Okay, we're back on schedule! What's the next episode? "The Best of Nin-tensions"? Eh. Not one of my favorites, but let's see what I can do with it.
Here we go!
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: Muahahahahahaaaa!
Molly: Can't believe you're all mine
Fatso: Uh, what?
Molly: You and me for all time
Stretch: No way!
Molly: I'm never, ever, EVER gonna be alone again
Stinkie: This stinks!
Molly: It's just you three and me
Fatso: For all eternity?!
Molly: For all ETERNITY!
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: NOOOO!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: It's the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Fatso: We've been cursed!
Stinkie: It's the worst!
Molly: Now you're stuck with me
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're never gonna be apart
Stretch: Is there a way to hit 'restart'?
Molly: Nope!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Molly: That's me!
Stinkie: Well, that's she. Hee, hee, hee!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
Fatso: Oh yeah!
Chapter 10
Family A-Fears
One afternoon, Sharon was in the family room watering her house plants, when all of a sudden, she heard Molly calling out to her.
"Hey Mom?" she started. "You know how Grandma Nin is always saying she wants to visit?"
Sharon froze and gave her daughter a fake smile. "Uh…why no, honey. I don't remember her ever saying that…"
Sharon winced at her own lie and she began to recall all of the times the topic of her mother visiting came up in their conversations.
"So, when can I come visit my grandchildren?" Nin had requested one time.
"Er, not now." Sharon had told her. "We still have a lot of boxes left to unpack, especially because Stretch keeps taking them and hiding them outside."
Molly and Stretch were across from her at the kitchen counter.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Stretch grumped.
Some time later, Nin tried asking again.
"Now can I come visi-?"
"Oh, sorry! We're dealing with a huge gas leak right now! And by that, I mean Stinkie has been eating baked beans non-stop for the past two days and leaking gas all over the place."
Molly and Stinkie had been listening in.
"Hey, that's a lie!" Stinkie accused. "I'll have her know I only ate onions this week."
He took a bite out of one and blew a stench cloud in Molly's face, making her faint.
The third time Nin called, she didn't even get a chance to ask to visit.
"Hi Sharon, I-"
"The answer is no!"
"But I didn't even-"
Sharon then shoved her phone into Fatso's mouth and he swallowed it instinctively.
"Sharon McGee is unavailable right now. Please leave a message after the-" Fatso belched.
"Okay," Sharon said in the present day. "Maybe she has dropped a few hints…"
"Well, good news!" Molly cried out excitedly. "I picked up on each and every one of those hints and…here it comes…I invited Grandma Nin for a visit!"
At this, Sharon dropped her watering can on the floor.
"…You…did…WHAT?!"
DING-DONG!
"Oh boy! She's here!"
Molly zoomed toward the front door, nearly colliding with Pete. She was followed by Darryl and the Ghostly Trio.
"Nin-coming!" they squealed.
The Trio spun Pete around, knocking him over. Pete sat up and rubbed his head.
"Did they say…Nin's coming?"
Sharon's face contorted with terror. "She's here…"
Molly answered the door and standing outside was Grandma Nin in the flesh. Molly and Darryl pressed their hands together and bowed at her presence.
"Sawadee-ka, Grandma Nin." they greeted.
"Molly! Darryl!" Grandma Nin reached into the bag around her shoulder and retrieved two wrapped packages. "I brought presents!"
She threw one each to the children.
"Yeah!"
"My favorite!"
Just then, the Trio barged their way to the front.
"Hiya, Ninny!"
"We thought ya'd never get here!"
"We've heard so much about you…and your snacks!"
Stretch wrapped his body around Nin's neck.
"All right, let's just cut to the chase here. What'd ya bring us?"
"Ya did get presents for us too, right?" Stinkie prodded.
"Particularly presents that are edible?" Fatso mentioned.
Nin grinned. "Oh, don't worry. I'd never forget you three."
She grabbed a few more things out of her bag.
"For Stretch, a tub of ectoplasm moisturizer…"
Stretch opened the container Nin gave him and spread some of its contents all over himself.
"Hey, this'll be perfect for maintainin' my sickly greenish glow!"
"For Stinkie, a durian…"
Stinkie caught a huge green, spiked fruit.
"Yowch! Prickly, but promisin'…heh, heh, heh…"
"And finally, for Fatso…"
Fatso rubbed his hands together. "C'mon, c'mon…"
Grandma Nin pulled out a plate piled up with Thai crepes.
