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*3rd POV*
Mary reviewed the report she had prepared with great care, a smile gracing her face. Despite the exhausting nature of the task, she felt fulfilled. Her service to the church and to God was something she took deep pride in.
Everything was complete. Transparent, honest, and in line with Pastor Jeff's instructions. She just loved the job so much right now.
…..Alright, it was her first official day.
With enthusiasm in her steps, Mary headed toward Pastor Jeff's office. She was confident he'd be pleased with her work, and maybe even offer some input about the church's decor or attire.
She passed through the front area where Peg, the reception, sat. Peg was an older woman and had worked at the church for years. She was a known heavy coffee drinker—and an even heavier smoker. The office reeked of cigarettes, and right now Peg was on the phone with smoke swirling around her, a lit cigarette dangling from her fingers.
Mary noticed that Pastor Jeff's office door was firmly shut. Peg was the only gatekeeper standing between her and her next step.
*Knock, knock.*
Mary tapped gently, waiting for Peg to finish her phone call and whatever else she was typing away at.
Technically, she didn't need to ask for Peg's permission. But she was new and wanted to make a good impression.
"Yeah... uh-huh… alright…" Peg muttered into the phone, barely glancing at Mary from the corner of her eyes, her attention split between the call and the clacking of her typewriter.
Mary waited patiently, clasping the folder in her hand, hoping to catch a polite moment.
Finally, Peg slammed the phone down, still typing, and asked without looking up, "What do you want, Mary?"
"Sorry to bother you, Peg," Mary said, trying to sound polite but also eager to get moving. "Is Pastor Jeff available?"
Peg stopped typing and looked at her. The cigarette now dangled from her lips as she took a drag. Smoke curled between her words.
"You don't need my permission to see Pastor Jeff anymore. Just knock."
Mary hesitated. "But what if… there's a guest or a meeting going on? I wouldn't want to interrupt…"
Peg didn't wait for another word. She raised her voice suddenly.
"JEFF! YOU AVAILABLE?!"
Mary flinched.
A beat of silence.
"…On the phone," came Pastor Jeff's muffled reply from the office.
Peg gave Mary a smug look and arched her brow. "See? Now I need to save my breath for my cigarette…"
Mary blinked at her, stunned.
Before she could say anything else, Peg began coughing. Harshly.
"*Ugh—* UHUK— *Huhh…* UHUK— HUUUFFTT—*"
Mary's eyes went wide in horror. Peg was gasping between coughs, wheezing like she'd just inhaled a cloud of fire.
She stood frozen, not sure what to do.
Should she call 911??
Wait...this is a church!.
…So why bother?.
The coughing subsided. Peg leaned back with a wheeze, as if nothing had happened, and calmly took another drag from her cigarette.
Mary just stood there, speechless.
She had grown up with a heavy-smoking mother, Connie. But this? This felt... worse. Peg looked like she was seconds away from collapsing—and yet utterly indifferent to it.
"My mother's chewing nicotine gum to help her quit," Mary offered quietly, more out of instinct than concern, "Even though she didn't quit, but she got some cutting from smoking."
Peg shot her a look that said she'd heard that line a thousand times before.
"Got some…." she muttered, pulling a chewed-up gum from her cheek and waving it like evidence, "....right here,"
Mary didn't know whether to laugh or sigh. So she did what every good Southern woman did—she smiled. A tight, polite twitch of a smile.
"...So you do."
"Come on in…" came Pastor Jeff's voice from inside, saving her from the awkward moment.
Peg simply waved her hand, dismissively motioning Mary to go.
Mary didn't look back. Peg was already coughing again, 'Not my problem!' but Mary told herself, She stepped through the door.
No need to knock. Pastor Jeff had already invited her in.
"Hey!" she greeted him with a cheerful smile.
"Hey, Mare," he replied.
But his voice didn't match hers. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"I just wanted to drop off the report you asked for," Mary said, handing him a neatly stacked folder. Then she added with a hopeful note, "And I think we finally have enough in the budget to buy a personal computer for the church bussiness."
