Rated R – Sexual Content
My Darling Love
Chapter 12 – The Grown Ups
"The joys of parents are secret, and so are their grieves and fears."
-Francis Bacon
Wendy told her mother the story of the cowardly king and the beautiful queen, the dragon and the pirate captain as Mary rested in bed. She had been there the entire summer, and she was still not well enough to stand alone. George carried her tenderly in his strong arms to the sofa in the parlor before leaving for the bank, and at the end of his long and tiring day; he carried her back up to bed. The children never saw George's chivalrous acts, as they were sleeping.
The surgeon at the hospital told George that it was the midwife's fault Mary was in such a grievous condition. He said that pulling his second son out was what caused the damage, but then admitted that, had she not acted, both Mary and the baby would have died. "It's a hard choice for a midwife, you understand, Mr. Darling, I'm sure you know yourself a woman who died with the life still inside of her."
Forever Mary's perfect skin would have the scar across her abdomen where the doctor sliced through to mend her insides. The midwife was correct about one thing; Mary would never have another baby. "It's just not possible, I did have to remove only one part of her and you can thank the Lord for that, Mr. Darling, and I did have to stitch quite a lot of her womb, not to mention other womanly parts. The scars she will wear on her insides are worse than what is visible outside. Her monthly may return, but your wife is now barren."
So on Saturdays, while George slept in the nursery on Wendy's bed, Wendy spent the morning with her mother away from her two brothers, playing with the assorted friends that came by to help. Mary looked on as Wendy acted out slaying the dragon, and listened as she carried on about how lazy and silly the king was. "All the king does all day long, Mommy, is sleep on the princess' bed while the queen waits for him in the tower."
Mary too had cast people in the roles of all of her daughter's characters, but in her mind, all but one was played out differently. She kept Grandpa Joe as the pirate captain's first mate, but the cowardly king was George's father, and the beautiful queen was her lovely mother. George was the brave knight, but instead of falling in love with the queen, he pined after the queen's daughter, the princess. She cast Penny's husband as the pirate captain and assured Wendy it was not his kiss that would wake sleeping beauty. "Why? Don't you like pirate captains, Mommy?" Wendy asked.
"Pirates are mean and cruel, Wendy. They don't love anything but money and themselves. A pirate captain with no hand would not even know what a kiss is," Mary replied. Being only four and loving the stories her mother told, Wendy decided right then and there that the pirate captain was mean and nasty and was undeserving of the princess' kiss. With the dragon banished, she asked her mother for another scary monster to eat up the pirate captain.
Unable to think of one, she told Wendy to "ask Grandpa Joe." She did and he said, giving it some serious thought, "Hmmm. Crocodiles are scary. They are ferocious with a big bite. I bet they could swallow the pirate captain up with one gulp."
Wendy was so excited and could not contain her happiness, now that she had the perfect ending to her story. She raced back up the stairs to tell her mother, but her father, the cowardly king told her, "Mother is sleeping now and cannot be disturbed." Wendy was furious and attempted to push pass her father into the bedroom only to be picked up and carried back downstairs. Maybe the weak king was not so weak after all, for he held onto Wendy who kicked and screamed, crying hysterically, wanting anyone but George to save her.
"Please Wendy, just this once let daddy be the hero," George said as he placed her down on a chair in the kitchen. Wendy conceded, just this once and allowed George to sooth her with a hug and kiss. "I promise the moment Mommy wakes up I will take you back up to her." That was good enough for Wendy, who pecked the king on his smooth cheek before running off to her imaginary world.
Wendy was not old enough to remember what it was like when John was a baby and so she did not remember how different things got with a newborn in the house. She was now old enough to know the new baby got extra attention. He needed to be fed and changed. Uncle Peter sang him to sleep and George cradled him in his arms while he read the paper on Sunday.
Wendy grew very jealous of Michael. It seemed someone always wanted to hold him, and whoever came by to visit always said, "Oh we just stopped by to see your beautiful new baby boy." They all but ignored Wendy who followed after the neighbors and her parent's friends dancing about, wanting desperately to be noticed. Poor Wendy ended up sitting alone in a corner watching the little baby be passed about, kissed and cuddled. Again George gave his daughter a valiant rescue, and tried to sooth her frown away with, "Wendy dearest, everyone was just as excited to see you when you born, its only fair Michael receive the same affections."
