“Mary, Mary... remember there’s other guests...” Howie tried to calm her.
“He had no bloody right to do this,” she hissed. “Joshua!”
Sounds were heard from the other side of the door, and finally it swung open. Josh’s eyes were bloodshot and puffy, his cheeks red. “What?”
“What gave you the impression that you could do this?” she hissed at him, grabbing the paper from Howie.
“I thought you needed a wake-up call so you’d realize what’s important.”
Mary pushed him back into the room with Howie right behind her. “And what’s that, Joshua? Care to tell me?”
“We are, Mary, Tainted Love, remember? Me and Sam are a part of it too.”
“Well damn, I thought my happiness could have been important, thanks for telling me.”
“We wanted you to be happy, we thought you were happy playing with us again.”
“I was, then things changed. I thought I could trust you, Joshua. And I know Sam wouldn’t have told, he’s not like that. But you, Josh, you’re of a different breed.”
“So what are you saying, Mary? That you’d rather be a tied down housewife than on the stage singing?”
“Who said she’d be tied down?” Howie snapped. “She has her own life to lead, she’ll just lead it with me. And she can still sing of she wants to.”
“That’s what Thom promised,” Josh spat. Mary’s face contorted into another scowl as she approached him.
“What did I tell you about saying things like that, Joshua?”
“I could care less about that now, Mary, I’m looking out for you. Is that divorce even through yet?”
Mary turned her face in shame and then looked back at him, her hand forming a fist. With a swing, her fist connected with his jaw and knocked him over. “Don’t you ever, ever say something like that again, you got that?” Josh just rubbed his sore jaw. “If you’d care to apologize, you know where to find me. And thanks for everything, Josh, now my life is hell once again. You’re such a friend.”
“I did it because I loved you,” he blurted out. Mary stared at him coldly. “I wanted you to be mine again, like how it used to be,” he turned and gave Howie a look of death, “like how it should be.”
“You have hurt me more than you’ll ever realize, Josh. How could you expect me to love you so deeply again, especially after this?”
“But what about...”
“Don’t you even dare say another word,” Mary cut him off and walked to the door. She opened it and bounded from the room. Howie started at him for a moment and soon followed.
...
By the time they reached their room, Mary was in tears. “How could he have said anything like that?”
“He was upset, that’s all...”
“It’ll ruin your career...”
“No it won’t,” he promised. “I’ll write a letter to the editor of the paper and make them print a retraction, say it’s all false.”
“But it’s not...”
“I know, darling, but just until we can decide what we want to say to them.”
...
“Yesterday morning, we here at the Times received a phone call from one Backstreet Boy, Howie Dorough. He demanded a retraction about the story we printed yesterday, saying it was all a hoax. The man who phoned the message in was supposedly angry at the lead singer of Tainted Love, Mary Goode. We here at the Times send our deepest apologies to the Backstreet Boys, their management, Mary Goode, and Tainted Love. The two are not engaged but have only dated for six months.”
...
“Mary, I’m sorry!” Josh called through the door. Mary stood on the other side, crying.
“Josh, you hurt me too deep this time...”
“I’m sorry I called the papers, I’m sorry for what I said in the room. Mary please forgive me...”
Mary wiped her tears and opened the door. “I don’t know if I can...”
“But why? Which part are you most mad at me for?”
“For mentioning Thom again. Howard doesn’t know anything of the sort.”
“Please, Mary...”
“I’m leaving, Joshua. I’ll be taking my things and returning to Orlando with Howard. You have my phone number there. I’m leaving tonight. Call on Tuesday at 3 PM. We’ll talk then.”
...
“Will you be coming home with us?” Mary asked into the phone.
“Without you, there is no Tainted Love,” Sam sighed. “I think I should come home. Josh, too. We can’t pull this off without you.”
...
“I’m sorry, Lance, but I can’t be near him, not after what he did,” Mary explained in the hotel parking lot. “I hope you understand.”
He nodded. “It’s only another month, we can pull it off on our own.” He picked up her hand. “I’ll be invited, right?”
“Of course, as soon as we tell the press,” she smiled.
“I’ll stop by when we get home.” He hugged her tight and kissed her cheek. “Be good.”
