There are good days and there are bad days.
There are the days when everything is ready before the boys are ready for school, pack lunches ready, bags packed and clothes pressed. Scott, John and Virgil leave in time to catch the bus while she loads Alan and Gordon into their car seats to drop them off before heading either into work herself or to complete whatever work is down for this day.
Lucy gets back for Alan's midday finish and whisks him home where they'll have lunch before Lucy gets to do either more work or more housework after they've had at least half an hour to play or read.
Then it's off to pick up Gordon and take him swimming while Scott plays baseball, John has astronomy or math club and Virgil is either at art or music lessons. She will get home a mere 15 minutes before the eldest three, and they walk in to milk and warm cookies.
It's time to do homework while Lucy cooks dinner - three different meals because John is careful what he eats, Virgil is currently vegetarian and Alan won't eat anything that has even the slightest hint of spice.
They eat around the kitchen table, each boy discussing their day over each other, yet the babble is soothing rather than noisy. Even though he's three, Alan still delights in throwing food at Scotty and Johnny, and Lucy's aware Gordon is encouraging him. For five brief minutes there is an all-out food war which finishes with Gordon having hiccups.
All the boys help clear up the mess, and Lucy takes Gordon and Alan up to have a bath and get them ready for bed while Scott finishes the kitchen, John gets his books ready for tomorrow and Virgil practices his piano.
Jeff arrives home in time to hug his three oldest and disappears upstairs to read to his youngest while Lucy gets the bathroom cleaned up for John's turn. While John's having his bath, she and Jeff have their dinner as Scott finishes his homework and Virgil serenades them.
John heads off to bed before his younger brother, but he's not going there to sleep, he's getting ready to stargaze. Virgil then heads up for his turn, leaving Scott time alone with his parents.
Once Virgil's ready for bed Jeff heads up for him while Lucy heads for John and Scott takes his turn in the bathroom. He's old enough to see himself to bed, but still both parents pop their heads in and say good night.
The remaining time is their own, and Jeff and Lucy talk and talk while working together to finish clearing up before collapsing on the couch with a glass of red.
Unfortunately, good days don't happen very often. In fact, Lucy can't remember the last time.
Scott gets up at the crack of dawn and by the time Lucy is up he's already made a start on lunches. She sleepily bestows a kiss on his forehead, but somehow she misses and kisses the tip of his ear. Scott scowls and scrubs his ear. He's too old for kisses. Thirteen going on thirty definitely applies to her eldest.
Lucy makes herself a double espresso, still yawning as she tries to wake up. She never was a morning person, but it's 5:30am and the two youngest will be awake any minute now. Lucy downs the sweet but bitter drink and puts the dirty cup in the sink with last night's dishes, making a mental note to tell Virgil that he's forfeited practice tonight for lying about completing his chores.
There's a scream and a thump. Great. The terrible two are up. She dashes upstairs before Gordon can jump on John, and just about makes it before the little red-headed terror manages to open his brother's door.
The next hour is spent wrangling Gordon and Alan into clothes. Why oh why did she think her six-year-old mischief-maker and her three-year-old baby sharing a room would be a great idea? She can't remember now but there must have been a reason.
6:30am and Jeff is up. It's his turn to head downstairs and make coffee. The shrieking from the youngest is going right through him, and as he waits for the coffee to brew he watches his eldest preparing toast for the three children who are up. Jeff grabs his coffee and ruffles his son's hair, chuckling at the very put-out 'Dad!' he gets in return. Scott's complaining under his breath about annoying parents.
Lucy and Jeff pass on the stairs. Alan is being carried while Gordon is trying to run ahead. Jeff leans in for a quick kiss which Lucy happily provides, much to Gordon's disgust and Alan's delight as he is sandwiched momentarily between them. She passes the baton over as she heads on down. Jeff has the hard job of getting Virgil up.
John waits until he can hear that Gordon has made it downstairs before rushing out of bed and getting himself ready. He counts to a hundred before going to grab his own breakfast, hopeful that Gordon would have finished his by now.
He's in luck. A plate with crusts on is the evidence that Gordon has eaten. He'll now be in the playroom, Lucy encouraging him to burn some energy before he can terrorise the school. Scott's still eating his toast, and they smile at each other as John gets his 100% bran cereal out and happily munches it while reading his latest book. He's so absorbed by it he doesn't notice Scott get up and start packing the lunches away.
It's now 7am. The thump on the floor says Jeff's had to tip Virgil out of bed. Again. Everything is a sudden rush as five children and two adults have less than half an hour to get ready and out of the house. Scott has packed everyone's lunches. Bags and corresponding shoes are lined up at the door. It reminds her of the rugby scrums she grew up watching.
Scott, John and Virgil are running for the bus. If they miss it they'll be late for school. It's not until Lucy has strapped Gordon and Alan in that she realises several things at once. Gordon's wearing odd socks. Alan's shoes are on the wrong feet.
Gordon's currently clutching John's homework.
She pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes. And opens them in time to see Jeff standing by his car with Virgil's art portfolio. Jeff takes John's homework and drives off. That will add almost half an hour to his daily commute, meaning he'll be late.
3pm and school's over for another day. Lucy's been called into the principal's office. Again. She listens, dumbfounded, and her second-youngest's latest misdemeanour is explained in detail. No swim club for a week. Gordon's in tears beside her, but he has to learn, and taking his swimming away is the only thing that ever works.
Life in the Tracy household is going to be rough next week.
They go straight home, where Gordon lets his unhappiness out by standing in the playroom and screaming at the top of his lungs. For ten minutes. After the initial shock Alan has joined in. Lucy really wants to, but she knows that would only encourage them both.
