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My mother and I were walking around the shops, she said that I needed to get a new dress or two, that way I would be more presentable, so I would have a better chance of marrying. I couldn't believe it, even after all the times I have told her I don't want to marry, she still insists that I do. She always asks me to give her reason as to why I shouldn't marry, I told her, "Mother, a while back you asked for reasons as to why I won't marry, here they are: One, I doubt a husband you approve of would give me as much freedom as I would like. Two, would they really love me for me? Three, I do not think that they would let me keep control over Father's company; they would want to take control of it themselves. Four, don't you think they would tell me to keep my thoughts to myself, always be prim and proper, and never let my imagination run free, and I doubt they would let me think of six impossible things before breakfast. Five, last but not least, there is somebody I already love."
My mother looked at me in shock, like she would never expect me to say those things. She then spoke up, "Alice, I can't believe you would say those things, but you are correct also, no man would give you as much freedom as you would like, let alone in business and in your imagination, preposterous. Of course, they would want a prim and proper wife, one who sits quietly by their side, as a wife should. Yes, there has to be someone out there who loves you for you, and what do you mean you love somebody else, and even if you do, would they let you do all those things?" It was now my turn to look at her in shock. I decided to talk back, "Mother, you are right there is someone who loves me for me, he is the man I love, you know the one I told you about earlier? He would give me freedom in anything I asked, he would say it would help me keep my muchness. He wouldn't want me to sit by his side quietly, he would want me to talk up, speak about my beliefs, just as one should."
My mother again just stared at me with her mouth wide open. She soon calmed down and said, "Will I get to meet this man you talk of?" I looked at her and said, "I do not know honestly, all depends." She then asked, "Depends on what?" I looked ahead of me trying to think of a good answer, and once I did I replied, "Everything, depends on everything Mother." Little did I know she would meet him in minutes.
To escape the conversation I decided to go into the nearest shop, which just happened to be a hat shop. My followed me right in and asked, "Alice, whatever could you be doing in a hat shop?" I replied effortlessly, "I am looking for a hat." In truth I was, I very special kind of hat indeed. I walked over to the shelf where the top hats and wellingtons were, and on the top shelf in the far right corner was the hat I was looking for indeed. I couldn't believe it, there it was just sitting there. A green velvet wellington covered in gold lace. It wasn't just any hat covered in lace though. This hat belonged to a certain hatter. A mad hatter to be exact. A mad hatter who goes by the name, Tarrant Hightopp. I grabbed it, it was the exact hat, the one Cheshire always tried to steal from Hatter, and I was going to buy it.
I called to my mother, "Mother, I found it." She walked over and said, "Oh, let me see this hat we have been traveling all day for." I showed it to her. She looked at me and said, "Alice, I hope you do know that this a man's hat, are you buying it for yourself?" I looked at her like she was stupid and replied, "Mother, how could you possibly consider me not knowing what kind of hat it is. I know it is a man's hat, and yes I am buying it for myself." I walked up to the counter and rang the bell and braced myself. I had a gut feeling I was going to be looking into the eyes of my Underlandian love, very shortly. I was right, as usual. I opened my eyes to find a man, with bright green ones, rimmed in a rainbow assortment of others. He had very wide cheekbones that had his cheeks almost sunken in. His skin was very pale. This only added brightness to the already bright orange hair pulled back into a ponytail. The normal style for a man's hair.
He looked at me then smiled his gapped tooth grin and said, "Alice, it's you." I nodded my head and said, "Yes hatter, it is me, and I would like to buy your hat." He stepped back and smiled even wider, if possible. He said, "Of course, I figured that was what you and who I assume to be your mother were arguing about, am I correct?" I nodded and said, "Yes, you are, and if it makes you feel any better, I will eventually return the hat to its proper owner." He looked at me and then smiled again, and eventually said, "If it was anyone else I would say it wasn't for sale, but for you, I will give it to you free of charge, except for one thing, a kiss." I smiled, and gave him a quick peck to the lips, then smiled again.
He then said, "You know I knew it was you for sure as soon as I heard your mother yelling at you saying it is a man's hat." I laughed and said, "Yes, probably true, I doubt anyone else would buy this hat, here in boring London, let alone a young woman, besides myself that is." He nodded and took the hat out my hands and put it on my head. He another time and said, "Perfect fit." I smiled once more, just for the fun of it. Then I heard my mother coming up behind me. I frowned and said, "Tarrant, I think it is time you meant my mother." He frowned then looked at me and smiled even another time. His eyes switched to a slightly duller green, more normal I assumed. I cocked my head to the side in question. He replied, "I think this color is slightly more normal then bright emerald green." I nodded and laughed.
My mother then said, "Alice, have you picked out a more proper hat, we should have paid by now you know?" I turned around and said, "Mother, I have picked out a proper hat, it has a perfect fit. Oh, and I already paid." She looked at the hat on top of my head and frowned then said, "You don't have any money with you, how could you have already paid." I looked at her then said, "I already paid, as there was nothing to pay, Mother, Mr. Hightopp here gave me this hat for free." She shook her head then said, "Nonsense, nothing is free in this world." I frowned then told her, "That is pretty much what I told you that there are no men out there who you approve, that would love me for myself." She then replied, "You said that there was a man who loved you for you, though, just earlier today." I smiled knowingly and said, "Yes that I did. Notice, I said no one who you approved, loved me for who I am." She looked at me in surprise once more, and then said, "Are you saying that the man that you love, I wouldn't approve of?" I nodded and said, "Yes mother that is exactly what I am saying."
She then thought of something that she thought was rather smart, "Where exactly did you meet this man that I don't approve of?" I smiled once more and said, "I met him at a tea party, once when I was six, and once when I was nineteen." She then said, "Then I would've met him, I have attended all tea parties with you." I smile even another time and said, "That is true mother, you have attended all sane tea parties with me, though there are two that you did not attend, and those two were the best tea parties I have ever attended, do you want to know why they were the best?" She nodded. I continued on, "They were the best, because they were mad, all in attendance were mad, which made them the best to tea parties ever."
You would think that by now my mother would notice that Tarrant hasn't left, and that his eyes are returning to their normal color, and that he has taken his hair out of its original ponytail. Not just that but that he has taken off his overcoat revealing an outfit that didn't match in the slightest, but altogether matched entirely. No, she only noticed this when he went around the counter, and tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "My hat please?" I looked over and said, "Most certainly." I then took the hat off my own head, and placed it on his. After my mother watched this take place she said, "Alice, who is that man?" I simple replied, "Oh, he is Mr. Hightopp, the hatter." She looked at him wide eyed, mouth open and said, "But, he looks positively mad." I looked at her and then said, "Oh, I know, I figured that out fourteen years ago." She looked at me in question and then said, "Fourteen years ago you were six, what would you be doing around a mad man when you were six?" I looked at he and said, "I think the proper question is, What were you doing around a mad hatter at the small age of six, and the answer to that is I was having a tea party!' She looked at him in wonder, then turned her head back to me, and then promptly fainted. She fell into a soft plush chair that just happened to be sitting there. I turned to the hatter and said, "I told you she wouldn't approve, but, honestly I don't really care. I still love you." He then smiled his widest smile ever and said, "I love you too my dear Alice."