“I will, don’t worry,” she promised and hopped into the waiting limo, carrying herself , Sam, and the Boys to the airport. Josh watched from across the parking lot and hopped into his van as the limo pulled away. He sighed and began his drive home to Florida.
...
“Mary, I’ve been thinking,” Howie said while they sat on the plane flying home. “What was that Josh said about a divorce?”
Mary looked down at her hands. “There’s something I haven’t told you,
Howard... I just wish there were an easier way...”
“But what is it?”
“Thom hasn’t signed the divorce papers yet.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He forced me to marry him, Howard, when I was 22. He came back to me, he promised he wouldn’t hurt me anymore... I filed the papers last year, and he never signed them.”
“You married him? You’re still married to him?”
“I’m sorry, Howard...” A single tear slipped down her cheek.
He wrapped his arms around her. “We’ll get that divorce, Mary. We can be happy. I’ll treat you like a queen.”
“Something wrong?” he mumbled.
She silently cursed him for being such a light sleeper. “Nothing, just thinking.”
He pulled her back down and held her close. “All right,” he yawned and was soon back to sleep.
“For love,” she whispered and kissed him softly.
...
Days passed. Tuesday arrived and, precisely at 3 PM, the phone rang. “Hello?” Mary answered.
“Hey, it’s me,” Josh said quietly.
“Hi...”
“Please, Mary, I want to talk about this. You don’t know how sorry I am...”
“But how could you have done it? And now Howard knows everything about me and Thom...”
“Isn’t it better that he does know?”
“I guess...”
“Now, please, Mary, please forgive me. I am so, so sorry...”
“I can’t be mad at you, Josh, you know I love you too much to do that... But I can’t just forgive you, it cut too deep this time. I don’t want to lose you, not now.”
“You won’t ever lose me again, I promise. I’m not going anywhere unless you’re with me.”
“Josh, I want you to get that tattoo removed. I’m with Howard, I love him and we’re getting married. There can never be a ‘we’ again.”
“Yours is gone?”
“It has been,” she sighed and rubbed the small of her back. When Josh had his tattoo done, she had a similar one put on, only with ‘Joshua.’
“You always said forever, Mary.”
“Forever died with Chas, Joshua.”
He sighed deeply. “I should go, I’m paying for this call.”
“Where are you?”
“At a hotel downtown. I have to find someplace to live.”
“Look, call my apartment. Sam is living there. There’s a bedroom open, talk to him and see about moving in there. I’m moving out soon to move in with Howard.”
“So you’re not mad at me anymore?”
“I can’t stay mad at you Joshua. I never could.”
...
“She was married to him?” AJ asked in disbelief. “This chick just keeps gettin more and more complicated...”
“What are you going to do?” Kevin asked.
“Try again for the divorce,” Howie shrugged. “Call a lawyer, I guess.”
“What if it doesn’t go though?”
“I don’t know...”
“Management isn’t going to like this,” Brian shook his head. “If this goes to trial and it’s in the papers again...”
“I can’t let her go though this alone.”
...
Mary hung up the phone in the kitchen and began to walk to the living room, wanting to ask for help moving her things from her apartment. The phone rang again. “Hello?”
“May I speak to Miss Mary Goode, please?”
“This is Mary.”
“Miss Goode, I am Sergeant Robert Packard from the Central Orlando Maximum Security Prison. I was told that if there was a problem with Inmate Thomas Jackson that I should let you know. I’m calling to inform you of such a problem.”
Mary swallowed hard and sank to the floor. “Wha... what problem?”
“Mr. Jackson committed suicide last night.”
Mary’s jaw dropped. “He’s dead?”
“Yes, Miss. He hung himself from the bars of his cell.”
“And all contracts between us... they’re all bad now?”
“What sort of contracts, Miss?”
“Marriage?”
“Yes, Miss, your marriage to Mr. Jackson is now voided. We also received copies of your divorce papers. Mr. Jackson is out of your life.”
After a few minutes, Mary hung up the phone, a smile spreading across her face. “Howard!”
Howie and the rest of the Boys ran into the kitchen to see what was wrong. “What? What happened?”
“The prison just called...”
“And...?”
“And we can get married, Howard, Thom killed himself,” she smiled.
“He’s gone?” he asked carefully, walking towards her.
“Forever,” she smiled and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m free.”