George's words didn't work, but his actions did. He picked Wendy up and sat her on his lap on the sofa. "Now Wendy, hold out your arms like this." He showed her the correct way to hold a baby, and she did anxiously. With her nestled into George's chest, Grandpa Joe gently handed baby Michael to his sister. Wendy held the newest addition to the Darling Family sleeping in her arms, supported by George's. George embraced the moment, it would be a memory he would carry with him his entire life, short lived bliss at best. For the next moment Uncle Peter arrived and picked both Wendy and Michael up from George with his larger stronger arms, taking away yet another simple joy that belonged to George. Wendy, just a child, blind of such things exclaimed as she rested back into Uncle Peter as he sat down in his favorite chair in George's parlor, "You have a much more comfy lap than my daddy..."
John was too young to care about Michael or the attention. And soon enough, Wendy followed suit. But she did not like the new baby, for he was a bother. He would wake her up in the middle of the night with his insistent crying. Mary, unable to get out of bed, sent George to the nursery. He was all right when the baby slept comfortably in his arms but when Michael required more than just someone to rest upon George was no use. He would try to lull Michael back to sleep, and end up tripping on the toys left about the room while he was heading back to Mary. She only took a minute to quiet him.
When Wendy would call for her mother in the middle of the night, she still sent George. Her stubborn daughter, just like her mother before her, would only cry more and scream, "I want Mommy!!!" so loud she would wake the entire family. Those were the times most difficult in the house, and many a night Grandpa Joe had to do a little spanking, for George refused, "I can understand why she wants her mother, being a young girl."
But Grandpa Joe was adamant on one thing, "It's one thing to want her mother, it is an entirely different thing to refuse her father." Wendy got a swift crack on the behind and cried herself to sleep, still wanting Mary.
In the autumn, Mary finally had the strength to move around of her own accord. She was still pale and weakened, but she did her best during the day to take care of her family. George did the shopping, for Mary could not leave the house. Grandpa Joe and a few close friends and neighbors helped with the laundry and the cooking, leaving Mary to care for the children. Aunt Millicent, still in silent protest to the Darling family, sent her butler anonymously to help clean the house. Every Saturday, Uncle Peter would stop by to take Wendy and John to the park, and enjoy the nice weather. This was his way of helping Mary rest. George continued to work long days and fret over money. Mary's surgery and lengthy hospital stay had drained their entire savings, and once again, they had to start over.
"I would be more than happy to give you a generous loan, George to help you get by, but you would have to take mother back in with you and the family," Peter offered, which was not even an option. Not only would Mrs. Frederick Darling quickly drive Mary into the grave, George liked the house set up the way it was, with just enough room for everyone inside to be comfortable and in their own place. He refused his brother with, "We will be fine, just have to tighten our belts for awhile," when he really wanted to tell him, "Go to hell, Peter."
Christmas morning was the first time since Michael was born that Mary looked like her old self. The children had opened their presents the night before on Christmas Eve, after returning from midnight mass. Mary walked to the church with her family, sitting when others stood during the service, holding Michael. After church, the children raced home, Uncle Peter bringing little Michael. Peter, Wendy, John and Grandpa Joe made it home almost an hour before their mother and father. The children were already done opening gifts and on their way to bed when their parents arrived. Halfway through the long walk home, Mary had grown exhausted. George lovingly carried her the rest of the way.
Dawn of Christmas Day, Mary awoke before the rest of the family and bathed by herself. She dressed in her prettiest house dress and went to the kitchen to begin the lovely dinner she always prepared on the holiday. George was shocked when he awoke alone, and later than usual. Mary wanted him to get some extra sleep, for he had paled in the past months from exhaustion. She did some last minute cleaning before their guests arrived, giving George a peck on the cheek and his paper when he descended the stairs and began to help. "No, George, this is woman's work, you just relax today. I am feeling so much better than yesterday."
It was to be a full house that year. Grandpa Joe invited Aunt Millicent after asking his son-in-law nicely, "Please George, I am so proud of your family and this will be the first year I can rub it in her face how truly happy we are. Anyway, she really does want to meet your children and make peace."
George invited his brother Peter as Grandma Josephine went to visit with her third son somewhere else and would not be missed. With no other place to spend his holiday, Peter agreed. The children, Wendy and John, dressed and raced downstairs to everyone already assembled. Aunt Millicent was impressed that Mary and George had three. "With your salary George, I'm surprised you didn't stop at one," she remarked, as pompous and supercilious as always.
