The Other Woman

Harm and Bud have been called away for a case on the Patrick Henry. They were hoping to be back by the weekend, but fate wasn't on their side. Harriet calls to invite Mac, Trisha, and Matthew to come over to her house to have dinner with her and the twins.

Mac ponders the invitation for a moment. It has been a long time since her and Harriet have had a chance to catch up and just discuss girl things. Both of them having busy family lives, and Mac working full time just hasn't allowed for too much free time. However, she is a little concerned about watching six children with just the two of them. Noticing Mac's hesitation, and guessing where her mind is going, Harriet offers to send AJ and Jimmy to spend the night at a friends' house. Mac chuckles that how well Harriet knows her. She counters, "Let the boys stay too, or Trisha and Matthew will be bored out of their mind with just the babies and us there."

Harriet laughs, "You do realize we may have to peel them off the ceiling, right?"

Mac shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly, even though Harriet can't see it. She replies, "It's okay. I'm an expert marksman, and I know that your boys have some pretty powerful Nerf guns. They wouldn't want to deal with an armed, angry Marine! Besides, they adore their godmother, so I fully expect them to behave for me at least. What time would you like us to be there, and what do we need to bring?"

Harriet answers, "I've already got a pot roast cooking, I have a small fruit salad, and crescent rolls to go with it. I could always put a pie together for dessert as well, and have you guys here about 17:30."

Mac shakes her head at the mother hen, "Harriet, you had me at the pot roast. I'm lucky if Harm lets me make that once a year in our house, even if it's chock full of vegetables. However, I don't want you going to all this trouble. I will pick up dessert on my way and we'll be there about 17:00."

Harriet interjects, "It's no hassle, you guys are family."

Mac laughs, bringing out her own mother hen voice, "Lieutenant, you are still breastfeeding two infants, and running after two rather rambunctious boys. I am perfectly capable of helping with dessert, it's the least I can do! We will see you at 17:00 and after dinner the kids can watch a movie so that you and I can catch up."

When the Rabb's arrive, both the Roberts and Rabb offspring begin to run off to the playroom. Harriet hollers, "Stop right there, all of you! You are going to set the table while Mac drops off dessert in the kitchen, and we finish getting dinner together."

AJ is the first to complain, whining, "But Mom, they just got here. Can't we play for just a little while?"

Trisha bats her eyes up at her mother too, "Please?"

Mac puts her hands on her hips, ready to object, but Harriet beats her to the punch. "Young Man, dinner is ready to be placed on the table, NOW. You will have ample time to play after dinner. So, go get the plates and show Trisha where to find the glasses." Looking to her middle son she adds, "Jimmy, you and Matthew can get the silverware and the napkins."

Once the kids have scampered off to the kitchen with their marching orders, Mac tells Harriet, "I think you missed your calling. You would have made an excellent drill instructor!"

Harriet smiles, "My time in the Navy did prepare me well for motherhood. I'm not sure which was worse, preparing everything on a carrier when big brass was visiting or trying to manage a bunch of JAG lawyers."

Mac nods her agreement, "Touché."

As the kids are coming out with the tableware, Mac and Harriet head into the kitchen to grab the larger items. Harriet picks up the large crockpot and basket of rolls, while Mac grabs the fruit salad and butter. Mac inquires, "What drink do you want?"

Harriet says, "I'll come back for them in a couple of minutes. This crockpot is hot and I don't want unsupervised munchkins burning their hands. If you don't mind dishing up the plates for them, I'll get the drinks. Just make sure that AJ doesn't hog all the potatoes."

Mac laughs, "The potatoes?"

Harriet smiles, "Yep that kid is all Bud when it comes to his appetite. 'Just give me the meat and the potatoes and take the rest away.' He absolutely hates 99% of all vegetables except some of the ones I grow in our garden."

Mac rolls her eyes, "I'll have to agree with AJ, I'm a meat and potatoes girl too. Thankfully both of my children like vegetables."

Harriet grins, "I wouldn't expect anything less since it's practically all their father will eat."

Mac continues, "And they tease him about it relentlessly! Trisha stuck a piece of bacon in his oatmeal one morning and Harm nearly had a heart attack."

Harriet's eyes go wide, "Did he think it was a lizard?"

Mac giggles, "No. His response was 'If I just look at that, it will clog all my arteries!' Harm definitely has a few quirks."

Harriet can understand, Bud has his quirks too, especially his obsession with Star Trek. Harriet asks, "Where did we find these husbands of ours again?"

Mac replies, "In the Navy! That explains it all right there!"

