Gwen glanced up as Owen came into the kitchen, granting him a soft welcoming smile, while Marie chirped bright hellos and immediately bustled about to find another coffee cup. Gwen took advantage of her mother's momentary distraction to steal a quick "good morning" sort of kiss from her boyfriend, sliding the stool over a little closer afterward just because.
Marie returned with a full cup of black coffee for him and refilled both her and Gwen's cups, settling back down on the other side of the island. "Owen, I was just telling Gwen that I'm sure I can find some spare clothes for you and your kids, if you'd like. I have closets just full of leftover things from my son and my late husband. I'm sure neither of them would mind you all borrowing a few here and there."
She smiled over her cup. "Ben's tall like your boy upstairs. Lanky as a bean pole, the both of them!" She tittered genially. "And you're about the same size as my Thomas, mmm, perhaps a little thicker across the hips, but then his backside was starting to erode a little bit!"
Gwen stifled a groan, dropping her forehead down on one hand. "Mom..."
"Oh, shush, Gwendolyn, we're all adults here, we can be grown-ups about backside erosion, can't we? My goodness, you're a doctor, you should be used to these sorts of conversations." Sadly, there wasn't a rock nearby large enough for Gwen to crawl beneath as her mother simply prattled on, absolutely nonplussed. "Why, just last month, you were telling me about that friend of yours back in London, how they'd had to do a C-section on one of their elephants to save the mother and baby." Marie took just enough of a breath to look over at Owen.
"Can you imagine? A C-section on an elephant? My lord, how is that even possible, I mean, you'd have to perform the surgery with a carving knife, and then wade through I don't even know how much gush to even reach the baby elephant--what are they called, Gwen?"
"...calves." The answer was weak, coming from somewhere beneath the fall of Gwen's loose hair, hiding her absolute mortification over all of this.
"Calves, that's right. Well, my goodness, how are doctors supposed to deliver babies wearing hip waders and rain coats?" Gwen's forehead finally thunked on the island counter as Marie rambled on, not pausing for at least two minutes.
"--and to sew up that incision, good gracious, I'll just bet they had to use baling twine, the poor momma elephant, I know that had to hurt like crazy, even if she was out like a light." Finally taking a breath, Marie brightly looked from her daughter to her guest, inquiring, "So. Anyone hungry?"
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Marie returned with a full cup of black coffee for him and refilled both her and Gwen's cups, settling back down on the other side of the island. "Owen, I was just telling Gwen that I'm sure I can find some spare clothes for you and your kids, if you'd like. I have closets just full of leftover things from my son and my late husband. I'm sure neither of them would mind you all borrowing a few here and there."
She smiled over her cup. "Ben's tall like your boy upstairs. Lanky as a bean pole, the both of them!" She tittered genially. "And you're about the same size as my Thomas, mmm, perhaps a little thicker across the hips, but then his backside was starting to erode a little bit!"
Gwen stifled a groan, dropping her forehead down on one hand. "Mom..."
"Oh, shush, Gwendolyn, we're all adults here, we can be grown-ups about backside erosion, can't we? My goodness, you're a doctor, you should be used to these sorts of conversations." Sadly, there wasn't a rock nearby large enough for Gwen to crawl beneath as her mother simply prattled on, absolutely nonplussed. "Why, just last month, you were telling me about that friend of yours back in London, how they'd had to do a C-section on one of their elephants to save the mother and baby." Marie took just enough of a breath to look over at Owen.
"Can you imagine? A C-section on an elephant? My lord, how is that even possible, I mean, you'd have to perform the surgery with a carving knife, and then wade through I don't even know how much gush to even reach the baby elephant--what are they called, Gwen?"
"...calves." The answer was weak, coming from somewhere beneath the fall of Gwen's loose hair, hiding her absolute mortification over all of this.
"Calves, that's right. Well, my goodness, how are doctors supposed to deliver babies wearing hip waders and rain coats?" Gwen's forehead finally thunked on the island counter as Marie rambled on, not pausing for at least two minutes.
"--and to sew up that incision, good gracious, I'll just bet they had to use baling twine, the poor momma elephant, I know that had to hurt like crazy, even if she was out like a light." Finally taking a breath, Marie brightly looked from her daughter to her guest, inquiring, "So. Anyone hungry?"