Not So Different
Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride
If I have faith you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you won't let show
You just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
You just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road,
I'll share your load
If you just call me (call me)
If you need a friend (call me) call me uh huh(call me) if you need a friend (call me)
If you ever need a friend (call me)
Call me (call me) call me (call me) call me
(Call me) call me (call me) if you need a friend
(Call me) call me (call me) call me (call me) call me (call me) call me (call me)
-Bill Withers, "Call Me"
The next day…
"I have some interesting news," said Luigi.
"What's that?" asked Master Hand.
"I made a new friend yesterday. His name's Grant."
"Where did you meet him?"
"At my support group," beamed Luigi. "He sells flashlights, and he's been bullied from childhood. A little bit like me."
"Now aren't you glad you joined that group?" asked MH.
"I sure am. We do more than just talk. Arts and crafts, pottery, music and dance—Dr. Thorpe is very proactive."
"What about the others in your group?"
"Giulia's an old friend, and she helped me bring down Spike and the others. But when I looked at Grant—it was like magic. Like we were cut from the same cloth."
"It seems that you have some similarities in your situations," observed Master Hand.
"But his own friends leave him to the wolves. Only his wife was brave enough to fend them off."
"Now, he has you," Master Hand said wisely, "and you have him. By the way, don't worry about Waluigi. He's been suspended for his misconduct that day."
"Good to know. But I've already forgotten about that."
"I can't help but notice that both Dr. Mario and Dr. Park are helping you. What do you say to them—working jointly on the case? Like—instead of seeing one and then the other, you see them both in the same appointment?"
Luigi nodded his approval. "It saves me a lot of time."
"I just spoke to them on the matter," said Master Hand. "Your first joint session with them is this afternoon. I think you should unwind with them before the most strenuous of your matches."
"I'll find a way to slot it into my schedule," promised Luigi.
"On the whole, I'm happy you're doing well," said Master Hand. "That civil suit really helped, didn't it?"
"It did." Luigi's eyes twinkled. "I'll catch you later, Master Hand."
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As Dr. Park prepared for her session with Luigi, someone knocked on her door.
"May I come in?" asked Dr. Mario.
"Sure." The shrink rose and allowed her colleague to enter. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well. You?"
"A little nervous," confessed Dr. Park.
"Why?" asked Dr. Mario.
"I've never done a joint session before," said Dr. Park. "At least, not with another physician present. I've done sessions when parents or friends accompany the patient, but this—is kinda new to me."
"Me, too," Dr. Mario quietly admitted.
"You're nervous, too?" guessed Dr. Park. "You've done this for ages!"
"I've never taken on a case like Luigi's. It's very unique."
"I know," said Dr. Park, "but we're helping him."
"When Luigi saw me after his—mission—I knew I had to call you," said Dr. Mario. "You're good at your craft, Kristy. I've kept in touch with you after your residency, read every article you wrote in those medical journals. Somehow, I knew you could still the storm in Luigi's heart. Your sensitivity and big heart is—admirable."
Dr. Park blushed. "I learned from the best, Doc," she said quietly. "I'm honored to work alongside you in this case. But—are you sure it won't be problematic?"
"I don't think so," frowned Dr. Mario. "Why?"
"I'm no bimbo, Doc," Dr. Park told him firmly. "This is bringing back memories for you."
Dr. Mario was stunned that his mentee could read him so well. "Yes. It is. How…?"
"I would know my own mentor," said Dr. Park. "The fact that you stood strong through it only increased my respect for you."
"I would've crumbled, if not for Luigi," said Dr. Mario. "Throughout the mockery, harassment, crank calls and denunciation as a Mario clone, he was there for me." He straightened his tie. "Now, I'm going to be there for him, but I need your help. Can I count on you, Kristy?"
Dr. Park nodded. "One hundred percent." She offered her hand to Dr. Mario, which he shook.
Then, she looked at her watch. "It's about time to call him over."
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"Before we begin, do you have any reservations over this arrangement?" asked Dr. Mario.
"Not at all," replied Luigi.
"Anything noteworthy since our last meeting?" asked Dr. Park.
"A new guy came to my support group," Luigi sang out.
"Sounds like you really like him," said Dr. Park.
"I do. One look, and I knew that we were going to get along. I'm a plumber, and he's a flashlight salesman. We were both bullied since God-knows-when, but we had people to keep us from losing it."
"What's his name?" asked Dr. Mario.
"Grant. We painted some pictures together, and we exchanged phone numbers before we left."
