“We’ll help Ma,” Doug said. “We know she can’t do it all herself.”
Margaret’s jaw dropped. What?
“If she can’t manage, we’ll go to the post office and get you,” Doug continued.
“Mercantile,” Bob corrected. “He’s not a post master.”
“Oh, right. Mercantile.” Doug grinned widely at her. “You don’t have to worry. We’ll help.”
She sighed but turned so they wouldn’t see her roll her eyes. She was a grown woman for goodness’ sakes! Besides, her mother lived three blocks away...should things get out of hand. But she was determined it wouldn’t.
Joseph placed his hand on the small of her back and kissed her cheek. “I meant no disrespect and neither do the boys.”
Her frustration cooled. “Alright.” She gave him a hug. “We’ll see you at three.”
“Have a good day. Bye, boys.”
“Bye, Pa!” Bob yelled as he jumped up from the table, knocking the chair over in the process.
Doug called out to Bob as he bolted for the steps. “You got to stay and help Ma!”
“Oh. Yes.” Bob dutifully returned to the table and picked up his dishes.
With a loud sigh, Joseph strode to the front door and grabbed his hat off a hook. “I think it’s you who needs a good day,” he called out to Margaret as he left.
Ben giggled and grabbed for the tablecloth and pulled on it.
Margaret ran over to him and stopped him before he could drag the remaining dishes so that they fell to the floor.
“Ma, Charles needs a washing.” Doug held up Charles’ yolk covered hands.
“Just his hands,” Bob added.
“Here. Let’s go to the pump,” Doug told Charles as he practically dragged his brother off his chair.
Charles tripped and fell to the floor. He let out a loud wail, and it was in that instant, Margaret truly began to understand how much work four little boys could be.
Chapter Nine
By the time Margaret got the children out of the house and to the park, she was ready to sit down at the bench. It wasn’t that the morning had been a bad one. But she was tired. She considered that some of her exhaustion was due to the little sleep she’d gotten for the past two nights. The night before her wedding, she couldn’t sleep much, and last night had been her wedding night. Naturally, all of that led to her inability to sleep.
Now that she was married, she could get settled into a routine, which meant she could relax. It was after lunch, Ben and Charles had been changed, and Bob had found the soccer ball he’d packed. So now the boys were ready to run around and play in the grass.
She sat down on the first bench she found and exhaled. It felt good to get off her feet. It was 1:30. In an hour and a half, Joseph would come home. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. Her new home was as quaint as she remembered, and she knew she was going to enjoy living there.
She turned her attention back to the four boys who had gathered around her. Ben bent down to retrieve a rock off the ground and seemed particularly interested in inspecting it. Charles held onto her skirt but watched his older two brothers.
“We should play in that spot,” Bob told Doug, motioning to the patch of grass not too far from her. He glanced at her. “Will you watch us?”
“Yes,” she replied. What else would she do?
“Great. Come on, Doug.”
The two older boys darted for the field, but Ben and Charles remained by her. She picked them up and set them on the bench with her. Ben, however, squirmed right back down to see if he could find more rocks. Charles snuggled up to her, so she put an arm around him. It would take them time to adjust to being with her and their new home.
“Ma! Over here!” Bob called out.
Taking her eyes off of Charles, she looked at Bob who dropped the rubber ball on the ground. He gave her a big smile before he kicked it. Doug didn’t seem as intent on having her watch him while he managed to steal the ball from Bob.
For the moment, no one needed anything. They were content and peaceful. With a sigh, she grinned in amusement as Doug and Bob showed off their skills. She had to admit they were cute.
Ben nudged her in the knee so she glanced at him. He held out a handful of the rocks he’d collected. She wasn’t sure what to do so she waited. Then he dumped the rocks into her lap and resumed his search for more of them. She frowned. Exactly what did he plan to do with them? And how many did he plan to gather?
“I see you went ahead and married my Joseph,” came an all-too-familiar voice.
Margaret’s skin bristled. She shouldn’t be surprised that Debra Potter decided to stick around, but there was nothing Debra could do at this point. “Why are you here?” Might as well come right out and ask the obvious.