Mary, in her thirties, would definitely be considered an older pregnant woman if she were truly pregnant.
Feeling a bit awkward, she asked Connie to go to the department store counter and help her buy a pregnancy test.
Not long after, Mary, her expression even more complicated, walked out of the bathroom.
"How is it, Mary? Is it a yes or a no?" Connie asked cautiously.
Even though Connie usually seemed to live a carefree life, as a native Texan, she actually had a strong sense of family deep down.
Upon hearing the question, Mary, her emotions complex, did not speak, but instead handed over the pregnancy test.
After repeatedly confirming that there were two red lines on the test, Connie excitedly hugged her daughter and said, "That's wonderful, Mary. When are you going to tell them the good news?"
In Connie's opinion, adding a new life to the family was something to be happy about.
However, compared to her joyful expression, Mary remained in a dazed state.
"What's wrong, Mary?" Connie also noticed her daughter's unusual mood at this point.
"Let's not tell Sheldon and the others about this yet..." Mary said, coming back to her senses, "I want to discuss it with George first."
"What exactly are you thinking?" Connie had a bad feeling.
Looking at her mother's increasingly serious expression, Mary thought for a moment and said, "My job at the church has just stabilized. If I have the baby, I might lose my job again. Also, Sheldon is still small and needs a lot of care, and if there's another child in the family, I'm afraid I won't be able to look after them all..."
The Cooper family's current situation was indeed not optimistic. If Mary lost her job at the church, George's salary alone would not be enough to cover the living expenses of the entire family.
Moreover, taking care of four children at the same time would indeed be a huge burden for Mary.
"If it's about money, I can ask Mike for help. His stocks have been doing well recently..." Connie saw that her daughter was considering terminating the pregnancy and subtly advised, "If you're worried about having too many children to care for, my body is still very strong, and I should be able to help out."
Seeing her mother's concerned look, Mary struggled with her decision for a long time again, finally saying, "Let's see. I still want to discuss it with George first."
"Alright." Seeing her daughter's insistence, Connie found it difficult to say more. Finally, she could only instruct, "You can always come to me if you have any problems. We are family."
In the evening, Mike, who had finished his day at school, found the atmosphere at the Cooper family's dinner table a bit strange.
Mary, who was usually strict with the children, seemed not to notice even when Georgie spilled food all over the table today.
On the other side, Connie, who kept casting worried glances at her daughter, also seemed to be acting very strangely.
As soon as dinner was over and she returned to her own home, Connie called out to Mike.
"Mike, there's something I want to ask you," Connie said.
"Please ask." Seeing her somewhat troubled expression, Mike also became serious.
During this time, he had received a lot of care from Connie and had long considered her family.
If she had any difficulties, Mike wouldn't mind helping out within his capabilities.
"Um, I wanted to ask, is investing in stocks really that profitable?" Connie asked somewhat unnaturally.
As the saying goes, even family members should keep clear accounts. Even the cheerful Connie felt a bit embarrassed when it came to money matters.
"The current stock market is indeed very easy to make money in," Mike said frankly.
This was an era of economic boom in America, and as long as one grasped the opportunity, even a pig could fly.
The stock market was no different.
Moreover, Mike had previously thought about making money together with Connie and the Cooper family.
So, he continued, "Connie, if you want to buy stocks, I can give you advice. I guarantee you won't lose money."
Mike, with his long-term vision, never worried about money.
So, in his opinion, anything that could be solved with money was not a big problem.
Seeing that Mike didn't treat her as an outsider, Connie smiled and said, "It's not that I want to buy stocks, it's actually Mary..."
Then, she truthfully told him about Mary's pregnancy.
And Mike, knowing the truth, also understood why Connie and Mary had acted so strangely during dinner.
So, he also smiled and promised, "If Mary wants to buy stocks, I can also give her advice."
The stock market was a huge opportunity, and Mike didn't mind having a few more people make money with him.
He even planned to help Dennis, his guardian in the Devil's Kettle.
"That's wonderful! I'll go tell Mary the news tomorrow." Connie looked relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off her mind.
She actually knew a little about Mike making money in the stock market.
Meanwhile, in George and Mary's room at the Cooper family home.
After some thought, Mary went to her husband and confessed, "I'm pregnant—"
"What?" George, who was about to go to sleep, didn't react immediately.
"I'm pregnant, it might have been from Halloween," Mary explained in detail.
"Wait a minute." George was stunned to suddenly hear such good news.
Then, after processing the information, he joyfully hugged his wife and said, "That's wonderful! Georgie and the others will be so happy to hear this news. They're going to have a cute little brother or sister soon..."
Looking at her husband's incredibly happy expression, Mary remained silent for a while, then repeated what she had told Connie.
However, in George's opinion, his wife's worries were not a big problem.
"Tomorrow I'll talk to Dale and ask him for a raise," George said after careful consideration. "You can continue to be a full-time housewife at home, and I'll take care of earning money to support the family..."
To be honest, George had a bit of a chauvinistic streak, which made him willing to bear the burden of the family's livelihood.
However, hearing her husband's comforting words did not make Mary happy.
That night, she thought about many things: her job at the church, raising the children, and the family's financial situation.
All of this made Mary very distressed.
Finally, the next day, after her family had left, Mary did not go to church but went to the hospital alone.
A fetus of about a month had not yet fully formed, and terminating the pregnancy would not be difficult.
That evening, at the Cooper family's dinner table.
George, who still didn't know what his wife had done behind his back, was still immersed in joy.
He had already discussed a raise with Dale, the owner of the sporting goods store, today, and had also shared the news of his wife's pregnancy.
Given George's excellent work, Dale was very understanding and increased his weekly salary by a hundred dollars.
Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction.
"Mike, you go back first," Connie said after dinner. "I'll go talk to Mary about the stocks."
"OK—" Mike waved his hand and left the Cooper family home first.
On the other side, Connie, who stayed behind, walked towards George and Mary's room.
Coincidentally, a conversation was also taking place in George and Mary's room at that moment.
"I have something to tell you..." x2
The couple spoke at the same time with great tacit agreement, but one person had a smile on their face, while the other looked anxious.