"What else about him made him stand out?" Dr. Park wanted to know.
"The fact that he was so ready to open up, and when Dr. Thorpe paired us up, he immediately sought me out. We were like two little boys, confiding our secrets to each other as we painted."
"L," said Dr. Mario. "This is exactly what you need!"
"Really?"
"Yeah," Dr. Park joined in. "Someone you closely identify with, like Grant, will give you someone to vent to when times get rough, because he'll listen to you and truly understand. We're happy for you, L. Tell Grant hi for us, and if he needs more help, then we're just a phone call away."
She and Dr. Mario handed Luigi their business cards so he could give them to Grant.
"Now," said Dr. Mario. "What else is on your mind?"
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As Luigi headed for the showers after his last match, a Mii in a Mario cap approached him. "Phone call for you," she announced.
Luigi took the proffered phone. "Hello?"
"It's good to hear your voice, L," said Grant.
"It's good to hear yours, too."
"You sound out of breath," said Grant. "What are you up to?"
"Kicking butt, Smash Bros style," replied Luigi. "Matches just finished for the day."
"Nobody—gave you any grief, did they?"
"Not really. Just the usual cocky stuff. So, how are you?"
"Resting up after a long day at work. Nothing like coming home to five open arms and a sloppy tongue. The reason why I'm calling is because I have a proposition for you."
"Yeah?"
"After you freshen up, how about you grab some friends and head on over? I'd love to introduce you to my folks."
"Perfect! I'll go talk to them," said Luigi. "Oh, and by the way, I have a dog of my own. I hope he gets along with yours. He's—a special dog, and you'll see why."
"I'm sure we can handle one more dog," said Grant. "I need to start making arrangements. See you later."
"Likewise, Grant." Luigi hung up, gave the phone back to the Mii and went to get ready.
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In a pleasant suburb not far from the Smash Mansion, Grant's abode was nicely lit up for his guests. With help from his family, the rooms were swept, freshened and vacuumed and messes were cleared away. Top 40 tunes played at medium volume from the stereo. Cocktail wieners, nachos, pizza, burgers, hot dogs, condiments and various deserts were set out for the guests to consume. Additional preparations were made for another dog. The family was dressed their best, and the kids were instructed to behave themselves.
Grant, in a shirt, vest and slacks, was at the door when Luigi arrived. He smiled at the sight of his new friend, clad in a tuxedo with a green bow tie. On his arm was Daisy, in a sleek, strapless dress. Accompanying them were Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Rosalina and Luma and Corrine, as the cosmic goddess's date.
"Welcome to mi casa," said Grant as he let them in.
"Thanks, Grant," said Luigi as he took in the place. "Wow, this is nice."
"We don't want to entertain people in a messy house, right?" winked Grant. "I'm glad some of your friends could make it."
He turned to Daisy, offering his hand. "You must be the Princess of Sarasaland," he said. "It's an honor."
"Thank you," said Daisy as Grant kissed her hand.
"And here's the iconic Mario," said Grant, greeting the red-capped hero with a handshake.
"Hello," smiled Mario.
"It looks like your Princess is in another castle," quipped Grant, kissing Peach's hand.
"Nice to meet you, Grant," said Peach.
The salesman turned to Rosalina. "The Queen of the Cosmos," he said.
"Indeed," said Rosalina, "and this is my girlfriend, Corrine."
"I can turn into a dragon," Corrine put in.
Grant's eyes swung down on the ghost dog on the red leash. "Ah. Here's your dog."
Luigi gathered his pet in his arms. "He's a ghost dog," he explained. "His name's Polterpup."
Polterpup peered curiously at Grant, who offered a hand for him to sniff. Seconds later, Polterpup pounced on the man, licking his face.
"I guess he likes you," laughed Luigi.
Polterpup calmed down and returned to his master. Luigi kissed the supernatural pooch and set him back down.
The rest of Grant's family filed into the room. A loud, joyful bark echoed in the air.
"Welcome," greeted Leni, wearing a retro A-line dress. "It's good to meet you all."
The guests shook Leni's hand, and then the four kids lined up to introduce themselves.
"I'm Nora," said the eldest.
"I'm Alex," said the second-eldest.
"I'm Daniel, but you can call me Dan or Danny," said the second-youngest.
"I'm Shelia," said the youngest.
"And this is our border collie, Spirit," said Leni as the dog bounded forward. "Don't worry—he's tame."
Spirit and Polterpup sized each other up and bumped noses. Then, the ghost dog gave the border collie a tiny lick, breaking the ice.
