Something Good
"Mummy please!" Angela begged, pulling on her mother's arm. "Just one song! The kite song Pretty please?"
Shelagh sighed, her four-year-old daughter knew what she wanted, and when that happened there was no way around it. "Just the one, angel. Mummy has to finish cooking. Daddy and Tim will be home soon." she let herself be led out of the kitchen and into the middle of the living room.
Angela reached for her other hand and Shelagh happily obliged. "Now, I want you to sing AND dance with me to the kite song." she bounced up and down on her toes, her blonde ringlets bouncing as well.
"lets go fly a kite!..." they danced around the room, bouncing and spinning, Shelagh twirling Angela around on her finger every so often. At one point she picked her little girl up and spun her around before setting her down at the very end of the song.
"Yay! Again, again!" Angela squealed with excitement
Shelagh tousled her soft curls. "Maybe later dear heart, I must finish cooking your brother's birthday supper." she walked back to the kitchen, leaving Angela bouncing and twirling and singing herself silly.
Half an hour later Patrick walked through the door, removing his coat and hat and hanging the on their designated hooks. He removed his shoes as well, something he had picked up from Shelagh, and placed them neatly by his wife's long discarded pair. He walked into the living room, noticing his daughter twirling around the room. She noticed him almost immediately.
"Daddy!" she stopped dancing and ran to him, arms wide.
"Hello, angel! Have you been a good girl for mum today?" he said picking her up and planting a kiss to her forehead.
"Yes daddy! We danced and sang aaallll day!"
"Is that right? What did my girls sing?" he asked setting her back down
"Kite song!"
Patrick smiled, knowing exactly which song she meant. "Well I bet that was wonderful my dear. I'm just going to pop through and see mummy."
"Alright Daddy!" Angela continued to dance around the room.
"Hello, love" Patrick said, making his way over to his beautiful wife. "I see our angel is still on her Mary Poppins hype. I am surprised she remembers all of those songs so well."
Shelagh smiled as Patrick gave her a tender kiss on the lips. "Actually, after you left for the Thurman Baby yesterday evening, it came on the television. We all decided to relax and watch it before bed last night."
"Oh well I hate I missed it, but duty calls. It's a lovely movie, she has a beautiful voice." Patrick commented, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out dishes to set the table with.
Shelagh smiled at her husband helping her and agreed with his statement. "Yes I envy Julie Andrews. I wish I had her vocal range. But then I don't sing professionally, so it would be wasted on me."
"Hardly! Nothing could be wasted on you my dear." he kissed her head as he walked to set the table. "I myself love your voice, darling. You sing beautifully!"
"Oh Patrick, stop," she smiled and threw the tea towel she had at him playfully. "Where is Timothy?"
Patrick smiled widely and Shelagh new he must be excited about something. "Actually he popped down to the news stand to see the showings for a new film starring Miss Andrews. He is wanting to go see it for his birthday."
"Oh that's nice, dear. Are we going tomorrow?" Shelagh began to spread icing on the chocolate cake she knew Timothy would love.
Patrick scratched the back of his head and took a deep breath, "Well he actually wants to go without us, and take a young lady he fancies." he paused to gauge his wife's reactions. She stopped icing the cake and looked at him with a bit of shock mixed with happiness. "He is going to come and ask you personally so don't let on that I told you."
At this point Shelagh looked a bit confused. "Why does he need to ask me? If you agree it's fine with me."
Patrick smiled. "He wants your approval."
"He does not need mine if he has yours."
"But he wants it. He cares about what you think, love. Usually more than what I think." He could see tears welling in his wife's beautiful eyes and walked toward her and put his arm around her shoulders.
The tears spilled over and Shelagh sniffled. "He still amazes me, Patrick, after all of this time. I'm not even his real mother and he cares what I think on such matters."
Patrick looked her straight on and held her lightly by the shoulders, rubbing them with his thumb. "You know very well that you are his Mum. You may not have birthed him but he loves you as if you had. Your opinion means so very much to him because you ARE his mother, and you always will be." he cupped her face in his hands then wiped her tears away with his thumbs and kissed her softly. "Now, please don't let him think you are upset or he'll blame me."
Shelagh laughed and finished drying her eyes and went back to icing the cake. She had just finished when Timothy came into the house, removing his shoes at the door like the rest of them.
Angela ran up to him and hugged him around his legs. "Happy birthday Timmy!" she said excitedly. Only she was able to call him that and get away with it.
He scooped her up and hugged her properly. "Hello angel girl! How have you been today?"
"Good! Mummy and I danced and sang Mary Poppins!"
"That's wonderful Ange. Are Mum and Dad in the kitchen?" he asked setting his little sister down.
"Yes!'
