From behind her, Debra chuckled. “You really are not prepared for this.”
“Don’t you have someone else you can annoy?” Margaret snapped.
Then she spun on her heel and picked up a still wailing Ben who pointed to the rocks. Sighing, she placed him back down and helped him collect his rocks. She handed them to him, relieved that he was, once again, smiling, and led him back to the bench. She gritted her teeth when she realized Miss Potter was watching everything in obvious amusement.
She didn’t know whether she should find another bench or haul the boys back home. Another part of her wondered why she should have to go anywhere. She’d been here first. Debra was the one who interfered in this pleasant afternoon. Crossing her arms, she narrowed her eyes at the other woman and got ready for a confrontation the likes of which Debra had never seen.
Just as she was about to let Miss Potter have it, a rubber ball hit her in the backside and a boy tackled her. She stumbled and, unable to find her footing, fell back until she landed in the grass.
A shrill laugh cut through the apologies of Bob and Charles. Ignoring them, she turned her attention to Connie James and groaned. As if it wasn’t bad enough to fall in front of Debra! She had to deal with prissy Connie James too?
Bob and Doug held their hands out to Margaret. “We’re sorry, Ma,” Bob said. “Can we help you up?”
Connie nudged her good friend, Maureen Brown, in the side and whispered something in her ear.
Debra glanced at Connie and then turned her attention back to Margaret and snickered.
Face flushed with anger, Margaret decided she’d had enough. She got to her feet and straightened her skirt. “If you have a comment to make, the least you can do is say it to my face.”
Debra’s eyebrows rose, as if surprised.
Connie and Maureen looked at Margaret.
“Well?” Margaret demanded, not hiding the irritation in her voice. When they didn’t speak, she continued, “If you have the nerve to laugh and whisper in front of me, then you might as well get on with it!”
“Don’t give our ma trouble,” Bob said, clinging to her hand.
Debra frowned.
“Yeah,” Doug agreed. “We like our new ma. She made cookies and tea punch.”
Then Debra grinned. “Bribing them to be good, are we?”
Connie shook her head. “Giving children sweets. I hope you gave them something healthy like an apple while you were filling them up with sugar.”
“I suppose that is how she gets them to behave,” Debra said.
Connie and Maureen turned appreciative gazes in Miss Potter’s direction. “An astute observation,” Connie said.
“Very,” Maureen agreed.
Debra shot Margaret a triumphant look.
Bob moved so he was in front of Margaret. “We don’t care what you think. She’s a good ma.”
Connie clucked her tongue. “That boy has a mouth on him.”
“Disrespectful,” Maureen said.
“They wouldn’t do that if they were mine,” Debra added.
“My Peter never spoke that way when he was that age,” Connie said. “In fact, he doesn’t do that now as an adult. Mrs. Connealy, you would do well to keep those children in line.”
“To be fair to her,” Debra began, “she had them thrust upon her when she posted an ad for a husband. She is ill-equipped for motherhood.”
Connie frowned. “What kind of woman has to post an ad for a man? I heard this was the case but thought it was mere hearsay.”
“It’s sad, Connie,” Maureen told her friend. “There’s no need to remind her to the depths she had to go to in order to secure a man.”
“I just never heard of that being necessary, that’s all.” Connie shrugged. “Poor thing, really.”
Margaret gritted her teeth and got ready to tell all three hags exactly what they could do with their opinions when Doug tugged on her hand.
“Uh...Ma?”
She looked down at him.
“I think Charles needs a bath,” he said.
She turned around and noticed that Charles’ recent bowel movement was trickling down his leg.
Bob’s eyes widened. “Oh, we forgot to tell you. He’s allergic to cow’s milk. He can have goat’s milk though.”
With little else to do but take care of the immediate problem, Margaret picked up Ben who had a few pebbles in his mouth. Startled, she swept the small rocks out of it. He, naturally, didn’t like this because he threw his head back and cried right into her ear. She braced herself against the loud screaming and went over to Charles so she could take his hand.
“Let’s go home,” she told him.
“We’ll help you, Ma!” Doug said.