Cinn: Right - I can now get all this right as I've learn all the dates and stuff and I don't have to worry about getting it wrong. So whoo! Yeah, OK, some bits were weird and stuff but I was trying to stay away from any possible clichés. This wasn't easy. So - one with the fic.
Important author note! - This chapter will not make sense without reading the new versions of chapters three and four. Because I got halfway through this chapter when I realised that I'd made a lot of time errors so I had to go back to chapter three and rewrite. That's one of the reasons this has taken a long while, the other reason is my exams, but they're finished now. So some of the events that probably wouldn't have happened until this chapter have now had to be shunted back into the last two chapters. I apologise for that, as I forgot of all those stupid set timelines and stuff which meant I'd made errors, but they're probably not that important as not many people will have known about them in the first place... Oh well, I've changed it now.
Chapter 5: Reflection; New Environment.
I've never been this happy! I'm going to get married to the man I love! Everything is practically ready now, there's only two more weeks to go! I'm so excited!
It was today when we had the talk about where we were going to live afterwards. Well, we'd already talked about it, but we'd not been able to come up with a good decision. Well, we had, kinda. This was last preparations about it.
"So, we're going to move to the Kansas Farm then?"
"Well, that's what I thought, you're sure you want to though, because I'm not at home often and you've lived here in England all your life..."
"I'm fine with it, it'll be all nice and new, and if I have any major problems afterwards I'm sure I'll let you know..." I replied, grinning innocently. He grinned back, I'd pretty much packed, and unpacked Nina several times. She really didn't want me to leave, because then she'd be on her own with mother, which she didn't want to have to do. She was just about to go 8. Luckily she'd had enough experience to be a tough little cookie and I knew she'd be fine. But granted, I still worried about her. Over the last few months I'd been taking her to jujitsu so I could worry less. I even made sure she knew the number of one of the sensei's so that if she was ever in trouble then she'd have someone who knew what to do. I almost made sure she knew all the emergency numbers, her own address and to be wary of strangers. Also I made sure she knew how to make her own sandwiches, and how to cook simple things for when she was big enough to be able to reach the cooker, in case mother would continue 'not being bothered' with her as she did with me. Also I made sure she knew how to contact me if she needed help with making something work... Or just wanted to talk to me.
So yeah, apart from my worrying about Nina everything was great. Never better.
The wedding, and the honeymoon pasted by way too quickly. Which mean before I knew it I was in America with my new husband and walking into my new home. The farm in Kansas where Jeff grew up. It consisted of two houses, one of which turned out to be an old barn which had been converted for us. His parents still lived in the actual farm house. It was really nice, and I discovered would make some good artwork. It didn't take long to get all set up and to be used to it and think of it as home.
However by that time Jeff had gone back off to work, which made me worried as usual. But I was used to it, and I wasn't the only one. His mother, Ruth, also disliked the idea of the Space Agency career but never complained as she wanted him to be happy and that what he was where he was. It didn't take me long to find a job at a local school teaching Art to Secondary Schools students.
Things got into a nice routine (but I had flexibility within it), during the week I focused on my work and marking and that sorta thing, then at the weekends I spend with Mr and Mrs Tracy helping around the farm, cooking, talking etc. And when I wasn't with them I spend the time drawing, sketching etc and playing the piano. Weekends were always fun, you could talk about nearly anything with Mr and Mrs Tracy, I'd have loved my parents to be like this, it was unusual for me to see my mother for longer than five minutes a day let alone talk to her. Actually, it could be pretty amusing when Mrs Tracy commented on how she'd like to have a grandchild to have to look after, and so on and then you can get carried away in talking about names and stuff and all that sorta thing, mostly being a bit silly about it, well never 100 percent serious if you know what I mean.
Jeff would be home for every holiday, so Christmas, Easter, Thanks-Giving etc and whenever he could between. I welcomed those times, because not only were they a break from the usualness of everything, but I could spend hours on end just with him and him alone. So yeah, insert unconvincing innocent look here.
That's how it was for almost three years, because just before our third anniversary I became pregnant, for the first time. When I found out the first thing I did was go straight to Mrs Tracy and tell her, she was over the moon, as I was. I remember the conversation we had then was along the lines of "what is the worst way in which we could spring it on the two men" we had some good ones too. None of which got carried out, they were told in a nice, normal way. But the look on Jeff's face I will never forget, it went from happy to see us all, too shocked, to ecstatic in a matter of seconds.
Things were still normalish for the next couple of months, in which I had to inform School as they would need to replace me. It was amusing when my year 10 class found out, because they were furious with me for leaving them. I was upset to be leaving because I liked all my classes. But I'd be going back I kept saying to myself to stop myself crying. I didn't manage it on my last day as they got me presents; that was it, I started crying whilst I was thanking them.
It felt weird not to have to get up in the mornings to go into work, I missed it but not so much that I didn't have lie-ins.
