Part Six: Lovers
Ben and Margaret walked along the beach, holding hands. They'd taken a long lunch just to be together, Miranda was at home, with Daniel. She was nearly two and the undeniable apple of her parents' eyes.
Ben and Margaret were very deeply in love with each other, they'd spend hours just talking and cuddling close, and their favourite pastime was looking after Miranda.
The little girl was quite an individual now, running around, taking an interest in everything and with a rapidly growing vocabulary.
They headed back to work, and as Ben dropped Margaret off at her door, he kissed her. "I love you"
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Margaret, Ben and Miranda all sat in the large bath. Miranda sat between her parents who lovingly watched as she splashed and played.
"Miranda," Margaret called, Miranda turned her head and while her back was to her father, he quickly squirted shampoo onto her head, Miranda always hated getting her hair washed.
"No, no, no!" She yelled, while Margaret rubbed the shampoo into lather atop her golden curls.
"Mummy!" Miranda wailed as Ben rinsed her hair, careful to keep the suds out of her eyes.
Daniel came in, "What's all the - oh." He disappeared again as Miranda quieted now that the worst was over.
"You know Margaret, there is nowhere in the world I'd rather be right now. I have beautiful you and beautiful Miranda. My beautiful daughter and my beautiful . . ." He paused, and then called aloud, for his father.
"Dad, can you take Miranda?" Daniel appeared and removed Miranda, wrapping her in a towel.
"As I was saying, my beautiful daughter and my beautiful. wife?" Margaret gasped.
"Ben, you're not proposing, here, in a bath, but I look a fright!" Ben eyed her for a second, a cheeky grin on his face
"You look just fine to me." Margaret laughed.
"You know what I mean!" She picked up a bucket of Miranda's and filled it with water.
"Well, Margaret Houlihan, will you marry me?" Margaret dumped the soapy water over Ben's head.
Spluttering, he asked cheekily, "Is that a no then?
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"Bye, bye Sweet pea," crooned Margaret, lifting her baby and hugging her tight.
"You be good for Grandad." She told her mock-sternly.
"Bye mummy." Miranda hugged her mother, tightly, trying not to cry. Even at two, she'd promised 'no tears when mummy and daddy go on moon' and she was trying very hard, Margaret smiled as she gave Miranda to her dad to say goodbye.
"You be good okay kiddo?" Ben exhorted his 2-½ year old daughter and hugged her. It was too much, Miranda started crying.
"Daddy, take me on moon please?" She asked tearfully as Ben and Margaret Pierce prepared to leave for their honeymoon in Hawaii.
"Miranda Rose Pierce, I'd take you to the stars, I'd take you to the sun, I'd take you to France, I'd take the cake, I'd take umbrage, I'd take two and call you in the morning, I'm sorry but I won't take you on this honeymoon!" Miranda pouted, as Ben hugged her close again.
"I'll bring you back something okay?" He asked her softly.
"Dolly, daddy, bring dolly!" Miranda bounced up and down.
"Are we ever going to go?" Margaret asked as Ben and his daughter said goodbye.
"Okay Margaret my love, just coming." He ran down the steps and they got into the taxi. Miranda waved until the car was out of sight.
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Several months later, Margaret held her new baby Molly Miranda to her chest as she proudly stepped over the threshold of the Pierce household.
"Mummy!" Miranda yelled, running to greet her mother. Margaret smiled as her daughter, peered eagerly at her new sister.
"Molly?" She asked, and Margaret smiled proudly.
"Yes love, that's Molly Miranda." Miranda giggled,
"Like me?"
"Yes, like you," When Molly had arrived on January 8 1960, what would have been Rosemary's birthday, Ben and Margaret decided to give their new daughter the name that Rose and Ben had planned for their daughter years ago, even if Miranda already had one of the names.
"D'ya know something Ben?" Margaret asked later that night as they put Miranda to bed. "I'll love you forever, you know that?" Ben smiled and kissed his wife.
"Yes, of course, and I'll always love you too."