Nick looked back and forth between the guys and Mary and Howie. “Wait, wait... Mary, you’re happy about this? He’s dead...”
“Blondie, how don’t you get it? For everything he’s done to me? I won’t be hurt anymore.”
“Not ever,” Howie whispered, kissing her forehead.
...
Days later, all of Mary’s belongings were moved into the house and out of her apartment and Josh took her place living with Sam. “All right, management knows, our families know... but how do we tell the press?”
“We can get one of those pictures taken,” Mary offered, “and write up something ourselves...”
Howie smiled at the idea. He excused himself and returned a moment later with a camera and AJ. “Want to wear what you have on or get changed?” he smiled.
...
...
“Got a call from an old friend
We used to be real close
Said he couldn't go on the American way
Closed the shop, sold the house
Bought a ticket to the West Coast
Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L. A.
“I don't need you to worry for me cause I'm alright
I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home
I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life
Go ahead with your own life--leave me alone
“I never said you had to offer me a second chance
I never said I was a victim of circumstance
I still belong, don't get me wrong
And you can speak your mind
But not on my time
They will tell you you can't sleep alone
In a strange place
Then they'll tell you you can't sleep
With somebody else
Ah, but sooner or later you sleep
In your own space
Either way it's okay
You wake up with yourself
“I don't need you to worry for me cause I'm alright
I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home
I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life
Go ahead with your own life--leave me alone” *
* From Billy Joel Lyrics
The audience cheered loudly for Tainted Love. “And this is why we love performing,” she smiled. “But for our last song, I’d like to bring my fiancee up one stage to help us out. He’s been practicing this song with me and we’re going to run it for y’all. Come on up, Howard.” Mary began the song, singing lead with Howie on backing vocals in the choruses and playing another acoustic guitar.
...
"Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick, and think of you
Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new
Flashback - warm nights - almost left behind
Suitcase of memories,
Time after,
Sometimes you picture me -
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear what you've said -
Then you say - go slow - I fall behind -
The second hand unwinds
(Chorus)
If your lost you can look - and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting
Time after time
If your lost you can look - and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting (I will be waiting)
Time after time
After my picture fades and darkness has turned to gray
Watching through windows - you're wondering if I'm O.K.
Secrets stolen from deep inside
The drum beats out of time
(Chorus)
If your lost you can look - and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting
Time after time
You said go slow - I fall behind
The second hand unwinds -
(Chorus)
If your lost you can look - and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting
Time after time
If your lost you can look - and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting (I will be waiting)
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after..."
The audience cheered again. Tainted Love and Howie left the stage and packed up the cars. “You did great in there, Mary,” a voice said behind her.
She jumped and turned around. “Lance!” She ran to him and hugged him tight. “I’ve missed you, I thought you said you’d call?”
“You know how it is,” he smiled. “Great job, guys,” he said to Howie, Josh, and Sam. “That lost song was great Mary, you and Howie sound great together,” he smiled. “Is it going to be the wedding song?”
“Hey, there’s an idea...”
“Speaking of, when is it?”
“We don’t know yet,” Howie said, approaching them. “A few months maybe. Don’t know yet.”
“I still better be invited, though.”
“You will, Lance, you will,” she smiled.
“That’s definitely The One!” Melissa chimed in.
“Really? Y’all like this one best?” Mary asked, turning around to see herself in a full length mirror. “Wow...” she murmured, seeing herself. She was wearing a floor length wedding gown, with a fitted bodice and a full skirt. The dress was covered in an intricate embroidered flower pattern.
“Howie’s going to love you even more...” Jade sighed.
“That’s not the only thing he’s going to want to do more!” Melissa laughed.
Mary smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. After a few tries, she whispered more to herself than anyone, “I’m getting married...”
...
At the house, the Boys were sitting around, preparing for yet another barbecue. “So, where’s the girls, D?” Brian asked.
“Shopping for Mary’s wedding dress,” he responded and took a swig of his beer. “She wants to look so beautiful for me...”
“D, she doesn’t even have to try.”
“Now that’s what I don’t get about girls,” Nick started. “They have to go out and try to make themselves look perfect for us, but they always look beautiful... And here we are, taking five minutes to get ready.”
“D probably won’t start looking for a tux until a week before,” AJ laughed.
Howie sighed, thinking. “There’s so much to do yet...”
