It’s just your classic love story of boy meets girl… at the grave of her aunt and grandparents that he visited after accidentally buying flowers for their murderer. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. It’s best to start from the beginning.
Published author “Matt,” who goes by the nom de plume “Sixth Form Poet,” opened up with one heckuva “truth is stranger than fiction” story over the weekend that delighted thousands of Twitter users.
“Hello, good morning. A ridiculous but ENTIRELY TRUE story coming up, told in three parts,” @sixthformpoet tweeted on Sunday morning. “Ten tweets per part so you might want to a) make a strong coffee, or b) ignore me.”
Hello, good morning. A ridiculous but ENTIRELY TRUE story coming up, told in three parts. Ten tweets per part so you might want to a) make a strong coffee, or b) ignore me
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
The first part starts out on a sad note; the author said that his father passed away an undetermined number of years ago, and was buried in a small village in Sussex. “I was really close to my dad so I visited his grave a lot,” he wrote. “I still do.”
It was during these visits that Matt couldn’t help but notice that while he and his mother would often leave flowers at his father’s grave (to the effect that it apparently “resembled a solid third place at the Chelsea Flower Show”), a 37-year-old man who died on Christmas day in the next grave never had flowers.
So, you can probably guess where this is going:
I did this for quite some time, but I never mentioned it to anyone. It was a little private joke with myself, I was making the world a better place one bunch of flowers at a time. I know it sounds weird but I came to think of him as a friend.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
After some time had passed, Matt finally decided to do a Google search on the deceased man—wondering if that had some kind of connection. It turns out that they did not, but in doing so he also learned that the man murdered his wife and her parents on Christmas day, which is why no one ever left him flowers, and then committed suicide shortly after.
THAT was why no one ever left him flowers. No one except me, of course. I left him flowers. I left him flowers every couple of weeks. Every couple of weeks FOR TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
Eager to make amends, Matt found out where the victims were buried so he could offer them flowers as sort of an apology, and it was there that he met his future wife, who also happened to be there to bring flowers to the graves of her relatives.
I explained and she said ok that’s weird but quite sweet. I said thanks, yes it is a bit weird and oh god I ASKED HER OUT FOR A DRINK. Incredibly, she said yes. Two years later she said yes again when I asked her to marry me because that is how I met my wife.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
[END]
Part two of the story jumps forward to several years later. Matt and his wife are now the parents of two children who want to visit Disneyland. Being that the trip would cost a good chunk of money, he and his wife decided to make them “earn it” with good behavior.
“Every time they did something good, I’d add £10,” he wrote. “Every time they were naughty, I’d take £10 away. £3,000 and we’d go to Disneyland IMMEDIATELY so if they did ten good things a day without being naughty they could go in a month. Easy.”
Every time they did something good, I’d add £10. Every time they were naughty, I’d take £10 away. £3,000 and we’d go to Disneyland IMMEDIATELY so if they did ten good things a day without being naughty they could go in a month. Easy.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
Sure enough, their kids became “perfect children” and quickly neared their goal. But just as they were about to surprise the kids with the trip, fate once again intervened, this time in the form of a homeless man they met in a park.
Walking home it became clear my children had never seen a homeless person before. They wanted to know why he had so much stuff. I said he was living there and they said but what about his house and where does he wash and WHAT ABOUT HIS JOB?
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
We got home and they said they had an announcement to make like they were calling a press conference. They didn’t want to spend that £2,950 on Disneyland, they wanted it to pay for that guy to have somewhere to live. FUCKING HELL KIDS WE’RE GOING IN THE MORNING.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
He tried to explain to the children that it was a complicated issue but they were “adamant” about helping the man. Since there was no refunding the trip at that point, he went back and gave the man as much money as he could to stay in a hostel. They ended up staying in touch, and the author invited the man over on Christmas.
He said ok thank you and I drove him to a hostel and booked him in. We stayed in touch and he came round for Christmas Day. Bless him he brought a cuddly Mickey and Minnie Mouse with him. Lovely – MERRY CHRISTMAS.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
[END]
Part three of this story takes us back around to that same Christmas day. Matt starts off the story by writing about his family had lived next door to a couple, Lucy and Tim, until Tim suddenly passed away. He offered Lucy his condolences at the time and gave her his number in case she ever needed anything.
Two years ago, completely out of the blue, Tim died. I wend round with some flowers and a card and said look I don’t want to intrude, I just want you to know that we’re here if you need us. I gave her my number. She didn’t use it.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
She didn’t reach out to him for 18 months, and when she did—well, we’ll just let Matt explain what happened next:
I said ok I’m coming over, can you let me in? She said no I’ve taken pills I can’t move but the kitchen door is open. I got someone to call an ambulance and went outside to climb over the fence. In my shorts and t-shirt. On Christmas night.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
I said I have no idea tbh what exactly have you done? Pills she said. PILLS AND GIN. I said ok how many pills? Honest to god she said four. I went FOUR IS THAT ALL?! (I mean my clothes were a mess!!) How many gins? She said two large ones. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
The paramedic asks how many gins and again Lucy looks at me first, arches a brow and LIES THROUGH HER TEETH. Twelve gins, she says. Christ.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
And then, incredibly, everything came round full circle. Lucy ended up engaged to John, the homeless man from the other part of the story. “Next year they’ll get married in the exact same village in which this story began,” wrote @sixthformpoet.
Everyone including John, our homeless friend from Part Two, remember? They got along famously and to cut a long story short THEY JUST GOT ENGAGED. Next year they’ll get married in the exact same village in which this story began. AWWWWWWWW.
— sixthformpoet (@sixthformpoet) June 9, 2019
[END]
Matt’s story has since been shared and liked thousands of times, and the consensus of people agree that the story would lend itself perfectly to a limited series or film.
Please Matt, write the screenplay, contact Richard Curtis or whoever, the world needs this!
— Jeffw (@Jeffwni) June 9, 2019
(also, I already have a book with your name on it, I’d totally buy a longer version of this)
Seriously, if this isn’t made into a multi series Netflix show I don’t know what the world is coming to.
— Chöpstick (@Chops_Top_Fives) June 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/123midnite/status/1137727848511299585
These 3 stories are the Love Actually sequel we all need and deserve pic.twitter.com/bKLs6QTtZ7
— Betty (@poca_loco) June 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/_allisonk/status/1137889032657145858
Clearly, the world needs this story and it seems like only a matter of time! Come on Netflix, do your thing.
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