Ben and Margaret walked along the beach, holding hands. They'd taken a long lunch just to be together, Miranda was at home, with Daniel. She was nearly two and the undeniable apple of her parents' eyes.
Ben and Margaret were very deeply in love with each other, they'd spend hours just talking and cuddling close, and their favourite pastime was looking after Miranda.
The little girl was quite an individual now, running around, taking an interest in everything and with a rapidly growing vocabulary.
They headed back to work, and as Ben dropped Margaret off at her door, he kissed her. "I love you"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Margaret, Ben and Miranda all sat in the large bath. Miranda sat between her parents who lovingly watched as she splashed and played.
"Miranda," Margaret called, Miranda turned her head and while her back was to her father, he quickly squirted shampoo onto her head, Miranda always hated getting her hair washed.
"No, no, no!" She yelled, while Margaret rubbed the shampoo into lather atop her golden curls.
"Mummy!" Miranda wailed as Ben rinsed her hair, careful to keep the suds out of her eyes.
Daniel came in, "What's all the - oh." He disappeared again as Miranda quieted now that the worst was over.
"You know Margaret, there is nowhere in the world I'd rather be right now. I have beautiful you and beautiful Miranda. My beautiful daughter and my beautiful . . ." He paused, and then called aloud, for his father.
"Dad, can you take Miranda?" Daniel appeared and removed Miranda, wrapping her in a towel.
"As I was saying, my beautiful daughter and my beautiful. wife?" Margaret gasped.
"Ben, you're not proposing, here, in a bath, but I look a fright!" Ben eyed her for a second, a cheeky grin on his face
"You look just fine to me." Margaret laughed.
"You know what I mean!" She picked up a bucket of Miranda's and filled it with water.
"Well, Margaret Houlihan, will you marry me?" Margaret dumped the soapy water over Ben's head.
Spluttering, he asked cheekily, "Is that a no then?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bye, bye Sweet pea," crooned Margaret, lifting her baby and hugging her tight.
"You be good for Grandad." She told her mock-sternly.
"Bye mummy." Miranda hugged her mother, tightly, trying not to cry. Even at two, she'd promised 'no tears when mummy and daddy go on moon' and she was trying very hard, Margaret smiled as she gave Miranda to her dad to say goodbye.
"You be good okay kiddo?" Ben exhorted his 2-½ year old daughter and hugged her. It was too much, Miranda started crying.
"Daddy, take me on moon please?" She asked tearfully as Ben and Margaret Pierce prepared to leave for their honeymoon in Hawaii.
"Miranda Rose Pierce, I'd take you to the stars, I'd take you to the sun, I'd take you to France, I'd take the cake, I'd take umbrage, I'd take two and call you in the morning, I'm sorry but I won't take you on this honeymoon!" Miranda pouted, as Ben hugged her close again.
"I'll bring you back something okay?" He asked her softly.
"Dolly, daddy, bring dolly!" Miranda bounced up and down.
"Are we ever going to go?" Margaret asked as Ben and his daughter said goodbye.
"Okay Margaret my love, just coming." He ran down the steps and they got into the taxi. Miranda waved until the car was out of sight.
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Several months later, Margaret held her new baby Molly Miranda to her chest as she proudly stepped over the threshold of the Pierce household.
"Mummy!" Miranda yelled, running to greet her mother. Margaret smiled as her daughter, peered eagerly at her new sister.
"Molly?" She asked, and Margaret smiled proudly.
"Yes love, that's Molly Miranda." Miranda giggled,
"Like me?"
"Yes, like you," When Molly had arrived on January 8 1960, what would have been Rosemary's birthday, Ben and Margaret decided to give their new daughter the name that Rose and Ben had planned for their daughter years ago, even if Miranda already had one of the names.
"D'ya know something Ben?" Margaret asked later that night as they put Miranda to bed. "I'll love you forever, you know that?" Ben smiled and kissed his wife.
"Yes, of course, and I'll always love you too."