Chapter Five – Abby
"Please take your backpack upstairs, Maya," Abby told her five year old daughter as she stirred the soup on the stovetop and simultaneously tried to keep two year old twins Daniel and Rachel from getting jam covered hands all over the kitchen walls.
"But I'm tired," Maya whined. "I want to go watch t.v."
"Not until you take that backpack upstairs!" Abby repeated. Maya heaved a heavy sigh and trudged out of the kitchen with her backpack in tow.
"No!" Abby cried as Daniel spread a sticky hand over Rachel's hair. "Why in the world didn't I put them in their high chairs before giving them sandwiches?" she moaned as she reached for a wet sponge.
Just then the telephone rang. Abby stretched for the phone as she attempted to clean Daniel's hands at the same time. "-ello?" she answered distractedly.
"Abby, it's me. How's it going?"
"Oh just fine, Eli. Keeping two toddlers and a moody five year old out of my hair as I attempt to cook dinner for all of us plus your family is going great," she replied sarcastically.
"Oh, sweetie," he said soothingly. "I'll be back from school in about half an hour. Hang on and then I'll take the kids off your hands so you can finish dinner."
"Permanently?" Abby muttered under her breath.
"What's that?" Eli responded distractedly.
Abby immediately felt bad for her horrible comment. She loved her kids and would never, ever wish them away. She just wished she had a break for herself sometimes. Eli tried to help as much as he could, but he was very busy as a teacher at their local Hebrew school in Long Island.
"Nothing," she answered. "Just please hurry!"
Just then Maya started to scream. "Mommy! The soup!" she pointed towards the overflowing pot on the stove.
"Eli, I have to go!" Abby quickly hung up the phone and made a dash for the stove.
"It's okay, baby," Abby soothed Maya. "Listen, can you please take the twins into the den? I'll be right there to put a video on." She hated to sit the kids in front of the television, but if she didn't, she'd never get this dinner ready. Eli's parents were coming in from the city and everything had to be just perfect.
About an hour later, Eli came home with his arms full of papers to grade. He took one look at the gleaming kitchen with fragrant aromas coming from it to Abby's frazzled state. "Go," he commanded. "Go upstairs and rest." I'll keep an eye on dinner and get the kids ready."
"You're a darling!" Abby sighed wearily. Giving him a hug she headed upstairs and collapsed on their bed.
"I need a vacation," she moaned.
She loved being a mom, she really did. She just never imagined she'd have three children under the age of five before she was thirty. After graduating from Stoneybrook High School, she got a scholarship to play soccer at Hofstra in Long Island. She met Eli at temple and they started dating seriously and were married as soon as she graduated from college. After college, she was an assistant soccer coach at Hofstra until she got pregnant with Maya. Eli's parents were very old fashioned and he was raised to think Abby should stay home once having a child. She gave up her coaching career willingly and soon after Maya came the twins. Ever since then, she'd been a busy stay at home mom. It was rewarding, but sometimes she definitely missed that link with the outside world. Essentially, besides the kids and family, she didn't see many other people or have adult conversations. It was just too hard to drive to see her mom in Stoneybrook. Trying to get all the kids packed and ready was just a headache. Her mom came by on holidays, but otherwise, her work kept her swamped. What Abby would love more than anything would be a vacation. A real vacation.
There was a knock on her bedroom door. Abby sighed. Only ten minutes on her own and already someone needed something. "Come in."
"Hi Mommy," Maya said. She made a running jump onto the bed with Abby and handed her an envelope. "Daddy said this came for you today and thought you wouldn't mind being bothered to read it."
Abby smiled and was surprised when she saw the return address. M. Bruno in Stoneybrook?! Abby hadn't heard from Mary Anne since she'd received a congratulations card and gift on Maya's birth five years ago. Abby was embarrassed that she'd never sent a thank you card for the gift. No wonder Mary Anne never wrote again.
Abby slit the envelope open and shrieked when she saw the invitation. Maya covered her ears as Abby laughed and shrieked. "Mommy!" Maya complained.
"What's going on?!" Eli rushed into the room worriedly.
"A vacation!" Abby managed to get out. "A real vacation! I got an invitation for a reunion with some old friends in Stoneybrook. Do you think you and your mom could handle the kids for me to go up for the weekend?"
"You mean you don't want to take the kids with you?" Eli asked.
"No!" Abby said quickly. She saw Maya's hurt little face and felt bad. "I mean, I need a vacation. And it would be a great opportunity for your mom to spend time with the kids. She always complains she doesn't see them enough."
"Well, sure," Eli replied. "You deserve the vacation, hon. I only wish we could afford to let you go somewhere more exotic."
"Oh, Eli....this is more than a vacation. It will be so great to see all my old friends again. You don't know how great this will be!"
