Cinn: Now, I shall get this right and I shall not be distracted and I shall not get rushed. This is the problem with exams - they seriously screw your brain, and you're boredom threshold becomes even lower than it was. And stuff the American education system because I don't understand it - so I'm using the one I do understand - the English one - so sorry about that.
Chapter 6: Reflection; Boys will be Boys
My boys, I still find myself laughing at what they got up to when they thought my back was turned. Of course my back was not in fact turned as I was all too wary for things that they could get up to, myself being a pranker at heart.
I remember back when Scott was about 1 he decided that it would be funny to barricade himself under the kitchen table, we only got him back out when he'd gotten kicked by accident when tickling Grandma behind her knee. She wasn't best pleased, and neither was he, let's leave it there.
Another time; someone, I can't remember who, had the bright idea to unleash him with the hosepipe to water the flowers - originally supervised. I don't remember anyone of us completely dry afterwards. Similar things happened whenever we got the paddling pool out.
Even when Virgil was born Scott kept up his tricks, occasionally including his brother in them. A lot of make-shift face paint got used, in the form of felt-tip pens. Luckily they were all of the washable variety. I remember thinking that I'd hate to see what would happen if either one of them discovered the joy of Spray-Mount Glue. Ironically the younger of the two - Virgil - became the artist of the five of them and probably used it a lot. Whether or not it was pay-back to many of the things Gordon did I don't know. I'd like to think that he'd at least included it in one prank throughout his life.
Around the time of John being born Scott and Virgil had started exploring every inch of the garden - letting them out of the garden was under the category of: extreme danger - they could get to, even one time talking about finding buried treasure and another time talking about hunting aliens. Grandma was forever chasing them for the pots and pans they kept using for various let's-pretend games.
I also remember being the victim of a trap they set up during one of these that was supposedly for wild animals. This would be when John was 1, possibly just gone 2, no it was defiantly before his second birthday. I gave them a lecture about how they were lucky it was me and not their Grandma who would've skinned them alive if she'd tripped into it. Actually Virgil had tried to flee for it when he first realised what had happened, I easily caught him by the scruff of his neck, so he probably thought I'd skin them alive as well. They got the point, and made sure all their other ones were carefully placed where no adults could accidentally get into them.
Gordon - now he was always a trouble maker. I'm sure Scott taught him a little too much during the first couple of years of his life. They drove me mad together, well, not as bad as Gordon and Alan when they were about 5 and 6, now they were an ultimate double trouble pair. When together the cookie jar was usually under thread of invasion.
Oh, why did Scott end up chasing John and Virgil around the house with a ruler when he was 9? Oh yes, the younger two boys had decided it would be a good idea to lock him out of his room with pennies. That was my fault, I'd been trying to get the shed door to keep shut and had to resort to sticking pennies under it, until finding a better solution, John and Virgil happened to be present at the time. Gordon didn't appreciate his tower being knocked down by his eldest brother in the chase, Scott ended up running out of his room screaming when he woke up the next day because of the fake spider Gordon had planted.
Those boys - half the time I really did think they'd send me to an early grave. But I'd never have changed them for anything. One of the most chaotic times was around the summer when their ages were as follows: Scott was 11, Virgil was 7 (about to go 8), John was 5 (soon to go 6), Gordon was 3, and Alan was 2. So you can probably imagine the trouble they caused. Scott soon to be starting High School, and Gordon was just discovering the absolute wonders of glue, well anything sticky. That isn't any influence of mine at all... Insert shifty look here.
Most evenings were filled with Scott trying to do whichever homework he'd been landed with, until the holidays when he was still sat at the table only usually with his Gameboy, Virgil playing the piano until Scott shouted at him to stop because he couldn't concentrate, which usually didn't go down well with the younger of the two. John would, rather sensibly, sit in a window or somewhere half reading, half gazing out of said window his mind in cuckoo land. Gordon and Alan would be watching TV, or at least start off doing so until Gordon got fidgety and decided to pull some kinda of stunt. Gordon is the only 3 year old I've known that does not becomes entranced by Tom and Jerry - or at least in the same way as any other three year old seems too. Usually consisting of: tipping his drink over Alan, or turning the volume right up, or helping Scott stop Virgil playing the piano. Personally, I think all three were rather amusing options, until Alan started screaming in the first.
