"Thank you," England said softly. He looked up from his book to find her stood at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in a mid-calf length nightdress which could not have been less sexy or more English if she had tried.
"What for, my dear?" he asked, laying the book down. She walked into the room and perched on the chair, looking at him intensely. The thanks could be for anything. He'd made them a lovely dinner, helped put the boys to bed again, he'd even helped bathe them to get rid of the sand. When England had disappeared upstairs he'd presumed that was the end of his day.
"Well, for how you were with Al at the beach. He just, well, of course I love the boy but he's just too much for me sometimes, I never know how to deal with him."
"It is no problem, my dear," Francis said, smiling softly. "Actually, I was afraid that you were mad at me. After all, you were the authority and I felt a little as though I undermined you..."
"I won't lie and say I was happy about that," She said, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them. "But, well, I fight with Al a lot and I nearly always loose. I worry. Matty gets lost in it all more often then not. I just...I don't know how to deal with it."
"I'm sorry, my dear, but other then ignoring Al when he decided to play up I am not sure what to suggest. Though I think his temper is all yours I do believe the attention seeking to be mine. I shall ask my mother next time we speak how she dealt with me if you like."
"That would be useful," she sighed. "I...I just don't know how to deal with him any more. I keep hoping and hoping that it will get better but, it doesn't seem to. He just..."
"I know," Francis smiled. "He is certainly a handful. I hope for both out sakes that he calms with age."
"Maybe," she smiled. "Anyway, that's not all I came down for. I was thinking...about what you said last night. I, well, you do have a right to know how your sons came to be who they are. I mean, I should have told you when I was pregnant. I think...maybe I was just scared. It was easy to pretend you weren't in their lives because I didn't need you, harder to think it was because you rejected us."
She was blushing bright red now, quite endearingly. He smiled softly. He could not condone it, obviously. He had lost years in which he could have been a father, but in an odd way he understood her worry. Besides, they could not make the decision again; they must simply live with the consequences.
"England, I would be deeply thankful of anything you would share with me." he said, smiling softly.
"Life can be difficult" 3.6/?
"What for, my dear?" he asked, laying the book down. She walked into the room and perched on the chair, looking at him intensely. The thanks could be for anything. He'd made them a lovely dinner, helped put the boys to bed again, he'd even helped bathe them to get rid of the sand. When England had disappeared upstairs he'd presumed that was the end of his day.
"Well, for how you were with Al at the beach. He just, well, of course I love the boy but he's just too much for me sometimes, I never know how to deal with him."
"It is no problem, my dear," Francis said, smiling softly. "Actually, I was afraid that you were mad at me. After all, you were the authority and I felt a little as though I undermined you..."
"I won't lie and say I was happy about that," She said, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them. "But, well, I fight with Al a lot and I nearly always loose. I worry. Matty gets lost in it all more often then not. I just...I don't know how to deal with it."
"I'm sorry, my dear, but other then ignoring Al when he decided to play up I am not sure what to suggest. Though I think his temper is all yours I do believe the attention seeking to be mine. I shall ask my mother next time we speak how she dealt with me if you like."
"That would be useful," she sighed. "I...I just don't know how to deal with him any more. I keep hoping and hoping that it will get better but, it doesn't seem to. He just..."
"I know," Francis smiled. "He is certainly a handful. I hope for both out sakes that he calms with age."
"Maybe," she smiled. "Anyway, that's not all I came down for. I was thinking...about what you said last night. I, well, you do have a right to know how your sons came to be who they are. I mean, I should have told you when I was pregnant. I think...maybe I was just scared. It was easy to pretend you weren't in their lives because I didn't need you, harder to think it was because you rejected us."
She was blushing bright red now, quite endearingly. He smiled softly. He could not condone it, obviously. He had lost years in which he could have been a father, but in an odd way he understood her worry. Besides, they could not make the decision again; they must simply live with the consequences.
"England, I would be deeply thankful of anything you would share with me." he said, smiling softly.
"Ok, I guess I'll get the photo albums."
~*~*~*~