In her mid-thirties, if Mary were actually pregnant, she'd definitely be considered an older expectant mother.
Feeling a bit self-conscious about it, she asked Meemaw to head down to the department store and pick up a pregnancy test for her.
---
A short while later, Mary stepped out of the bathroom, her expression even more conflicted than before.
"Well, Mary? Is it a yes or a no?" Meemaw asked cautiously.
Even though Meemaw usually played it cool and lived life on her own terms, as a deep-rooted Texan, she had a very strong sense of family at her core.
Faced with the question, a distraught Mary didn't say a word. Instead, she just handed over the test.
After double-checking the two red lines, Meemaw excitedly stepped forward and hugged her daughter. "That's wonderful, Mary! When are you going to tell Shelly and the others the big news?"
To Meemaw, adding a new little life to the family was something to celebrate.
However, unlike her mother's joyful reaction, Mary remained in a daze.
"What's wrong, Mary?" Meemaw finally noticed her daughter's mood wasn't right.
"Let's not tell Shelly and the kids just yet..." Mary said, snapping out of it. "I want to talk to George first."
"What are you thinking?" Meemaw had a sinking feeling.
Looking at her mother's increasingly serious expression, Mary hesitated before saying, "I just finally got settled in my job at the church. If I have this baby, I'll probably be out of work again. Plus, Shelly is still young and needs so much attention... with another baby in the house, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it all."
The Coopers' financial situation wasn't exactly ideal. If Mary lost her church income, George's salary alone wouldn't be enough to cover the expenses for such a large household. Plus, the thought of juggling four kids was a heavy burden for Mary.
"If it's a money thing, I can ask Mike for help. His stocks have been doing great lately..." Meemaw realized her daughter was leaning toward not keeping the baby and tried to gently nudge her. "And if you're worried about having too many kids to watch, I'm still healthy and strong. I can step in and help out."
Seeing the concern in her mother's eyes, Mary struggled with the decision for a long time. Finally, she said, "We'll see. I still want to talk it over with George first."
"Alright." Seeing her daughter was firm, Meemaw didn't push it. She just added, "You can come to me with anything, anytime. We're family."
---
That evening, after finishing school, Mike noticed the vibe at the Cooper dinner table was a little off.
Mary, who usually kept a tight ship with the kids, didn't even seem to notice when Georgie spilled food all over the table. Meanwhile, Meemaw kept casting worried glances at her daughter, acting quite out of character herself.
Once dinner was over and they were back at their place, Meemaw stopped Mike.
"Mike, I wanted to ask you something," Meemaw said.
"Go ahead." Seeing her hesitant look, Mike gave her his full attention.
Lately, Meemaw had looked out for him so much that he truly saw her as family. If she was in a bind, he was more than happy to help however he could.
"Um, I was wondering... is the stock market really that profitable?" Meemaw asked, looking a bit awkward.
As the saying goes, "Even between brothers, keep the books straight." Even for someone as outgoing as Meemaw, bringing up money felt a little uncomfortable.
"Right now, it's actually pretty easy to make money in the market," Mike said plainly.
This was an era of massive economic growth in America. If you caught the right wave, even a pig could fly. The stock market was no different.
In fact, Mike had already been thinking about helping Meemaw and the Coopers make some extra cash.
He continued, "If you're looking to get into stocks, Meemaw, I can give you some pointers. I'll make sure you don't lose your shirt."
With his long-term foresight, Mike never worried about money. To him, if a problem could be solved with cash, it wasn't a real problem.
Seeing that Mike treated her like family, Meemaw smiled. "It's not actually for me. It's Mary..."
She then filled him in on Mary's pregnancy.
Everything clicked for Mike. He finally understood why Meemaw and Mary had been acting so strange at dinner.
He smiled and promised, "If Mary wants to invest, I'd be happy to give her my recommendations."
The market was big enough for everyone, and Mike didn't mind a few more people riding his coattails to success. He was even planning on helping out his guardian, Dennis, back in that small town in Minnesota.
"That's such a relief. I'll tell Mary tomorrow," Meemaw said, a relaxed smile finally returning to her face. She knew Mike had been killing it in the market.
---
Meanwhile, in the Coopers' bedroom.
After thinking it over, Mary turned to her husband and confessed, "I'm pregnant."
"What?" George, who was getting ready for bed, didn't process it at first.
"I'm having a baby. Probably from that night around Halloween," Mary explained.
"Wait—" Hearing the news, George froze.
Then, as the information sank in, he broke into a huge grin and hugged his wife. "That's great! Georgie and the kids are gonna be so excited. They're gonna have a little brother or sister..."
Watching her husband's pure, unbridled joy, Mary stayed silent for a while before repeating the same concerns she'd told Meemaw.
But to George, her worries weren't deal-breakers.
"I'll talk to Dale tomorrow and get him to give me a raise," George said after a moment of thought. "You can go back to being a stay-at-home mom. I'll take care of the bills..."
Deep down, George had a bit of that traditional "provider" streak, which made him more than willing to shoulder the family's financial burden.
However, his comforting words didn't make Mary feel any better.
She stayed up all night thinking about the church job, raising another child, and the family finances. It was a lot to weigh.
The next morning, after the family had all left, Mary didn't go to the church. Instead, she went to the clinic alone. At about a month along, a procedure wouldn't be complicated.
---
That night at the dinner table.
George, still blissfully unaware of what his wife had done, was in high spirits. He had already talked to his boss, Dale, at the sporting goods store about a raise and shared the news about the pregnancy. Given George's great performance, Dale had agreed to bump his pay by a hundred dollars a week.
Everything seemed to be looking up.
"Mike, you head on home," Meemaw said after dinner. "I'm gonna go talk to Mary about the stock stuff."
"You got it," Mike waved and headed out.
Meemaw made her way toward George and Mary's room.
Coincidentally, inside the room, another conversation was just beginning.
"I have something to tell you..." they both said at the same time.
One of them was wearing a wide smile; the other looked absolutely terrified.
---