I was really lucky - as the predicted date was near enough right. And I was in hospital the day before and Jeff had been able to get home. Actually, before Scott was born I was really worried it would be really painful, as painkillers don't usually agree with me, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Yes it hurt enough, but it was cope-able.
So I became a mother, and I vowed to be a lot better than my mother ever was. I certainly had enough help; Mr and Mrs Tracy loved having a grandson, and were all too pleased to help.
Naming him wasn't too difficult; Jeff decided that we'd name him after a famous astronaut, Scott Carpenter, so that's what our eldest boy became, Scott Carpenter Tracy.
It was obvious at once that Scott was not a quiet baby, in my opinion he was the male version of Nina. Who always wanted something, oh yes I remember having to look after her when she was this age, and it gave me loads of practise. We were home a couple of days later and were still able to celebrate Easter at home. That meant that we soon discovered that Scott didn't turn his nose against chocolate. Well, why not get him addicted to caffeine from the age of about a week...
It was about this time when Jeff started up his business Tracy Construction and Aeronautics. Also it was the start of summer, which meant not a lot was happening until September - when I returned to work, unless you counted farming. So sheep clipping, baling etc. It was all good fun, as I've discovered helping the previous three years - especially baling because some old friends of Mr Tracy's come round and help and it's just really fun and everything. This year we had the added task to keeping Scott from trying to grab hold of everything that came near him - whether Mrs Tracy or I were holding him or he was sat next to on of us at the side. If anything went past him he made a grab for it. He didn't get anywhere - only being a few months old, but he still attempted it.
Summer was fun - and it passed way too quickly. I didn't want to have to go back to work - but I did want to go back too. It's strange. Actually - just before term ended before the summer I'd taken him in to show my year 10 class, that was interesting, I've never seen him looking so worried - he calmed right down once we left again though.
So during September we got back into a nice routine - I worked during the week and looked after Scott in the evenings and weekends. Mrs Tracy was all to keen to look after him during my working hours - and more.
As time went on Scott became more and more adventurous - to the point where he did pull down a pair of curtains in the attempt of climbing up them. This was when he was just over a year old and had started walking/crawling around as much as he could in search of interesting things to do and find. He also knew how to ask for what he wanted; he was especially good at shouting. The only way we managed to get him to attempt to say please was by saying that he wouldn't get his dinner if he didn't. He got as far as "ple" before he gave up.
Another thing was that he hated me leaving him every morning - it's not that he didn't like his grandparents or anything - and so eventually I was starting to give in. It was one of those times when Jeff was home, when he was talking about how he'd finally been given a mission to go to the moon as his last ever mission before resigning and going to his company full-time. Actually, it saved me having to start the topic as Jeff had seen how Scott behaved just before I headed off to work one morning. And it was decided, after a long discussion, that there was no more need for me to continue working, and therefore I could stay at home with Scott and Mr and Mrs Tracy. I know people say you can pick up habits off your parents, I think the same is true for children, Mr & Mrs Tracy usually got called Grandpa & Grandma by me now, as I was so used to hearing Scott call them that and having to say "Grandpa" or "Grandma" to get Scott to understand who I meant.
I got a lot closer to Scott over the days when I didn't have to work - naturally - and it was fun to be just the three of us when Jeff was home without me having to worry about my work. What was batter with Jeff now moving to his business - after his final mission - then he'd be home a lot more too.
A few months later I discovered I was pregnant - again. The timing of my finding out wasn't the best ever, I found out just before Jeff was leaving again - for some more training missions, but no matter. Explaining to Scott made up for that, getting him to understand what "brother or sister" meant wasn't very easy, but was eventually conveyed.
It was also interesting to convey the point of him not climbing onto me and hitting me in the stomach by accident. To be more careful, he didn't understand why really, but then again at just under three you wouldn't expect him too. It was about this time when he discovered the exact wonders of TV - and the numerous buttons on the remote control all did some weird and wonderful thing. Oh boy, I remember having to hide it many times, and each and every one of those times he found it again. Tom & Jerry turned some interesting colours during those times.
Unfortunately Jeff was away for Scott's birthday, something which Scott didn't forgive him for easily, so we had to make up for it as best we could. We never spoilt him, well I like to think we didn't, but we liked to make sure he was happy, it's only natural. But as far as I know he enjoyed himself as much as he could on his third birthday. He had a couple of friends round, he was in Nursery, and they had fun terrorising us adults.
I went to the clinic soon after that, as a check-up, and ended up finding out I was going to have another little boy. Scott was really happy about not having a sister, which was quite amusing. Jeff was home soon after that, and we had a nice family reunion at the Farm House. Things seemed a bit hectic, even though they weren't, but nevermind, it might've just been the fact that Scott was now becoming a 3ft energy mass who loved playing with toy rockets.
