Chapter 24: Welcome Back Home Mario Bros.!
The Marios stepped out of the portal & was greeted by Malini's Penny Grocery Store owned by their good friend Roberto Malini. They'd always come here for groceries when they first migrated from Italy, to Brooklyn back in the seventies to the late eighties.
The store was a simple red brick building with a red & white awning above the door covering part of the sidewalk. Several neon coloured signs with handwriting on them told of sales & the times the store was open. In front, a young man stood in front of the door locking up for the day.
"Let's see if ol' Roberto still owns this place Luigi." Mario motioned to the store now named Malini's Groceries.
"It'd be good to see him again." Luigi followed his brother to where the young man was standing. It wasn't how they remembered it, it was new & updated, it looked as if a mod squad came in & modernized it. At least to them it did.
"Ciao, I'm Mario & this is my brother Luigi. Do you know where Roberto Malini might be? We're his friends, the Marios."
The young, Italian man, in his early twenties turned around & looked at the pair, "Ciao, how may I help you?"
"We're looking for Roberto Malini. He used to own this store."
"Roberto? Oh I'm sorry Signore, but he's dead. He died in 1994."
"1994? It's 1986 you idiota!"
"No, it's 2010."
"Mario, remember what Scarlett said about the time change?"
"Time change? Oh, I remember now." he looked at the young man, "Are you Giorgio Malini? Roberto's grandson?"
"Why, yes. Yes I am. How did you know? I've never seen you before in my life."
"We used to live here. Do you remember Mario Bros. Plumbing that is across the street from us?"
He thought for a moment, "I…think I do. Are you the ones who always rode by us in the light yellow truck?"
"Yep. We're the ones. I can remember the day when you were born. Your grandfather called us up that afternoon & bragged about you."
He laughed, partially embarrassed, "He did?"
"Sì, he did. Say…Parla Italiano?"
He smiled & began in Italian, "Sì. I speak Italian. Grandfather taught it to me. He always told me to make it the first language my kids would learn so they could teach it to their children & their children's children. English is my second native language."
"Not to change the subject but, what was today's date?"
"New Year's Day, it's 2010."
"The first of Gennaio? 2010?"
"Sì, why wouldn't it be? The whole Earth is celebrating a new year."
"Luigi, remember when we were at Signora Vitella's apartment working on that one pipe that took us to the Mushroom Kingdom?"
"Yeah, I remember…that thing just about scared me half to death when it sucked us down the drain. Yuck!"
"What on Earth are you talking about?"
"We're the Mario Bros. You know, we saved the Mushroom Kingdom from King Koopa & rescue Princess Peach."
"I'll admit that you look like those fictional guys, but you guys are crazy."
"I'm the Mario from the game that Nintendo made. I'm the real thing. Everything in the games really happened. Even the shows they created. Like the episode where Luigi finds Yoshi. Man, can that dinosaur eat! I'll tell you one thing, he can eat more than I can any day!"
"Yoshi is not real. Nor are the fictional Mario Brothers."
"The Mario Brothers are real Giorgio. We're standing right in front of you!"
"Giorgio, there will be another game coming out called The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog & the Mario Bros. In it there a several of our friends like Scarlett, Gold, Flora, Minta, Melody, & lots of others."
"Who's Scarlett?"
"Scarlatto Rosa Macioci used to live with us in the Mushroom Kingdom. She's my adopted daughter, & I'm already missing her very much."
"I know. But we can't do anything about it. Remember that Eggman said that once we are transported back to our world, we can never return to their world. We'd have to wait thousands of years before we they'd ever be able to use the Sol Emeralds with that machine Eggman made."
"What on Earth are "Sol Emeralds" eh?"
"The Sol Emeralds are the emeralds that Silver & Blaze used to seal Iblis into another dimension."
"Another dimension?"
"Sonic & the others are in another dimension like we are to them. They live on the planet Mobius."
"Mobius?"
"Yes, Giorgio, there are other planets & dimensions out there."
"I'm sorry you guys, but I have to get going. Ciao." he started walking away.
"Ciao."
"Ciao. I don't think he believes us."
"I think you're right. It's all real, but it sounds unbelievable. He must've thought that we were some mental patients or something."
"Yeah. Want to grab today's newspaper & see what's happened in the past 34 years?"
"Sure. Here's a quarter."
"Where'd you find that?"
"I found on the ground right after that portal spit us out." he gave Luigi the coin.
Luigi slipped the quarter into the slot, turned the knob, & pulled out the newspaper, "Looks like we have a new president."