George didn't mind Aunt Millicent's disposition because Mary was finally well, and her comment made his wife laugh. "Aunt Millicent, I believe the saying is the children are a poor man's wealth."
Aunt Millicent turned up her nose and rolled her eyes at her estranged niece. "Indeed, they are, Mary Elizabeth."
As far as the new Darling family was concerned, Mary was the finest chef in all of London, and her Christmas dinner was the envy of all the neighbors. As she cooled her pies on the windowsill, the old man next door would make excuses to his wife that he needed fresh air, just to get outside for a whiff of their sweet scent. She roasted a goose that George had chosen, with potatoes and vegetables and all the trimmings. She made her mother's pudding, adding the ingredients word for word from the recipe. She served the dinner on her mother's china, serving George first, and everyone sat down and held hands, reciting the Lord's Prayer.
On this night, the table was alive with chatter. Starting from the head of the table where George sat, his wife Mary to his right, Wendy, John, Grandpa Joe at the other end of the table, Aunt Millicent and Uncle Peter engaged in spirited conversations. It was a happy time full of love and bliss, and everyone laughed, enjoying being together as a family.
After dinner came dessert, and after dessert came bed for the children. After being tucked in, Wendy fled her bed and hid at the top of the stairs gazing down in the formal parlor where the adults still carried on the celebration, drinking wine from fancy goblets and smoking cigars and cigarettes. Soon friends of George and Mary, other couples that left their homes and ventured through the snow to share the fun, joined the family. Out of the piano in the parlor poured cheerful tunes that caused all present to get up and move about on their feet. Wendy couldn't see who played the piano, but the only one not dancing was Uncle Peter. The couples twirled and swirled around the room -- so much so Wendy got dizzy from watching. George, the generous host and passed out the cigars and drinks. "Another drink? Have a cigar, it's Christmas!" Mary, the gracious hostess, made small talk with the ladies, flattering their dresses and hairstyles. "That is a lovely gown you have on this evening. Was that not the exact one that hung in the window of the dress shop on Seventh Street? It must have cost a fortune but worth every penny, you wear it so well!"
There were things Wendy never knew about her parents. She never knew George drank on Christmas enough to leave him inebriated. She never knew her mother smoked, and watched in awe as she lit one cigarette after the other while speaking to a lovely lady dressed in crimson red. Her delicate hand held within two fingers the smoking stick and every so often as the gossip got juicy her mother would elegantly lift it to her mocking mouth and inhale. A moment later she expelled smoke from the right side of her mouth where her kiss lay hidden. Then she would smile with an open mouth, licking her lips and looking about as if she knew something no one else in the room was aware of.
"Oh Mary Elizabeth, how scandalous of you to smoke, whatever will the neighbors think? Don't let your Aunt Millicent catch you with that in your mouth!" A gentleman taunted as he passed Mary in the hall, giving her a flirtatious wink as he headed back into the parlor.
"Actually Robert, I hear its a rather humorous way to shock the men us ladies are entertaining." Mary shouted back, returning his wink, very unladylike of her being married to George. Mary knew the fact of his statement already, even if it was just a tease, for Aunt Millicent had told her only a moment before, "Only the lower class woman and prostitutes smoke, now put that thing out. How vulgar Mary Elizabeth!"
Mary was a little tipsy herself, for she informed her newly reconciled aunt, "This is my house and I can do whatever I want inside of it, for I am a queen!" Mary turned back to her friend and giggled, as Aunt Millicent attired herself in her coat and hat and took flight, slamming the front door as she went.
"Speaking of inappropriate things in the proper lady's mouth..." The party guest standing beside Mary began, causing Wendy's mother to lend her ear as her friend whispered. Wendy, at the top of the stairs, listened as hard as she could, only hearing certain parts of the story her mother was engaged in. Most parts were softly spoken back and forth, ear to ear. Other parts said out loud and made no sense, at least not to a small child.
"She didn't know what," the missing part being given privately between two ladies, "meant? Oh goodness, and they have been married for so long. What woman won't," again, not meant to he heard out loud, "husband when he asks. Now mind you, it has been quite sometime for George and I, but I used to pleasure him all the time in that way. And frankly, between you and I, he doesn't even have to ask. I love the way he tastes."
To which the woman Mary was speaking with snickered and again took Mary's ear causing Wendy's mother to bust out into hysterics, "salty really? George's has more of a..." Mary dragged on her cigarette blowing the smoke off to the side before finishing, "a sweet taste that tingles my tongue." Both women laughed falling into one another, "you lucky girl Mary."
