'Katie...Katie! Turn the music down please' Shouted Jill up the stairs, with one foot on the first step. 'Katie, did you hear me? We're all getting a headache from that noise'
'Fine!' Her stepdaughter moodily replied, and to Jill's relief she obeyed her request and turned down the music that was coming from her bedroom two floors above. To their own relief and luck the house they lived in was detached, saving any neighbour the annoyance of life with four young children. Little could be said for the amount of quiet they got within any one day.
'Tom, can you turn that TV off and come and finish your homework please. You've only got three more questions to do then you can have a break.' Ordered Jill and she walked back into the kitchen to finish cooking tea.
'Can you help me with it? I'm stuck!' Moaned Tom as he reluctantly followed his stepmother into the kitchen
'Of course I will' She said hastily in order to reassure him 'What's the first question?' Jill questioned as she lifted a grisly Jonathon out of one of the highchairs at the end of the table. Whilst balancing him in one arm she continued to cook a nutritious meal of spaghetti Bolognese; a family favourite.
'It says 'Tim wants to paint his house. He has ten bedrooms and ten cans of paint. Each can of paint, paints half a room. How many rooms can Tim paint?' Read out Tom
'Well, what do you think you have to do?' Asked the young woman patiently
'I don't know! I'm confused!' huffed her stepson, confused by his homework.
'Okay. You do ten divided by zero point five. That's how you get the answer. Are all the other questions similar?' She explained, whilst still trying to juggle her youngest son and a hot pan.
'Ah, that seems easier enough. Thanks Jill!'
Jill smiled warmly at the sight of Tom scribbling away in his maths book; his face a picture of concentration.
'Now come on young man' The mother kissed her youngest sons head as she placed him back in his highchairs 'Mummy's going to get tea ready and then we can all eat.' At the word 'food' the boy's eyes lit up and he happily clapped his hands together. 'I thought you'd like that J!' Jill responded as she rubbed his hair.
'Katie! Can you come down now please, your food will be on the table soon and once your dad gets home I'll take you to your dance class so we haven't got long!' Jill called through the hall way 'Tom put your books away now and you can finish it after okay? And if you get stuck I'm sure your dad'll help you' She quickly flustered around the kitchen getting plates and cutlery out whilst trying to give each child (and herself) a correct portion of food, as well as ensuring she'd kept enough for Gordon to eat on his return.
15 minutes later
'Last spoonful Jonathon...here it comes, open wide!' Jill said excitedly, enticing her son to finish his tea. 'That's it, good boy.' She added as she used his football bib to wipe his mouth. 'Right, Katie go and get your dance kit on.' The middle age woman ordered as the front door opened. Jill started piling the plates on the table up. She lifted Jonathon out of his highchair, and using her other hand carried the plates to the units by the dishwasher.
'I'm home!' shouted Gordon as he took his shoes off, hung his coat up and placed his bags in a safe place out of the reach of his children.
'DAD!' screamed Tom as he tore through the kitchen and down the hall way to his beloved father.
'Hello there Tombo! Good day?' Gordon's face lit up as he spun his eldest son around in his arms
'Yeah! You've got to help me with my maths homework'
'Okay okay, give me chance to get into the house first' the proud father joked as he headed towards the kitchen
'Hello darling' He spoke lovingly as he placed his hand on his wife's shoulders whilst she tried to sort out the dishwasher
'Hi. Busy evening?'
'No, not really. Quietest it was all day to be honest' Gordon detailed as Jill turned around to face him, still holding Jonathon. Much to Tom's disgust and embarrassment they kissed, both pleased to see one another.
'And look at Mister J! You we're fast asleep when daddy left this morning' He kissed his son's head and held onto his hand playfully.
'Right Gordon, your dinners in the oven, be careful the plates hot. I'm taking Katie to her dance class and I'll take Jonathon with me. Tom needs help finishing his homework and Aishling should be ready to be woken from her nap in about ten minutes. You'll have to make her evening bottle, bath her and put her to bed. I shouldn't be out too long. Got that?' Jill made her orders clear, trying to make life easier for her tired husband.
'Yes Mrs Ormerod! Understood! I'll have a nice glass of wine ready and waiting when you get home, don't you worry' The Doctor kissed his wife's cheek just before she dashed off down the hall way holding Jonathon, grabbing her mobile phone off the side as she went.
'Katie...Katie! Are you ready? We've got to leave now. I'm going to put J in the car; we'll be waiting for you. Gordon I'm taking the bigger car because all his car toys are in it' Jill declared, picking the keys up of the table in the hall
'Fine by me, although my phone is in there charging so just make sure you put it in one of the storage pockets before you get out' Gordon shouted trying to make sure his wife heard as she charged out of the house, racing against time.
'Bye dad!' Screeched Katie as she followed Jill and her younger brother to the car.
'Bye sweetheart' Gordon smiled as she slammed the front door shut behind her. He was exhausted from his busy day at work, but ecstatic to be back with his family at last. Now all he had to do was look after two children...
An hour later in the Ormerod household
Gordon scrapped the last of his burnt food into the bin. After settling down to help Tom with his homework and feed Aishling he'd forgotten his own meal was still in the oven, burning. 'Right Tom, you finish that last question and I'll go and put Aishling to bed' Advised Gordon as he cradled his gurgling baby daughter in his arms.
'When I've finished can I come and help you bath her?' The young boy asked eagerly
'Of course you can' Gordon replied. Like everyone else in the family, Tom adored his baby sister and could never do enough for her. Although sometimes he was a little heavy handed and had to be watched carefully.
