Ned had truly given up. It wasn't even 11am and he was already done. He truly understood what Sally went through everyday.
Her day never ends. She had to get up 4 times a night to feed the baby, then get up, make breakfast, feed the baby again, change diapers, then make sure the kids get to school, then clean up the kitchen, watch her youngest children as she cleaned.
So far, all Ned had done was make breakfast, get his older kids to clean up after it, change a leaky pamper, and put 5 kids in time out.
He was seriously falling behind on his work. Once Sally got home, he locked himself in his office to try and get some work done.
Sally was concerned when she came home and found Ned had locked himself in the linen closet, sipping wine from the spout of a sippy cup. He looked like he hadn't slept and his hair was disheveled.
He was falling apart.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Miss WhoStreet's Nanny Services, how may I help you?" A cheerful voice said on the line.
"This is Mayor McDodd and I need help." Ned said in defeat.
"Oh, Mister Mayor, say no more, I'll send a Nanny straight away."
Ned hung up and sighed. It must've been a good thing that citizens knew how many kids he had. Word spread fast.
Ding-dong!
"That was fast." Ned said as he went to the door.
At his door was a plump woman wearing a suit, with her brown hair in a bun.
"Hello, I'm Jo Who-Frost." She held out her hand.
Ned shook it. "How do you do? Please come in."
"With pleasure. Now, where are the little sweeties?" She asked.
"Everywhere." Ned said.
Jo looked around the place and saw the problem.
"Tell me why you called." She said.
"My wife used to be a housewife, but since the pandemic, she's now working outside the house, teaching others to cook, and now I'm here to watch the kids, but now I can't get my work done." Ned admitted.
"Gotcha. Not to worry, I got this. You can get to work and I'll get started."
Ned wasn't sure, but he needed to give this woman a chance. So, he obeyed and went to his office.
For the first hour, Ned couldn't concentrate and it worried him. Was everything okay?
He tried to type his report, but the silence worried him. It was like an itch you can't scratch.
"Well, maybe just a peek." He told himself as he closed his laptop.
He opened the door and found order.
His darling children were behaving and doing as they were told.
In the living room, 14 kids were tidying up the living room before settling down to watch a film in peace.
In the kitchen, 31 kids were cleaning up the kitchen: doing dishes, wiping down the table and counters, sweeping and organizing the containers of baking supplies.
In the bathroom, 32 kids were wiping down stalls, sweeping the floor, organizing shampoo bottles and folding bath towels.
18 girls were in the playroom, picking up toys and vacuuming the floor.
Hedy was in time out outside the playroom, quiet and sitting still. Ned was shocked. She never did that.
And where was his son?
Surprisingly, in the mayoral hallway, dusting portraits.
A small humming came from his son as he swiped the feather duster over the gold and silver frames.
Ned couldn't believe it. This nanny he hired at the last minute actually restored order. His kids were getting along and helping clean.
The nanny came up, J. J. sucking a bottle in her arms.
"Did you get any of your work done?" She asked the mayor.
"Not quite, I just wanted to see how things were going." Ned said, astonished.
"I told you, I got this." Jo said.
"I didn't want to believe, and now I had no choice."