You may think that the boys didn't get along - the opposite is by far more accurate. Scott's Big-Brother mode could turn on very easily, as it transpired when he beat up two people in the year below him who where picking on Virgil. Then Virgil discovered that he could do the same for John; get Scott to sort it out. Explaining the difference between what was allowed and what was not allowed at school didn't meet universal approval. As I had three small boys shouting at me that it wasn't fair because they were being attacked in the first place so what was wrong with evening it out? I explained that there were other ways of "making it even" but they didn't seem to think it as even enough. I know at one point during this shouting match Jeff walked in and took enough time to note what was going on and walked out again.
"Look, I know it probably seems more fair to get back at them like that, but -"
"Mum! School doesn't care. They don't do anything so we have to sort it out ourselves!" An outraged Scott shouted back at me,
"Do you want to get yourself chucked out?"
"No, but they won't, they don't chuck bullies out, so why would they chuck someone out who's just stopping them getting their brother?"
"He's got a point, Mum." John said, might be young, but still smart.
"I know he has, but you do not need to sink to their level to stop them."
"Sink to their level?" Virgil asked, looking puzzled.
"Doing what they do, basically making you look as bad as them by behaving like them." Scott explained, "But that's not what we were doing!"
"Isn't it? From what I was told you gave out two black eyes, Scott." I replied, he opened his mouth to reply but I cut across him, "I don't care what you think; I am not having you chucked out, which I'm afraid means abiding by School's rules. They include 'no fighting'."
They went reasonably quietly after that, but they didn't like it. Well, not until they learnt that they could get the bullies suspended by talking to teachers.
That summer, middle of July, Jeff and I had decided that we'd go for a picnic, with all the boys of course, and Grandma and Grandpa.
What a splendid day it was - most of it. We had to walk for quite a bit to get to the field we'd decided was best. Gordon and Alan didn't appreciate this, Alan was carried most of the way and Gordon just lumped it, not that he didn't try to get carried. Sorting out sandwiches was also interesting. Before John we used to just bring a huge selection and everyone would just take their pick. But as John seemed to have more allergies and eating preferences than you could shake a stick at, we had to make sure he got ones that he could/would eat. It wasn't too difficult as long as no one else stole his, as Gordon loved cheese more than all the others and as there was an extra supply because of John, he was all too eager to help John eat them. Not that John needed the help.
We got many pictures of that day, they're all good ones, even if you can't see John too clearly on a few because of his hat, the same with Alan, and Gordon was usually blurred as he doesn't do keeping still for longer than a second too well. I'm used to that, not one of the boys mastered that until they got to 4, Alan included which meant a few of him were blurred too, and even then hadn't completely. But you can tell it is Gordon for two reasons, 1) you can usually see all the other boys and 2) he's the only redhead.
When the food had been finished, or mostly finished, the football game started. A very interesting version as there were only five of them playing, not counting Gordon running across the pitch every once in a while. So it was two a side and one in goal, goalie had to remain neutral and stop anything that went that way. Well, that was the theory, which didn't take into account a three and a two year old who only half wanted to join in.
Basically it was all great until Alan got tired. A tired Alan was usually a grumpy Alan, and a grumpy Alan will usually do a lot of complaining. This happened once he got hit round the head, by accident, by a football. This meant everyone had to have a go at calming him down, no one managed it. So we had to pack up then and head back home. Which was a rather bad end to a great day - but at least the rest of it had been good.
The next day started with a few loud shouts: A delighted scream, a shout of shut-up and then a door banging open and a 7 year old figure bouncing onto mine and Jeff's bed. The mental note I made that time: Next time Virgil enters an Art Competition make sure that the winning announcement is not discovered at 8 in the morning on a Saturday by said entrant.
"I WON!" Came the shout from the delighted boy less than a metre away from me.
"Shush Virg; your brothers are still asleep, as was I a moment ago." I said, half asleep, slowly waking up. You've got to hand it to Jeff, he's able to sleep through practically anything, but he always knows if something is wrong and will wake up, strange.
"But Mum!" He whined, he liked being able to talk about having won something, especially when it came to Art and Music.
"It's 8 in the morning; you know what Alan is like when he's woken up this early." I said, getting up, he'd never go back to bed and I'd never get back to sleep. "C'mon, let's go get you a nice celebratory special breakfast, eh?" I continued, holding out my hand indicating him to follow. He did so with a very pleased look on his face.