Pastor Jeff raised his eyebrows. "Wow. That was fast. Are you sure you're not overworking yourself? I don't want you burning out just to get things done so quickly."
He tried to act strong and cheerful, but he couldn't fool the woman standing in front of him.
Mary paused before sitting in front of him, then exhaled slowly. "Okay… I wasn't going to meddle in your personal business, but… I can sense the tension, Pastor Jeff."
He looked at her, his smile twitching again, only this time it was trying to hide something.
Not warmth.
But grief.
He may be a pastor, but he was human too. And he needed another human right now—not scripture.
"You noticed, huh?" Pastor Jeff said softly. His smile faded. His voice trembled.
"I noticed this morning," Mary admitted, with a quiet snort. "I'm a woman. We feel these things. I didn't want to be rude or nosy, but honestly… you look almost broken."
Pastor Jeff met her eyes.
And then, just like that, a single tear rolled down from his left eye. "…Oh, Mare," he whispered. "You don't know. I'm… I'm sorry for being like this."
Mary's lips twitched slightly at the sight.
She'd seen George Sr. cry while listening to one of Georgie's songs, so she understood—when men cry, it often comes from the heart, not from physical pain.
"Alright…" Mary said, handing him a tissue. "I don't know what's going on, but you can talk to me, Pastor Jeff."
Pastor Jeff took the tissue and dabbed at his eyes. "…Are you sure?"
Mary smiled and chuckled softly.
"I already saw your tear. So why ask me that now?"
Pastor Jeff let out a small laugh too, glancing at her with a faint but grateful smile.
—-----
*3rd POV*
{The addition of Libby brought a level of sophistication to our lunchtime discussions. Of course, that didn't stop Tam from constantly trying to 'hit on her.' Ugh.} – Adult Sheldon.
"Wow, I didn't expect to be sitting with the 'Cool Kids' today," Libby said, looking around the table—her eyes pausing slightly on Georgie and Veronica, whose reputations were well-known throughout the school.
"You don't need to feel overwhelmed. We are cool, you already one of us." Tam said, leaning back on his chair and placing his arms behind it like a wannabe heartthrob.
Georgie and Veronica laughed. Clearly, Tam was still bitter about Libby's earlier rejection and trying his luck again.
"Tam, please." Sheldon gave him a flat look, then turned to Libby. "So, you're planning to be a geologist? Why?"
Libby shot Tam a disappointed glance before focusing on Sheldon, her tone much more relaxed. "When I was a little girl, my grandparents took me to Carlsbad Caverns, and I was hooked."
Tam looked at Georgie, who raised his eyebrows in confusion, unknowingly sending what Tam interpreted as a 'signal'. Summary: Tam just received a signal that 'Georgie never actually sent'.
"Exploring caves? That's…nice," Tam said, clearly trying too hard. "Though I've always known caves are dark and.…wet, but still, nice." He added the last part with a weird flirty face. Libby responded only with a polite smile. Or maybe it was a deadly smile or 'I want to punch you' smile. Who knows?
Libby turned her attention back to the group—excluding Tam. "Do you all know what you want to major in for college?"
Sheldon thought for a moment and then glanced at Georgie. "Well, I'm leaning toward Quantum Chromodynamics. But who knows? Maybe I'll stumble upon something more... entertaining."
"I think I wanna be a teacher," Veronica added. "Elementary or middle school, probably." She shrugged, then grinned. "Or maybe I'll get pregnant first—with 'his' child, so who knows?" she said, looking toward Georgie with flirty eyes.
"..."
Tam swallowed hard, while Libby gave an awkward smile. Of course she understood what that implied. She was a high schooler and an attractive girl—maybe a little geeky about rocks—but she knew what happens when men and women are alone in a room lit only by moonlight... Just say, sex, alright?
"Mom's gonna kill him," Sheldon said flatly, chewing on his sandwich. "Although, honestly, I think she'd just force them to get married right away."
