Mary felt something inside her that she hasn't felt since her late husband Jackson Hope died from a welding accident thirty years ago.  Mary couldnt put a finger on what she was feeling, ¨Are you ready to go inside hunny?¨ 
Rita nods her head, "yeah. You?"
Mary  frowns a little when she heasitates to knock. "Meme, do you need me to knock?" Rita asks a little concerned while holding the green bean caserole.
Mary knocks on the door, "I can handle knocking on a door Rita."
The mom answers the door, "oh hi! You must be the new neighbors my dad invited over for dinner. It's not really like him to do stuff like that you know? I'm Beth Smith." She clasps her hands together, "so c'mon in and meet the rest of the family." 
Beth guides them into her house and shows them to the dinner table. "We have two extra seasts we pulled out for just you." Mary looked to the far side of the table to see Rick sort of oblivious to the fact that the people he was put up to invite over for dinner showed up. "hi everybody, I'm Mary Hope and this is my granddaughter Rita Hope."
Beth grabs the greenbean casserole out of Rita's arms and sets it on the table, "Beth, I brought hawaiian rolls where do you want me to set them?"  Beth grabs them from Mary's hands, "I'll set them on the kitchen counter in case anyone wants one, we don't really have  anymore room on the table." The man in the green shirt turns around, "I'm Jerry and these are the kids, My daughter Summer, and my son Morty."  He gestures to both. Morty awkwardly waves at Rita while Summer occupies herself on her phone, Rita just crosses her arms. Beth comes back, "please, take a seat make yourself conformable take your shoes off if you want."
Rita takes the middle seat next to Beth leaving Mary to sit at the foot closest to Rick. Mary fingers the chair and takes a seat. "So, where did you guys move from?" Jerry asks. "We moved from the south." Mary does most of the talking as they serv themselves and eat some dinner. "Oh my gosh I almost forgot, Mary would you like a glass of wine?" Mary smiles she never really found herself as a wine-o. "Actually I prefer rum over wine thanks though."

"A woman after my own heart." Rick mutters under his breath almost to the point nobody evven heard him say anything. Mary glances over at him, but ignores the comment, "so, Morty, what grade are you in? Are you a freshman too?"
Morty politely sets his fork down on his plate, "uh, y-yeah I am a freshman. He finds a little more confidence within himself, "Rita and I have some of the same classes together." 
Mary glances over at Rita, "Rita, you didn't tell me you went to school with Morty and Summer. "
Rita shrugs, "I didn't exactly know they were our neighbors untill yesterday."
Summer shugs, "we are a pretty wierd family after all sometimes you'll never see us."
Rick glances at Summer giving her a steely eyed look. "Yeah we are a wierd family, but wierd doesn't describe anything, it only describes what normal people think is abnormal, a-and whats up with the saying everyone is different, I-I'd rather think we are a normal family if everyone is supposedly different."  Mary thinks about that for a moment, "you're right."
"Thats right I'm always right."
Beth looks at Rick with wide eyes, "Dad...Why don't you tell some stories of some adventures you've been on."
Rick finishes his last bitevthen belches, "oh like the time Morty broke his leg but I fixed it with a special bone serum. Yeah the adventures I go on I don't talk about Beth you know that."
Jerry slams a fist down, "you never talk about anything except stuff that doesn't apply to life."
"Thats your problem, Jerry, you don't know anything I talk about Science is life but you-you won't get that because your a dumbass." Rick stands up and gabs his plate, "now if you'll excuse me." He belches in contempt as he walks towards the kitchen, "Mary, Beth lovely you both have made a lovely dinner."  
He puts his plate in the sink then goes out to the garage. "Well then." Rita look at everyone wide eyed. "That was a good dinner." Summer leans back in herchair after finishing her plate, "Hey Rita, do you want to hang out after dinner?"  Rita did need to make some friends and one of the ways to begin, was here in this house.
Mary smiles, " In my years as a doctor I would get alot of grumpy patients like him in the hospital and I could tell you Rick is just stressed out about something."
Jerry smiles, "really is that so? Where did you study? My wife here is a horse surgeon I guess  the medical field is something you have in common."
Mary looks at the walls, "But now I do mostly art. The medical field was hard on me."
Beth crosses her arms, "I couldn't agree more."
Summer, Morty and Rita get up from the table and go upstairs to do teenage things, "oh, let me help you clean up."

