WHO Sue Storm Andrews & Fred Andrews WHAT Having dinner WHEN Tuesday evening WHERE Their house WARNINGS nah not really STATUS Closed | Completed gdoc
Sue loved being a housewife and mother more than anything. Their home was a modest one, but she kept it neat and orderly even with a six and a half month old to care for. It had been so long since she'd gone through the process with Archie, but she had been elated to discover they were pregnant again. Sure, being as old as she and Fred were had come with some slight complications, but she was doing much better now and Max was a healthy baby boy.
With Archie off working at the Hotel, she often times only saw him for a few minutes here and there when he came home from his shifts and tonight she expected nothing less. It was good to see him taking his job so seriously and she was hopeful that he would find a young woman to settle down with and start a family soon. It was such a rewarding experience and even with how young Max was, she was eager for grandchildren too.
She'd made dinner - a nice stew that Fred would be able to take for lunch tomorrow as well - and had just finished setting the table for them when she heard her husband come through the front door. "Welcome home," Sue called as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Dinner's ready whenever you'd like to eat," she added as she met him halfway to the kitchen. She leaned in to greet him with a kiss. "Max is down for his nap and Archie's working at the hotel until late tonight, I believe."
***
“When doesn’t Archie work?” Fred chuckled as he returned the kiss. It was nights like this where their older son was working and Max was sleeping that put them in danger of having a third child. But luckily at this age Max never slept for very long and made them behave a bit more. “We raised him right, he’s going to make a good provider.”
He was very proud of their eldest and figured it wouldn’t be too long before he’d be settled down with a woman making a home for himself. On one hand that was amazing but on the other Fred would miss having him live there.
***
"He's a good kid," she agreed. "Hopefully he'll find someone to settle down with soon," Sue added, worried maybe he wasn't taking it very seriously. But it would happen in time, and keeping him out of the house was good. The fact that Archie had started working had led them to having Max in the first place. Sue had wanted another child for a long time, didn't mind that it had taken as long as it had because she had a son and got to go through it all over again. She wouldn't be opposed to having another soon, once Max was sleeping through the night, anyway.
"How was work at the wood shop today?" Sue asked as she made her way back toward the kitchen, assuming he'd follow her. "Were you able to finish that table you've been working on?" Though she wasn't involved with the business, she did like to keep on top of what her husband was working on at his shop.
***
“Oh he’s got plenty of time to settle down still. This way he’ll have a good little nest egg ready for when he’s got a woman there to help him feather the nest.” Fred approved of being prepared for when he finally found the woman he wanted and was ready to start a family. He just hoped his son was as lucky in his family as Fred himself had been.
“I finally finished it, the whole thing turned out better than I expected. Now they want me to turn the chair legs on the lathe for them and make a whole set to match the table. It’s turned into a good little commission.” Most people didn’t care enough to make the whole set match so this would turn out to be a great sample for what his shop could do.
***
Sue knew her husband was right and that she was probably fretting about nothing, but she couldn't help it. She wanted the best for her eldest son and she wasn't certain there were very many appropriate options for him in town. Ultimately, so long as he was happy, she would be alright. Provided her husband talked some sense into her at some point, anyway. That would be a problem for later.
"How wonderful!" She was genuinely so excited that he got to show off even more of his work. Everything wood in their home had been handcrafted by him and so she loved every single piece. He was brilliant at it and for his talents to be recognized was always something she'd be excited about. Sue stole another quick kiss in congratulations.
"I suppose it's a good thing then that Archie will be working late tonight," she added with a teasing smile. "We can celebrate a bit." There was only so much they'd be able to do, since Max would wake up for his feeding in another little while, but what they could get up to, they certainly should try. The thought set her bringing the stew bowls over to the table that much quicker.
***
“She says that then she feeds me, it’s almost like she wants me to keep my stamina up or something.” Fred teased her with a smile then started to try to help her bring things to the table which inevitably would end up him being more in her way than anything else but it was a fun game because he could steal kisses whenever they got tangled up in each other’s way.
That was one of the reasons he considered himself so lucky in all of this, all these years of marriage and being with his wife had never gotten old or boring.
***
"Or something," Sue teased right back. She'd long ago stopped telling him to set things down and let her do it. It was sweet that he helped and it usually meant a fair amount of kisses, more so if their son was around to say 'ew gross'. She half hoped Max would do the same. It didn't take very long until they were seated at the table with their bowls of stew. Sue took her husband's hand and said grace before tucking in.
"Max is quite the talker," she told him as they tucked in to their meal. "We've been having very interesting conversations considering I'm making it up as I go along. He's going to be quite the charmer, just like his father." Which wouldn't exactly be a surprise seeing as Archie was charming as well. Sue felt very lucky to have the family she did.
***
It was just a fun game to help her out and it always put him in a good mood and it tended to make Max giggle while he watched if he was awake to see. Someday he’d be saying ‘ew’ along with their older son but for now he thought it was hilarious.
“Takes after his mother then.” Fred was convinced being a charmer was Sue’s expertise. She’d definitely charmed him. “I wonder if he might be interested in learning woodworking when he gets older.” Fred didn’t mind Archie working at the hotel but it would be nice to eventually hand off his own business to family.
***
Sue knew how to talk her way into getting what she wanted. She'd wanted Fred from the moment she'd met him, had very much enjoyed courting him, and now happily sent just about anyone she talked to toward his woodshop. It had been disappointing for her that Archie hadn't wanted to take up the family business, something that had taken her a bit to get used to. Max's arrival had gone a long way to soothe her fears on that front.
"We could hedge our bets and have another," she suggested coyly. Sue had dreamed of having a big family, just like her own. Half a dozen siblings were the way to go in her mind. "The best chances are in the months following giving birth." So said an old wives' tale, anyway. There were plenty of those to go around, depending on the situation.
***
“Well you know even if we don’t have another it sure as hell is fun trying so I’m all right with it.” There had been a little fear for Sue and for Max at the end with her age and the fact it was much more likely to have complications but they’d ended up coming through all right and Fred knew that Sue would be happy no matter how many they ended up with.
“So if Max sleeps a little longer we could do that first try tonight.” He’d made short work of his stew since he was hungry.
***
"You're not wrong about that," she replied easily as she finished her own stew. They were definitely on the same page tonight, though they usually were so Sue wasn't exactly surprised. She glanced out the window and gave Fred another grin. "I think we've got at least an hour before he's up to be fed," she guessed, which was more than enough time for two people very much in love with a baby on their hands.
She stood and gathered their things to put them in the basin for washing up later. Ordinarily, Sue would never let them go but time was of the essence at the moment and she very much wanted some intimate time with her husband. That done, she wiped her hands and untied her apron, hanging it up on the hook he'd fashioned for her when they'd first moved in. "Alright, dear husband. Lead the way." She'd follow him anywhere.