"…a plateful of Khanom buang!"
"EEEE!" Fatso clapped his hands. "They're like tacos…except fulla sugar!"
With that, the big ghost sucked the treats down like a vacuum cleaner, almost eating the plate in the process.
"Ya know," Fatso spat out the plate. "I think she might be my favorite family member. Sorry Molly, hope you're not offended."
Molly shrugged it off. "Oh no, I don't blame you. That was so nice of you to get gifts for the Trio, Grandma Nin."
"Of course!" Grandma Nin replied. "Anything for my favorite ghost."
Upon hearing this, the Trio became concerned.
"Wait a sec…did you say, 'ghost'?" Stretch asked. "As in, singular?"
"As in, just one?" Stinkie guessed.
"As in, una phantasma?" Fatso clarified.
Grandma Nin only nodded.
"Oh…" Stretch paused. "So, uh, by any chance, which one of us is it?"
The Trio gave her toothy smiles, but Grandma Nin pretended not to hear the question.
"Hello Peter," she greeted her son-in-law. "I have something for you, too."
She handed Pete a striped tie.
"Oh, wow!" Pete pretended to be excited. "You got me another one. Thank you…so much…I can never have too many of these. It's always a pleasure to get to experience 'Tie' culture. Heh, heh! Get it? 'Tie' culture? Because it's a tie and you're from…"
There was an awkward silence as everyone else just stared at Pete. He cleared his throat.
"Say, Darryl? Why don't we go open your gift? In the kitchen?"
Darryl felt himself being pushed out of the room. "Um…okay…"
When her husband and son had left, Sharon gave her mother a look of disapproval.
"What?" Nin shrugged. "He love it!"
Sharon stepped forward and made the same bowing motion her kids did.
"Sawadee ka, Khun Mae."
"Sorry, Sharon. I didn't bring you a present." Nin's tone suddenly became bitter. "I spent too much money on your art degree."
Sharon glared. "Didn't take long for that to come up."
Molly got between the two. "Aw, look at this! My mom and my mom's mom under the same roof! You both must be so excited!"
"Oh yes!" Sharon feigned enthusiasm as she started to carry her mother's bags upstairs. "I'm so excited! Very, very, very, very, very excited! Ha, ha, ha!"
Molly noticed the look on her mom's face. She wasn't always the best at picking up on social cues, but she knew a fake smile when she saw one.
"Hey you guys?" she said to the Trio. "Do you sense something wrong between Mom and Grandma Nin?"
"So, when do you have to go sell pork?" Nin asked Sharon as she walked upstairs.
Sharon struggled with her mom's heavy bags. "I already explained this to you, Mom. I'm a Gig Pig. Pork is not involved! Most of the time…"
"Eh. Not really." Stretch denied. "I'm more concerned with the fact that Nin seems to have a favorite ghost and she ain't tellin' us who!" he laughed all of a sudden. "Who am I kiddin'? She don't gotta tell us, 'cause it's obviously me!"
"What?!" Stinkie and Fatso went.
"Think about it! Clearly, the gal likes ghosts for what they're supposed to be…slimy, mean, and terrifyin'! And nobody's more any of those things than me!"
Stinkie pressed his nose against Stretch's. "You wish! Grandma Nin likes me the best 'cause she appreciates my unique tastes in the scent department!"
Stretch rolled his eyes. "Unique, huh? That's one way to describe it."
"You're both wrong!" Fatso argued. "I'm her favorite 'cause I'm so lovable!"
"Oh please!" Stinkie scoffed. "Just 'cause you're the author's favorite don't mean you're everyone's favorite!"
"Spoken like a true second banana!" Fatso drooled a bit. "Hm, which reminds me, I'm still hungry."
He pulled out another stack of Khanom buang and ate it all in one bite.
"Guys, knock it off!" Molly encouraged. "We've got more important issues at hand, like Mom and Grandma Nin's relationship possibly falling apart."
"Aw, quit your worryin'!" Stretch told her. "Not everything's gotta be fluffy ponies and rainbows all the time."
Molly snorted. "Um, one? Hard disagree! And two? If Mom and Grandma Nin are distant now, they might grow even further apart! Which means…Grandma Nin may never come visit us again!"