"Please take your backpack upstairs, Maya," Abby told her five year old daughter as she stirred the soup on the stovetop and simultaneously tried to keep two year old twins Daniel and Rachel from getting jam covered hands all over the kitchen walls.
"But I'm tired," Maya whined. "I want to go watch t.v."
"Not until you take that backpack upstairs!" Abby repeated. Maya heaved a heavy sigh and trudged out of the kitchen with her backpack in tow.
"No!" Abby cried as Daniel spread a sticky hand over Rachel's hair. "Why in the world didn't I put them in their high chairs before giving them sandwiches?" she moaned as she reached for a wet sponge.
Just then the telephone rang. Abby stretched for the phone as she attempted to clean Daniel's hands at the same time. "-ello?" she answered distractedly.
"Abby, it's me. How's it going?"
"Oh just fine, Eli. Keeping two toddlers and a moody five year old out of my hair as I attempt to cook dinner for all of us plus your family is going great," she replied sarcastically.
"Oh, sweetie," he said soothingly. "I'll be back from school in about half an hour. Hang on and then I'll take the kids off your hands so you can finish dinner."
"Permanently?" Abby muttered under her breath.
"What's that?" Eli responded distractedly.
Abby immediately felt bad for her horrible comment. She loved her kids and would never, ever wish them away. She just wished she had a break for herself sometimes. Eli tried to help as much as he could, but he was very busy as a teacher at their local Hebrew school in Long Island.
"Nothing," she answered. "Just please hurry!"
Just then Maya started to scream. "Mommy! The soup!" she pointed towards the overflowing pot on the stove.
"Eli, I have to go!" Abby quickly hung up the phone and made a dash for the stove.
"It's okay, baby," Abby soothed Maya. "Listen, can you please take the twins into the den? I'll be right there to put a video on." She hated to sit the kids in front of the television, but if she didn't, she'd never get this dinner ready. Eli's parents were coming in from the city and everything had to be just perfect.
About an hour later, Eli came home with his arms full of papers to grade. He took one look at the gleaming kitchen with fragrant aromas coming from it to Abby's frazzled state. "Go," he commanded. "Go upstairs and rest." I'll keep an eye on dinner and get the kids ready."
"You're a darling!" Abby sighed wearily. Giving him a hug she headed upstairs and collapsed on their bed.
"I need a vacation," she moaned.
She loved being a mom, she really did. She just never imagined she'd have three children under the age of five before she was thirty. After graduating from Stoneybrook High School, she got a scholarship to play soccer at Hofstra in Long Island. She met Eli at temple and they started dating seriously and were married as soon as she graduated from college. After college, she was an assistant soccer coach at Hofstra until she got pregnant with Maya. Eli's parents were very old fashioned and he was raised to think Abby should stay home once having a child. She gave up her coaching career willingly and soon after Maya came the twins. Ever since then, she'd been a busy stay at home mom. It was rewarding, but sometimes she definitely missed that link with the outside world. Essentially, besides the kids and family, she didn't see many other people or have adult conversations. It was just too hard to drive to see her mom in Stoneybrook. Trying to get all the kids packed and ready was just a headache. Her mom came by on holidays, but otherwise, her work kept her swamped. What Abby would love more than anything would be a vacation. A real vacation.
There was a knock on her bedroom door. Abby sighed. Only ten minutes on her own and already someone needed something. "Come in."
"Hi Mommy," Maya said. She made a running jump onto the bed with Abby and handed her an envelope. "Daddy said this came for you today and thought you wouldn't mind being bothered to read it."
Abby smiled and was surprised when she saw the return address. M. Bruno in Stoneybrook?! Abby hadn't heard from Mary Anne since she'd received a congratulations card and gift on Maya's birth five years ago. Abby was embarrassed that she'd never sent a thank you card for the gift. No wonder Mary Anne never wrote again.
Abby slit the envelope open and shrieked when she saw the invitation. Maya covered her ears as Abby laughed and shrieked. "Mommy!" Maya complained.
"What's going on?!" Eli rushed into the room worriedly.
"A vacation!" Abby managed to get out. "A real vacation! I got an invitation for a reunion with some old friends in Stoneybrook. Do you think you and your mom could handle the kids for me to go up for the weekend?"
"You mean you don't want to take the kids with you?" Eli asked.
"No!" Abby said quickly. She saw Maya's hurt little face and felt bad. "I mean, I need a vacation. And it would be a great opportunity for your mom to spend time with the kids. She always complains she doesn't see them enough."
"Well, sure," Eli replied. "You deserve the vacation, hon. I only wish we could afford to let you go somewhere more exotic."
"Oh, Eli....this is more than a vacation. It will be so great to see all my old friends again. You don't know how great this will be!"