Instead, she starts baking the cookies ready for the eldest boys. Five more minutes and they'll be done. She grabs a coffee. Three minutes later and she's mopping coffee up while both Alan and Gordon are crying. They'd crept up on her and made her jump, causing her to throw hot coffee over herself. Trying to comfort them whilst cleaning herself and the floor is difficult, and it's not until the smoke alarm goes off does she remember the cookies.
The boys think it's great fun, running around the house helping Mommy open the windows to let the smell out. Lucy sighs as she puts another batch in the oven and sets the timer. This time nothing goes wrong, and hot cookies are on the cooling rack when the boys turn up.
Scott has a black eye, a split lip and skinned knuckles, and his trousers are torn. John looks like he's been crying. Virgil has a face like thunder. Before she can say anything Scott's stomped off to his room and slammed the door. The other two stand at the door, waiting for whatever fallout is coming. But Lucy is tired and this is far too common an occurrence for her to kick up a fuss.
Scott doesn't come down for milk and cookies. He doesn't, anymore. He won't come down until it's dinner time, and Lucy misses having him around. John helps Virgil with his homework while Alan and Gordon play trains around the table and Lucy cooks the one meal they will all eat. Macaroni Cheese.
Dinner is a subdued event. Scott's evidently still sore about whatever happened, and his mood settles over the other children, quietening them too. He finishes quickly and gets up, rinsing his bowl and disappearing back upstairs before the others are even half way. The door is slammed again, and then the thump thump of that awful rock music can be heard.
It's Virgil's turn to get all shouty and upset. Lucy's told him he's not allowed to touch the piano today because he lied and didn't do the washing up. He doesn't scream like Gordon, but his anger pierces her just the same. John, ever the peacemaker, offers to help with the dishes. It's Scott's turn, but no-one is even going to attempt to go get him while he's in that mood, which is becoming almost every day now.
Leaving John and Virgil to their chores, Lucy gets Gordon and Alan ready for bathing. Alan still hates the water, but he will get in if Gordon is with him. Unfortunately, Gordon decides that if he can't swim then he can't have a bath either, and 15 unsuccessful minutes full of more screaming later Lucy gives up. One night won't hurt them, and she puts them to bed, praying that Jeff is about to walk through that door.
As she gets to the bottom of the stairs the phone goes and Lucy closes her eyes, knowing exactly who and what this call is about. Sure enough, Jeff's been caught up in a meeting, his secretary explains, and he won't be free for another hour. Is there anything Lucy needs? She resists the urge to scream 'bring home more alcohol' and just smiles tightly at the floating head.
A glass of red is poured and drunk before John has made it upstairs.
Virgil is sitting moodily at the piano, his expression one of hope mixed with anger as he tries to look repentant for lying. His ten-year-old brain can't put both emotions into play and he just looks even more angrier than before. He looks at his Mom as she stands in the doorway, arms folded and eyebrow raised. Virgil knows when not to push his luck, but still can't resist thumping his finger down on Middle C and gently lowering the lid. It's the most aggressive he would ever be with the piano, and he pushes past Lucy and stomps up the stairs like Scott had earlier, only he is louder, and slams his door.
Seems like John will be the only one to have a bath tonight.
Lucy follows Virgil up the stairs, it's her job now to read to the youngest, and as she passes Scott's room she knocks on the door. There is no reply, not that she is expecting one, but he does turn the music down. He may be starting his moody teenage years already, but he does love his brothers and knows it's their bedtime.
Neither Gordon or Alan are happy that their Dad's not home and show it by crying instead of letting Lucy read to them. So much so that John comes in and offers instead. They quieten down for John and Lucy escapes, torn at being grateful that John has so selflessly offered and hurt that they so readily accept him over her.
An hour later and all the boys bar Scott are in bed. Lucy leaves Jeff to deal with their oldest, knowing that he worships the ground Jeff walks on, and she's on her second glass when the key turns in the lock and Jeff enters. He drops his bag at the door and in two strides he's cleared the distance between them and is crushing her. They relax and touch foreheads and he's murmuring an apology in her ear. She sighs and pulls away and gives him a wry smile.
'Scotty's all yours, Jeff.' That tells him all he needs to know, and Jeff rolls his eyes and makes his way upstairs. Lucy smiles. He and Scott are so similar, even the eye rolls are the same. While he's dealing with The Mood Lucy calls for pizza and pours more wine. Thank goodness tomorrow is Saturday, where Jeff and she will divide and conquer the shopping.
Twenty minutes later Jeff is coming down the stairs when there is a knock, and he opens it and pays for the pizza delivery. Entering the kitchen he spies the wine and looks for Lucy. He finds her in the living room, curled up asleep on one of the couches. It's only 9:30pm, and the sight both warms his heart and slightly saddens him. His beautiful wife, so worn out. He sits down beside her and she snuggles into him, still asleep.
Scott gets up at midnight, needing a drink. He pauses at the door to the living room, watching his parents sleeping on the couch curled up together, and smiles. Entering the kitchen, he sees the wine poured and the pizza waiting. He takes a mouthful of wine, pulls a face and downs the glass before chucking the other one and rinsing the glasses. He takes a slice of pizza and munches it as he puts the rest in the fridge. Scott drinks a large glass of water once he's finished eating, and he returns to the living room.
His parents haven't moved, and he creeps in and takes the blanket from the other couch and covers them and goes back to bed. Lucy cracks an eye and watches her eldest son's back retreat. Maybe she's not doing that bad after all.