Fatso did a spit take. "Which means I'll never taste her Nin-credible snacks again!"
"And I'll never maintain my greenish glow!" Stretch realized.
"And I'll never find out what shampoo she uses to make her hair smell like moldy cheese!" Stinkie gasped. "But worst of all…"
"WE WON'T EVER KNOW WHICH ONE OF US IS HER FAVORITE GHOST!" all three cried.
"You're right, Molly!" Stretch shook Molly by her shoulders. "We gotta do somethin'! For Sharon!"
"For Grandma Nin!" Stinkie added.
"For…he's a jolly good fellow! For he's a jolly good-" Fatso started singing until Stretch slammed the empty plate of Khanom buang over his head.
Stretch continued. "But seriously, Moll, who do ya think is the favorite? If it's me, don't say anythin'!"
"Uh…"
"Well, it obviously ain't Stinkie!" Fatso claimed. "He got the worst present out of all of us!"
"Worst present?" Stinkie repeated. "Au contraire! Beauty is in the nose of the beholder! Watch and learn."
The smelly phantom flew off to the kitchen with the durian Nin gave him. Pete and Darryl were in there already, the former trying on his new tie.
"Well, what do ya think, son? Do I look dashing or what?"
"Oh yeah, Dad." Darryl responded without batting an eye. "It suits you."
Stinkie entered with the durian and set it down on the floor.
"Whoa, what are you doing?" Darryl demanded.
Stinkie then retrieved a hammer and with one whack, broke the durian fruit open. Once it was split in half, it released a most dreadful odor.
Pete held his nose. "Gack! It smells like rotten eggs and burning rubber!"
"I know, right?" Stinkie sighed happily. "Best gift ever…"
Molly walked in, followed by Stretch and Fatso.
"Hey Dad? Do you know what's going on wi-" she sniffed the air. "Sweet baby corn! What died in here?!"
"Hey, that's offensive!" Fatso gagged suddenly. "But not as offensive as that!"
Stretch coughed. "Yeah, what is that anyway?"
"It's the durian fruit Grandma Nin gave me!" Stinkie bragged. "What do ya think now, huh?"
Molly struggled with the words. "It's uh…it's…"
"Disgustin'!" Stretch finished.
"Yep." Stinkie agreed. "She knows me so well. That proves that I'm definitely her favorite!"
Stretch and Fatso got defensive.
"No it doesn't!"
"You don't know nothin'!"
"Oh yeah?"
Molly, Pete, and Darryl could only stand back and watch the three of them bicker. Finally, Molly broke the silence.
"Well, anyway…what's going on with Mom and Grandma Nin? I'm sensing…tension…"
When she said the last word, lightning struck from outside and a loud clap of thunder was heard. The Trio instantly stopped fighting.
"What the heehaw?"
"Where'd that come from?"
"It ain't supposed to rain!"
"Molly," Pete said firmly. "We do not speak of…The Tensions…"
The thunder and lightning happened again and this time it was accompanied by lights flickering, the curtains blowing, and the toaster popping out some toast.
"Whoa…" Fatso was impressed. "I wanna try that! Ahem…The Tensions…"
Another thunder bang and lightning strike hit the house along with a random lady's scream.
"Ha, ha! Cool! I'm gonna say it again!"
Fatso opened his mouth to speak but got his mouth covered by Stretch and Stinkie.
"Trust me, Molly." Pete went on. "Just pretend that everything is normal and happy and cozy…ha, ha, ha…ha, ha, ha, HA, HA, HA! Then pray you don't get burned in the inevitable scorched earth brouhaha between Mom and Nin. Such is the way with…The Tensions!"
There was one last thunder and lightning strike. Fatso laughed.
"I love it! One more time!"
Stretch and Stinkie held his mouth shut.
"Oh…" Molly gulped. "Well, thanks Dad. Good talk. We're gonna go now. We've got…stuff to do, right guys?"
"Uh…yeah…catch ya later, Petey…"
Stretch followed Molly out of the kitchen, along with Fatso. But before he left, Fatso poked his head in through the door.
"The Tensions!"
BOOM! CRACK! EEEEEEK!
"Yes!" Fatso cheered. "I'll never get tired of that!"
Stretch grabbed his brother by the tail and yanked him out of sight.
"You going with 'em, Stinkman?" Darryl questioned.
