The next morning greeted them brightly, especially when George caught the smell of pancakes and sausage in the air. With an elated grin he scrambled down the hallway and practically crash-landed at the kitchen counter.
"Well good morning to you too!" laughed Ted, flipping another blueberry pancake over. "I had a feeling you'd be up early if I made these."
George giggled in anticipation as Ted presented him with a mouth-watering plate covered in syrup. "Eat up, little monkey."
And he did. He inhaled the first serving in record time, handing the sticky plate to Ted with an equally sticky smile.
"I'm glad you like them," Ted chuckled. A thoughtful look seemed to pass over his face as he scooped two more pancakes from the stack; George was far too eager to notice. "It's pretty special when we have pancakes, isn't it?" Ted asked the ravenous monkey. George gurgled a sound of affirmation between bites.
"Well, today is even more special than usual," Ted paused, waiting to see if his words had any effect. It took several seconds before George tore his eyes away from the sticky feast and looked up. His chewing slowed as he took in Ted's meaningful expression.
"You know how I said you could stay up until I came home last night?" Ted began again. George nodded, his curiosity fully engaged now. "There was a reason for that. You see George, I knew my date with Maggie was going to be very special, and I wanted you to be awake so I could tell you about it right away."
George finished swallowing and made a disappointed sound, looking somewhat ashamed. "Don't feel bad for falling asleep, I should've come home earlier," Ted added with a sympathetic smile. "Besides, the news is just as good today as it was yesterday!"
George had all but forgotten his plate of delicious food. Eyes locked with Ted's, his attention was never more intrigued than it was at this moment.
"Last night, I asked Maggie to marry me, and she said yes!" Ted finally announced, his face beaming as he threw his arms wide. The spatula in his right hand crashed into an overhead pot, causing an awkward scene of noise and confusion as he fought to restore order.
"Oops, that isn't good… oh, there goes another one… sorry George!" he muttered apologetically as the pans kept banging into each other like wind chimes. "Just give me a minute here…" George couldn't help but laugh as the Man in the Yellow Hat became more flustered with each passing second. At last, he managed to stop the swaying and clashing of metal and let out a sigh. His shoulders slumped in mock defeat.
"Now then, where were we?" he asked sheepishly. "So George, what do you think? About Maggie and me getting married?"
George shoveled the rest of his breakfast into his mouth and chewed deliberately while he thought. Married? What was that exactly? He'd heard the word before, but no one had fully explained it, at least not in front of him. He knew it had something to do with a big fancy wedding where everyone dresses up, but after that, he had no idea what to expect.
Ted could see the mild confusion and conflict in George's eyes. He probably doesn't know what marriage means, he realized. How could he, after all? A monkey who spends all day chasing adventure after adventure isn't going to know the first thing about a wedding, much less marriage itself.
"Maybe it would help if I explained what it means to be married," Ted offered. "Well, you've seen weddings before. A woman wears a fancy white dress, and the man wears a nice suit or tuxedo, and they invite all their friends and family. They promise in front of everyone to love each other forever. But that's just the first part of getting married."
George was excited to learn more about this elusive subject. Even the deepest, most mysterious corners of the basement were nothing compared to this. He sensed there was far more magic and mystery in this…marriage than in any other adventure he'd ever explored.
"After the wedding, the man and woman live together in their home. That means Maggie is coming here to live with us. Is that okay with you?"
George was pleasantly surprised to hear Maggie would be much closer to them. He clapped his hands and nodded; he'd always enjoyed her company, and the idea of sharing breakfast, lunch, and dinner with her every day seemed wonderful. Plus, it would be great having another person around to take him to the park or zoo.
"Great!" Ted smiled. "I'm so glad. You're, well, kind of like a child to me, George, and it's important that parents and children have a good relationship. I'm sort of like your dad, and Maggie will be sort of like your mother."
Dad? Mother? Just as George was beginning to understand the concept of marriage, the Man in the Yellow Hat threw in two more unfamiliar words. At least, as unfamiliar as marriage had been.
Some of the neighborhood kids he played with used those terms. They were usually preceded with "my." He always figured it was something they owned… but he must have misunderstood, if a Dad and Mother were people.
"So I guess all that's left to add is when we're getting married. It's next summer, so we all have plenty of time to get ready," Ted assured him.
What else could George ask for? The Man in the Yellow Hat had explained everything, and Maggie was going to be with them all the time. Next summer – and all the adventures that would follow after it – couldn't come quickly enough.
