They weren't sure how long they have been walking but once they've reached about a few miles away from home, it was already closing in to the end of summer.Realizing that they were almost home, they didn't dare to think what was Micki's parents' reaction once they've seen them, so they decided to hang around in the beach and away from home just to make themselves feel up and about and ready to face them.
During their slight camping trip in the beach, they've come across a fisherman who was taking his break from a long day's fishing on the smooth sand. He noticed them and grinned, saying, "Hey, I recognize you kids! You've been on the papers and in the news! You're the kids who ran away because you don't wanna get married!"
"That's us," Micki replied. "But please don't tell anybody yet. We're not too ready to go home."
"Now why don't you kids tell me why you don't want to get married, hmm? I heard that because of that, you've caused your continent a whole lot of trouble and mishap."
Micki and Madella soon told him about the code and the tradition of best friends and not wanting to break them.
"Ah, that ol' best friend code! Haven't heard of it for a very, very long time now!" the fisherman chuckled.
"You know about the code?" Madella asked.
"Know them?" the fisherman looked amused. "Why, I used to practice that myself for quite a long time when I was true best friends with my Cameron. She and I were the best of friends and nothing could tear us apart, and I mean nothing!
"Well, everyone could see that we were inseparable, so our parents decided to make us get married. What a sore and a fit we had, because we didn't want to break the code, but during that time, it's very bad not to listen to your folks, so we had to agree to their words."
"Why didn't you run away like we did?" Micki asked.
"We had no money and not much belongings," the fisherman replied. "We weren't too well off back then and we sure didn't really know how to take care of ourselves, unlike you fine chaps. Like I was saying, we finally said our vows and exchanged the rings and lived together under one roof. Finally we realized that getting married was pretty good after all. Now, sonny boy, I'm sure in your heart, you don't really want your girlfriend here to be wed to someone else, do you?"
Micki looked down. Come to think of it, he was right. He didn't really want Madella to marry anyone else. He wanted her to be his friend forever.
"See? That's how I felt after I've married Cameron. I realized that I didn't want Cameron to marry anyone else and if I stuck to the code so long that I refused marrying Cameron, I would've regretted that decision sooner or later.
"You see, marrying your best friend doesn't mean that you're going to lose your best friend or anything. You're actually keeping the best friend forever and be closer to them. The things you were only able to do when you're together and out of your own homes, now you can do it in your own home and almost everyday too. And let me tell you something, kids, a lot of married couples were best friends at first. And so were your parents, sonny boy."
"My mother and dad used to be best friends? It can't be!" Micki was pretty shocked. "They're so close together and do things really great! Not like best friends would do after being married to..."
"Ahh, do you see it now, kids?" the fisherman noted. "Your parents started out as best friends and look at them now! Aren't they happy together? The best friend code is just a code and an old wives' tale. I'm sure you two will have happiness together too, just like your parents."
After pondering the fisherman's words for a while, they realized that they were being immature and old-fashioned for too long. The fisherman was right--everything they have practiced in the best friends' code was just a bunch of codes and nothing more. It wasn't so sacred after all. It was just a bunch of stupid old rules.
Finally Micki smiled and said, "Thank you, sir. Thanks for the advice. I think we're ready to go home now."
"Well, then I'll wish you kids good luck and all the best!" the fisherman tipped his straw hat and got off the sand to reach his hut just at the end of the beach.
The pair of best friends continued their journey home. Before they knew it, it was already the beginning of autumn when they reached home. They tip-toed into the house in order to surprise Micki's parents. As they peeked into the living room, they saw the parents sitting by the fire looking quite worried indeed.
"We shouldn't have forced them into this engagement," Micki's mother sighed. "Maybe they're not exactly at the right age yet."
"They are of right age," Micki's dad said. "But you're right; we shouldn't have forced them and we shouldn't have rushed it. We should've waited until the next Poloka before we announced the decision."
"Actually," Micki's voice appeared, shocking the both of them,"we don't really mind being engaged."
How happy the family was as they saw Micki and Madella rushing forward to Micki's parents, hugging and kissing like they haven't seen each other for centuries. Well, it did feel like it since they left anyway.
Needless to say, Micki and Madella were wed by next Poloka and they had a family of their own a few years later. The fisherman was right--they really did have a great time and their frienship had never deteriorated ever. In fact, as they started to have children, they were closer than any closest best friends could ever be.
And ever Poloka, Madella would always tell her children about their misadventures of their past before bedtime.
The children never get tired of hearing it.
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