Six Reborn

(Continuing where we left off)

"What?!"

"Yes, well not right away. Sophie's been involved with Halls since last year. Anne helped out too, but then she booked Rent with Cathy. And Grace posted an informative video on her channel."

"They want me to be K Howard in SiX? What about my studies, and I'm getting married!"

"Mary, it's not right away. Rehearsals don't start until June. You have plenty of time."

"It's only my second year of uni, I wouldn't get my degree!"

Catherine clutched her phone and sighed. "Mary, just think about it okay? You could try being an alternate first."

"They have four alternates. That's a bit much."

"Cherelle's moving. We're throwing her a going away party. Next week." (I love Cherelle and this is just for the story)

"I'll think about it Mum."

"Mary, just remember, that this is all your choice. I'll support you whatever happens, and your whole family will do." 

With that, Catherine left Mary alone next to the stage door. Mary slowly walked outside. She called Alisa, who picked her up and took her back to their shared flat. Brin met them in the car park and helped Alisa with the groceries she had been getting before getting Mary.

 Then the two of them took out a bottle of wine and three glasses, and prepared to boil some water for hot chocolate later. Then all three of them sat in the sitting room with chocolate and listened to Mary.

They comforted her when she cried, and after each of them had had only one glass of wine, (they were careful about getting drunk. There was an incident.) Brin boiled the kettle and brought out the powdered hot chocolate.

"Babes, honestly, we can't do anything for you. This is your choice. All we can do is offer advice and support you." Alisa said, as Mary was curled into a ball on the couch.

"Hey remember what we did when Philip asked you to marry him after only three dates?" Brin asked as she brought over two mugs.

"I told him I'd think about it and ran away." Mary mumbled as she took a mug from the coffee table.

"Yeah you did babes, but afterward, when we got you to focus, we brought out the craft supplies and made a pro-con list. You came up with two cons, he might get killed by your family, and it's only been three dates and you felt like you were rushing into it." Brin paused and leaned against the counter and stirred her mug of hot chocolate. "You said yes, and now you're getting married to him in three weeks. Mary, you always make the right choice. Why don't I get the glitter pens and poster board?"

Alisa took a sip of her hot chocolate. "Cupcake, it worked last time, doesn't mean it'll work again. I mean, glitter pens are magical, but this is an adult decision that could completely change Mary's life. We always knew they'd end up together. On their first date Philip took her to the park or a picnic, and simply got to know her. He didn't try anything or do something extravagant, he just wanted to know how she's changed over the past five thousand years. They are endgame, Mary just needed to see that in glitter with paint pens."

Brin sighed and sat opposite of them on the floor. "Maybe you're right 'Lisa. Mary, what do you want to do?"

Mary looked up from her knees and cast a look at the shelf in the corner where Alisa had insisted in neatly storing the craft supplies. "Make a pro-con list with glitter and paint pens."

Alisa laughed, "But that's just to make yourself feel better before you contemplate your actuations decision?"

"You know me so well Alisa."

So Brin went into the storage closet and brought out an easel and large poster board, while Mary cleared the table and Alisa got the supplies. Mary put on Spotify to their favorite musical playlist. (Brin got them hooked on musicals because she was studying musical theatre. Most especially Waitress.)

The three of them focused on the poster board, and Alisa wrote the words neatly (because she did calligraphy and loved writing) with her special pens neither of the others were allowed to touch. Brin focused on the border and created a line through the middle with ribbons and hot glue. Mary laughed and gave Alisa the pros and cons to write down, while using glitter pens to make the board fancy after Alisa finished writing in a section of the board.

The surprisingly, but to surprisingly since this playlist changed constantly, All You Wanna Do came on and Mary muttered all the words under her breath. 

"Mary dear, what do you want me to put under cons? We've got about five pros so far."

"That I could lose my career as a children's teacher. I could become unsuccessful and not be able to support the family that I will have in the future. I wouldn't get a degree which means if I don't get an acting job after SiX i'll have to get a job at like McDonalds and I'm basically broke. in the acting world you're constantly unemployed and having to rely on waitressing. Poor Cherelle's job would be immediately filled as if we don't care about her. My family might think of me as a failure for not respecting my future. Not to mention the various cons can think of that involve Philip." 

"Okay then dear. But look at your pros. You'd be doing something you love. You'd be working with your family everyday, you'd be able to carpool and lift the carbon footprint that humans have slowly been leaving on this earth. Sophie already has a new job so it's not like you taking the role would make you unemployed. It's not like you had to top taking classes if you joined SiX because you know everything already and they can't really change anything at this point."

Mary opened her mouth to say something, but someone started knocking on their door.

Please tell me Mary's in there! I've been everywhere looking for her after Catherine called saying she hadn't come back to the house." Philip cried after three knocks.

"I'll get it. You want to see him love?"

'Yeah. Let him in."

Brin opened the door and pointed to Mary, and Alisa turned the board so he couldn't see it. "Mary." He came in and stood in front of her. "Are you okay? Your mother told me what happened."

He didn't do anything just stand there waiting for her response. 

Mary smiled at him and gave him a hug. "I'm fine hon. It just gave me a fright. I think I know what to do."

"That's great."

"I'm taking the job."