Undulating Serendipity

Intermission

The group leader is stacking up chairs when Luigi walks in, asking, "How'd it go?"

The group leader looks at him, smiles and says, "Same as the others. People crying about losing their loved ones tragically."

Luigi chuckles, then says nervously, "I think I'm going crazy."

The group leader looks at him, "Are you?"

"Uh..." Luigi comes closer to where the chairs were, sitting in one that hasn't been stacked yet. "I did some research in the restricted section of the library. I think I'm hallucinating because I'm not sleeping."

"I'm listening." The group leader assures as he comes closer.

"Not much, I mean." Luigi clarifies, looking completely lost. "You know, of course I sleep some, but I..." he stands up and starts pacing. "But it's only like a cat nap here and there when I'm about to drop. That's gotta be why this is happening to me."

"Why what is happening to you?" The group leader asks gently, completely nonjudgmental, which makes Luigi stop to look at him, then sit next to him.

"I've been...talking." Luigi admits slowly, looking at the group leader nervously.

The group leader only nods, so Luigi tries adding, "No, I've been talking."

"Go on." The group leader pushes, but Luigi seems to change his mind.

"No. This was stupid." He decides, standing up.

He starts to leave, but when he hears the group leader say behind him, "Luigi.", he stops and turns around.

"Hm?"

"Do you want to talk to me?" The group leader asks, and Luigi knows he means it.

Luigi nods vigorously, "Yes, please."

"You too, huh?" The group leader asks as they walk through the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Me too what?" Luigi looks at him.

"You're alone, aren't you?" The group leader asks.

Luigi knows there's no point in denying, so he nods. "Guess I am."

The group leader tells him, "So am I.", then asks, "You still love them?"

Luigi shakes his head, "Whatever love actually is, I don't want it.", then turns it back around, "What about you?"

The group leader points out, "That implies I stopped. Which I never did. Not on my end, at least..."

The group leader stops then, "I thought we—" then cuts himself off, like he's trying to find the right words, then pulls out a piece of paper.

"The day of her funeral, I came home to an empty house." The group leader starts, handing Luigi the paper.

Luigi takes it, and reads, "'If only I'd never been your brother.'"

"And now he's not anymore." The group leader says simply. "Probably the hardest and most selfless thing he's ever done.", then takes the paper back, stuffing it in his pocket. "So yes. I still love them."

Luigi nods, then as they start walking, the group leader asks, "So what were you talking about when you said you were talking?"

"Oh. That." Luigi scratches the back of his head nervously.

"Talking to who?" The group leader asks.

"Not a who." Luigi denies, rubbing his eyes. "It's...this is gonna sound like I'm out of my freaking gourd."

"Wanna bet?" The group leader challenges.

"I think it's better if I show you." Luigi decides. "Can I?"

"'A broken heart that should give up the pretense and die already.'" The group leader reads the letter.

"He was here." Luigi tells him, gesturing to his baking station. "Weepy and distressed."

"Was this the first one to show up?" The group leader asks, looking at him.

"No, that was Life." Luigi says, coming closer. "She found me outside my mansion."

"She?" The group leader asks, a small smile forming.

"I know." Luigi agrees. "Apparently all this time, Life is just a Toad with rainbow spots."

"What value?" The group leader says suddenly, startling Luigi as he holds up Life's letter.

"You said Life doesn't know whose life is more valuable than another's." Now the group leader looks concerned. "What were you talking about?"

Now Luigi really doesn't want to keep going, but he's the one who brought the guy here, so he lets out a long breath and says, "I almost turned my back. On everyone. Even as the end of everything was staring me right in the face, I couldn't stop crying. The tears wouldn't stop. And I found myself reaching out. Uh..." Luigi stops, then makes himself continue. "Not to the stars, or even Death. No, I didn't deserve Death's mercy. I reached out to Life. I made a case for my best friend's life. Give them mine, I take their spot. But Life said she still saw the value in mine not ending." Luigi shrugs. "And here I am."

The group leader's eyes have gotten misty from Luigi's confession, but says nothing.

"Okay. Now it's my turn to admit something personal." The group leader informs Luigi as they sit at a café. "Nothing about letters or anything like what you said. But I'm never gonna forget it."

Luigi nods, so the group leader continues, "I went to her funeral alone. Nothing I said to my brother would convince him to come with me. I stood there, among all the other mourners, watching me, waiting for me to fall apart. Alone. And as everyone else was leaving, I was standing at her grave, looking at her headstone, when a Toad came up to me, and asked who she was to me. So I told her the truth. And then the Toad looked right at me, and said, 'Don't forget about the undulating serendipity'. Like it was nothing. The love of my life was gone forever, when it should've been me, and what does this Toad I've never met before say? 'Undulating serendipity'."

Luigi shakes his head, unimpressed, "People think they're being comforting, but they really need to learn to shut up."

"But she was." The group leader insists. "I just couldn't comprehend it. How could I have? She wasn't saying it to fill the silence or trying to understand how I felt. She knew what she was talking about." He pauses, then continues, "A few months ago, it hit me. I'd be walking home, or talking to the group, and then I'd start crying."

Luigi looks away at this, but the group leader won't let him, insisting, "I know, okay? Me, crying about anything? But I wasn't crying about her.", which makes Luigi look at him. "I was crying over the incredible connections I had to everything. And that's when I knew. The undulating serendipity."

The group leader looks hopeful, but Luigi denies it outright, "It's complete nonsense."

"No it's not, Luigi." The group leader insists, eyes begging. "She's not coming back, not ever. Killed by the one person I trusted more than anyone. It will never be like it was."

Then he grabs Luigi's hand, squeezing it tightly. "But I promise you, I've never meant anything like I do when I say it's real."

Luigi nods. "If you say so.", then stands up to leave.

The group leader follows him. "Talk to them."

"Listen." Luigi says as he keeps walking. "Nice little story, but I don't think 'undulating serendipity' is for me."

"So?" The group leader challenges. "Just confront them, say whatever it is you wanna say to them. Just talk."

They reach the pipe, and right as Luigi's about to jump in, the group leader grabs his arm to stop him.

"I shouldn't have done this." Luigi says, then jumps in, leaving the group leader to watch him disappear, sigh, then walk away.