him that was so familiar to me, even though the last time I had seen him was as a baby. I didn't know how to describe it at the time, but when he called me 'buddy' and smiled at me over the fence line at that fateful grand final game, something about him made me feel instantly safe, and I knew that everything would be okay. I remembered his voice, even though there's no reasonable explanation why someone would remember a voice they hadn't heard since they were six-months old; or remember the feeling of comfort that his deep voice carried into my heart; or the way his laughter made me instantly happier than ever.
"Ruben assumed I was nervous around him because he was practically a stranger to me, despite him not seeing me as that at all, and me definitely not sensing anything strange or unnerving about him. Only the exact opposite. Ruben tread very carefully around me, and I remember him saying that he didn't want me to listen to everyone else's opinion of him as being a good person, but to trust my own judgement and make up my own mind about who he was; and this is what I have judged so far:
"Ruben, you are the type of man that I hope to be one day. A man who is equal parts strong and gentle, and who takes pride in his ability be so. A man who is sensitive to himself and others and isn't afraid if the whole world sees it. A man who protects his family but supports them and let's them explore their own bravery when they need to without stepping in and taking over. A man who is kind and humble and never expects acknowledgement for everything that he does for others."
I chanced a look over at Mum and Ruben next to me, wanting to gauge their reaction. Mum was cuddled into his chest, looking very much like the panda she was at the beginning of their rekindled love story, and Ruben still looked at her like he didn't care at all that she had black shit running down her face. I smiled at the memory and continued.
"But the part of you that I admire the most is the way you are a father to Jet. The way you respect him as a man and support him as your son and my brother, and I could not have dreamed up a better brother than you, Jet." I reached for Jet's hand on my shoulder, holding it there as I read out the rest if my speech which I had placed in front of me on the table just so I could be touching his hand as I spoke on.
"You've held my hand and have been my courage when I've been afraid. You've been my guide when I've been lost. You've been my teacher when I've needed a new lesson in life. You've been my secret keeper and confidante when I've needed someone to trust. And you've just been my big brother, even when I annoy you and chase you and your friends around and tease you about girls—which I apologise for, by the way, but won't ever stop doing." A chuckle broke through the sobs behind and next to me, and across the whole room.
"Jet once said that there aren't four other people in this world who love each other more than Mum, Ruben, Jet and I do, and that everyone else should be jealous. And he was right. It feels amazing to be loved by these people next to me, and it feels just as amazing to love them.
"Jet, I love you as my brother and my best friend, and I will always be here for you to talk and cry to, have fun and be serious with, to encourage you to be your amazing self and remember how wonderful you are every day.
"Ruben, I love you as my mum's husband, the only father I have ever known and the only one I will ever want in this life, and I will always try my best to be a son that you can be proud of.
"And Mum, the most beautiful woman and bride I have ever seen, I love you as my saviour, my mother and my whole world. You have provided me with the best family and life I could have ever hoped for, and I will spend the rest of my time in it making sure you are as happy as you have made me."
