The next day, Wilson is awake long before the others, and he goes into
the kitchen. Annie is there, fixing breakfast and lunches for the
children.
" Need help?"
" Oh, good morning, Wilson, yeah, that would be great. I'm fixing sandwhiches for the kids, and I have Simon's and Ruthie's, so, if you wouldn't mind fixing Lucy's and Mary's."
" Okay, two I actually know, I had poor Lucy babysitting Billy so much that I got to know her almost as well as Mary." He proceeded to fix both sandwiches. Annie handed him the bowl of fruit and he selected the girls' favorites to put in their respectable bags. When he was done, he sat them in the fridge, and grabbed the eggs.
" So, Wilson, I know I should just stay out of your private life, but how is Billy doing?"
" Oh, don't worry about asking about him, he's just as much your business as anybody else here. But, yeah, he's doing really well. The move was rough on him, but he adjusted quickly. He had quite a few separation anxiety issues. Can we sit down? I think that we may need to talk." Annie nodded and Wilson pulled out a chair for her and then himself.
" What is it?"
" I know that Mary is still young, but I've put her in a rough position. We care about each other a lot, and Billy, as scary as this is, depends on her. I never intended to put her in that position, but she is. And I think now that is what was, I don't know, meant. When you thought Mary was pregnant, what went through your mind?"
" I was afraid that my daughter had given up every chance she had, that basketball would no longer be something for her, and that she might not get to complete her education."
" Mary may never have been pregnant, but she is still a mother. I didn't see it until we left, when Billy would cry for her, and then it was clear. Billy never knew his biological mother, but Mary helped raise him."
" I saw it, too. Apparently before you had. I was scared then. Mary would give up everything for you two."
" I don't want that, I want you to know it all. I want you to know that I want to be with Mary, and I want her to be the best mother possible. She is, and we all know it."
" Does he call her 'Mom', Wilson?"
" No, he never has, and Mary and I talked about all of this when the pregnancy scare came up, but I want to know how you and Reverend Camden would feel if he did."
" I would think it might be a difficult transition for him, but if he found it comfortable, then I would support it."
" And Reverend Camden?"
" Would have a panic attack if he hadn't heard that conversation." Eric walked up to the twosome.
" I should have known someone would have been there," Wilson half-joked. Eric sat down across the table from them with his hands placed in front of his face.
" I would support this under one condition."
" Yes?"
" If Mary feels she has to choose between her education and you two, then..."
" I will walk away. She'll never have to make that choice." Eric nodded. At that moment, Mary and Simon walked downstairs. The footsteps of Lucy and Ruthie weren't far behind.
" Breakfast? Hey, Wilson, you're still here?"
" Yeah, but I need to leave soon, is Billy still out?" Simon nodded. Mary and Wilson walked upstairs to wake him. Corey and her daughter were in the hall when the two got to the doorway.
" Good morning, Wilson. Mary, I'll see you at school, we need to get home soon." Corey winked at her, and Mary realized just how good a friend the young mother was. Wilson had opened the door and was standing there, watching his son.
" There is something I should tell you. When you were still asleep, I talked to you parents. Um, do you remember what we talked about when your mom found out about her pregancy?"
" They didn't threaten you, did they?"
" No, not that. About Billy calling you 'Mom', they said they supported it."
" Really? I guess we should wake him up, huh?" She walked to the bed and shook the young boy lightly. " Billy, hey sweetie, time to get up, come on Billy." He stirred and looked up confused as to his surroundings. Still asleep, he muttered only a few words.
" Daddy, Mommy?" Mary giggled lightly.
" Yeah, sweetie. It's your Mommy and Daddy." She leaned on Wilson's shoulder. Billy rose and hugged Mary suddenly.
" Really?" Wilson laughed. Billy had been faking, he must have overheard something.
" Oh, you are just like your father." Mary laughed.
" So, I can call you Mom?"
" Billy, there is something you need to understand. Mary is not your biological mother, but she is, in every other sense, your mom."
" I know, Daddy, but I should be allowed to call her Mom, right?"
" Yeah, sweetie. You can call me Mom." Billy jumped into Mary's arms and she carried him downstairs. " Something tells me that we have one hungry kid here." She let him down into the kitchen.
" Yeah, Billy's probably hungry, too," Wilson joked, receiving a playful slap from Mary. Billy giggled at their behavior.
" Mommy, can I have some cereal?" Billy nodded to the box of cereal on the counter. The young members of the Camden household all exchanged glances at this. Mary, Wilson, and Annie all paid no attention to the name, and Mary grabbed a bowl from the counter to pour him some cereal.
After everyone had eaten and changed, they all began to distribute the lunches. Wilson left with Billy, after a long attempt Simon and Ruthie left with Annie, while Mary and Lucy prepared to leave themselves.
" So, Mom, is there something that you want to tell me about?" Lucy smirked as Mary blushed.
" Well, Billy wants to call me that, and we talked about it, so we're letting him call me that."
" 'We' meaning?"
" Mom, Dad, Wilson, and I talked about it. Separately, but we all talked about it."
