Mamma Mia

Game Over, or Continue?

Later, the Mario family, Peach and all of their other Mushroom Kingdom friends are all there to give Luigi a proper send-off.

“Dio, where is that woman?” Mama Mario demands

“I know! She was supposed to be here 2 hours ago!” Peach agrees, but Mario’s not surprised at all.

“I knew it.”

“Maybe she had an emergency.” Mama tries to defend, but Mario just gripes, “That she faked so she could leave.”

“Announcing, Mama Molly!” Toadsworth says as the woman follows him inside.

“Hello!” She says with a smile. “Sorry, I know I’m late. I’ve been on the phone all morning.”

She takes a miraculously empty seat, “Just got a call from a new client, all the way down in Miami. I’m going to have to leave as soon as I’m done here so the client doesn’t go with someone else. And they’re not going to, because I’m the best, and they know it. And I’m practically robbing them with what they’re going to pay me if I can pull it off.”

“Oh wow, that’s amazing!” Mama praises. “Looks like Luigi’s gonna need to triple check for his tools before you two get going.”

“Actually, that’s why I’m here.” Molly says. “I may be the best, but I just got off the phone with a fellow event planner that’s exactly who I need on my team if we’re going to pull it off.”

“Aha.” Mario says, nodding. “So you’re saying that Luigi can’t come.”

“Not for this, no.” Molly says, but flinches as Mario stands, bracing for a fight.

But Mario’s not sure who’s more shocked, everyone else, Molly, or himself as he says, “Know something? Don’t worry about it. I’ll get to work on making a new pipe that’ll get Luigi straight to Miami, and that way once this big job of yours is done, you two can spend the car ride back to Brooklyn together, and you can still work together.”

Molly chuckles, “See, that’s another problem.”, and stands up. “When I say this event is big, I mean big. If I pull it off, I could get more clients across the states out of it. And in event planning, you need to be fully committed, not…half-assing it, know what I’m saying?”

“Oh trust me, I couldn’t not.” Mario crosses his arms, and Mama Mario is equally angry.

“How could you do this to my boy again, after everything?”

“But that’s the best part.” Molly smiles widely. “I was thinking I don’t have to do it at all. You can.”

Mario can’t even look at her as he turns away, hand to his face.

“Can everybody please leave us alone for a moment?”

They all start to stand up, but Papa stops to ask, “Tell me you’re not going to hit her.”, then clench his fist. “Cause I’m next in line.”

Several family members call out in agreement, and while Mario is grateful for the support, he shakes his head.

“No, I don’t need to hit her for what I have to do.”

Papa nods, then goes, but before Peach leaves, she walks up to Molly, voice deadly calm.

“If you leave now, you are no longer welcome in the Mushroom Kingdom. I’ll see to it.”

Then she leaves, and after a moment or two, it’s just the two of them.

Mario points with exactly one finger towards the couch, “Sit.”