“Don’t worry, D,” Kevin assured, “everything will work out fine.”
...
Hours later, Mary and the girls returned home to the smell of barbecue. They ran through the house to the back yard to see the five men lounging around and just having a good time. “MMMMmmmm barbecue,” Mary smiled. She walked up behind Howie and put her arms around his bare chest. “What’s cookin, good lookin?” she whispered into his ear.
He giggled at her corny pickup line. “Chicken, darlin, just for you. Steaks for everyone else,” he kissed her softly on the nose, “princess.”
“Good boy,” she winked at him and walked to the cooler. She pulled out a beer for herself and one for Melissa and Jade and approached the girls. Handing the drinks over, she giggled, “he’s makin me chicken.”
“Girl, you’re too giddy,” Melissa laughed.
Mary did a little shimmy and walked back over by Howie who was still at the grill next to the banister. She hopped up on it and smiled at him. Suddenly she heard an “uh oh” from behind her, and as soon as she turned around, a soccer ball hit her in the head. Rubbing her head, she worked to stay balanced on the banister. “Ow...”
AJ and Nick, who were kicking the ball around, laughed. “Sorry Mary,” they chorused and continued to laugh.
“Oh, you Boys are funny,” Mary scowled and picked up the ball. She left her drink on the banister and walked to AJ and Nick. “How about a real game, since you Boys have such good aim and all,” she taunted.
They looked at one another. “Fine by me,” AJ said. “Us against you and who?”
“Me and me,” she smiled.
“We don’t want to beat ya up, Mare,” Nick broke in.
“Trust me, you won’t,” she smiled. “Full contact, all rules in effect. My goal is the garage door, yours in the back porch, a much larger target. Agreed?” They both nodded. Mary dropped the ball. “And, go!” Before Nick or AJ knew what was happening, Mary dribbled the ball out of the way and made her first goal. “Damn, boys, that was the quickest goal I ever made,” she smiled. “Y’all gotta learn to wake up.”
“We weren’t ready,” Nick whined.
“Okay, you say when to go this time, then,” she offered, handing him the ball.
“Fine, I will.” He dropped the ball. “And, go!” He kicked the ball in AJ’s general direction but Mary stole it and made another goal.
“Now, Blondie, I gave you a fair chance that time.” Nick just shook his head. Mary handed the ball to AJ. “You wanna try?”
He rolled his eyes and set the ball on the ground. “Go!” Again, Mary stole the ball and made a goal.
“Three - nothing, boys, wanna keep playing?” she asked playfully.
...
A half hour later, Mary was up on AJ and Nick with a score of 15-0. The guys were sweating profusely and trying to catch their breath while Mary was ready for more. “How did you do that?” AJ asked, breathlessly.
“All state in high school,” she smiled proudly.
“We just got beat by a girl, Bone... Two guys, beat in soccer, by a girl,” Nick shook his head.
“I don’t know what that is, but it ain’t no girl.”
“What was that, Bone?” Mary asked, holding a glass of ice water over his head.
“Nothing, Mary, you’re a good player, that’s all!” he cried, praying not to have to feel the ice water down his back.
“Smart boy,” she snickered and dropped an ice cube down his back just because.
...
“What date should we plan for?” Howie asked that night before they fell asleep.
“Not any time too soon, I have to order my dress yet and we have to get invitations and caterers and a cake...”
“Whoa, whoa, Mary, calm down. I just asked what date we should plan for,” he smiled and turned onto his side to face her.
A smile spread across her face. “Well... how about the day we met?”
“What about it?”
“We could have it then,” she smiled excitedly and sat up. “We could even have it in the park that you took me to.”
“I knew there was a good reason I fell in love with you,” he smiled in return and kissed her. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”
“Yeah, buying something really special for the guy you’re with, plus something for his four friends and their girlfriends,” Jade smiled, looking at Mary and Melissa, “... well, it’s rough.” All the girls laughed. “And I already have one Christmas under my belt.”
“Yeah, but we better get these wrapped before the guys get home,” Mary sighed. “They’re nosy as it is. But of they’re wrapped, we can tell if they’ve been opened or not.”
