Peggy nodded.
“But you said that you won the lottery and invested that took three months, building your house took three months and you’ve been here six months.
That’s a total of one year, minus the four weeks, or one month, that you were short. He should still be an adult. What happened?”
Peggy laughed and said,
“Oh that! Well, after I won the lottery, remembered what he had said about me being a child.
His off-hand insults made me so mad!
I was tired of his superior attitude and petty dictates.
I decided I didn’t like being treated like a little girl.
I have a master’s degree and am perfectly capable of handling my affairs.
He’s the one who acted like a child!
He moped about, pouted, and threw tantrums when we were poor.
When the chance came to tell the genie what we needed, he hid behind me like a small child hiding behind his Mommy.
If it wasn’t for me, we’d still be living in poverty!
I started thinking about what life would be like when he returned to adulthood.
He really was much too difficult to deal with as an adult.
I didn’t think I could put up with his autocratic paternalism again.”
Peggy leaned close to Maureen and said in a conspiratorial voice, “So I never said the magic word!”
She laughed gaily and said, “I’m happy with him just the way he is! I have no intention of ever-changing him back.
He’s the baby I’ve always wanted! I’ve been so happy since we won the lottery that I’ve barely noticed the passage of time.
The months have just flown by for me.
I don’t think poor little Colin can keep track of time.
Life for Colin has become an endless stream of baby bottles, feedings, and diaper changes.
I’m sure Colin hasn’t realized that the three months were up ages ago.”
Sitting in the middle of his playpen, the betrayed infant who had been carefully listening to his mother/wife screwed up his face and began to cry.