There was silence for a moment. Finally Jane's 5 year old daughter squealed with delight: "Mommy is Ariel!" That broke the tension and the children and Jane laughed; the baby broke into her own fit of giggling in response to everyone else.
"Thanks for letting us know" said Amy, with a knowing smirk from having learned her mother's secret already.
But then Jane realized David wasn't laughing. He had a serious look on his face.
"Kids, it's obvious your mom and dad need to have a talk. Please go to your rooms. Amy, could you please take care of your baby sister for a bit? We'll clean up dishes later."
"But dad..." started John, the lone boy of the four children.
"No buts."
David saw the children off to their rooms while Jane waited nervously on the kitchen floor. It seemed to Jane like one of her worst fears had come true: short of her secret being discovered in public, David's rejection of her for being a mermaid was the worst thing she could imagine to happen because of her secret.
At last David returned to the kitchen and stood looking down at Jane with his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face.
"So what am I supposed to do with a mermaid wife?" he asked her.
"I don't blame you for being upset, but please don't throw me out" begged Jane.
"Throw you out? The only place I was thinking about throwing you was on our bed" he said with a smirk.
Jane stared dumbfounded for a moment. Then she realized her mistake: the whole time she had been watching David's face for a reaction. She should have looked to his pants and the obvious bulge there.
David scooped up Jane off the floor.