"Who?"
"Obama?"
"What an ugly name!"
"It say that he's been president since February of last year & that he's the first African-American president in U.S. History."
"African? Let me see that." he took the paper from Luigi's hands & looked at Obama's picture, "He doesn't look at all like an African, he looks Arabian!"
"Try telling that to the news reporters."
"Yeah." he laughed, "What do you say we go find our old home eh Luigi?"
"If I remember right it's across the street." he looked across the street at a rather small, old, brick building, on the windows it said, "Mario Bros. Plumbing" below that it said, "We're the Mario Bros. & plumbing's our game; we aren't like the others who get all the fame. When your sink is in trouble, you can call us on the double. We're faster than the others; you'll be hooked on the brothers."
"Ha ha! I remember writing that rap in the eighties!"
"Yeah, me too. I wonder if that sewer monster is still hanging out in the wall."
"What about the trash shoot? The lady upstairs who always sang really loudly, Remember her?"
"I remember…"
Mario reached into his pocket & pulled out the keys, "Good thing I remembered to bring them. Otherwise we'd be locked outside our own apartment!" he laughed a hearty laugh. He twisted the key around & turned the knob. Inside, everything was the way it used to be, the couch in the middle of the room, the trash shoot, the open kitchen, everything was the way they had left it that Friday morning.
"Look, it's the pizza we never got to finish that morning! The pizza's gone, but the box is still here!" he laughed again.
"Mario, look. Remember that old doorknob that we could never get open?" Mario nodded, "Well, I still can't get it to open!" he laughed as he struggled with the stubborn doorknob.
"Here's your bedroom. It's just the way you left it too: red!"
"What about yours?" he opened the door to Luigi's room, "It's still green!"
They raced each other to the kitchen area, "I won!"
"Okay Lil' Brother, you win this round." his stomach growled, "I'm getting hungry."
"You're always hungry Mario."
"I know I am. Want to see if Piccolo Italiano is still open?"
"Little Italian? Let's go!"
They walked to Piccolo Italiano, the Italian restaurant they went to all of the time for homemade Italian cooking by Mamma Cora, the Italian immigrant who came with them from Italy, years ago & settled in the same Italian part of Brooklyn. "Piccolo Italia" is what the locals call it, which translates to "Little Italy."
This area could have been a town itself, everything in this area was written in Italian, had Italian residents, restaurants, stores, bookstores, even the movies in the movie theaters were in Italian dialogue!
Almost every resident of Piccolo Italia speaks Italian & maybe English as their second language & a majority of the population is made up from Italian immigrants such as Mario, Luigi, & their parents & Italians who have moved here. It seemed like an Italian China Town.
"This is the place. Smell that pasta? It smells like…hmm…manicotti! There's also…Oooo…I can smell it! Lasagna too!"
An older woman who looked in her late eighties looked up to see what all the commotion was about.
She looked towards the tables then to the door, "Mario? Luigi?"
"Mamma Cora? Is that you?" Mario walked up to her with open arms ready to hug her.
"Sì. Which one are you? I don't have my glasses on at the moment."
"I'm Mario. You can tell me apart from Luigi because I always wear red & he always wears green."
"I thought I recognized that voice of yours Mario! It's good to see you!" she hugged him, "Now where's Luigi?"
"Here I am. Ciao, Mamma Cora! How are you?"
"I'm doing just fine Luigi. Have you seen Mamma Mario yet?"
"They're still alive? Where can we find them? Where?"
"Right behind you." she watched as the two Marios turned around at the same time to face Mamma & Papa Mario.
"Mamma Mario!" Luigi immediately hugged the two elder Marios.
"Papa Mario!" Mario did the same as Luigi had done.
Mamma & Papa Mario returned their hugs then spoke in Italian, "Mario, Luigi! Where have you been these past thirty years?"
"That is what I was going to ask if you hadn't come so early. What does bring you two back to Piccolo Italia?" she stirred some pots filled with pasta as she continued in their native language.
"Mamma Cora, Mamma Mario, I know you won't believe us when we tell you this."
"Nonsense child! Tell us. Tell Mamma Cora & Mario what has happened." she urged.
"You know that we're plumbers right?"
"You learned the trade from your Padre."
"Of course." she set some bowls filled with pasta on the table before them, "Now have something to eat. You both look hungry."
"Grazie."
"Grazie Mamma Cora. Well, back in '86, we were on a plumbing job…"
TASH&MB
"So that's how we were able to get back. Through the Sol Emeralds Dr. Eggman & Bowser used for Eggman's machine."
