Author's Note: Thanks to Beth (Hippiechic81) for suggesting I do a story about how Mary met her husband, the Congressman. We know very little from Mary and Rhoda, so I've always wondered about it myself. It's a bit challenging writing about Mary's post-WJM life, but I don't mind! Thanks also to Leigh Ann (leighann415) for reading a partial draft of this. Please do review! :)
Sometimes, Mary couldn't believe this was her life now. She wasn't working at WJM anymore, which was a huge change in and of itself. Now, she was at Channel 8 News, which had been WJM's competition. Instead of working for the lowest-rated show in the city, she was at the highest-rated one. Though she missed her coworkers, life was good. Every day reminded her of why she loved this business so much.
She walked into work, excited to see what the day would bring. There always seemed to be challenges, but she didn't mind. Before she'd even sat down at her desk, one of the news writers looked at her. "Boss wants to see you."
The words made Mary feel a familiar nervousness, but she reminded herself once again that her boss wasn't Lou Grant anymore. She'd been here over a year, but she still had to stop herself from calling him "Mr. Grant."
Experience told Mary that delaying the inevitable wouldn't make things any better. Taking a deep breath, she walked toward the door marked Eric Ross. "You wanted to see me?" she asked, knocking as she entered.
Eric looked up, smiling at her. "I have a favor to ask you. Actually, it's really the station's favor, but I'm the one doing the asking. How would you feel about traveling?"
The question took Mary by surprise. "Well….I've traveled for business before. I went to California once, and to New York. That trip was sort of special, because I got to visit my best friend and her husband. It was kind of bad timing on my part, but I didn't exactly know that…."
"What about Washington D.C.?" Eric asked, interrupting Mary's trip down memory lane.
"Oh. Um….I went to D.C. once, too, years ago. I had a nice time."
"Good," Eric said. "I wanted to send you there again."
"I suppose I could do that. What would I be going there for, some sort of broadcasting convention?"
Eric shook his head. "You know there's an election coming up in a few months, right? I mean, all the networks have been covering it lately. I think we should get in on it, too."
"Wow, you want me to cover an election?" Mary asked. The idea was more than a little overwhelming. In the news business, a story like this was just about the biggest assignment one could get, especially at a station like this.
Eric nodded. "Well, we could send someone else, but since you're single and have no family, we figured it'd be easier for you to go…."
"I understand," Mary said immediately. "Say no more. I'd be glad to go."
"Good," Eric said. "I'll have someone from our travel department call you to set up all the details."
Mary nodded, making her way back out to her desk.
As she hung up with the travel coordinator, Mary smiled. Ever since she'd left WJM, she was more aware of when good things happened in her life. Back then, she'd been naive, thinking life would always be that wonderful. Now she understood that life was full of ups and downs, and it was important to notice the ups before they passed her by. Somehow, she knew this would be one of those times.
