"Oh, he's making him do a bunch of chores so that one of his past girlfriends won't find out about an embarrassing song he wrote for her."
"And blackmail works on Howard?"
"I would think it works on a lot of people. Actually, I know it does; I've had to blackmail a few people myself."
"Why haven't you blackmailed Howard into better behavior?" Cecile asked.
"Because I'm married to him," Bernadette answered. "It's wrong to manipulate your spouse." She accepted a plate of steamed vegetables, potatoes and meat.
"It's also wrong to take your spouse for granted, and make her do everything," Cecile answered calmly. "I'm not suggesting you make a habit out of it...I'm suggesting you teach him a lesson."
Bernadette squirmed with unease. "I don't know, I've only manipulated people I didn't love intimately. And then I apologized. Most of the time."
"Without manipulation, I wouldn't have gotten an A+ on my Home Ec for a year," Cecile responded. "Sometimes manipulation is all for the best."
Bernadette shook her head. "I disagree."
"Are you happy with Howard's behavior?" Cecile pressed.
There was a sudden silence.
"I didn't think so. Sometimes, Bernie, you can work it out with your kid, and sometimes you can't. And if you truly accept Howard for who he is right now, then you accept the way he acts and wouldn't change him. And if that's the case, you're going to be married to a child when you're old and gray."
Bernadette sighed, stirring her vegetables into her potatoes. "Well, I don't want that."
"No, you don't. You want a responsible partner. I don't know him as well as you, but based on what you've told me and what little I've seen, you're going to be raising three kids while your husband refuses to grow up. But, that's just my opinion."
Bernadette looked up at her sister. "Yesterday in Sears, he hid from me in the clothing department," she confided.
"You see?"
Bernadette stared at her potatoes until the sound of the front door jarred her from her spiraling thoughts. "Don't yell at him," she murmured to her sister.
Howard walked into the kitchen. "Hey, babe! Bernadette," he added. "Oh, is there any left for me?" he added.
"Yes," Bernadette said, through gritted teeth.
Howard set a sealed bottle of Tylenol and a Ken doll on the table and moved toward the pan of food.
"Howard, you didn't have to buy that! The babies will have plenty of toys," Bernadette said.
"Oh, that one's for me."
Cecile looked pointedly at Bernadette, who shook her head.