Chapter 1:
She despaired as she watched Randy Marsh ranting like an idiot at the Whole Foods. Looking at him in that moment she wished she'd never listened to him in the first place. Taking his advice on South Park's image problem was a big mistake. She'd ruined her city for the sake of popularity and a movement that didn't benefit the community at all. Instead, it ruined lives and tore families apart. Businesses that had been in South Park for a long time suffered because of it. This whole mess was her fault.
That wasn't even her biggest blunder. Firing Officer Barbrady – her long time secret lover – was the biggest mistake she'd ever made in her life. Ever since she fired him for a second time – on Randy's advice – he wouldn't even look at her much less talk to her. She knew he had every right to be angry with her, but it still hurt knowing she was the one who hurt him badly and there wasn't any way she could fix her mistake.
That didn't stop her from trying. She had to reach out and she hoped she could make amends. She couldn't bear to lose him. Even though she didn't think he'd listen to a word she had to say she approached him after the crowd dispersed and people were no longer within earshot.
"G-George?" Her legs were shaking and her voice broke when she spoke. She was nervous. She hadn't seen much of Barbrady since she handed him over to the newsmen in an attempt to protect him from the ads that were looking to take him out.
He stopped in his tracks. He seemed dumbfounded that she would even talk to him. "What do you want?"
A pang of guilt stabbed her when he spoke with venom. He looked at her with big sad eyes. He was hurting and it was her fault. "I-I wanted to apologise."
"You're sorry?" He snapped incredulously. "You believed Randy over me and told me to get the hell out and you're sorry!"
"I-I..." She trailed off. She struggled to string two words together. She hated seeing him in pain. The guilt nagged her. She wished she could take the pain away from him even though she was the reason for it. "I-I'm sorry. I was just... trying to protect you. I didn't want you to get hurt."
"You didn't want me to get hurt?" He was broken and he was angry. It killed her to see him this way. "You told me I should go away! You said nobody wanted me here! You said I don't have what it takes to be a policeman in today's times. I'm just a bumbling old fool!"
"I-I..." The words wouldn't come. She didn't know what to say. She pulled him back when he tried to leave. "I-it was Randy who put those words in my mouth. I'm so sorry George. I-I didn't mean it."
"You're getting what you wanted." He said matter-of-factly. "I'm leaving South Park at the end of the week. I'm going back to Long Island to be a commercial fisherman. I'm no good as a policeman. You said so."
She was stunned. Her face paled at the thought of him leaving town. She didn't want him to leave at all. She panicked at the thought of losing him. "George! No! Please? You can't leave!"
"You said I should leave, so I'm leaving." He turned away from her and didn't look at her again. "Bye Mary."
XXXX
"Mayor?" Randy's obnoxious voice scared her. She jumped out of her skin. She shuddered at the thought of dealing with Randy Marsh. She didn't even want to look at him.
"What?" She just wanted him gone. Because of Randy she made a terrible mistake and now the love of her life was leaving town. There was nothing left for her anymore. She was considering resigning from office since she felt Randy was pushing her out of her job any way.
"We need to progress further." She could tell he was still on a power trip. Giving him so much responsibility had inflated his ego. She felt used. He was no better than the other power hungry assholes that used her for their own gain. "The Whole Foods thing didn't work, but there are other ways to make the town better."
Fury filled her. He was once one of her best friends and trusted advisors. Now she couldn't stand to look at him and she certainly couldn't trust him. Everyone around them was pulling out of the progressive movement. Randy was one of the few people left who still actively supported it.
"Mayor?" He stomped his foot as he waited for her to reply.
"Drop it Marsh!" Hot rage filled her. It was on Randy's advice she fired Barbrady even though she had to turn him over to the newsmen for his own protection. After everything she knew she couldn't remain friends with Randy Marsh. She loathed him and suddenly found him repugnant. The PC progressive movement had ruined everything. She still had damage control to take care of after the gun show. Her heart wasn't in it. She just didn't care anymore since she lost everything.
"Mayor?!" Randy grabbed her by the arm as she tried to walk away. "We're supposed to be progressive."
"I said drop it!" She shouted at Randy who fearfully backed away from her. "We're done with the stupid revamp project and the progressive movement!"
"Mayor?" Randy called after her as she fled to the safety of her SUV.
She couldn't deal with him. She couldn't deal with people. She leaned against the steering wheel and buried her face in her arms. She sat in her car for several minutes sobbing uncontrollably before making the drive back to City Hall.
XXXX
She wasn't concentrating on the road while driving back to her office building. As soon as she looked up and noticed the oncoming truck she swerved sharply to avoid it. Her car fishtailed and only stopped when she collided with a tree not far from City Hall.
She was shaken from the accident, but hadn't sustained any injuries. The crash scared the hell out of her. After she recovered she stormed into her office and angrily ordered her aides Johnson and Freddie out. They didn't ask any questions and backed away when she glowered at them.
"What have I done?" She shouted after they left. Hot and heavy tears streamed down her face as she started sobbing again. She'd ruined everything and she'd lost everything. After her first husband passed away Barbrady was her last chance for love. He was her last hope. Now there was nothing and she had no one to blame but herself. As she boiled with rage she shoved everything off the desk and threw things around her office. "I've ruined everything. I'm not fit to be Mayor!"
She stopped in her tracks as soon as glass crunched under foot. She was horrified when she noticed that two photo frames were damaged during her rampage. One photo was of her late husband and the other was one of her with Barbrady when he was still the Police Chief of South Park. The photos themselves hadn't sustained any damage. She couldn't look at them without crying so she pocketed them.
"Mom?" She looked up to see her son Alex McDaniels glowering at her.
"A-Alex?" She didn't know what to say. He looked at her with disgust. She couldn't stand it knowing he was so angry with her.
"What the fuck mom?"She had a feeling she knew why he was so angry with her it bordered on hostility. "What the fuck have you done?"
"A-Alex?" She mumbled meekly. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. She hated herself for everything that's happened. She wanted to die. In that moment she wished the truck or even the tree had killed her.
"You fired Barbrady and told him to get the fuck out of town! All for the sake of money and popularity!" He stood over her demanding an explanation. "When all he did was care about you and protect the town!"
It was a blow she wasn't expecting. He hated her. Her only son hated her. "I-I was just trying to protect George."
He wasn't buying it. Her explanation seemed to make him angrier. "You told him to get the fuck out. That no one wanted him here. How the fuck is that protecting him?"
"The ads... The newsmen... I..." She couldn't string two words together. There was no way she could get him to understand. She'd lost Barbrady and now her only son was angry with her. She shuddered at the thought of confronting her nephew Pete when she got home.
"You let Randy Marsh call all the shots!" He clamoured with disgust. "You threw Barbrady under the bus for a stupid ass progressive movement that ruined the town!"
"I-I..." She couldn't stand it. He hated her and she couldn't stand it. Barbrady was leaving at the end of the week. Everything was falling apart. She got up and pushed past him as hot and heavy tears streamed down her face. She wasn't watching where she was going and crashed into Johnson in the hallway.
"Go on!" He yelled after her. "Run from your mistakes like you always do!"
Johnson helped her up as she'd fallen on the ground in her haste. He noticed Officer McDaniels glowering at them and looked at her with concern. "Mayor? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Johnson." She didn't want pity. She just wanted to go home
"Mayor?" She pushed past him and fled the building. She couldn't deal with the rage; she couldn't deal with the pity. She didn't want to deal with people. She just wanted to be left alone in her misery. She only came back to her office to collect paper work. The next day she would turn in her resignation.