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“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce the mayor of Brighton, Molly Chen!” now-former mayor Stu Brunson said.
Molly Chen (nèe McGee), in the early days of her first term as Mayor of Brighton, approached a makeshift podium placed in the middle of Oak Street. Behind her was a red ribbon, with the first gentleman of Brighton, Ollie Chen, and former mayor Stu Brunson sandwiched between Molly and the ribbon.
Many Brightonians were in attendance, including the ghosts of the other former mayors Brunson who floated above the crowd, invisible to all but the first family and their loved ones. Nobody wanted to miss any of Molly’s accomplishments as mayor.
What she was about to do was more symbolic than anything else, but it meant a lot to those closest to Molly. She was dedicating Oak Street to Todd Mortenson, a man who exemplified how Brighton had come back to life in her relatively short time living in this midwestern town.
Needless to say, she was going to find giving this short speech to be quite a challenge.
“My fellow Brightonians,” Molly began. “We gather here today to dedicate this street to one of our own who perfectly exemplifies the transformation Brighton has undergone, not just in the short time I’ve been in office, but in the short time I have lived here.”
She flipped to the next page. “Todd Mortenson was a man who, perhaps like many of you in the crowd at some point, had little hope for the future. He went about his day with soulless eyes, working a dead-end job that he hated, fearing the risks that came with living life to the fullest.”
Molly came close to tearing up. It was difficult thinking about how much she missed her forever friend, but she decided to stay strong both for the crowd and for herself.
She pressed on. “Eventually, something changed inside of Todd. He realized that those risks were what made life worth living. He woke up one morning and decided to change his ways, go out, and see the world and what it has to offer. It’s not unlike what we as a town have managed to accomplish together. Just as Todd managed to overcome his emotional depression and thrive, together we have managed to overcome our economic depression and come out as one of the most prosperous towns in the midwest.”
The crowd began to cheer. They were all too familiar with the struggles Todd faced and were happy to see Molly continue her work enhappifying the town, even 15 years after moving to Brighton. “Now, let’s get to the main event, shall we?”
Molly was handed a comically large pair of scissors by her husband and opened them in front of the strawberry red ribbon. “I now declare Oak Street, Todd Mortenson Drive!” she said as she cut the ribbon to even more applause from the crowd.
Molly and Ollie arrived back at their shared home after a very successful but also very tiring day as the first family of Brighton, literally falling onto the floor as they walked in not unlike they did when they tried to go carbon-free as kids.
“Okay, I’m pretty tired, but we slayed that,” Ollie said.
Molly remembered Scratch using almost those exact words when they recorded a theme song together. She had so many fond memories of him that she had no idea if he shared anymore, which even 13 years later still pained her to think about.
“We did, we did,” Molly said absentmindedly, as she and Ollie got back up.
Ollie noticed Molly’s tone. “You okay, honey?”
“I’m fine, just thinking a lot about Scratch is all,” Molly replied.
“I can only imagine how hard giving that speech must have been,” Ollie said. “I’m sure Scratch would be proud if he was here.”
“Thank you, Ollie. It was a little hard, but I’m glad I did it,” Molly replied. “Although he probably would’ve cared more about the post-dedication potluck to be honest,” she said with a small giggle.
“Heh, probably,” Ollie replied. “Hold on, I know the perfect way to take the edge off.”
Ollie connected his phone to the wireless speakers in the living room and started playing a song he and Molly both loved: “I Can Count On You” by Atomic Pink. It was this song that was playing at the Brighton Bop when Molly and Ollie shared a slow dance back in their middle school days, and Ollie intended to replicate that for his loving wife.
“Shall we dance, Lady Lemming?” Ollie said, corny as ever.
A loving smile stretched across Molly’s face. She was so grateful to be spending the rest of her life with someone who cared about her so much. Molly reached for her husband's extended hand with only one thing to say in response:
“Of course, Lord Lemming.”