There were many other things that baffled Wendy, having nothing at all to do with her parent's Christmas party. She didn't know how her parents met, or how George proposed. She knew nothing of the bigger fish or Grandpa Joe's disownment. And still she watched the adults, intrigued by what she saw.
Just when she could no longer keep her eyes open, she saw her mother and father enter the hallway alone. At the bottom of the stairs away from prying eyes, Mary gave George the hidden kiss from the corner of her mouth. But it did not end there, for once he kissed her mouth, he wanted more from her. He kissed from her lips to her ear and then down her neck to her breasts. She had changed after the children were snug in their room into a form fitting and very revealing ensemble that cut low on her cleavage. He pressed her mother up against the wall and again their lips met, this time rougher and more demanding. George moved his hands to Mary's breasts and without a care for the delicate fabric forced his hand down inside. The dress tore and Mary pushed him back. "I'm sorry Mary," he slurred, fleeing back into the party. She shook her head with a little smile, then took to the stairs, holding the front of her outfit closed.
Having no time to make it back to the nursery, Wendy retreated to the closet in her mother's room. She was now breaking her parent's sacred rule to never enter the privacy of their bedchamber without their permission. Wendy had knocked many times on the door and was allowed no further than the entranceway. Only when her mother was bedridden was she allowed admittance.
But that was months ago, and the rule once again stood, "You are absolutely forbidden in our room." Mary entered and locked the door. She quickly disrobed to her undergarments and opened the wardrobe where Wendy took cover. Wendy closed her eyes, hoping that if she couldn't see her mother, maybe Mary wouldn't see her cowering behind George's suits either. Mary flipped through dresses on the rack and picked one just as nice as the one her husband had torn. She reassembled herself and checked her reflection before leaving.
Wendy had escaped being caught, but only for a moment. A few seconds later, Mary's voice echoed through the house screaming her name, "WENDY! WENDY!" George flew up the stairs and into the nursery; John, asleep in his bed, had awoken and was crying, as well as Michael in the crib. Wendy's bed was empty and cold, as if she had not been there all night. The formal party filled with merriment hushed and soon all the couples began hunting for the little lost girl. Finally Grandpa Joe found her, still hiding in her parent's closet, too scared to come out and admit she was out of bed.
"Wendy, you are never to do that to me and your mother again, do you understand?" George flared shaking his finger at her.
"We were sick with worry, Wendy. What were you thinking?" Mary cried as she clutched her daughter to her chest.
"I wanted to see the party and the pretty dancing," Wendy responded, looking at all the unfamiliar faces gathered, people who were also breaking her parents' rule. Mary brought Wendy to her room and put her to bed without another word after George spanked her. It hurt him more than it hurt her, but as Grandpa Joe told, "Wendy broke two rules in your house, she went in your bedchamber without permission, and she was snooping in adult matters when she should have been in bed."
George leaned Wendy over his lap and gently tapped her bottom, not hard enough to even sting. Truth be told, with her bloomers on, it felt like the love pat she had received many times when she ran past Uncle Peter while playing. But nonetheless, Wendy cried as if George burned her with fire.
Mary locked the children in their nursery and soon, the downstairs was again full of laughter. Wendy cried herself to sleep that night, a child locked in to a baby's room, wishing she was a grown up.
Wendy, John and Michael were best friends, and as soon as Michael was able to walk and talk, they went everywhere together. They shared secrets and stories and locked the grown ups out of their fantasy world. Not all grown ups, of course. They let in Grandpa Joe, and Mary when she was not in the company of their father. The older they got, even though they respected him, he was not a favorite to have at home. He was very serious and easily annoyed when the children made noise. "Please children, a little less noise there, a little less noise."
Mary was a welcome guest if she were by herself, for she giggled and tickled them, showering hugs and kisses upon them. She told them stories and made funny faces, performing all the different voices of her characters. She gathered them around the piano in the afternoon before their father got home and let them dance to the music that rang out from the instrument. They sang along with her, and as they got older she began to give them all lessons, telling them, "Natural talent on a musical instrument such as this never fades."