Timothy walked through to the kitchen where his parents were putting the final touches on the table for what seemed to be his birthday supper. "Oh everything looks great! Thank you!" he said moving to hug them both.
Shelagh smiled. "I'm glad you think so."
"Mum, I have a question." Timothy said timidly.
Shelagh glanced at her husband quickly before speaking to timothy. "Alright, what is it?"
"Would it be alright if I went to see a movie with Christine Peters tomorrow night?" he asked, obviously anticipating her answer.
Shelagh smiled sweetly "Of course dear heart, that seems like a wonderful idea. What will you be going to see?"
Sighing in relief, Timothy pulled out the list of show times. "The Sound of Music. Julie Andrews stars in it so it is sure to a good one."
"Absolutely!" Patrick said. "Angela, its time for supper!"
The little girl padded quickly into the kitchen. "Yay! Time for cake!" she exclaimed.
Shelagh picked her up and set her on her high chair so she could reach the table. "Not until after you finish your meal first."
They ate happily, celebrating Timothy's birthday as a happy family, free from anything dealing with school or work. Later they retired to the living room and watched a few programs they typically enjoyed as a family. Angela eventually fell asleep and Patrick carried her to her room.
Shelagh sat on the couch sewing Angela a new summer dress that she was sure to need. She stopped what she was doing and looked over at her son and realized for the first time that he was growing into a brilliant young man, so much like his father. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks without her noticing.
Timothy noticed his mother's tears and began to worry. "Mum? Is something the matter?" he got up from the chair and came to sit by her. He put his arm around her comfortingly. "Why are you crying?"
"I don't mean to, dear. It's just that you are growing up faster than I realized. One day you won't need me at all." she said trying to dry her tears.
Timothy handed her his handkerchief. "Mum please don't cry. I will always need you, whether or not you know it. You have been there for me through so much, I love you more than you will ever know, Mum. And don't worry about me growing up fast, I will always be your little boy."
Tears sprung to her eyes, though she smiled happily at her son. "I thought you didn't want me to cry!" she said wiping her eyes again and hugging him tightly.
They let go of each other but he stayed seated by her. She picked up the dress again and continued her sewing. Patrick who had witnessed the entire exchange smiled as he reentered the room, knowing that he needed to stay out and let them have their moment.
The next evening Patrick and Shelagh sat on the couch together and listened to Bach. She was on the opposite end of the couch putting the finishing touches on Angela's dress while he rubbed her feet that rested in his lap. They were expecting Timothy home any moment now, both interested in how his outing went.
A few minutes later they heard the front door open and saw their son walk in. "So how did it go Tim?" Patrick asked, switching from one of Shelagh's petite feet to the other.
"Quite well, I think. A little awkward at first but then I said something quite stupid and she laughed and it was relaxed after that."
"What on earth did you say?" Shelagh asked, tying off her final stitch.
"Well she had her nails painted a pretty pale blue color that I must say nearly matches her eyes." Shelagh smiled at Patrick at that comment. "When I tried to say something about them it came out 'Your "snails" look pretty'." Shelagh began to giggle and Patrick chuckled knowingly. "I felt like finding the nearest hole, crawling in, and never coming back out."
"Oh Timothy, it's not that bad! At least she thought it was funny." Shelagh tried to reassure him.
Patrick smiled. "She's right, son. Its really not that bad. However, it does get worse the older you get." Shelagh reached over and smacked him. "See? She could have reacted like that!" which earned him another smack. Timothy laughed, he loved his parents.
"So how was the film?" Shelagh asked stretching back on the couch again.
Timothy hesitated slightly before answering. "I loved it. It's a wonderful story and Julie Andrews sang beautifully." he said leaving out any major details.
"What is it about?" Patrick asked, tickling his wife's tiny feet when she tried to poke his side with them.
"Well I'd rather not spoil it for you. I really think you two will like it, in fact why don't you go tomorrow? I can watch Angela for you." he offered.
"Why not, sweetheart? It's been awhile since we had a night out just the two of us."
"Alright Patrick. We should go early and eat at the new café Trixie was telling me about."
"It's a date then!" Patrick beamed at his beautiful wife.
Timothy smiled again at his parents. He couldn't wait for their reaction to the movie. "Good night you two." he said and went to his room.
"Well that was good." Patrick said as they left the café and headed to the theatre to catch the film.
"Oh yes! I quite enjoyed the coffee, though I'm afraid I may be up all night because of it." Shelagh laughed.
"That could be fun," Patrick winked at his wife, causing her to giggle and blush slightly.
They arrived at the theatre on time and purchased their tickets. "There will be a short intermission half way through the film." The cashier said, handing them the tickets.
"Thank you, sir." Patrick said.
