Office Hours - July 16

[bigdamnprincipal]

So, the town was full of dead people. Supposedly harmless dead people, but people who were nonetheless not supposed to be alive. Zoe wasn't sure what was bothering her more, that one of the people was John's dead wife, or that none of the people were her dead loved ones. Rather than debate the issue with herself, Zoe was keeping herself busy answering messages from the school board. Somehow, that was actually less painful.

[Door and post are open!]

Comments

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

Mary wanted to spend as much of the time she'd been given with her sons, but there was at least one other person she felt she should talk to.

She paused in the doorway. "Am I interrupting anything....?"

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe glanced up and was caught by surprise at finding Mary at the door. "Uh, no, you're not. Is everything all right?" she asked, working on sounding casual.

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

"You mean aside from all of us dead people roaming around your island and shaking things up?" Mary asked with a wry, understanding smile. "As far as I know, yes. I just thought we should talk. Given how much we have in common."

[bigdamnprincipal]

Oh, this wasn't going to be an awkward conversation at all," Zoe thought. "All right. Come on in," she said. "I imagine John's going to be very excited to speak with you."

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

Mary smiled sadly. "I'm sure he will be. And then I will have to leave and hurt him all over again."

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe's expression softened a little at that. "I think it would hurt him more to not see you at all," she said. "He still misses you very much."

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

"I'll see him," Mary assured her. "If only to apologize."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Apologize for what? I don't think he's gonna take an apology for dying on him or anything. He doesn't blame you, if you're worried about that," Zoe said.

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

"He doesn't know the entire truth."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"You think he'll get upset?" Zoe asked. "I'm not so sure about that. John isn't that kind of man."

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

Mary gave a wry, sad smile. "You don't know what I did."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"I'm willing to listen if you want to talk about it," Zoe offered.

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

Mary considered, then nodded, sitting down across from Zoe. "There's some things about me and my family I never told John."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Things like what?" Zoe asked, trying not to feel morally superior. There were certainly things she hadn't told John about either. It was just easier that way.

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

"Well, like we were all hunters," Mary said softly.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Really?" Zoe said. Okay, that was supposedly a bad thing, but she couldn't help but have a new respect for Mary. "John likes his women strong, doesn't he?"

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

That pulled a real smile out of Mary. "He does at that."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"He does seem to enjoy being told what to do," Zoe said with a smirk. "It's very helpful around the house."

[huntermary.livejournal.com]

"He has the biggest heart," Mary remembered fondly. "Always believed the best of everyone and everything. Even going to 'Nam didn't change that about him."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"I know how easy it is to become jaded after losing a loved one. I lost my husband shortly before coming here. It's how John and I got to talking in the first place," Zoe explained. "I'm still amazed by how kind he can be sometimes."