"Yeah, yeah, in a sec." Stinkie floated toward the durian fruit. "I just wanna savor this heavenly stench for a few more minutes…"
That's when he noticed something sticking out of the fruit.
"Hello, what's this?" he picked it up and unfolded it, revealing it to be a note. "'To Stinkie, my favorite ghost. Love, Grandma Nin'?" he laughed triumphantly. "Ha! I knew I was her favorite! Wait'll I tell the boys!"
Before Stinkie could fly away, Pete grabbed his tail.
"Wait! You can't just leave us with this awful smell! Do you know how to get rid of it?"
"You're askin' the wrong ghoul, buster." Stinkie slipped out of Pete's grasp. "I only make bad smells, I don't do away with 'em. But if I had to guess, eatin' the fruit might make it go away. Good luck findin' someone to do that though. If ya think it smells terrible, just wait'll ya taste it! Hee, hee, hee!"
With that, Stinkie made his exit. Pete walked over to the fruit, broke off a piece, and popped it in his mouth. Almost immediately, he gagged on the bitter flavor and spat it out in the sink.
"Oh man, he's right…" he coughed. "What are we gonna do, Darryl?"
"Well, we could ask Fatso to eat it?" Darryl suggested.
Fatso phased his head through the ceiling.
"No way! I may eat a lot of gross stuff, but I do got standards! Besides, I'm kinda busy with these little beauties over here…" Fatso took out another plate of Nin's snacks and ate them before disappearing again.
"Darn! Okay, let's brainstorm here," Pete paced the floor. "I suppose we could throw it out, but then Nin will know when she eventually gets a whiff of our trash and her feelings will be hurt. But there's no way my gag reflex can handle just one bite of that thing! If only we could find someone who could handle the taste of…" he turned around and saw Darryl putting a piece of fruit in his mouth. "DARRYL, NO!"
But to Pete's surprise, Darryl managed to chew and swallow the entire bit.
"Hey, it's not that bad!" Darryl observed.
Pete sighed with relief. "Phew! Well, that makes things much easier then."
Darryl smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't say that…"
Meanwhile, Molly and the Trio arrived in the attic to discuss what Molly had in mind. Stinkie was the last one to show up, the note from Nin still in his hands.
"Hey guys! Look what I found in my present from Grandma Nin! It's-"
Molly grabbed him by the lips. "Not now, Stinkie! We have to figure out a way to get Mom and Grandma Nin to reconcile."
"Yeah, whatever, but this is huge! It's-"
"Ah, ah, ah! It's not as important as solving family issues. You can tell us later!"
"How are we gonna solve this anyway?" Fatso interrogated Molly. "You do have a plan right? Please say you do! I don't wanna lose my snacks!"
"You meant Grandma Nin, right?" Molly corrected.
"Uh…yeah. Her, too."
"I got an idea." Stretch put on his scary face . "Let's put those two through an ordeal so terrifyin' that it'll scar 'em to the point they never have a disagreement again!"
Molly hugged him. "I was thinking more like we could gently remind them that they love each other?"
Stretch frowned. "Oh fine. Let's do it the borin' way."
So, Molly and the Ghostly Trio tried several methods to bring Sharon and Nin together. They showed the two an old photo of Nin attending Sharon's art award ceremony when she was a kid. But all Sharon saw in the picture was how disappointed her mother seemed because she had only received third place. Next, they tried having them cook together just like old times. But it quickly became a competition to see who could make the most rice balls which Nin easily won. Eventually, Molly and the Trio forced the pair into the closet, hoping they would talk out their issues. But not even then did they say a word to each other.
Molly: I'm gonna make you make up
I'm gonna fix all your feelings
I'm not giving up
I'm like a freight train of love
And I'm barreling toward you
To help you start healing
By smashing your bodies into a hug
Gonna make you make up
And I'm not gonna drop it
It's basic first-aid
I'm putting pressure on the wound
This fight is a pimple
You just need me to pop it
Gonna make you make up
I'll get your hearts back in tune
Gonna make you make up
I'll make you make up real soon
Your love is backed up
But I'm your emotional prune
After one final attempt to reconcile Sharon and Nin by gluing them together with Stretch's new-and-improved shiny ectoplasm failed, Molly slumped on the couch, overcome with despair.
"Ugh, this is hopeless!"
