Anything Can Happen If You Let It

Notes: I bet you can all guess which song this will reference. Hope you have all been enjoying this. It has been so much fun to write! Ethel Williams is my original character. I own no characters from Mary Poppins. Also I kind of switched things around a little and had Mary Poppins reappear before Let's Go Fly A Kite. Apologies if that confuses people!

After the disastrous conversation with her husband ended Winifred Banks went to her room to go lie down. She was mentally exhausted and her head was throbbing in the worst way imaginable.

After about fifteen minutes there was a light tap on the door.

"Mrs. Banks, are you alright?" It was Mary Poppins.

"Come in Mary Poppins."

Once Mary Poppins entered the room she took a seat on the chair near the vanity.

"That husband of yours has quite the temper dare I say."

Winifred smiled weakly. "I'm not sure how much of the conversation you heard before coming back downstairs but I am sorry for whatever you did hear. George didn't have quite the reaction I had hoped."

Mary Poppins waved her hand dismissively. "Worry not about me. Let's talk about you. I am concerned."

Winifred glanced up at her nanny. "You are?"

Mary Poppins nodded. "Quite."

There was a moment of silence and then Mary Poppins began to speak.

"It's none of my business really but if I may say your marriage seems to be in disarray."

Winifred nodded. "Yes, that's been the case for quite awhile I am sorry to say. It's gotten much worse recently."

"I've noticed that.. Especially after what happened when Jane and Michael tried to help you prepare for the tea party."

"I try so hard to please my husband but not one thing seems to satisfy him. It's getting exhausting Mary Poppins."

"One would you think you did something right by firing Miss Andrew.. Horrid woman!" Mary Poppins scoffed.

"Did I?"

Mary Poppins nodded. "Of course. You stood up for the safety of your children and that's very admirable. If only your husband could see things from that viewpoint."

"You have no idea how much I wish he'd agree with me but he refuses to."

"I think perhaps he might be afraid to admit that he was also abused by Miss Andrew. She was referred to as the Holy Terror for a reason you know."

"Why would he keep something like that a secret from me?"

"Men aren't aways so upfront with their feelings m'am. Have you attempted to address the tea party incident with him?"

Winifred shook her head. "No, Mary Poppins. I think based on what you witnessed downstairs you can see why I haven't been able to address that with him yet. Not to mention how I tried to discuss it with him before I sent out the tea party invitations. He didn't seem to listen to me then either."

"Are you afraid to?"

Winifred nodded."He's very set in his ways Mary Poppins. He treats his home life like he does his job at the bank. Everything has to be run with precision and order."

Mary Poppins raised her eyebrows. "That is far from the case, so I've also seems to me that before I answered Jane and Michael's advertisement you were having a hard time getting Jane and Michael to behave.

Winifred gave Mary Poppins a grin. " I can speak for myself and the children when I say that we're happy you're back. My husband probably has another opinion on that as well."

Mary Poppins nodded. " I am far from being able to help you fix your marriage Mrs. Banks..at least not completely but might I be able to say one thing?"

Winifred nodded. "Go on."

"Anything can happen if you let it."

Winifred gave Mary Poppins a strange look. "What does that mean?"

"From what I can see your husband has made you quite fearful to approach him."

Winifred nodded.

"You need to have more confidence you know."

Winifred sighed. "I know that Mary Poppins. I am afraid I've lost that."

"Why is that?"

"In the beginning of our marriage things went quite smoothly. Once he started working at the bank for longer hours that's when the distance started to grow between us."

Mary Poppins nodded. "That's where the struggle lies then?"

"Yes. I am busy too with all my play rehearsals but I make as much time as I can to spend with Jane and Michael. George does not really spend a lot of time with us."

"Is it agreeable that both you and the children feel that Mr. Banks doesn't love you?"

A tear dropped down Winifred's cheek. " Yes,Mary Poppins That's correct."

Mary Poppins stood up. "Just remember Mrs. Banks, anything can happen if you let it." With that she left the room.

Winifred let that phrase play over and over again in her head.

'Anything can happen if you let it."

At that moment she immediately decided that she needed to talk to her husband and try to save their fractured marriage. She only hoped that she'd be able to get him to listen.