Several minutes later of clean up the table, Mary, Beth and Jerry  talk about all kinds of things. "Yeah, my son is actually in jail with his wife. I'm glad that your family is blessed you get to spend time with eachother. Where I come from, it's just Rita and I."
Beth takes her hands letting the back of her curious part of her  mind drift off to Rick.

Mady looks at her watch, 9:18 p.m. Mary palms her forehead, "oh dear, It's getting late I don't want to keep you up late plus the kids have school tomorrow. And I have to go to the store early to plan for the house warming party this weekend, could your family could make it over?"
Mary stands up and walks over to the door, Beth follows to walk her out once they were ready, "Rita time to go!" Mary yells up the stairs, "Coming Me-me!" Mary hears a parrtering of footsteps and sees Rita running down, "okay see you guys tomorrow!"

Rita and Mary walk home and go go bed. Rita hugs Mary then heads upstairs with her cat Mr.Bacon "Goodnight grandma." 

Mary lays in her bed and looks at her watch, 11:35 p.m. she looks out her window and notices thd garage across the street at the Smith's house was illuminated. Mary gets out of her bed curiousity taking over. She puts on her bathrobe over her nightgown and throws on her slip on shoes. She peeks into Rita's room to check on her before heading across the street. Mary sneaks out of the house and makes her way across to the garage.

She sees Rick working frivously on something at his workbench, "Hey."
Rick looks up a little confused at Mary then looks back down at his invention, "wh-what do you want?"
Mary adjusts her bathrobe, "I couldn't sleep, I saw a light on across the street, and curiousity took over."
Rick laughs a little and points a screwdriver at her, "you-you know curiosity killed the cat Mary."

"Curiosity was nothing more than a space probe and I remember that no cats were killed during that mission."  Mary feels a smile creeping up on her face  but she didn't know why. 

Rick snorts, "From what you were taught." 

Mary crosses her arms and invites herself in, she kneels down  in front of the workbench and watches him work, ""you know scientist to scientist I could probably help you."
Rick turns his invention over, "there is nothing y-you could do for me, y-you don't know who you're talking to. I'm the smartest guy in the multiverse."
"Oh but, You're so smart that, you almost got yourself killed Rick." Mary tells him flatly as she plays with a bolt on the table.
Rick points up to the ceiling,  "I had that under control."  
"Didn't seem like you did." Mary says as she tries to get the bolt to balance on end. 
Rick stands up and comes around the workbench and stands toe to toe with Mary he picks her up off the floor, Rick stood so close that she could smell the alcohol on his breath, "Mary I suggest you go-go back to sleep I-I feel like being-being... Alone."

Mary frowns, "are you so sure that being alone is your best option?"

Rick sighs and sets down his screwdriver on the workbench "g-go back to bed Mary, I'll..."  he trails off as if he already said too much.

"I'm not really tired." Mary shifts her weight on her feet but not moving.

"I said go back to bed Mary! I don't need a whore looking after me every time I get hurt! Why-Why are you even so interested in me Huh? Are you a spy?Are-are you spying on me and my grandson? Trying to get to my portal gun?!" Rick snaps at Mary, She frowns and gives him a look that must've said he knew she didn't know what he was talking about. 

 Rick's eyes immediately fill full of regret, Mary could tell that much. He sighs and  quickly goes to sit down on his cot. He clasps his hands together and stares down at his shoes with a frown. 

Mary walks to the garage door to make her way home. "Rick, I am telling you the honest to god truth I'm not here to spy on you, I'm trying to make friends. Before I moved here I never had any friends I thought that..."

She looks back at him one more time to see him holding his head in his hands still looking at the ground. "I want you to come to my housewarming party this weekend okay. If that will make you feel any better. Everyone can be a dick sometimes."  She takes her leave and heads to her own house. 

Rick did feel like a dick treating Mary like that, he knew that she was showing her best intentions towards him, but why did it have to be him? Of all the years in life has he ever met a woman,   except his ex-wife,  that could get inside of his head and discombobulate him.  Rick turns out the light and heads upstairs to go to sleep. Rick knew Mary was not a spy but he wasn't so sure about that, it came down to trust and Rick had trust issues with everyone including Morty. Ever since she saved him, Rick couldn't stop thinking about her, he wouldn't be going to his bed tonight if it wasn't for Mary's medical skills. He thinks back to the hurt and confused look on Mary's face from the words he wished he could take back even-though he was not good at apologies. He takes off his coat and hangs it over the end of his bed, "I will come to your party this weekend if that what it takes to make you feel better Mary." Rick tells himself as he climbs into bed for some sleep.