Firsts: A Wrinkle in Time Romance

I never liked it how Madeline L’Engle never said anything about the romance going on between Meg and Calvin. They just go from holding hands in A Wind in the Door to being married in A Swiftly Tilting Planet and the books that follow about their children. But anyway, in A Wind in the Door Meg’s mom says, “Well he (Calvin) likes you” then Meg says, “I think it’s because of my family”. The story picks up after that.

“Well, he likes you, doesn’t he?” Mrs. Murray said.

“Sometimes I think he’s over here just because he likes all of you so much,” Meg replied.

“Meg, have you ever looked at him when he’s looking at you?” Meg looked at her mother quizzically, “No, I mean really LOOKED. He’s over here for you. Not for Charles Wallace or the twins or your father or me. He’s here for you. Everyone can feel it.”

“Well, whenever we go on walks Charles Wallace is with us, and he can feel that kind of stuff, so wouldn’t he notice?”

“Charles is still too young to know the difference between the types of love. He knows Calvin loves both of you. He can feel that, but he can’t feel that the love Calvin feels for you is different from the love he feels for Charles. To Charles Wallace, brotherly love and romantic love feel the same. Believe me, Megatron, it’s there. Maybe you don’t think it is, but it is.”

Meg looked at her mother thoughtfully for a minute, taking in what she had just said. She looked out the window in an effort to distract herself but saw Calvin walking up the steps.

“Go out there, Meg,” her mother said, “go before he comes in and Charles and the twins see him. Take some time alone.”

Meg walked out the door as Calvin climbed up the front steps, “Hey,” he said, “I was just coming to see you.”

“Me? Or all of us?” Meg asked him.

“You, Meg.” Meg smiled at him for a minute, “Come on,” he said, “Let’s go for a walk.”

“Where do you want to go?” she asked him.

“I don’t care... anywhere... wherever.”

“Let’s go to the woods,” Meg said. Calvin smiled in agreement and they walked away from the house.

The two walked, almost touching but not quite for several minutes before Meg spoke again, “So, why did you come to see me?” She asked him.

“I just wanted to see you; I didn’t have any other particular reason.”

Meg smiled at the thought that maybe he really did come to see her and not her family some of the time. Calvin reached out and took her hand, catching her by surprise. She looked at him questioningly. He smiled at her.

The pair walked along a few minutes longer, still hand in hand, when Calvin suddenly stopped. “Do you want to stop and sit for awhile?” he asked, gesturing towards the stumps left over from the trees that had fallen in the last thunderstorm.

“Would you like to?” Meg asked back.

“Sure.” Calvin led her over to a large stump and the two sat down on it together.

Calvin let go of her hand and looked down at his lap. Meg looked at him, “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Calvin said, looking her straight in the eye. He took her hand again, “Meg,” he said simply.

“Yes?”

“Meg,” he said again, “the two of us ... we’ve been through a lot together, right?”

“We most certainly have,” she replied.

“I’m glad,” he said. “If none of this had happened, I might not have met you, and I’m glad I got to meet you.”

“And my family,” she added.

He nodded in agreement, “Yeah, your family too, but I’m mostly glad I met you, Meg. You’re amazing. You’re so ... different from every other girl at school. It’s ... you’re amazing.”

Meg looked at him, “I’m glad I met you too Calvin. You’re so smart and nice and you get along so well with Charles Wallace.”

“Yeah, Meg, I love him and all, but Meg, I love you.”

“You love me? You love me?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Meg, we’ve been through so much together it would be hard to NOT love you like this.”

“I just can’t believe that you love me like I ...”

“Like what?”

“Like I love you.” Calvin and Meg smiled at each other. He took his hand out of hers and put it around her waist. He turned her face towards him with his other hand and kissed her, her first kiss since he had kissed her before she went back to rescue Charles Wallace.

Meg put her head on his shoulder when they finally pulled apart. They sat there until it was time for them to go back for dinner.

end