E:12 M:10 J:7 A:4
It was your typical Saturday morning at the St. James family home. Ed, Margaret, and all four of the kids were at home.
It was typical in that Ed and Margaret were upstairs doing their own thing and Eddie, Maggie, Jesse, and Annie were down in the playroom. Jesse, naturally, was trying to tell everybody what to do.
"Let's play Broadway! I'll be the star and you can all be the ensemble," Jesse said. Jesse had done some theatre camps, and dreamed of being on Broadway someday. Of course, in his eyes, he was already there.
"We don't care about Broadway!" Eddie said, looking up from the game of checkers he was playing with Maggie. "King me," he told her.
Maggie grumbled and handed him one of his checkers back.
"Annie?" Jesse asked. Annie was too young for theatre camp, but she did like to sing. She definitely needed to work on her technique - but in her defense, she was only four.
"No thanks," Annie said, not looking up from the remote control car she was playing with.
Jesse frowned. His siblings were nothing but a bunch of uncultured swine.
"Fine!" Jesse said. "I'll just be taking that, then," he yanked the car remote control out of Annie's hands.
"Hey! Give that back, Jesse Andrew St. James!" She cried, hot tears burning her brown eyes.
"Make me, Anne Marie St. James," Jesse mocked.
Annie stood up and wordlessly walked over to her brother. For a split second, the youngest two St. James siblings just stared at each other. Then, Annie raised her tiny hand and smacked Jesse on the shoulder.
"Ow! Hey!" Jesse yelled. In just seconds, Annie was on the floor crying.
"Jesse!" Maggie scolded, rushing to Annie's side.
"She hit me first! You both saw her!" Jesse protested, turning to Eddie.
"Yeah, but you took her toy. You're such a jerk to her sometimes - to all of us!" Eddie came over and shoved Jesse in the shoulder.
"Ow!" Jesse shoved him back.
All the yelling had alerted the attention of their parents who rushed downstairs.
"What is all the commotion about?" Ed asked, more out of annoyance than concern. Then he noticed Annie crying on the floor with Maggie comforting her, and Jesse rubbing his shoulder.
"What happened?" Margaret asked.
"Annie hit me and then Eddie pushed me!" Jesse cried.
"Edward! Anne! Is this true?" Margaret asked.
"Jesse took Annie's toy and she did hit him. But then he pushed her to the ground and I shoved him. So yes, what we did was wrong, but Jesse isn't innocent - he started the whole thing," Eddie said, arms crossed over his chest. He was tired of his parents always automatically taking Jesse's side.
"Margaret, is this true?" Ed asked Maggie. While Eddie had a history of sometimes bending the truth, Ed was pretty sure his eldest daughter was incapable of lying.
"Yes, sir," Maggie said, looking directly into her father's eyes.
Ed sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Well I'm very disappointed in all three of you," Ed said. He was disappointed in their behavior, of course, but also in the fact that they were giving him a headache when all he wanted was a peaceful Saturday.
"Me too," Margaret said firmly. "Anne Marie, stand up. Come here. You too, Edward Joseph Jr.," Eddie and Annie silently obeyed.
"You all know we don't hit or push or shove in this house," Margaret said. Her children remained silent. Since when? They'd had plenty of squabbles over the years which had gotten physical and their parents had never done anything to actually stop the behavior. It was always the same lazy lecture over and over.
"Jesse, first, apologize to your sister for taking her toy and shoving her," Margaret directed.
"But she -" Jesse started.
"Jesse, please," Margaret said.
Jesse sighed and turned to Annie.
"I'm sorry, Annie."
"Now, Anne, tell your brother sorry for hitting him."
Annie looked at Jesse.
"Sorry, Jesse," she mumbled.
"Now, give each other a hug," Margaret instructed.
Annie and Jesse looked at their mother.
"But, Mom!" They both protested in unison.
"Listen to your mother, children," Ed ordered gruffly.
Annie and Jesse begrudgingly hugged, glaring the whole time.
"Now, Edward, apologize to your brother for shoving him.
"Sorry, Jesse," Eddie frowned. He knew what was coming next and he was dreading it. He'd rather be grounded for the rest of his life than -
"Now, Edward and Jesse, give each other a hug."
Eddie turned to face his younger brother who had the exact same disgusted facial expression as he was sure he did at that moment. Eddie didn't like hugging anybody - especially Mr. Perfect.
Slowly, the brothers gave a half-hearted embrace and quickly pulled away.
"Good. Now, no more fighting - or early bedtimes for everyone involved," Margaret turned and headed up the stairs as Ed followed behind.
"Come on, Annie," Eddie said, picking up the RC car that Jesse had set down during the group scolding. "You, Maggie, and I should make a ramp for this with the blocks Uncle Rick and Aunt Beth got us."
Annie followed Eddie and Maggie off to the block corner.
"Can…can I join?" Jesse asked hopefully.
Eddie turned.
"Sorry, no more room. Why don't you go off and sing one of your little Broadway ditties," Eddie said with a wave of his hand.
Jesse scowled.
He didn't need them anyway!