He learnt one lesson that day, which was to never, ever wake his brothers up before 8:30 unless it was school or an emergency. They didn't like the fact that he'd screamed the fact that he'd won at 8 in the morning. I'm sure Scott tipped Gordon to switch the salt and sugar many times that day.
However it did made a change from most mornings having to wake up to various screams of "Gordon!" which is what happened most mornings, until both me and Jeff had to lecture him about waking people up so early in the morning.
It was also a summer of what can we do for days out? Museums were out; Scott was old enough to understand why we went but didn't have to like it and usually made that known on the way. He was alright once we got there. Virgil and John were at the age where as long as it's vaguely interesting they'll be intrigued. Alan and Gordon were at the age when standing and/or sitting still for a while weren't an option.
The park was a good option but it got boring after a few times as did activity centres, apparently. May I ask what happened to 'lets-pretend' games? OK Scott would have grown out of that by 11, but Virgil was the next eldest and he was 7 (8 by the end of the holidays). So things were a bit dull - except Gordon's pranks - except for the days when we all went to some amusement park or whatever. But in all honesty I think Gordon's pranks - or attempts at pranks at his present age - were more amusing.
But the holidays passed quickly enough, and the boys had the joy of school again. Scott was looking forward to school (oddly enough) because he was going to High School and it would be all new and different. Virgil and John weren't because it meant that they were without older brother to look after them, and because they were used to Primary School anyway. John less so as he'd only had one year there. Gordon and Alan were back in Nursery every morning.
I thought I'd had to go into School often enough to see the Head when Scott, Virgil and John were there (Primary School this was) but I think Gordon and Alan out did all their totals when they got there. So many more lectures about School rules were given out. Gordon likes pranks, and Alan hates rules - the connection is pretty easy to make. Gordon was the brains behind the plots and Alan carried them out.
Whilst Alan and Gordon were at Primary School, together - they weren't as bad for the year when they were in different schools, it was practically everyday that one or both of them arrived home with another explaining their latest exploit and a request to have their creativeness put into more academic subjects. Like, 'Alan has now used up the schools supply of yellow paint to "decorate" the hamster cage' or 'Gordon and his brother Alan recently took it upon themselves to re-house any worms they found outside into pupils desk trays' then a request to explain the purposes of art classes and music lessons and other creative outlets instead of "disrupting" the school's nice, quite peaceful atmosphere. Let's just say I didn't exactly encourage the academic part, I simply tried to persuade them to use a bit more discretion and stop getting caught so much.
It was a lucky thing that by that time Scott, Virgil and John had all learnt how to avoid detentions, getting caught etc and I didn't have to sort them out whilst dealing with the youngest two.
High School was when you first saw the individuality in each of the boys the strongest. Scott's true intelligence (or stupidity as Gordon always said) was shown, especially in subjects like Maths, English, ICT and humanity subjects, whilst he became part of the "in-crowd". I didn't like the thought of him being friends with people that only liked him for being good at sports or good looking or whatever and not for his personality, but he never complained so I didn't get involved.
Virgil was one of those people that are never defined into a group, except sometimes the Reject group, but he wasn't really a reject because he had a lot of friends from classes and a small group of very good friends that he talked to all the time. Also his full creativeness and mechanical skills were shown during High School. He, obviously, excelled in Art, Music and Tech.
John was the Geek. Loved maths and sciences and so did all his friends, most weekends they did voluntary science projects to be put on displays and stuff. He was also the dreamer and the quietest of all of the boys. In his second year he got really into Athletics and Gymnastics, and was good at both, he was usually running for sports days whether it was just his school or lots of different ones - he was good at it too. He and Virgil were the only two that didn't think that having good friends that were girls was a weird thing - well during their High School years.
Gordon - need I say it? - was the prankster. He was in the same sort of group as Virgil, they were pretty similar, but was more widely popular and got into trouble a lot more and wasn't that interested in Art. He used to tell me what he'd come up with each time, I remember doing half of them myself. Gordon was into subjects like Tech, Science and PE, especially swimming. He was the water-baby, could swim on his own by the time he could walk. He won many swimming competitions, even champion at the Olympic Freestyle when he was 16. I was always so proud of him for that, I was proud of him anyway, but that was one of his finest moments.