" Okay. You know, this could get very complicated." They laughed as they made their way to the car.
" Need help?"
" Oh, good morning, Wilson, yeah, that would be great. I'm fixing sandwhiches for the kids, and I have Simon's and Ruthie's, so, if you wouldn't mind fixing Lucy's and Mary's."
" Okay, two I actually know, I had poor Lucy babysitting Billy so much that I got to know her almost as well as Mary." He proceeded to fix both sandwiches. Annie handed him the bowl of fruit and he selected the girls' favorites to put in their respectable bags. When he was done, he sat them in the fridge, and grabbed the eggs.
" So, Wilson, I know I should just stay out of your private life, but how is Billy doing?"
" Oh, don't worry about asking about him, he's just as much your business as anybody else here. But, yeah, he's doing really well. The move was rough on him, but he adjusted quickly. He had quite a few separation anxiety issues. Can we sit down? I think that we may need to talk." Annie nodded and Wilson pulled out a chair for her and then himself.
" What is it?"
" I know that Mary is still young, but I've put her in a rough position. We care about each other a lot, and Billy, as scary as this is, depends on her. I never intended to put her in that position, but she is. And I think now that is what was, I don't know, meant. When you thought Mary was pregnant, what went through your mind?"
" I was afraid that my daughter had given up every chance she had, that basketball would no longer be something for her, and that she might not get to complete her education."
" Mary may never have been pregnant, but she is still a mother. I didn't see it until we left, when Billy would cry for her, and then it was clear. Billy never knew his biological mother, but Mary helped raise him."
" I saw it, too. Apparently before you had. I was scared then. Mary would give up everything for you two."
" I don't want that, I want you to know it all. I want you to know that I want to be with Mary, and I want her to be the best mother possible. She is, and we all know it."
" Does he call her 'Mom', Wilson?"
" No, he never has, and Mary and I talked about all of this when the pregnancy scare came up, but I want to know how you and Reverend Camden would feel if he did."
" I would think it might be a difficult transition for him, but if he found it comfortable, then I would support it."
" And Reverend Camden?"
" Would have a panic attack if he hadn't heard that conversation." Eric walked up to the twosome.
" I should have known someone would have been there," Wilson half-joked. Eric sat down across the table from them with his hands placed in front of his face.
" I would support this under one condition."
" Yes?"
" If Mary feels she has to choose between her education and you two, then..."
" I will walk away. She'll never have to make that choice." Eric nodded. At that moment, Mary and Simon walked downstairs. The footsteps of Lucy and Ruthie weren't far behind.
" Breakfast? Hey, Wilson, you're still here?"
" Yeah, but I need to leave soon, is Billy still out?" Simon nodded. Mary and Wilson walked upstairs to wake him. Corey and her daughter were in the hall when the two got to the doorway.
" Good morning, Wilson. Mary, I'll see you at school, we need to get home soon." Corey winked at her, and Mary realized just how good a friend the young mother was. Wilson had opened the door and was standing there, watching his son.
" There is something I should tell you. When you were still asleep, I talked to you parents. Um, do you remember what we talked about when your mom found out about her pregancy?"
" They didn't threaten you, did they?"
" No, not that. About Billy calling you 'Mom', they said they supported it."
" Really? I guess we should wake him up, huh?" She walked to the bed and shook the young boy lightly. " Billy, hey sweetie, time to get up, come on Billy." He stirred and looked up confused as to his surroundings. Still asleep, he muttered only a few words.
" Daddy, Mommy?" Mary giggled lightly.
" Yeah, sweetie. It's your Mommy and Daddy." She leaned on Wilson's shoulder. Billy rose and hugged Mary suddenly.
" Really?" Wilson laughed. Billy had been faking, he must have overheard something.
" Oh, you are just like your father." Mary laughed.
" So, I can call you Mom?"
" Billy, there is something you need to understand. Mary is not your biological mother, but she is, in every other sense, your mom."
" I know, Daddy, but I should be allowed to call her Mom, right?"
" Yeah, sweetie. You can call me Mom." Billy jumped into Mary's arms and she carried him downstairs. " Something tells me that we have one hungry kid here." She let him down into the kitchen.
" Yeah, Billy's probably hungry, too," Wilson joked, receiving a playful slap from Mary. Billy giggled at their behavior.
" Mommy, can I have some cereal?" Billy nodded to the box of cereal on the counter. The young members of the Camden household all exchanged glances at this. Mary, Wilson, and Annie all paid no attention to the name, and Mary grabbed a bowl from the counter to pour him some cereal.
After everyone had eaten and changed, they all began to distribute the lunches. Wilson left with Billy, after a long attempt Simon and Ruthie left with Annie, while Mary and Lucy prepared to leave themselves.
" So, Mom, is there something that you want to tell me about?" Lucy smirked as Mary blushed.
" Well, Billy wants to call me that, and we talked about it, so we're letting him call me that."
" 'We' meaning?"
" Mom, Dad, Wilson, and I talked about it. Separately, but we all talked about it."
" Okay. You know, this could get very complicated." They laughed as they made their way to the car.