"Mario, don't make up such nonsense! You'll bring shame to our name!"
"It's all true Mamma Cora! Everything there happened to us. Luigi, show her the mushroom you found several days ago at Roma."
"This is called the Bee Mushroom because it turns you into a bee."
"A what?"
"A Bee Mushroom. Watch." he popped the mushroom into his mouth & it immediately changed him into Bee Luigi! Everyone in the restaurant looked at the newcomers greatly astonished.
"What on Earth is that?" both women said at the same time.
"I'm Bee Luigi." Mario ate one of the mushrooms, "& I'm Bee Mario."
"I'm dreaming! This can't be real!"
"Pinch yourself & then see what's real & what's not."
Mamma Cora pinched herself, then Mamma Mario, "OW!"
"I know! Ouch!" she looked once more to the Brothers, "I'm not dreaming aren't I?"
"Nope. Everything you see here is real."
"We've been living in the Mushroom Kingdom for most of this time Mamma Cora. One month there equals one year here & vice versa."
"We've been living there for about 2 ½ years. Only until this morning did we find a way back here through Eggman's invention."
"It can't be possible! Tell me more about this Mushroom Kingdom & Mobius."
"Have you heard of Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess Peach, or Princess Daisy?"
"Your nieces & nephews are fans of Sonic & the Mario Bros. games."
"Who?"
"Your sister got married not long ago & had four children. Two sets of twins Amadore & Aria & Innocenzio & Ilario."
"You mean Florence?"
"Sì, she finally accepted Guido's proposal in 1992 & married him in the same year."
"I'd love to see Florence again."
"How many things have changed in the past thirty years?"
"Technology mostly, architecture, government…there's been a lot of change; there's just too much to count. Music, computers…clothing is the thing that changed the most. Everything is so…modern! Nothing is like it used to be Mario. Nothing."
"I can already tell from the cars. Is that thing a Chevrolet or is it a Ford?"
"That's one of Chevrolet's CRVs. Mario, Luigi, I don't mean to change the subject but would you like meet your nieces & nephews?"
"Certo! I'd love to meet our nieces & nephews."
TASH&MB
"This is Aria, that's Ilario, Innocenzio, &…where's Amadore?"
"Here I am Grandmother." Amadore came out from the kitchen with her mother, Florence.
"Florence!" Mario greeted his sister with the Italian style hug & kiss as did Luigi.
"Ciao, Florence, long time no see."
"How's my little sister eh? Last we saw you, you were no more than twelve years old."
"I'm doing good Mario. It's nice to you see you both again. Where have you been the past thirty something years?"
"Long story Florence. Long story."
TASH&MB
"Those characters are real?"
"Sì, every single one of them. Knuckles's temper…boy, you do not want to get in his way when he's mad."
"You can say that again."
"Why hasn't Sega said anything about Shadow's daughter? Or Sonic, Silver, & Knuckles's children yet?"
"They know about it already, except they haven't announced anything to the public yet. Is there a new game coming soon?"
"Sì," Ilario, the gamer of the family, began, "there's a new game & movie coming out called "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog & the Mario Bros." coming out this summer."
"I hope they get it accurate…" mused Luigi, "Hollywood never really seems to get any movie chronologically right or they'll just add or remove something that's important."
"I know."
Aria was looking outside at the falling rain, then looked over at Luigi, "So who's the Chaos Princess again?"
The green plumber didn't respond & continued to look sadly at the floor.
"Scarlett. She's our good friend & Luigi's daughter."
"Daughter?" Mamma Mario just about jumped our of her seat, "Luigi, if you've-"
"Madre, Scarlatto isn't my blood related daughter," Luigi didn't mean to interrupt his mother, but he had to if he was going to straighten things out, "she's my adopted daughter. She used to live on the ARK with Shadow & Maria. But when Maria had to send Shadow from the Space Colony during an emergency, Scarlett took the wrong escape capsule & landed in the ocean where she found a Pipe Warp & was transported to our world, the Mushroom Kingdom."
"What does she look like? Tell us about your daughter."
"Well, Scarlett was born on the 15th of July of 1945."
"1945? She'd be about seventy years old today."
"The time travel has made her fifteen years old."
"Time…travel?"
"Oh boy…" he mumbled, "How did she say it again?"
"I have no clue."
"We'll see you tomorrow. No?"
"Sì Madre, we'll see you for dinner tomorrow. I love you very much." Mario hugged his mother before he stepped outside the open doorway.