"Tell me about it!" Stretch sat beside her, smearing on the last of his moisturizer. "If we don't fix this problem real soon, I'm gonna go back to lookin' as pale as a ghost! A non-scary ghost that is."
Once he scooped up the last bit of cream, Stretch noticed a piece of paper at the bottom of the tin.
"What the heck is this?" he took it out and opened it. "'To Stretch, my favorite ghost. Love, Grandma Nin'?! Ha! I knew I was her favorite! Where are the others? I gotta rub this in their faces!"
"I think they're in the kitchen watching Dad and Darryl negotiate or something." Molly informed him. "But don't you think we should focus on-?"
Molly then realized Stretch was no longer there.
"And he's gone…"
She made her way to the kitchen as well, where Pete and Darryl were at the table, the durian fruit in between them and Stinkie and Fatso watching intently from above. Stretch flew over to his brothers.
"Hey, fellas? Guess what? I got some news that I'm just dyin' to share with ya!"
Stinkie retrieved his own note. "Oh, what a coincidence! So do I! I'll go first…"
Fatso shushed them both. "This is startin' to get good!"
Pete put some money on the table.
"Ten dollars."
"You can do better than that." Darryl told him.
"Fine. Ten dollars and I do your chores for a week."
"Ooh, things are really heatin' up now!" Fatso cried, exiting the kitchen. "I gotta get more snacks!"
"How about…ten dollars, you do my chores for two weeks, and when my report card comes in, you say to Mom, quote: 'I think we place too much emphasis on good grades'? Deal?" Darryl held out his hand.
Pete thought it over. "…Deal." he shook Darryl's hand. "Now eat the durian."
"Uh, Dad?" Molly spoke up. "Remember how you told us not to get in between Mom and Nin?"
"I specifically told you not to mess with…The Tensions…"
Yet another lightning strike and thunder boom came from outside. Fatso came back in the room with armfuls of Grandma Nin's snacks.
"Darn! I missed that one!"
"Well, we still haven't figured out what's causing them." Molly went on. "Which is why I was wondering if maybe you could help us?"
"Help you?" Pete repeated. "As in, get involved? No thanks. I'd rather eat the durian." he looked over at Darryl. "Speaking of which, get chewin' there, kiddo."
"C'mon Dad," Molly begged. "Think about it. What if it was me and Mom who didn't get along? Wouldn't you do everything you could to fix us?"
Pete frowned. "Well…when you put it that way…yeah…You're right, Molly. Okay, I guess I can ask your mom about her beef with Nin."
"Beef!" Fatso snapped his fingers. "I knew I forgot somethin'! Be right back!"
Once again, he flew out of the kitchen, but as soon as he did, he felt something lodged in his throat and he coughed it up into his hand. Looking at it, he realized it was a note. After shaking off the saliva, Fatso read it to himself.
"'To Fatso, my favorite ghost. Love, Grandma Nin'?! Ha! I knew I was her favorite! Of course, I never doubted it."
Meanwhile, Pete walked upstairs in search of his wife. He found their bedroom door opened and stepped inside. Molly, Stretch, and Stinkie were watching quietly from a distance when Fatso popped up.
"I finally figured out which one of us is Nin's favorite!"
"Shhh!" Molly scolded.
"I figured it out, too." Stretch replied.
"Same here." Stinkie mentioned. "I was tryin' to tell you guys earlier, but I kept gettin' conveniently interrupted."
"Hey, just to make sure we all got the same answer, let's shout it at the same time!" Fatso theorized. "On three…one, two…"
Molly grabbed all three of them by their lips, shutting them up for good.
"Sharon?" Pete called. "Are you in here? Hello?"
Right when he was about to look elsewhere, a loud sneeze came from under the bed. Pete lifted up the covers and saw Sharon crouched on the floor.
"Honey, you can't hide under the bed until your mom leaves."
"Yes I can!" Sharon insisted. "Uh, I mean…I'm not hiding! I'm just clearing out all these dust bunnies!"
Pete sighed. "Look, I think it's time we talked about…The Tensions…"
BOOM! CRACK!
"Ha, ha!" Fatso fist pumped. "That never gets old."
Molly grabbed his lips again.
"We have to get to the bottom of this." Pete informed Sharon. "It's affecting the whole family. And the weather for some reason."
He then took notice of a photo of him and Sharon on their wedding day sitting on the bedside table. "Wait…Is she still upset about the fact that we eloped? Could that be it? She doesn't like that we never had a proper wedding?"
