Question H

[Jonetta]

Mary Lou gets invited to Kelly’s party for the Team wives and girlfriends after an awkward encounter at the grocery store. She was like a fish out of water. Was Mary Lou overly sensitive, Kelly insensitive, a bit of both or just a really bad fit?

[Robin]

They're just a bad fit. I think Kelly was trying to make Mary Lou comfortable, but forgot that she was an alcoholic when she offered her a drink. She tried to make it right, but Mary Lou had already decided she didn't fit in and was heading for the door. They are from totally different backgrounds and are not two people with a lot in common.

[Lauren]

I also think Kelly and the others tried to interact with Mary Lou, but her complete self-absorption, as well as her guilt over entrapping Sam, made it impossible for her to connect.

[Jonetta]

Lauren, I felt the same thing. Mary Lou wormed an invitation out of Kelly who graciously tried to accommodate. She wasn’t invited so Kelly had no opportunity to plan for a sober alcoholic attending. And, they had absolutely nothing in common with Mary Lou who schemed her way into marrying a SEAL. They tried, Mary Lou really didn’t.

[Lauren]

The women were well aware of the circumstances surrounding Mary Lou's behavior with regard to Sam, it is a credit to them that they gave her the time of day.

I found it interesting that one of the women was actually an ex-girlfriend yet she was still included as part of the group. The women had bonded but Mary Lou just could not put aside her own needs and wants to try to become part of the group.

[Jonetta]

Exactly! The men brought them together, they created their own relationship.

[Robin]

Good point, Lauren. I forgot that one of the women was a former girlfriend, yet she was still included in their group. They're all friends now with a solid relationship.

[Sharon]

Mary Lou would never fit in with group because she didn't come to the team naturally. If Sam loved Mary Lou or vice versa the women would try harder to make her feel welcomed.

[Anita]

I think Mary Lou was overly sensitive, especially about the wine present at the party. As a recovering alcoholic, she is going to encounter this situation and needs to be able to deal with it without making everyone feel guilty. It's her problem, not their problem.

Mary Lou has no social skills. Her life revolved around booze and bars. She really has very little idea how to relate to normal women in a social setting. Mary Lou also feels really guilty for the reason she is even invited to this group: her marriage to Sam.