"Mom! I'm home! Brought Prince with me!" Margaret yells into the kitchen upon coming home from school.

"That's fine dear." Mrs. Charles replies as she cuts vegetables and dumps them into a Crock-Pot.

" Daddy had a big day at the office and probably wants to relax in the  den where Prince and I usually study, so can we go up in the attic?"

"I don't see why not. The  card table and some folding chairs are up there."

We go upstairs. I start setting up the card table while Margaret looks for the chairs."Prince, look! Mom's old sketchbook!" Margaret squeals.

I stop struggling with the stubborn leg on the table and we sit on the floor and look at Mrs. Charles' sketchbook. These sketches are very skilled, lots of detail. "Wow..." is all I can say.

"When I was eleven, I asked Mom to show me how to draw like that and she said that she had more important things to teach me. She looked sad when she said it though."

"What did she teach you?"

"Housework. "

"YOU LET THEM GO IN THE ATTIC? UNSUPERVISED? "Mr. Charles yells as he stomps up the stairs, "BECAUSE OF YOU, MARGARET WILL PROBABLY NEED AN ABORTION!"

"RONALD! YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN THOSE!" Mrs. Charles yells.

"IN MARGARET'S CASE, I'll MAKE AN EXCEPTION!" He flings the door open. We're still sitting on the floor, fully clothed, of course. "GET UP, BOY!" he screams at me.

So badly, I want to yell. But I need to earn some civility. "Mrs. Charles, we were admiring your sketchbook. You could've been a commercial artist or illustrator." I say.

She blushes,"Thank you. I haven't drawn anything in ten years. Not since I got really sick and my doctor told me to rest."

"Why not?" asks Margaret.

"The family and household came first."

"Since it's something you clearly love, you should find time to do it. " I say.

Mr. Charles scowls. "That's easy for you to say when you don't have a job, you don't plan on so much as learning a trade after graduation and you just sit around playing that music that'll get you nowhere. Some of us, like my wife and have real responsibilities. Her job is in the home. Mine is to take care of my family."

"If he's not going to follow his dreams now, when is he?" asks Mrs. Charles.

"A man's dreams should make him a good provider for his family."

"PRINCE AND MARGARET ARE YOUNG! They don't need to think about being ideal spouses! People are getting married later in life anyway!"

"You're acting like a fool. I'm going to watch the news where everything makes sense. Margaret, you're saying so long to your 'company' . You know I hate Crock-Pot food, Jane! It's not real cooking. Fix something else for dinner."

"If you don't like it, YOU fix yourself something else." Mrs. Charles replies bluntly.

She's definitely standing up for herself today.

Margaret leads me outside. "Mom's hit her breaking point with Daddy." she says.

"I'm sure if ever need to get away for a few hours Andre's mom wouldn't mind you dropping by.And we can always study at the library." I say as I hug Margaret.Since I've witnessed some family fighting I think I know what she's going through.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The next day I walk Margaret home. Margaret in invites me in, since Mr. Charles isn't there, I go in. Mrs. Charles is sitting in a chair and actually sketching! She seems very happy.The last time I saw her this happy was on vacation. Mr Charles comes in and sighs. "Jane aren't you supposed to vacuum the house today?"

"Even you have to admit it looks fine. So I thought I'd draw. You get to play golf, so what's the big deal?" she asks.

"When I play golf, I'm meeting new people. Unlike your doodling, that benefits us. Who knows? Maybe I'll play with Margaret's future father-in-law"

Now I'm pissed! Not that I was making wedding plans or anything, but that was inappropriate.

"Daddy? You usually come home from golf gripping about the guys mocking you and calling you 'Farmboy'"   Margaret says ,"Seems like Mom, on the other hand, is having a good time. "

That's funny-Mr. Charles getting harrassed by rich people for growing up on a farm.

"When I get this finished, I'm framing it and hanging it up." Mrs. Charles says proudly.

"Fine, do as you damn well please. Just like your silly daughter has." Mr. Charles sighs in defeat.

"Say, did your dad actually fix his own dinner?" I ask.

"Yeah he made one of the few things he knows how to make. And then he slept in the guest room, I guess he thought he was proving something." Margaret answers.

"What is going on around here, if you don't mind?"

"Mom is done with the submissive wife thing. She loves Daddy, but wants him to be more rational. And nicer. Also she likes the changes that are going on now in society and she wants to be part of that. "

"Sounds like she wants to be like her beautiful, forward thinking daughter."

"Maybe " Margaret blushes. We give each other long kisses- right in front of a couple of her stuck up neighbors