"I knew they'd get along," Grant sighed wistfully.
The family gave their guests a quick tour of the house, and then they all sat down to dinner, where the four kids pelted the guests with rapid-fire questions.
"One at a time, kids," said Grant.
"Is the Smash tournament run by a floating hand?" asked Alex.
"Yes," said Luigi. "His name's Master Hand."
"I've seen a few of your matches," Nora said shyly. "I think you're cool."
"Thanks, Nora," said Luigi.
"I just beat New Super Luigi U," boasted Danny. "I'm gonna play it again and again until I drop!"
"Daniel," sighed Leni.
"Sorry, Mom. I just like this game so much!"
"What about the other games your dad and I bought you?"
"They're cool, I guess. Hey, L—I have a few Mario Party games and Mario Kart 8. I like playing as you, so I can do absolutely nothing or glare at people." Dan laughed.
"Everybody loves my Death Stare," said Luigi. "If you don't mind my asking, do you have any Luigi's Mansion games?"
Dan grinned, showing a gap in his two front teeth. "I have both games. We should totally do Dark Moon's multiplayer sometime!"
"He always wins," murmured Shelia.
"Hey," said Grant in a warning tone.
"Don't worry, Sis," smiled Dan. "You'll get the hang of it someday."
"I play a lot of Smash and Super Mario Maker," said Nora. "I designed some crazy courses. I have the IDs for them if you're interested."
"That's very nice of you, Nora," said Leni.
"I main Ness and Captain Falcon," Alex put in. "Wanna 1v1 on FG?"
"You're on," said Luigi.
"May I ask Princess Daisy a question?" Nora piped up.
"Sure," said Daisy.
"How long has Luigi been your special friend?"
"For a long, long, long, long time," Daisy said softly, "and I haven't tired of him yet."
"When I grow up, I'm gonna ask Nintendo to make a game about you," vowed Shelia.
Daisy blushed. "That means the world to me," she said, "but I'm waiting for news on the Nintendo Switch."
"I'm sorry you didn't win the Ballot, Princess," said Dan.
"Thanks," said Daisy, "but I've moved on from it."
"We hope you make the next Smash roster, though," said Nora.
"Me, too," mused Daisy.
"How did you get into the advertising business, Grant?" asked Peach.
"As the son of an engineer, I was interested in hardware," replied Grant, "so I figured, why not make hardware interesting for others? I decided to sell flashlights because they were the handiest tools out there. Thanks to me, flashlight sales have skyrocketed. Now, if only those supervisors would see fit to promote me."
"Have you done any infomercials?" asked Daisy.
"Tune in to HGTV early in the mornings," said Grant. "You'll find many of my infomercials there.
"Advertising in an art, you see," he said to his other guests. "Anyone can say how great a product is. But the trick to selling a product is to believe in that product."
"Good advice," said Mario. "I mean, L and I rely on tools to do our job, but we won't buy them from manufacturers who do a lackluster job of selling them. How will we know if they function properly?"
"Exactly," smiled Grant.
"The same thing goes for clothing," added Luigi. "Imagine that I need some brand-new work boots or overalls. If I see a bland ad for either of them, then I won't give it much attention as compared to a detailed ad explaining why I should spend my money on them."
"You are spot on, my man," said Grant.
"Hey, Grant," said Rosalina. "Would you like to come to my Observatory one of these days?"
"Can we, Mom and Dad?" the children asked in unison.
"Maybe over spring break," said Leni.
"Yay!" cheered the kids.
"The Lumas are so cute!" squealed Shelia.
"Aren't they?" agreed Rosalina.
"Miss Corrine, could you please turn into a dragon for us?" asked Alex.
"I can't," Corrine replied with a sad smile. "At least, not indoors. But maybe you can watch me in action at one of my matches."
"Okay," Alex said brightly.
"I'd like to propose a toast," said Grant.
The table fell silent.
Grant raised his glass. "To Luigi, another breath of fresh air in my tumultuous life. May our friendship be a long and prosperous one."
"Cheers," said Luigi, also raising his glass.
Everyone else clinked their glasses together and then continued their meal, chatting about this and that. Once everyone had their fill and the food was put away, Grant turned up the stereo and put on some party tunes.
"Who wants to have a real party?" he asked.
Welcome to my house
Baby take control now
We can't even slow down
We don't have to go out
Welcome to my house
Play that music too loud
Show me what you do now
We don't have to go out
Welcome to my house
Welcome to my house
-Flo Rida, "My House"
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