Sometimes Madeline was amazed at how much Salinger could fit into his tiny stomach. She knew that he was a growing boy, but good Lord! "Yeah, kiddo, surrender some of that pig!" Mad said in her joking-but-firm voice. "And save some for Dad, too. And what do we say to him for making it for us?"
"Thaaaaank yoooooou," Salinger promptly responded, mostly because he knew that he had to rather than out of any sense of gratitude to his father. He was still a little too young to quite grasp that he didn't deserve bacon whenever he wanted or whatever else his parents might give him.
"Yes, thanks, Dad." She smiled up at Cary and put a few slices of bacon on Salinger's plate before taking a few for herself. She usually called Cary "Dad" when Salinger was included in their conversation, but only then. As much as she didn't want to give their son the idea that it was okay to call them by their first names, she still felt a little funny addressing Cary as "Dad." She much preferred "McBroody."
"After everyone gets some, you may ask for more," she told Salinger. She'd had to work on her own grammar once Salinger started talking in full sentences. English had always been one of her better subjects and grammar had come easily, except when she was actually speaking. She didn't want her son picking up on her bad habits any more than was necessary, so now she used "may" instead of "can" where it was appropriate.
"So...the boy in the story got free ice cream and didn't share with Fred. What's he doing now?" Mad asked, biting into a piece of bacon that was the perfect amount of crispy. "Mmm, delicious," she said quietly to Cary.