"I don't know, Pete! Just stay out of this!" Sharon pulled the blankets over herself.
"You guys, that's it!" Molly released the Trio from her grip. "Grandma Nin is hurt because she never got to see her own daughter get married!"
"I don't see why that would upset her." Stretch remarked. "Weddings are nothin' but boring, pointless ceremonies that stereotype marriage as bein' the ultimate symbol of love, even though half of 'em end in divorce and the other half end in death!"
"Yeah, and it's always the same thing," Stinkie recalled. "'In sickness and in wealth,' 'to have and to hold,' 'I do,' yadda, yadda, yadda, 'you may now kiss the bride' Oh, that last one is just…blech! What human bein' actually wants to see such a disgustin' display?"
"At least there's cake." Fatso pointed out.
Molly ignored all of their comments. "We have to throw a wedding for Mom and Grandma Nin!"
"Don't ya mean Mom and Dad?" Stretch corrected.
"Uh, Stretch? Everyone knows weddings are all about the parents. So, will you help me?"
Stretch groaned. "Fine. If it means Nin won't abandon us forever."
"Yeah, and maybe this wedding will be the perfect opportunity to announce which of us is the favorite ghost!" Stinkie added.
"Maybe…" Fatso glanced at Molly. "But would we get to have…?"
Molly smirked. "Yes, Fatso. There'll be cake."
"Oh, then I am so in!"
Over the next few days, Molly and the Trio secretly worked on getting the surprise wedding for Pete and Sharon together. It took them until the last day of Nin's visit, but they got everything finished and they were rather impressed by the results.
Molly rushed into the kitchen where the rest of her family was.
"Everyone, come quick!" she shouted, making Pete spit out his coffee. "There's a two-headed dragon in the backyard and it's fighting with itself!"
Intrigued, the others followed Molly outside only to be met by something completely different. On the ground was a long, white paper towel covered in flower petals. The towel lead to a mini handcrafted stage with a canopy and flower vases surrounding it.
"Surprise!" Molly and the Trio cried out. "Happy wedding day!"
Fatso threw some flower petals over the rest of the family members.
"Wait…where's the two-headed dragon?" Darryl asked.
"Oh. I made it up." Molly admitted.
"Aww man, I wanted to see that…"
"Wrong story, pal." Fatso whispered.
"Um, Molly?" Sharon began. "Who exactly is getting married?"
"You and Dad!" Molly explained. "This is the wedding that Grandma Nin has always wanted for you!"
"Ooh, exciting!" Nin clapped.
Sharon glared. "Well, if this is what will finally make you happy, then Pete?" she forced Pete's hand. "We're getting hitched!"
Pete blushed. "Heh…that takes me back."
Once everyone was settled, the wedding commenced. Darryl, still disappointed about not seeing a dragon, started the ceremony by banging on a cooking pan. Pete and Sharon got on their knees and clasped their hands together while Nin observed them from a chair.
"Dearly beloved," Molly started. "We are gathered here today to join this mom and this dad with this Mongkol."
Stretch raised an eyebrow. "Mong what?"
"It's a string that will bind their souls for all eternity!"
"Oh, so it's like a curse! I get it now!"
"Um, no, that's not…never mind. Dad? You may now present Grandma Nin with the Sin Sod."
"He's gonna cover her with ground?" Stinkie interpreted. "This wedding's gettin' interestin'!"
"No, no!" Molly informed him. "Not 'sod,' 'Sin Sod.' It's an offering the groom gives to the family members of the bride. Go ahead, Dad."
Pete approached Nin, holding a small bowl.
"I ask for your daughter's hand in marriage by presenting you with this gift."
Inside the bowl was several items, including an apple, an orange, a crumpled up five-dollar bill, a bus pass, a sub coupon, a stick of gum, a couple of buttons, a paper clip, coins, and pocket lint.
"There are a lot of pennies in here." Nin noted.
Pete chuckled nervously. "Well…I only found out about this five minutes ago."
Nin turned to Sharon, allowing Fatso to steal her sub coupon while she was distracted.
"Is that what you're wearing to your wedding?"
"Hey, I was just as surprised by this whole thing as he was!" Sharon argued, pointing at Pete. "Anyway, you don't have room to talk."
"Better speed this up, Moll!" Stretch panicked.
