Happily ever After: The Stuart Family Values
Or 24 Years After "Peter Pan" Events
Part One: An ordinary Day of Wendy Stuart nee Darling.
Setting: London, year 1928 A.D.
Personae:
Wendy Moira Angela Stuart, nee Darling (aged 36) – mother of the family and mistress of the household.
James Matthew Stuart, formerly known incertain circles as Captain Hook, now a teacher of English language and literature at boys' school(aged 59) – Wendy's husband and father to her children.
Their children:
Jane Gertrude (aged 14)
Michael George (aged 8)
Mary Anne (11 months)
Nana the 12th – their dog, a descendant of the eminent Nana that belonged to the Darlings
Brimstone and Gall - domestic turtles
Molly – a part-time housemaid
Aunt Millicent Wilkes (65) – Wendy's maiden aunt, specializing in Good Form
John Darling (34) – Wendy's younger brother, a banker susceptible to the neighbours'opinions.
Note: Wendy's youngest brother Michael died while doing his patriotic duty in the World War 1st
Her parents are also deceased, not surviving the "Spanish" flu epidemic of 1918-1919.
The rest of the family are now fortunately in good health.
02 AM – Mary Anne is stirring in her bed. Gave her some milk and rocked her back to sleep.
Said prayers for my family (I'm awake, anyway, so why waste my only free time?), then went to check Jane and Michael in the nursery
02-35 No one - thank God - flew away (yet). All is quiet (For how long, I wonder?). Went back to bed.
04-00 James is having a nightmare again. This time he managed to awaken the Reeds ( the 1st floor) and the Middletons (the 3d floor) with his shrieks, but Mary Anne (in our bedroom) never made a single noise…
04-05 Calmed him down, chased away the croc (virtually speaking) and persuaded to get back to sleep. Perhaps Michael shouldn't drag his dad to the Zoo THAT often ???
06-00 Got a kick from my guardian angel – time to get up! (For obvious reasons we don't use alarm clocks in our bedroom…)
06-10 Saying the morning prayers on my way to bathroom. Turning on the boiler while washing myself with cold water (once again thanked our dear Daddy for forcing us into healthy habits).
06-20 Came to kitchen to find our little menagerie near the stove waiting for their daily bread.
06-25 Smacked Nan (naughty puppy!) for snatching Brimstone's and Gall's lettuce. Gave the latter ones her sausage instead (sweet revenge!)
06-30 Cooking breakfast, making out the shopping list for today (Nan, spit it out !) and planning the revision of my…pardon…of James' novel (still in progress). Brimstone, get out of Nan's bowl AT ONCE!
07-00 Trying to wake up Jane and Michael.
07-02 Why nobody informed me I'm a voice-in- the- desert-on-duty for today?
07-03 Tried to cock-a-doodle-doo in Peter-style. No success.
07-05 Well, kids,you asked for it…AVAAAAAAAAAAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
07-10 Jane and Michael are already doing morning exercises (after getting up, dressing and making their beds). What a pleasure to have such obedient children!
07-20 Heard a heartbreaking shriek from the bathroom
07-21 It's Jane who has just discovered a pimple on her face.
07-25 Trying to talk Jane into leaving bathroom and suicidal thoughts.
07-26 No way!
07-27 Still sitting at the bathroom doors together with much- awaken-already James and Mary Anne.
07-30 James (whose patience had never been his strong point) threatens to Jane he is going to the entresol searching for his notorious Tool That Is Not To Be Named…
07-31 Goodness gracious, he'll make such a mess in the entresol I won't be able to fix untill evening! No, this is NOT going to happen!!!
07-35 While James and I were having a little argument concerning the entresol, Mary Anne got wet, and Jane, humming maliciously "My heart belongs to Daddy", left the bathroom with great dignity.
07-45 Finally got to the table for breakfast
Mary Anne, honey, one more spoonful….
Michael, don't champ, for goodness' sake !
Jane, what diet are you talking about????? I'm not letting you to starve, by all means!
James, darling, let me cut this omelet myself – I cannot watch you torturing it any longer!
Nan, KEEP YOUR PLACE!!! (the insolent puppy stole Jane's sandwich before the latter could adjust ideas about the diet…)
07-56 No, darling, Mary Anne cannot eat sausages yet! If your parents hadn't been overindulgent when you were her age, perhaps the outcome would have been quite different….
07-58 Michael George Stuart, while you are solving the world's greatest problems, your porridge is about to be as appetizing as Great-Aunt Millicent's biscuits !
08-00 Jane and Michael are getting ready for school. Mary Anne is having a crawling race with Brimstone and Gall.
James, that's not your shirt, it's Jane's school blouse – don't you see those frills? – so stop making efforts to squeeze yourself into it….
What's the meaning of "this-skirt-is really-too -long", Jane Gertrude??? I dare say some of your school girlfriends' viewpoints are rather too short…
Michael, my boy, your school bag is heavy enough WITHOUT Father's telescope. I'm sure you are not THAT short-sited to see what Mr. Collins is writing on the blackboard.
James, I'm happy today is your day off but I really can cope with those dishes myself…Take care, darling, that is….
Er….that WAS actually Aunt Millicent's favourite cup…Never mind, I hope "old girl" (as you insist on calling her when she's not around) won't choose to surprise us with her visit today…
08-10 Jane and Michael are off to school (at last!) and James – to the study to do his paperwork.
08-11 Looking at the calendar –what possible holiday can be today to prevent Molly from coming ? (Our housemaid firmly believes that to work on holidays – no matter religious or civil – is a deadly sin…)
08-12 Mary Anne,please stop tormenting Gall, that's a good girl! Poor creature soes need some privacy…
MARY ANNE SPIT IT OUT AT ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
08-20 A phone call from Molly. Her uncle's sister's niece has got chickenpox , so (as she was happy to announce) the whole family (who by the way lives in Kent) happens to be in quarantine at present. An unfortunate but not altogether unexpected situation…(Language, darling – 10 points from your House!)
09-00 Trying to do all the domestic chores at once with Mary Anne's dubious help. James is grading his pupil's essays while speaking out loud his thoughts concerning the boys' IQs (Another 10 points , heart's dearest!)
11-00 – Change of scenery – we are about to finish our novel today (if God and Mary Anne let us) and start typing the final version (I just enjoy it – being so Mina Murray-ish!). My love, I still wonder why you had chosen such a fright of a pen name…
TBC