Mac grabs the spatula to start serving the kids' plates. She hands them the basket of rolls to "take one" and pass to the next person. Harriet comes back in with jugs of water, milk, and iced tea. Holding her choices up so that the kids can see, they each shout out their preference. Once the kids are settled, Mac and Harriet prepare their own plates and sit down. Harriet asks, "Who would like to say grace?"

Mac offers, "I will, if you don't mind." Everyone extends their arms to hold hands with the people next to them. Mac begins, "Bless the food before us.
The family beside us. And the love between us. Bless the members of our family that can't be here with us tonight. Keep them safe and we will see them again soon. Amen." Her ending is followed by a chorus of "Amens."

Jimmy needles AJ, "It's a good thing Aunt Mac said grace."

AJ questions "Why?"

Jimmy giggles, "All you ever say is 'good food, good meat, good God, let's eat!' You should see the look Mom gives you when you day that!"

AJ sighs, "I guess they add more words to prayers as you get older. Glad I'm still a kid!"

Dinner has been cleaned up, the twins are in bed, and the older children are playing a fierce game of Candyland while Mac and Harriet sit at the kitchen table drinking chamomile tea. They have been having idle chit chat for a while, until something that has been weighing heavily on Harriet's mind enters the conversation.

She asks, "I've always been curious, Mac, what is the most jealous you have ever been?"

Mac looks at Harriet like she has lost her mind, "What?"

Harriet smacks her knee, "I'm serious. You are now married to one of the most gorgeous men on the planet, but you also saw him through many other relationships. I know for a fact that you were in love with him long before you two admitted your feelings for each other. So, what made you jealous the most?"

Still not wanting to go there, Mac inquires, "And you are a very happily married woman to one of the most caring guys on the planet. Where is this coming from?"

Harriet gives an exasperated sigh, "Bud and I ran into the lady who runs the archive, her name is Millie or something or other, again last week in the park. The way that woman stares and flirts with my husband bothers me. I mean she's great at what she does, and she first met me when Bud and I had just started dating. Even though she knows we are married now with kids, she still flirts with him relentlessly. She'll place her hand on his forearm, and call him "Buddy" and there was one time when we had a lot of research to do and she asked him if he was going to be spending the night with her. I was standing right there! Bud was being his natural aloof self and had absolutely no idea why I was upset. I mean is it wrong of me to not want another woman hanging all over my husband? I'm sure that being out with Harm, who flirts relentlessly and doesn't even realize that he is doing it has had to have caused a few ruffled feathers a time or two."

Mac exhibits an evil grin, "Unlike Harm, I'm not normally the jealous type. I mean some of his past girlfriends irritated me more than they made me jealous, especially neurotic Annie. Though, I have to admit there was one time that I got really upset for a few minutes. This girl was sitting on Harm's lap, had her arm wrapped around his neck, and was nuzzling her nose into his collarbone. Then she would turn to me, and just smile. She stole my man and was making damn sure that I knew about it. And what made it worse, was that he wrapped his arm around her and turned to give me that Flyboy smile of his too!"

Harriet's eyes widen, "And this woman is still standing? Was this before or after you got together? Because I could totally see Renee or Jordan doing something like that."

Mac chuckles, "Oh, it was after we were married."

Harriet gasps, "Okay, so how long was Harm in the doghouse for?"

Mac smiles, "He wasn't in the doghouse at all. I really couldn't hold it against him that she was taking such an interest in him. I mean, what girl wouldn't?"

Harriet is mildly shocked at Mac's sense of comfort with this situation. She cautiously responds, "Very true. So, who was it? What woman could pull this off and not have you shoot her?"

Mac grins widely as she replies, "Our daughter. After all, she loves her Daddy as much as her mother does and he has us both wrapped around his little finger."

Harriet laughs, "Yes, our husbands definitely turn to mush around their little girls. I guess it's okay to share him with another girl as long as the girl is one you gave birth to."

Mac grins, "Indeed. But I'm sure I will be able to get her back in a few years, when she thinks that all boys are 'icky.' I'll just sit on her dad's lap and kiss him right in front of her!"

Harriet chuckles, "Don't you do that now already?"

Mac replies, "Most definitely. At her current age she thinks it's sweet how much we touch and show each other our love. But I can imagine as time goes by that the words "gross" and "get a room" will be uttered at some point!"

Harriet snorts, "You are lucky you have gotten this far without hearing that. AJ and Jimmy already have no qualms about telling their father that he needs to stop getting 'girl germs.' Anytime we kiss, they turn the other way, which is perfectly fine with me!"

The End