Molly traded Nin's bowl for a conch shell full of water.
"Moving on super, super quickly to the Sang Rot Naam!"
"Sounds tasty!" Fatso drooled. "Can I try some?"
"It's not food, Fatso. It's a symbol of the couple's union and the blessings from the wedding guests."
"Enough exposition already!" Stretch demanded. "The sooner this is over with, the sooner we can finally resolve the debate of who Nin's favorite ghost is!"
Molly rolled her eyes. "Right, because that's what's really the most important thing right now."
Nin took the conch shell and poured some water on her daughter's hands.
"Be still and sit up straight! You're only half-blessed."
Sharon's eye twitched in annoyance, having reached her breaking point.
"This is why Pete and I eloped!"
In a fit of rage, Sharon smacked the shell out of Nin's hands, causing it to smack into the bowl Molly was holding, bounce off of Stretch's nose, and finally hit the canopy above them all, which in turn, caused it to come crashing down. The Trio, being ghosts, just popped out of the rubble, completely unharmed.
"Oh my gosh! Nin!"
"I'll save ya!"
"I'm not losin' my snacks!"
The three of them dove under the destroyed decorations as the others struggled to find their way out.
"Ow! Mom, stop stepping on me!" Sharon scolded, while escaping.
Nin escaped as well. "You stop stepping on me!"
"Oh right! Because everything I do is wrong!"
The Trio suddenly appeared beside Nin.
"There ya are!" Stretch hugged her. "Don't worry, your favorite ghost is here for ya."
"Hey, you ain't the favorite! I am!" Stinkie insisted.
"Nuh-uh! It's me!" Fatso pointed at himself. "That's what I was tryin' to tell ya this whole time!"
Stretch poked his brothers on their noses. "Well clearly, ya both are delusional 'cause I know for a fact that Nin said she likes me best! Ain't that right, Ninny?"
Nin didn't even acknowledge the Trio and instead stood up and stormed toward the door. "I've had enough of this! I'm going home! This visit was a mistake!"
"Finally!" Sharon sneered. "Something we can agree on!"
Molly, Pete, and Darryl sat up dizzily while the Trio continued to argue.
"I'm her favorite!"
"No way!"
"You're just jealous!"
At that point, Molly had had enough of all the fighting and disagreements.
"That's it!"
She picked up the Mongkol, swung it like a lasso, and threw it toward her mom and grandmother, tying them together.
"No one leaves this wedding until you two hash it out!"
"What?!" Sharon and Nin went.
Molly then turned to the Trio. "And you three? Shut. Your. TRAPS!"
Immediately, the Trio went silent.
"Look," Molly said to Sharon. "I know deep down you both still love each other. That's why we threw this whole wedding; so Grandma would get over the fact that you and Dad eloped."
Sharon became confused. "What? That's what you think this is about? No, Molly. You've got it all wrong. Grandma Nin doesn't care about that. She's upset that I didn't finish my law degree and studied art instead."
The others were surprised at this. "Ohh…"
"Well, that was an unexpected twist." Stretch commented.
"No, you've got it wrong, Sharon." Nin spoke up. "I'm upset because you gave up on your art."
"Whoa! A double whammy!" Stinkie noted. "Now that's some good writin' right there!"
"Yeah, next thing ya know, one of 'em will reveal that she's secretly an alien pirate that came to Earth to pilfer puff pastries in order to build a doomsday weapon that will cover the whole planet in cream cheese!" Fatso theorized. "Am I right?"
Sharon and Nin stared blankly.
"Uh…no." Sharon answered bluntly.
"Oh." Fatso shrugged. "Well, a ghoul can dream."
Nin untangled herself and Sharon and then handed her a tiny piece of paper.
"And speaking of dreams, I worked hard so you could follow yours."
Sharon unfolded the paper, revealing one of her old paintings of a lotus blossom. She couldn't help but smile.
"You are so talented, tii rak." Nin continued. "You always have been. So, please. Stop selling pork and get back to your art."
"Oh, Mom…" Sharon smirked. "There is no pork. But I get what you're saying. And…thank you."
"Yeah, yeah, that's great." Fatso interrupted. "Will ya hug it out and seal the deal already? I ain't leavin' this to chance!"
The big ghost forcefully pushed the mother and daughter together and they happily embraced. Molly, Pete, and Darryl smiled warmly at the scene and Fatso cried tears of joy.