Once things had quietened down, as in when Scott was happily sitting playing with his toy rockets, Jeff turned to me and asked,
"Did you have your check-up at the clinic?"
"I certainly did. Young Scott's going to have a little brother. We'll have to think of a name for him." Jeff paused, I don't know whether it's because he was thinking or whether Scott had winded him by climbing onto his lap, for quite a while then said, quite plainly.
"Virgil!"
"That's an, unusual name. What made you think of that?" I said, thinking of the only person I knew who'd ever had that name, some old roman poet who we heard about in Latin in year nine.
"Well, we named Scott after one of the early astronauts, Malcom Scott Carpenter. Virgil - Virgil Grissom was on of the greatest of them all. He was one of the original seven US astronauts and became the second man to fly into space." I'll trust him on that one.
"Yeah, Gus Grissom was a real hero." Said Mr Tracy, walking back in from the kitchen with some drinks, "Unfortunately he died in a launch test fire with Ed White and Roger Chaffey."
"Then Virgil it will be." I said, with definite agreement. "It will be good to keep alive the name of such an important man." The last bit was more of keeping them happy, as I wasn't 100 percent sure of who he was, but he sounded like he was important and therefore I agreed with them. Before taking Scott out to look at the horses in the yard, as he was growing restless - this happens easily. I wonder what he'll think of having a little brother named Virgil...
I think he actually thought we were joking - or at least that's what the look on his face said when we'd agreed on calling his new brother Virgil - and didn't actually believe us until when he'd actually got his little brother and we were calling him Virgil. So with a three year old and a new baby I was glad I didn't have to worry about going back to work again...
Well, until Virgil got old enough to understand what poking was. Wars of which Scott would readily join in with. We, Mrs Tracy and I, soon discovered the easiest, and quickest, way of breaking these wars up was to supply Scott with a cookie or two. Which made Scott get up and walk off to go and eat it away from Virgil, and then to play with his rockets. Originally we tried supplying them both with food, Scott with cookies and seeing as though Virgil hadn't quite mastered the art of eating solids at that stage he got supplied with his juice bottle, which wasn't good as they both continued poking each other whilst eating and drinking, whilst making as much mess as possible.
As Scott was now able to copy words he heard one of us say, without realising, he was attempting to teach Virgil how to talk. Some of the words he was trying to teach him I don't know where they came from. Evidently he has very sharp hearing. I had to give him many talking's about how he wasn't supposed to know these words, especially about not teaching them to his younger brother. I don't think he ever listened to the last part. Well, he did, but only just enough to ensure we never caught him.
We didn't get much time to think about it really as Christmas was coming back around, which a) meant Scott put all efforts into teaching Virgil how to say "Santa" and b) we were al rushed off our feet preparing for Christmas day, which meant buying presents, food, and decorating the house. Decorating the house was fun. Scott could half remember what it had been like last year and was all too keen to help, whilst adding numerous amounts of sticky stars, which usually go onto presents as decoration, onto Virgil. He didn't really appreciate it, and got his own back by getting a stick on bow into Scott's hair. I remember the scream when he tried to pull it out. I couldn't help but think he deserved it, as it wasn't too difficult to get out, well, I'm sure Grandma - sorry, Mrs Tracy - has had enough experience to get most things out of a young boy's hair.
But the two boys had fun together decorating the lower branches of the Christmas tree, Scott put them on, whilst Virgil got them out of the box, well that's what it was like most of that half an hour when they were busy occupied. They both seemed very content, and unusually quiet. Maybe that's where Virgil's love for Art started, whenever Scott wasn't looking he seemed very intent on looking at the various decorations, but it's more likely he was just bored, as Scott didn't seem to be letting him do much else. I can't really see a 5 month old being that interested in Art - but I've seen those boys do some pretty wacky things before.
If we thought it would be quiet for Christmas, we were mistaken. We'd invited Nina over for Christmas, she was now 15. Actually it was usually the way, she usually came over for Christmas, as I doubted mother would bother changing her usual goings on just for one day of the year. No one ever minded, Nina got on well with Scott, well, as well as she could. Mr & Mrs Tracy never objected to her and neither did Jeff. You'd never actually look at Nina and the boys together and think she was their Aunty; she seemed more like their cousin.
Not that it mattered, as she knew how to keep them quiet whilst we cleared up or whatever. Which meant clearing up was quicker and therefore they were less likely to get bored. Not that I've ever seen Scott bored, if he does get near that he usually find the sofa makes a good adventure.
As wonderful as Christmas is you can't help but long for the piece and quiet that follows. When all everyone seems to want to do is sleep - I was all for that. But when you have a 3 year old and a 5 month old around it's not the easiest of tasks.
