Marriage is Murder

Robert sent an owl with his request and received an immediate reply. He had expected no less. When the director wanted 2 massage slots and some pool time, her staff was happy to comply.

"They're expecting you," Robert told them. "Whenever you get there." Abbey came down the stairs, dragging behind her a totebag that was almost bigger than she was. It was a totebag Khaat had gotten in a shopping spree in Hawaii--it was oversized pink camo vinyl. Brian had offered to carry it, but Abbey had insisted on taking it. The only way she could carry it was to drag it down the stairs behind her. Brian had followed closely enough that he could grab her if she'd tripped on the darned thing.

"We go, Unca Mikey?" Abbey asked happily. Michael hadn't been thrilled about it until he saw the sight of the two year old who was totally elated, dragging her bag behind her.

"Yeah," he smiled. "We're going. Hold on. Let's get our coats."

"Daddy..where my coat?" Abbey turned on Brian.

"In the closet. I'll get it," he laughed. He got out Abbey's little gray peacoat and Khaat's tan suede jacket.

"I no wear that coat," she said firmly. She went to the closet herself and picke out her pink windbreaker.

"Its too cold for that," Brian said. "You need the warm one."

"I no like it," she said. "I no wear it."

"You no wear it, you no go," Brian said.

"I no like you," she pouted.

Abbey looked at Brian who was standing firm about the coat. She looked at Jess and back to him.

"But I no like it!" she protested one more time.

"Then you no go," he said quietly and calmly. She threw the coat to the floor and was going to run upstairs, but Khaat got up and swept her up. Abbey's anger took the form of angry tears, and she grabbed big fistfulls of Khaat's long blond hair and buried her face in Khaat's neck. Khaat didn't care. She brought Abbey back and sat down with her and reached down and picked up the little coat. She looked at Brian, frustrated at how dense he was about what the problem was. He looked at her, just as frustrated, believing that the issue was just that she didnt' want to wear it. Robert simply sat calmly watching them struggle to resolve it. He knew Abbey all too well, and he knew the problem, but he knew Khaat was already onto the solution.

Khaat handed the coat to Jess and pointed to the little pink hoodie that Abbey wore and pointed to the coat. The problem was simple. The coat was gray. Abbey didnt like gray. She never had. She liked pink. She loved pink. She didn't want to wear the coat because she hated the color of it. It was pretty simple. She wrapped her arms around her daughter trying to comfort her.

Khaat took the coat and nodded, believing Abbey would wear it now. She showed it to Abbey, who sniffled. Khaat looked at Abbey, silently asking her if it was better. Then she looked at Brian who appeared miffed. She quickly scowled at him. Khaat didn't care what color the coat was. If pink made Abbey happy, it wasn't worth the fuss.

"I go?" Abbey asked Khaat. Khaat gestured to her with the pink coat to make sure Abbey knew she needed to wear the coat. Satisfied with the new color and the shimmering snowflake, Abbey nodded. Khaat nodded that, yes, she could go.

Michael got up as Khaat put the coat on Abbey and buttoned it up. Michael picked her up, saying, "Come one, Pee Wee. Let's go. Can I take your bag?" She shook her head no, and Khaat handed Abbey the bag. Abbey wanted to do it herself. "Okay," Michael laughed. "You carry it, then." Michael looked a the rest of them. "You lot ready?"

The instant Michael had apparated out with Abbey, Khaat picked up a pillow and smacked Brian at least three times with it before he snatched it from here.

"Oh, here we go," Robert sighed.

"We may be glad she can't speak," Kate said.

"What?" Brian glared at Khaat. "She has to learn to mind." Khaat gestured two fingers at him to tell him Abbey was only 2. "She's soon going to be three. She has to learn to mind," Brian said. She picked up another pillow and hit him again. "Stop that," he said, taking it from her too.

"I think I shall stay out of this," Robert said, laying his newspaper aside and getting up to go refill his cup.

"I think," Robert said, refilling his mug,"Brian believes that his kids need to obey him first time, every time. It's a lovely thought, but it doesn't always work like that. I think he's going through that struggle every parent faces the first time their child gets truly stubborn. Does the parent problem solve the issue or do they stick to their guns to win over principle. He wanted to solve it by getting her to simply obey. Khaat was willing to problem solve. And, honestly, there's a place for each, but in this case, I honestly wouldn't have picked on so little a thing as the color of a coat unless perhaps I'd been a muggle and unable to change that. But, even so, if I'd been a muggle father, I'd have never bought a grey coat for a kid who's nuts about pink. I'd have seen that just would not have worked. So, it seems to me that whoever bought the gray coat made the first mistake where Miss Abbey is concerned."

"So BE that way!" Brian's angry shout came from the living room. "SEE if I care! Don't come crying to me if the werewolves are still out there!"

"Shit," Robert sighed, knowing Khaat had gotten too frustrated to try to argue with Brian when she didn't have words. She'd gone outside by herself, and Brian was too angry to be concerned at the moment. "Steven, go. Keep a distance. Just don't let anything eat her, please."

Khaat had gone outside and was walking swiftly across the yard in the cold, by herself, without at coat, as snowflakes began to spit through the air.