"My snacks are safe once more…" he sobbed.
"Oh, knock it off!" Stretch rolled his eyes. "Look, we may have got those two back together, but we still haven't figured out which one of us is Nin's favorite ghost!"
"I told ya already, it's me!" Stinkie snapped.
"Oh yeah? Prove it!"
Stinkie shoved his note from Grandma Nin in Stretch's face.
"Read it and weep!"
Fatso peered over Stretch's shoulder.
"Hey, that looks exactly like the note I found in my gift from Nin! Only with your name instead of mine."
"What? I found a note like that in my gift!" Stretch explained while showing his brothers.
"Huh?"
"What gives?"
"Wait a sec…if we all got the same note…then that means…" Stretch glanced over at Nin, who had started to giggle.
Immediately, Stretch and the others confronted her. "What the heck are you tryin' to pull, ya old bitty?"
"Yeah, what's yer angle?"
Fatso took out a protractor. "I can find out."
Stretch snatched the protractor out of his hands and squeezed it over his head.
Nin just kept laughing.
"Ya think this is funny? Playin' with our feelings like that? If I didn't know better, I'd say ya made up the whole idea of havin' a favorite ghost just to drive us crazy!"
Nin rolled her eyes playfully. "Maybe…hee, hee, hee!"
The Trio paused with confused expressions.
"Hold on…so, this whole time…you had us thinkin' you liked one of us more than the others…" Stretch began.
"But really, you was just sayin' that 'cause ya wanted to mess with us…" Stinkie continued.
"And we got all frantic and stressed out for nothin'!" Fatso finished.
"Uh-huh." Nin nodded.
The Trio, at first, appeared angry.
"You tricked us!"
"You lied to us!"
"You played us for complete suckers!"
"I did." Nin agreed.
"That has gotta be the most lowdown, manipulative, dirty, rotten, inconsiderate thing anyone has ever done to us!" Stretch suddenly smiled and hugged her. "Aww, Nin! You really know how to treat a ghost!"
"Yeah, we could learn a lot from you!" Stinkie also hugged her.
Fatso joined in, crying more happy tears. "Okay, it's official! You're my favorite family member now!"
"I love you!" all three said.
Nin gladly returned the hug while the McGees just gave each other amused smirks.
Before long, it was time for Nin to head home. The whole family gathered outside in front of the house to say their goodbyes. The Trio were giving her one last hug before she got in her taxi.
"We're gonna miss you so much!"
"Yeah, promise you'll come back soon!"
"And if ya can't, at least send snacks!"
"By the way, Nin." Pete intervened. "That durian you gave Stinkie was delicious! I enjoyed every last bite!"
"Oh, in that case…" Nin tossed a second durian at him. "There you go! Enjoy!"
Pete shot Darryl a pleading look, but he only gave him a mischievous grin as he counted up the money he earned from eating the first fruit.
"And just so we're clear here," Stretch told Nin. "Ya don't really have a favorite among us, right?"
Nin laughed. "Of course not! But…between you and me, I hear Molly might have one."
The Trio gasped and looked back at Molly, who proceeded to give Nin a death glare.
"Oh, you are evil…"
She yelped as the Trio then swarmed her all at once.
"Really?"
"Who is it?"
"It's gotta be me!"
"No, it's me, right?"
"Just spit it out! We can take it!"
Molly sighed in an annoyed manner.
Nin chuckled and got into the back of the taxi. Sharon approached the window.
"Thanks for everything, Mom. You're welcome to visit us whenever you want."
"Thank you Sharon. And here," Nin handed Sharon a little parcel. "I actually did get you a gift. Call me soon, okay?"
"I will." Sharon promised. "Bye, Mom!"
The elderly woman waved goodbye one last time as the taxi drove off into the sunset.
"So, what did she give you, honey?" Pete asked.
Sharon unwrapped the parcel and inside were several paintbrushes. She felt great warmth in her heart upon seeing them.
"A reminder…"
Sharon sighed contently, knowing that from now on, her relationship with her mother would be just fine. She continued to watch her leave along with Pete and Darryl. Molly would have joined them, but she was occupied by the Trio's constant badgering.
"C'mon, Moll! Give it to us straight!"
"Tell us! Tell us!"
"We ain't gettin' any deader over here!"
Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
And coming up next, an okay episode with an incredible song! Stay tuned...