"…Wait a minute…so you're okay with that, Sheldon?" Libby raised an eyebrow. "You do know what we're talking about, right?"
"Coitus, right? Yeah, I know." Sheldon looked at Libby as if she were the odd one. "Why? Don't you?"
Libby glanced at Georgie, who was chuckling quietly, and then at Veronica—who slapped his leg and pinched him, even though she had been the one to bring up that weird topic in the first place.
Libby, clearly uncomfortable hearing a 9 to 10 year old kid, talk about coitus or in another crude words, sex, so casually. As if it were a regular topic.
She then turned to Tam, hoping for a lifeline, "What about you, Tam?"
Tam snapped out of his stunned state and gave Libby a mature, thoughtful look.
"Oh, of course. Geology. It's my dream to become a scientist… to discover things inside rocks."
Sheldon frowned at him.
"Since when did you want to be a geologist? I thought you wanted to be a cartoonist—you know, the one who draws those childish comic books?"
He shot a glance at Libby while saying it.
Georgie raised his eyebrows. So did Veronica, both of them staring at Sheldon.
Sheldon's attacking Tam!
Tam's face tightened in embarrassment.
"I've decided a long time ago! And you read comic books too, Sheldon. Just eat your apple slices."
Sheldon just shrugged, unaware that his words had hurt Tam—or perhaps indifferent. For him, sarcasm was just second nature.
Georgie turned to Libby with a smirk. "Fun, right?"
He flashed his signature white-toothed grin.
"What about you, Georgie?" Libby asked, ignoring the tension. "Are you going into the arts?"
Georgie shrugged lazily.
"I don't know. I just want to make a lot of money."
Libby frowned.
"...So, economy? Business management?"
She sighed when Georgie only smirked, giving no real answer.
"Honestly, I don't get why elite people are so obsessed with money. I love geology. I think that's my passion… well, for now."
"Nothing beats power and money," Georgie replied, leaning back against the table.
"This table? Paid for with money. Your lunch? Bought with money. Your clothes? Money again. Money rules everything, kids."
"...You mean the table made from trees and the clothes made from cotton, right?" Sheldon said flatly, killing Georgie's momentum.
Georgie smirked.
"I pay someone to plant the trees. I pay someone to harvest the cotton. So… tell me again, what's the real driving force?"
"None," Sheldon said, unfazed.
"In fact, long before currency existed, humans bartered goods. Four goats for one cow, that kind of system."
Georgie leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.
"True. But now we live in a world where money is the strongest tool. Even your future research will depend on money."
Sheldon grimaced. Because Georgie was right.
Hell, he only brought Libby here because Georgie had made the same argument—threatening not to fund his future research.
Of course, everyone knew how important money was in this world.
Honor, recognition, even the Nobel Prize—they were admirable.
But Money?
Money kept the lights on. Money kept the dreams alive. Money made the impossible... possible.
"I love music," Georgie said, his voice even, grounded. "That's my thing. But passion doesn't pay the bills. The world doesn't reward you just for loving something—you gotta sell it. You gotta fight for it."
He let the silence linger for a second.
"That's what money is. It's not greed—it's leverage. It's the power to say no. It's the freedom to walk away. It's the reason we don't get pushed around."
The kids stared at him, puzzled, like he was speaking in riddles.
Georgie chuckled, shaking his head.
"Haha, it's okay," he grinned at Sheldon, eyes warm. "You don't have to understand it yet, Shelly. Just win that Nobel Prize, and I'll be right here backing you up. Always."
{…And that,} - Adult Sheldon's voice echoed softly in the distance, {…that was one of the reasons I left the company.} There was a pause—heavy, full of regret.
{I was ashamed. I made Georgie wait far too long for a prize that only mattered to me. I left everything and joined Caltech to chase it. I thought I was doing the right thing… but what I didn't know was—my brother kept supporting me. Quietly. Steadily. Even when my research is screw.} - Adult Sheldon.