Gordon walked off down the hall way and up the stairs to the first floor, amusing Aishling as he talked loudly to her. The smile on her face lit up Gordon's life. Downstairs Tom scribbled away in his math's book, desperate to join his dad and sister upstairs. And just minutes later he did.
'Dad! Dad! I'm coming' shouted Tom as he ran up the stairs full pelt to the first floor bathroom.
'Look who's here Aishling, it's Tom! He's come to help me bath you. Yes that's it.' Gordon supported the small child in the water as he gently splashed water over her. Tom joined him at the side of the bath on the floor. Together, with Tom being as gentle as he could, they bathed the little Ormerod. With each sprinkle of water that rolled across her tummy, she let out a yelp of excitement and splashed her little hands against the water.
'I think she likes that dad' laughed Tom as he pushed one of Jonathon's plastic ducks through the water.
'I think she does too Tom. Now can you pass me that little white towel by you' asked Gordon nicely as he lifted Aishling out the water. Tom carefully tried to wrap the towel around the baby and Gordon carried her into the nursery, rubbing her dry at the same time.
'Now then little one, we'll get you dried off and dressed then it's bed time. Tom how about you choose a book to read in a minute her whilst I get her ready?' Gordon questioned, trying to keep an energetic lad occupied. And so Tom set about rifling through the bookcase, and came out after a bit of rummaging with a classic; Thomas the Tank Engine.
A middle aged man could be forgiven for failing to know how to dress their young daughter but Gordon had had enough experience. He'd dressed Katie as a baby and eyed up enough of his beautiful wife's outfits to know what went and what didn't. A pink baby suit was picked with small flowers decorating the leg areas. Then Gordon kissed his little girl goodnight and lay her down in her cot, covering her body in an assortment of blankets. Gordon sat in the armchair chair beside Aishlings cot and Tom sat on his lap. Together he and Tom read the short story as the small child fell asleep.
5 miles away
Jill, with Katie and Jonathon in tow, made it to her oldest (step) daughters dance class in time. The traffic had been on their side, for once. On arrival at the near empty car park Katie had left Jill to struggle getting Jonathon out of the car. She'd quite literally jumped out of the car and disappeared through the main entrance of the leisure centre.
Jill hid Gordon's phone in one of the storage pockets and then jumped out of her front seat, grabbed her phone and kicked the door shut behind her. She quickly dashed around to the back door and unstrapped a grumpy Jonathon from his child seat. He'd usually be at home now, calming down for his bedtime story. But Jill always tried to take Jonathon with her to Katie's dance lessons to spend some quality time with him. It also meant Gordon only had to handle two children. He always did the same for his wife whenever he could. Two each- that was fair.
'Right come on little man. Let's go and see what Katie's going to get up today, hey? You're going to be a good boy for your mummy aren't you? Yes. And we'll take cuddly Mr Fred to play with' She remarked, trying to keep him happy with the tone of her voice as she grabbed his favourite cuddly toy from beside his car seat.
Holding her son carefully and ensuring she'd locked the car and bought her phone with her Jill headed in the same direction Katie had gone just minutes before. But of course inevitably something was going to go wrong. Jill spent most of the time in the studio wishing she'd left her young son at home. He wasn't his usually bubbly self; instead he continuously screamed and cried. He was her only biological child and Jill loved him with every ounce of her being but she couldn't deny Gordon had a way with Jonathon. In fact he had a way with any child. Maybe it was because he had more experience than her and he seemed to have a never ending supply of patience. Or maybe it was just because he was Gordon.
Jill had hoped to spend some much needed quiet time with Jonathon whilst watching Katie take part in her beloved dance class. She'd also intended to catch up on a few emails on her phone that wouldn't wait until the morning. But the young boy wasn't going to let that happen. Oblivious to how tired his mother was and the other parents and children around him Jonathon screamed for all he was worth. No words of comfort would quieten him down and in the end Jill made the regretful decision to take him back to the car; leaving Katie.
On arriving at the car she climbed in the driver's seat and cradled Jonathon in her arms. In an instance, with the silent atmosphere and the warmth of his mother, Jonathon stopped crying. Jill looked into her son's eyes and within just a few seconds he was sleeping peacefully in her arms. After all she is his mother.
Their return
As the clock approached half past eight a tired Jill, shattered Katie and sleeping Jonathon rolled up on the drive. The elder two left the car as quietly as they could and Katie headed for the front door. There was significantly less bounce in her step compared to when she'd left earlier. The dancing had worn her out, and combined with a 'busy' day at school the young girl was definitely ready for bed. She knocked quietly on the front door and a weary looking Gordon answered. Jill opened the back door of the car and as gently as she could, without waking her son, she unstrapped him and carried him quietly into the house. Katie had disappeared upstairs, presumably to her bedroom. Gordon stood waiting for his wife and greeted her with a loving kiss and tight squeeze.
'You look tired darling' muttered Gordon, a warm smile on his face.
'Well your beloved son decided to scream for the best part of an hour and I've been up since six...' she replied, about to head for the stairs.
'In that case Mrs Ormerod you go and put your feet up in the living room while I go and put this tired little boy to bed' The ever sweet man lifted his sleeping son out of his wife arms, kissed her head and headed for the stairs. Although he himself was shattered his number priority was his wife and children as always.
Jill walked into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa, the television on just metres away. On the coffee table opposite was two large glasses of red wine waiting just as Gordon had promised earlier. Shortly afterwards Gordon appeared in the doorway. He sighed and then joined his wife on the sofa, encasing her against his chest and rubbing his left hand against her arm.