"I did not realized it was a long film." Shelagh said as they found their seats and settled down for it.
Both Patrick and Shelagh were in awe of the beautiful scenery and landscapes that appeared before them during the opening credits. They enjoyed the first song Julie sang, loving clarity of her voice and the mountains in the back ground.
A few minutes later when the nuns began singing, Patrick glanced over at Shelagh who was smiling in remembrance of her past, singing with the sisters at Nonnatus.
The couple laughed and smiled through most of it. Shelagh found it quite sweet when Captain Von Trapp sang with his children for the first time. Patrick enjoyed The Lonely Goatherd song, laughing how Shelagh imagined Timothy laughed at it. During Edelweiss, Shelagh began noticing the looks the Captain and the young nun were giving each other. She looked at her husband and saw he noticed it too, as well as the Baroness's cutting remarks.
When it came to the Landler, they were both in awe at the way the couple moved so fluidly. There was definite chemistry between them. When the baroness frightened Maria off with talk of love, Shelagh was slightly irritated, mainly at how petty some women could be when they had their eyes set on what they think they wanted. The intermission came and the couple stood to stretch their legs.
"Would you like some candy?" Patrick asked, knowing his petite wife had a sweet tooth.
Shelagh didn't answer him, seeming to be lost in thought.
"Shelagh?" He asked, touching her arm.
She came out of her thoughts "What? Yes?"
"I asked if you would like some candy." he said taking her hand and leading her into the foyer with the other theatre goers.
"Yes, please. Excuse me Patrick, I need to visit the ladies room." she disappeared and left him there to purchase the candy. He bought her some chocolates and waited for her to return. When she did they made their way back into the theatre.
As the film began again Patrick offered Shelagh the chocolate which she took and nibbled on pensively. He knew exactly what was running through her mind. When Maria left the convent to go back to the Captain, he watched her gasp and smile. When Maria found out the man she loved was to marry another, Patrick saw her frown. And when they sang "Something Good" he saw tears sliding down her cheeks but a large smile across her face.
When it came to the wedding scene with the nuns helping Maria, all Shelagh could think of was her wedding day when Sister Julienne, her mother of sorts, fixed her veil and prepared her to walk down the aisle. She reached for her husband's hand which he happily took.
Throughout the rest of the film Shelagh and Patrick laughed together, became angry when the Nazis tried to force the Captain from his family, and were overjoyed when the family escaped into the mountains unharmed. After the film ended they left the theatre arm in arm, walking past various shops.
"I know you saw the similarities." Patrick said
Shelagh looked at him with surprise. "Oh Patrick! You noticed too?"
He chuckled. "How could I not? Maria was energetic, fearless, and loving just like you. And she blessed Georg's life, just as you have mine. He wasn't quite as hopeless as I am though."
She stopped him, reaching up to caress his cheek. "You aren't hopeless my dear."
He kissed her thumb as it brushed across his lips. "Not since I've gotten you." he kissed her forehead and they kept walking, slowly making it back to their flat.
They passed by a record shop and something caught Shelagh's eye. "Patrick look! It's the music from Mary Poppins! Angela would love it so much if we brought this home. Can we get it for her please?" she asked, her eyes pleading sweetly.
"Of course love." they walked into the shop to purchase the record. "Oh look Shelagh, they have one for the Sound of Music too. Shall we get it?"
"I do believe I would like that. I quite enjoyed all of the songs, and it seemed you did too." she smiled remembering his happy reactions.
They made their purchase and exited the shop, heading for home. When they made it back Angela had already gone to bed, having tired herself out playing with her big brother.
"Did you enjoy it?" Timothy asked smiling as they showed him the record proving they did. "What did you think?"
"I found it to be… strangely familiar." Shelagh answered, eyeing her son slyly.
"I know. I didn't want to spoil it for you."
"Well anyway time for bed, I know you are tired from watching Angela." Patrick said ushering his family down the hall to their respective rooms. They bid Timothy goodnight and went to check on Angela before going to their own room.
After changing and getting ready for sleep they climbed into bed, Patrick pulling his little wife close. She sighed and snuggled closer to him. "You know Patrick, there is one thing that amazed me in the film."
"And what is that?" he asked, burying his face in her hair.
She smiled at his actions. "Maria was strong willed and resilient to begin with but when she and Georg returned from their trip to Paris she seemed so grown up. She went from completely carefree to, well a baroness."
"Well it was their honeymoon, love. Just think of how much you've changed since ours? You my dear are much braver and outspoken since then." he said nuzzling her neck.
Shelagh flipped Patrick on to his back and straddled him so fast he didn't have time to react. "you are right, Patrick, I have gotten braver." she dipped her head and kissed him. "Much braver." she smiled cheekily.