"Matt! Get out of the bathroom!"
"Go away, Ben, I'm trying to pee!"
Ben sighed and turned to lean against the white wooden door. He'd woken up late, had to scarf down his breakfast at an inhuman speed and now he needed to brush his teeth so that he could bolt to school. Hal had left early this morning because of a lacrosse match in Boston and so he hadn't had the usual wake-up call of his older brother stealing his duvet and throwing it down the stairs.
Rebecca walked out of the master bedroom wearing a new grey skirt suit with a green blouse and holding a pair of black patent heels. Ben could see from her face that she was already in her 'work zone'; the focused eyes and the way her straightened hair was tucked behind both ears.
"Ben, shouldn't you be leaving for school?"
"Matt won't get out of the bathroom," Ben huffed. "I need to do my teeth."
"Matt, hurry up! We need to leave in five minutes to make your appointment!" Rebecca called through the door before disappearing down the carpeted stairs.
Through the door, Ben heard the sound of the toilet flushing and stood upright before the door opened to reveal his little brother still in his black pyjamas covered with little prints of space ships.
"Wash your hands," Ben told him, his voice consumed by boredom of having to repeat the same command every time Matt had been to the toilet. He was only seven, but Ben swore he didn't remember being that bad. Matt groaned in frustration and padded over to the sink. After a little squirt of soap and a quick rinse he was done and disappeared into his room to get changed leaving Ben to finally be able to clean his teeth before grabbing his schoolbag from his room and walking as fast as he could to school. He arrived, red and panting, just as the first bell went and was greeted by his close friend Nick.
"Close call, Mason," Nick said as they walked to their first class together.
"Matt wouldn't get out of the bathroom," Ben responded as he rolled his shoulders back a couple of times.
"You all right?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I think I just slept funny. My back kills."
"When can I start playing lacrosse?" Matt asked as he fidgeted with his hands.
"When you get to middle school," Rebecca sighed, looking in the rear view mirror to see her youngest son. His curly hair was a mess on top of his head but he looked so much like his brothers.
"Did Hal start playing lacrosse in middle school?" Matt asked sheepishly.
"Yes, he did. If you ask him nicely at the weekend, he might teach you some basics."
It was no secret that Matt wanted to be just like his oldest brother. There was nothing wrong with Ben, but Hal was tall and he got the girls. Hal could stand up for himself in a fight and he was in a winning sports team. Hal went out and did things that just seemed so cool to Matt. A part of Tom wanted Matt to turn out more like Ben, quiet and studious, but Rebecca had scolded him for it. Matt would turn into his own person eventually, not a copy of one of his brothers.
"Really?" There was no mistaking the hope in Matt's voice.
"Really really," Rebecca said, making a mental note to tell Hal as she smiled at her youngest child. Now, when we get to the dentist, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to sit still and behave and be nice."
"And why are you going to do that?"
"Because then I can have something from the bakery before going to school." Matt's face lit up as he remembered the bribe that had worked on all three Mason kids when going to the dentist. Hal had always gone for jam doughnuts whilst Ben chose apple turnovers to make it very clear that he wasn't copying his older brother. Matt's pastry of choice was always the cream horn and he always ended up with it all over his face so Rebecca had made sure that she had the pack of wet wipes in the glove box before they'd left.
"Are you working today?"
"That's why I'm wearing my work clothes, kid."
"Are you going to sell lots of paintings?"
"I hope so, and hope's one of the best things that you can have."