Luigi hugged her too, "I love you too Madre. I'm glad we're home."
"I'm glad of it too. Buona notte."
Multiple "Buona nottes" were heard as the Marios left for their shop a few streets down.
…Several weeks pass in Brooklyn, whereas several days pass on Mobius…
"I'm already missing Father & Uncle Mario."
Sonic wiped the tears from her eyes, "I know you do Scarlett, but they've been waiting for over thirty years to go back to Brooklyn."
"I wish I could've gone with them."
"Scarlett, you said yourself there's a family here that needs you."
"I know…but it's different."
Silver hugged his best friend, "Don't cry anymore Scarlatto, it's getting late & you need to get some sleep."
"Silver's right, we all need to get to bed. Buona notte."
"Goodnight Sonic, Shadow, Silver…"
"Want me to stay here tonight?" Silver was still on her lap.
"I don't mind Silver. Goodnight & I love you."
"Goodnight Scarlett."
"Goodnight." Shadow left the room quietly.
" 'night." Sonic flipped off the lights as he left.
He & Shadow entered the living room, "Shadow, have you noticed anything different about Scarlett during the past few days the Marios have been gone?"
"You mean the way she hasn't been acting like herself, hasn't been talking much, not using her powers any, & has not said a single Italian word?"
"Yeah…I'm becoming worried about her. Usually she can't stop speaking in Italian."
"It must be pretty hard on her when the Marios left. I mean, she looks up to Luigi as a father & Mario an uncle."
"I know. I just wish there was some way that we could cheer her up."
"Me too."
"For now, let's see what Silver can do for her."
TASH&MB
"Shh…don't cry anymore Scarlatto." the white hedgehog tried to sooth his friend who was crying in his chest fur, by stroking her hair, "They're probably thinking about you right now."
"I just miss them so much." her words were muffled as she continued to cry.
He hugged her tighter, "Shh…it's okay."
…Late February in Brooklyn…
Rain, not snow, but rain in late February. Quite unusual for this time of the year.
Luigi was sitting in a recliner with his chin in his cupped hand which was on the arm of the chair, watching the rain hit the snow, then melt & drain into the nearest street drain.
Mario watched his brother from the kitchen table where he was sitting. A bowl of uneaten oatmeal sat next to his, "Luigi, are you going to eat your breakfast?"
"No."
"You have hardly eaten anything during the past few weeks Luigi. You need to eat."
"I'm not hungry." he simply replied, not turning his head to look at his brother.
"Luigi, you are going to eat this bowl of oatmeal if I have to feed it to you myself. Now eat."
The other sighed as he slowly got up from his chair by the window & made his way to the table where a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal awaited him.
He picked up the spoon after saying Grace & played with the oatmeal in between bites.
Mario watched him worriedly. A few minutes passed & Luigi was just playing with his food instead of eating it.
"Luigi, I didn't mean to jump on you, I'm just worried about you. You have hardly eaten anything since we got back from Mobius. You haven't even eaten any of your favorites like manicotti or spaghetti & you haven't been doing too well on our plumbing. You keep messing everything up & I know that you're a good plumber! The very best in Mobius, the Mushroom Kingdom, & Brooklyn! What's wrong?"
"I miss Margheritina & Scarlatto. You know how I am with Scarlatto, she's mio bambina. My child."
"I understand Luigi. But we can't return even if we wanted to. Eggman said that it would be thousands of years before we could even think about returning back."
"That's the thing that bothers me. I sometimes wish that I could return home. But another part of me says to stay here with Madre & the rest of our famiglia."
"I know, I feel the same way too. I miss everyone there, especially Peach."
"I miss everyone too, but it's just that I don't like how things have changed in the past thirty years."
"I know Luigi. I just wish that we could go back home & stay there."
Later that night, Luigi was laying in his bed wide awake staring out at the open window at the stars that seemed to twinkle when he looked at them. He gazed at one star in particular, the North Star…Polaris.
"When you wish upon a star, it makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you. If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star, as dreamers do. Like a bolt out of the blue, Fate steps in & sees you through. When you wish upon a star your dreams come true."
Sometimes a simple song can mean everything to someone. Sometimes Fate can change things around & cause everything to happen differently…little did he know that, Mario & Scarlett were too doing the same thing…each wishing the same thing…on the very same night.
[Luigi] "First star I see tonight…"
[Mario] "I wish I may, I wish I might…"
[Scarlett] "Have the wish, I wish tonight…"
[Together] "First Star, grant me this wish that somehow, some way, we'll be able to find a way to meet again."