Time goes way too quickly when you're having fun, the year went past very quickly, Scott's fourth birthday went quickly, and Virgil's first did too. Now they can both walk around and communicate in simple words. They had an interesting late Christmas present, in which I discovered that I was pregnant again. Scott overheard me telling Jeff, and soon told Virgil, who didn't understand. Scott only knew what we were talking about because he remembered the words. So we repeated what we did to Scott a couple of years ago - explaining that they were going to get a new brother or sister. We decided that we'd let it be a surprise this time. I really wanted a girl, but I didn't mind because I almost consider Nina one of my own, because I looked after her so much, but she's my sister.
It was another boy, we named him John. After John Glenn - the first American to fly round the Earth. Scott was 5, Virgil was 2 and we had another little baby. I'm surprised John survived as long as he did with Scott and Virgil as his older brothers...
Scott and Virgil were close, most of the time, and spend many days hunting mythical things, I'm sure more than once they'd come into dinner from the garden saying they were hunting for Aliens. I've always blamed that influence on Jeff, but at least they're amusing themselves. So I can look after John, whilst keeping half an eye on them. Most days it's nice enough to sit outside so whilst they're rummaging around in the bushes I can keep tabs on where they are whilst talking to Grandma - everyone accepts that as her name now, except Jeff obviously - and keeping John occupied or fed.
That was the least of the tricks they'd get up to, I know for a fact that those curtains did not fall down purely by themselves. What I don't know is who attempted to climb them and for what purpose.
It was one evening when I was sat outside with John, who seemed perfectly content in being half asleep on my knee when I heard someone pummelling the piano and a lot of shouting. That woke John up. He started crying, as most babies do when they wake up suddenly. I went back inside to find Virgil hitting the piano keys in an attempt to make a lot of noise and Scott shouting at him to stop. It wasn't difficult to get him to stop, but I had to rebuke Scott for some of the words he was using. Which Virgil then thought would be funny to copy. I don't think either of then have had such a lecture from me.
That's when we discovered Virgil's, erm, fascination with all things vaguely musical. He didn't mind being taught how to hit the keys gently to make noise and not have people yell at him for making an annoying lot of noise. But we had to have numerous rounds of the scale of middle C - because of it. Basically the only thing he could remember.
Scott, however, was all for pretending to shoot him with his toy gun if he didn't stop. He didn't get anywhere, except falling off the piano stool in the attempt. This, in all honesty, was quite amusing.
So days, weeks, months went by with laughter and family fun. Jeff and I attempted to teach Scott how to play Monopoly when he was 6, we didn't get anywhere so we stuck with simpler games such as Hungry Hippos and/or jigsaw puzzles.
Sooner than I remember I discovered yet again, and for the fourth time I was pregnant. Which Jeff found a wonderful Valentine's Day present - the birth of his fourth son. Gordon - named after Gordon Cooper again another early astronaut. John didn't appreciate not being the youngest any more. The boys ages were now: Scott was 8, Virgil was 5 and John was 3, and Gordon obviously just born. Gordon was premature by about a month - the only one we were worried about not surviving past a couple of weeks.
Scott had now been at primary school for quite a while now - or at least it's American equivalent, which I shall always call Primary - and was slowly but surely getting more and more homework, which he did not like. Virgil was just starting Primary and was not getting any homework except really simple things like bring in your favourite book or whatever. So at home it was just me John and Gordon with Grandma whilst Jeff took care of business stuff and Grandpa was out on the farm.
Again it was just after things had gotten back into a nice routine when I found out that I was pregnant again. I gave up after the fifth - I decided that I would take measures to ensure that this wouldn't happen again - I thought four was a challenge enough - so let's make it five.
Alan was born right in between Scott and Gordon's birthdays - which neither appreciated. Having five children takes its toll on you, so for Gordon's party I was irritated and tired and for Scott's we had a new baby - which meant that he'd either have to have it out or have a quiet one. We named Alan after Alan B Shepard, America's first man in space.
Multitasking became a necessity after Alan was born. I usually had to feed both Alan and Gordon at similar times, Gordon was still quiet small - but had now started waking, which wasn't necessarily a good thing.
That was the worst year, once Alan turned one and started walking things quietened down. Because it meant that the eldest three were old enough to look after themselves if the occasion demanded and the youngest two could entertain themselves in as many ways possible and therefore did not have to keep me busy 24/7. More like 23/7, nah I'm just kidding, they kept me busy quite a lot though. I'd never have managed without Grandma's help, oh boy - with those five on the loose! You've got to be joking; they're all smallish masses of energy who seem intent upon causing as much mayhem as possible - as all young boys do.
Cinn: Yay! I've finally finished this chapter - which took a lot longer than I thought. I really hope you all like the new version, because otherwise it means I have to write the last half of the original chapter five. So, please like, and please review to tell me what you think. And why can't we use symbols!
Mentions:
There are none - or at least no new ones, which I'm a tad annoyed about - but I'll get over it. Please review.