But when Mary was Mrs. Darling and not Mommy, she was different. She would shush them when George got home from work, and, most disturbing to the children, she would leave them and prefer his company after dinner. "Go play in the nursery, children, I want to spend sometime with your father." He always sat in the kitchen and read the paper as she washed the dishes with children watching from the hall. It was an odd silence between them the children found troublesome. In their world they chattered on about everything. Their parents said nothing to one another only exchanging simple statements like, "How was your day today dearest?" Mary would ask and George would reply by shaking his head and "giving her the eyes," as Grandpa Joe called it.
"What eyes?" John would ask.
"The eyes that say everything your mother needs to know without asking."
Mary had "the eyes," too. George would flip through the paper, finding something of interest that made he's eyes go wide, "Have you read this Mary?" Mary would stop what she was doing and read over his shoulder, George pointing out to her his place of interest. Mary would meet his gaze when she finished, giving him "the eyes" and then returning to the dishes.
So George sat and read the paper and randomly gave Mary details like, "Stocks are up again." She would nod and stick out her lower lip as if impressed by the information. He never asked what she made for dinner, or when it would be ready. He'd come through the door at the same time every evening, take off his coat and hat and sit at the supper table and wait. She served him first, and he ate quietly. When he was done Mary would say, "Would you like more, George?" He never did want more and would nod with a mild grin his enjoyment of her meal. Then it was off to the kitchen with his paper while she cleared the dishes and straightened the kitchen.
Mary brewed the tea and sat across from him with her hands folded before her and watched him read when everything was tidy and in its place. From that moment on, Mary would be up and down as George requested certain things he either needed done or wanted, "May I have lemon for my tea?... Could you get me a napkin?... More tea, Mary... Another lemon, Mary... Did you remember to...?" Whatever it was, Mary didn't remember so she would rise up from the table and do it, only to retake her seat across from him.
When he was done reading, he would look at her and smile before folding the paper neatly and discarding it, excusing her from his bidding but not before giving her one last task. "Getting late, my love, best put the children to bed. I will be up to help in a minute."
Mary would then become Mommy again, and race up the stairs chasing her children into the bath. One by one she would bathe them individually. Wendy was first, John was second and Michael was last. She ran bubbles and let them play with toys and splash her while she hummed and giggled. The two not in the tub were playing in the nursery. When all the children were clean and in fresh pajamas, Mary would spend an hour talking with them and telling them stories, their father nowhere around.
They said their prayers, with Mary kneeling beside them and get tucked into their beds. Just before Mary turned the lights out, George would come in and pat them on the heads and wish them "a good night's rest." Mary was more affectionate and hugged and kissed them, adding, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" The children would stick out their tongues and in unison wrinkle their faces, "Euughh...bed bugs." With her gone all the children made the same observation, "Father's watch must be broken for that was the longest minute in the world."
Not only was Mary the finest chef in all of London, she was also the finest mother. And it must have been true, because Aunt Millicent told her so: "Mary Elizabeth, you are the finest mother in all of London!" The children were always neat and clean when she came to visit. The nursery was tidied before she arrived, and the adults of the house directed the children "to be on your best behavior."
Aunt Millicent had grown to be a humorous character. The children would roll around on the floor in hysterics, watching her as she tugged on Mary's ear about some nonsense paying little or no mind to how many sugar cubes she dropped in her tea. As it cooled enough to be drunk, she would sip it ladylike and suck the sides of her cheeks in at its overly sweet taste. "Mary, I think the sugar you buy contains too much sugar, not good for the children, it will surely rot their teeth," Aunt Millicent would pronounce, causing Mary to giggle as well.
In the many stories she told, Wendy had not thought of the proper role for Aunt Millicent. Perhaps the court jester although she couldn't be certain. Grandma Josephine was long forgotten, and so was the dragon. The children were not aware of the events that took place before their birth, so they never knew how well she had fit the role. They just thought of her as a fancy lady that liked to needle the cowardly king. "I will never come for supper on Mondays or Wednesday s for you still will not allow Mary to serve meat on those days, George, which is a crime in itself."
Wendy went to school, and soon after John followed. She being a girl and he a boy, they went to separate private and proper primary schools. Wendy daydreamed about all the fun Michael was having alone with mother and Grandpa Joe, when she should have been practicing her penmanship. She would run home after school with John at her heels and demand Michael recount every detail of his day. Mostly, Michael had played with Grandpa Joe or watched mother clean and make supper. Sometimes she would take him to the park or the grocer. And one special time, he got to go to the bank where George worked to drop off the lunch he forgot to take with him.