For the next two hours, the three girls wrapped gifts for all of the guys. Scraps of paper laid on the floor along with tubing, price tags, and ribbon. “They just better like this,” Mary said, wiping her brow. She sighed. “But let’s do something nice for them, they won’t be home for another hour... How about we make a nice dinner for them?”
After some bickering and finally an agreement, the girls made the Boys a large meal with something each of them liked best. “You girls are too sweet,” Brian smiled between bites. “This must have taken all day.”
The girls laughed. “Nope, just an hour,” Jade responded.
“This is delicious!” Nick said with a full mouth.
“Not even my Maw cooks like this,” Kevin smiled.
“And that’s hard to beat,” Howie said, nudging Mary. “And you even made spagetti,” he whispered.
“Just wait til your dessert,” Mary returned, winking. Howie’s eyes lit up. “Let’s just say I found some mistletoe today and I bought some strawberries and champagne.”
...
The next day, Howie announced to Mary that his parents were having Christmas dinner that day. “But why? Christmas isn’t for another few days.”
“Well, I talked to Mom last night and explained to her our situation,” he smiled. “On Christmas Day, everyone, all of the guys, and Melissa, and Jade, are going to come over here and we’re going to have a nice big dinner.”
“Can I invite a few people?”
“Who?”
“Sam and Josh, I haven’t seen them in weeks since I’ve spent most of my time with you Boys at your rehearsals.”
...
“Mary, this is my sister Pollyanna, my brother Harold, and my sister Angie.”
“Nice to meet you all,” she said, shaking hands with each. Soon, she got introduced to wives and husbands, nieces and nephews.
“So, this is the girl that sewed your head and stole your heart?” Howie’s father asked, putting his hand on his son’s shoulder.
“Yes she is,” he smiled. “Dad, this is Mary.” She turned to face him, said hello and was immediately picked into a big hug. “Welcome to the family,” he smiled.
Everyone sat down to eat. Mary leaned over and whispered into Howie’s ear. “You think your parents would be mad that I’m not very religious?” Author's Note: Please refer to Rolling Stone Magazine, Issue 813 page 46 for explination.
“How not very religious?”
“Not very at all...”
“All right, just do what I do, and I don’t think they’ll notice. If they do, they shouldn’t mind, you tried. I can explain it to them later.”
After dinner and the exchange of gifts, Howie and Mary went back to the house. An hour later, Mary was laid on the couch, curled into a ball on the verge of tears. “Howard...” she cried.
“Yeah?” he asked, coming from the kitchen.
“Something’s wrong, Howard...”
He dropped the plate that he was drying and ran to her. Picking her up, AJ opened the door to let him out. Howie laid her in the back seat and sat with her while AJ drove. Upon arrival, she was taken to the ER, Howie and AJ never leaving her side. Being in the hospital again, not because of work but because of her own illness, scared Mary half to death. Tears flowed down her face after the doctor on call checked her out. She was wheeled into X-ray, Howie at her side. “Don’t let me die, Howard... Please don’t let me die...”
...
Mary was promptly taken up to surgery. After a few hours, the doctor came down to the waiting room. Howie sat in a chair in tears. Melissa and Jade sat on either side of Howie, while AJ attempted to comfort him, nothing working. Kevin and Nick chatted nervously and Brian prayed. “Mr. Goode?” Howie looked up at the doctor and stood.
“Are you Mr. Goode?”
“Dorough, Mary’s my fiancee... What’s wrong with her? Will she be all right?”
“Mr. Dorough, do you know if Mary has any food allergies? Or could she have eaten something drastically different from what she’s used to?”
“We had dinner at my parents’ house tonight, my mother put some peppers in something that she ate... Mary usually eats pretty bland...”
“Mr. Dorough, Mary has a very thin stomach lining, thinner than what is called ‘normal.’ Something she ate burned a hole in the lining of her stomach and started seeping the acids into her bloodstream. We took her to the OR and she’s in recovery now.”
“But is she going to be all right?”
“She’ll be fine in a few days.”
“When can she be released?”
“We have to keep her here over night, to keep an eye on the acids in her blood. She should be able to be released tomorrow night.”
“Can I see her?”
“I’m sorry, Sir, but not yet. When she gets wheeled into a room, I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Howie sighed and almost collapsed in relief. He sat in the nearest chair and took a few deep breaths. Finally, he looked up at everyone. “She’s going to be all right,” he smiled.