Wendy and John were jealous, and danced around Mary for attention. Michael was also envious, for Wendy and John got to go to school and "learn stuff" as he put it. Mary did a mother's best to make sure every child got her equal time, letting Michael color at the table while she worked with Wendy and John on their lessons. But all too early the clock would toll six, and that meant Mr. Darling was coming home, and mother would change her face to greet him at the door.
Time passed, and they all grew, Wendy becoming a young lady of twelve, John a young man of ten and Michael a boy of eight. There was not much of a story to tell from infancy to that time in their childhood, because nothing really changed, not even their address. With the exception of her first few years of marriage, Mary always lived at the Darling residence, number fourteen. It had been her home with her parents, and now with George and her children, and she loved it there. Aunt Millicent became a constant fixture in their home once she said her peace on the matter to Mary privately, "I'm just glad he is your husband, Mary Elizabeth and not mine. You made your bed with him and now you will lie in it," which was fine with Mary, for she loved to lie in bed with George. Aunt Millicent soon invited herself over every day for supper, even Mondays and Wednesday's.
The only trouble Aunt Millicent ever caused was that she had a knack for bringing up topics of conversation the grown ups did not want to talk about. Out of the blue at Sunday night dinner, Aunt Millicent suggested, "George, I think it is time you give Mary Elizabeth another baby. Wendy should not be without a sister." Wendy was up from her chair in a minute begging and pleading with her parents for a sister. "What a lovely idea, please mother, can I?" as if it were to be she herself that would create the baby.
It hurt Mary to decline even the slightest desire of her children. This was one she could never grant. It was only made worse by Aunt Millicent's declaration, "You are still an able man, George, I am sure. You are still practically newlyweds! It's such a shame to be wasting our Mary Elizabeth in that way."
George, being the king of his castle, sternly replied, without needing to look at his lovely wife shrinking before his eyes, "Absolutely not, enough mouths to feed." He raised his glass to Aunt Millicent who had not, on this night or any other, been formally invited to sit at his table.
Wendy felt defeated by her father, the weak king, shooting him a wicked glare as she cried in her soup.
"Please reconsider, George, if money is the issue..." Aunt Millicent began.
Grandpa Joe interrupted knowing how his son-in-law felt about his private business, "Please, don't have another baby, George and Mary. Three happy, healthy children are enough for any family. Anyway Millicent, Mary Elizabeth is getting too old to be birthing another."
Aunt Millicent thought that was ludicrous, and as she continued on to make another unsolicited opinion, George silenced her with, "There will be no more babies in this house, Millicent." That was all that was spoken on the matter. After dinner while the family relaxed, Grandpa Joe whispered the secret to his sister about Mary's condition. She was still highly insulted with George's tone with her. But that changed as her cheeks flushed. She was not only embarrassed but also terribly sorry for the something impolite she had done without being aware of it. That is what she told George while Wendy curiously watched.
George and Mary Darling had three beautiful children, "her precious babies," as Mary called them. Had Wendy never asked for a sister, the thought of bringing another child into their home would never have crossed her mind. But she had asked, and Mary wanted. "I know we cannot have anymore children, but we should get the children something in a baby's place."
Wanting to please his wife, George gave it some thought and added the numbers like he always had, and recommended they hire a nanny. "Oh George," Mary exclaimed, "we can't afford a nanny, and frankly we don't need one. I am their mother, and I am the one who will care for them. I don't care that the neighbors all have nurses for their children. What kind of mother would want another to take care of her babies and tuck them into bed? And Grandpa Joe and Aunt Millicent watch the children whenever we go out." (They never went out, for all the extra income went into their savings for a rainy day.)
Grandpa Joe listened to the silent exchange between Mr. and Mrs. Darling, George showing her his figures, and Mary shaking her head with her eyes pleading, and came up with an idea of his own. "Why not get the children a pet, maybe a dog," he recommended, puffing on his pipe.
Before George could squash the notion, Mary's lit up, "Oh yes, George, a dog! What wonderful idea. But don't tell the children, let's surprise them!" She kissed his cheek repeatedly and hugged his neck.
He reluctantly agreed. "Alright Mary, if you think that would be best, tomorrow I will remove the funds from the bank, and after work, I will meet you at the pet shop."
"Oh no, George, this is to be a present from their father. You must pick the children out their new pet." George did not what know what his children's favorite food was, or their favorite toy, and he was far more out-to-sea as to what particular type dog they might fancy.
But Mary wanted, so George, being the king of the castle and -- more importantly -- a grown up, provided.