...
It was 10 PM before Howie was allowed to see Mary, and only immediate family could be with her at a time. AJ called Sam and Josh to let them know of the situation and they rushed down. “What happened to me, Howard?”
“You burned a hole in your stomach somehow, probably my mother’s cooking,” he laughed. “She cooks things kind of spicy.” Mary giggled and groaned in pain. “But you just relax darlin, I’ll be here all night.”
“Did anyone call Sam or Josh?”
“AJ did, they should be arriving soon.”
...
The next night, Mary was released with orders to take the holidays easy from now on. Howie and the Boys cooked dinner for Mary, Jade, Melissa, Sam, and Josh on Christmas Day. Sam and Josh kept a watchful eye over Mary and ruled her with the iron fist she had once watched over Brian with. Howie took a break and came into the living
room by the group. “Dinner’s ready,” he boasted proudly. Everyone stood and walked into the dining room, leaving Howie alone with Mary. “This is the most I’ve seen you the past few days,” he smiled.
“I’m so sorry, Howard, I should have watched myself better... I knew sometime my stomach would give me trouble... I didn’t want to insult your mother by not eating when she invited us to her house.”
“You’re no trouble, Mary. We didn’t know, you didn’t know this would definitely happen. Come on, dinner’s ready.” He gently pulled her up and wrapped his arm around her, guiding her to the dining room. “And most of the food is bland, so don’t worry about it this time.” Mary never looked at him. She just sighed and nodded.
After dinner, everyone exchanged gifts. Around 11, Mary wanted to head up to bed and Howie offered to take her. “I have to talk to you, Howard,” she said once they were inside his room and the door was shut. “I know why this whole thing happened.”
Confused, he sat next to her. “Why?”
“Thom wants revenge on me... He tore the lining of my stomach once when he beat me, but it wasn’t too bad so I didn’t have to have surgery. They told me to watch what I ate and I forgot about it... I didn’t think it could happen again. But this time it was worse...”
“Listen, Mary, I don’t care about Thom. He’s gone now. All I want to do is take care of you. I won’t ever let you get hurt, and if you do, you know I’ll fix it.” He smiled at her with hope in his eyes.
Mary sighed and nodded. She smiled back at him and kissed him gently. “Oh, I have something I wanted to give you,” she said, standing.
“No, no, wait. Tell me where it is, I’ll get it.”
“You sit, I can get it,” she said and walked across the room. She opened the closet and pulled out a wrapped box. “Merry Christmas,” she smiled. He carefully opened the package and pulled out a small ornament of two children sitting on a sliver of a golden moon. The girl held a bouquet of roses and kissed the boy hesitantly. She had a brass plate mounted on the back and engraved, ‘Our First Christmas Together, 1999.’ “I had to get it,” she explained. “It reminded me of us that first night.”
“But I never got you flowers...”
Mary sighed happily and shook her head. “No, of the innocence of that night. I love you, Howard Dorough,” she kissed him gently.
“I love you, Mary Goode.”
...
New Year’s Eve, 1999. The group had once again gathered at the Boys’ house. “We’re watching A Bridge Too Far,” Mary said, holding her stomach gently. “It’s a tradition,” she smiled at Josh and they both giggled.
AJ leaned over and nudged Josh. “What was that giggle for?”
“Long story, my man, long story.”
Mary put the tape in the VCR and pressed play. They watched the first half and rewound the finished tape at 11:30. They sat, watching the countdown. “What do you think will happen?” Melissa asked Nick nervously. Although they weren’t great together and things never worked out between them, they were still great friends.
“At midnight?” She turned to him and gave him the classic ‘duh’ look. He shrugged. “I don’t know...”
Midnight rolled around. The couples kissed one another and then everyone else. “All the bells and whistles for nothing,” Mary groaned. “Here I thought I’d be called back to the hospital right away.” At 12:30, they settled back in with glasses of champagne and
watched the second half of the movie.
“You sure do know how to pick them, Mare,” Nick commented after the movie. “Why was that one a tradition?”
“Every New Years, me, Josh, and my other brother Chas would watch it together. It was our way of celebrating,” she smiled.
‘I miss those celebrations...’ Josh muttered under his breath. “It was great to see it again, brought back a lot of memories,” he smiled.