Alan was a combination of all his brothers, in his way, but completely different at the same time. Sporty, intelligent, disregarded most rules, inventive. If ever there was someone difficult to place it was Alan. Popular, but didn't care what the "popular" people thought of him, very good at slipping out of tight spots and getting his own way if he was in trouble. He excelled in subjects like English, PE and Mechanics (Tech). I feel sorry for Alan, because he only got a couple of years where he wasn't being overshadowed by any of his brothers; those were all his final years somewhere, until he went to university.
I remember driving them to School on Alan's first day, if he thought he was worried when he stepped into the car - he was much more worried when he stepped out of the car. Gordon (second year), John (fourth year) and myself were there, Gordon and Alan were in the back together. Scott and Virgil had left and Jeff was working.
"So Sprout, your first day..." John said, turning round, with a smug look that is rarely seen on his face.
"Yes." Alan replied guardedly, he was used to all his brothers' tricks.
"Not worried? It's a big School Sprout, and you're not exactly the biggest in your year..."
"I'll be fine."
"You shouldn't be too sure Al, I you'll be surprised how much dinner money I've had stolen. You'll want to be careful; you're no bigger than me on my first day, just so you know it's much easier to hand it over without getting the black eyes." Gordon said, off-handly. Alan had turned very white.
"Yeah, it was OK when I started; I had Scott to beat up bullies." John continued, "But don't get any ideas, I'm no match for anyone who'd try." I was shaking my head, remembering the lecture I'd given Scott on beating people up.
Gordon nodded earnestly, whilst Alan stared determinedly out of the window still a very pale shade of white. A few minutes later we'd arrived and I saw them all out. Alan didn't move.
"C'mon Al, you don't want to be late on your first day."
"I don't want to get hurt."
"They were only pulling your leg, Hun, you'll be fine. None of your brothers have come home injured because of bullies." He didn't look convinced, "They'll look out for you, trust me." I added, he nodded, slightly less pale than he had been and jumped out with a mutter of "thanks". I noticed that not soon after he'd walked through the gates he'd started talking to someone his own age who looked just as terrified. I made a mental note to make sure that Gordon and John got a bit of what was coming too them when Alan was present some time, a spider in their breakfast bowls seemed like a good idea at the time. I borrowed the spiders off Gordon. Jeff and I had a difference in opinion as to whether I should've done that or not, he thinks I should've just told John and Gordon off by explaining it all.
High School and my boys was not the best mix. Yes, they were intelligent, very intelligent, but did they like rules? No they did not, some less than others. What's more because they all got on so well they kept giving each other "bright" ideas. Like Virgil informed Gordon on the different sorts of glues, he regretted that when he got covered in various different things with the wallpaper paste. And Scott didn't appreciate Gordon's general knowledge about dyes and paints which Virgil gave him, Scott ended up with bright green hair for a week. He didn't know until his father told him, Jeff was always more able to keep a straight face when dealing with Gordon's pranks - I found them far too amusing. Then there were the many modified remote controlled cars - Scott's influence no doubt - that were usually very difficult to spot and very easy to step on, fall over etc. Gordon and Alan usually only used them against people when we were all sat at the table and to use legs as an obstacle course.
Ah - good times.
Cinn: Ok, madness ensures. I hate the timelines I have available! They don't tell me what I need to know. Well, never mind, I got enough to make accurate guesses. So a whole chapter dedicated to Lucille talking about her five sons. This chapter has been annoying me because for some reason I seem to have developed a case of writers block and therefore not much got done very quickly, so it might seems a bit jumpy or something in places, I do apologise but it's because it didn't get written in a chronological order but whenever I thought of a part and wrote it in.
Also if I seem rude and don't reply to any reviews, it's not 'cause I don't appreciate them but I'm off on holiday. So the next chappie will also be slow in arriving because I won't have my computer on me.
Mentions:
starlight wishes - actually from the comics I "borrowed" off my sister both deaths were originally conceived from the TV show. One annual suggests she dies from childbirth and in the comics they have the "complete thunderbirds story" which has her dying in an avalanche. So yeah, a lil confusing. I hope I get enough interaction in this, I tried! S'ok you missed it, you came back, and that's good. Thanks for reviewing.
i'mpeckable - actually, spellchecker is only a recent thing, all my other fics (but one) have not had any interference from one, which has been annoying and gotten a lot of angry reviews about my spelling - which is appalling without help. I wanted to get all the births into one chappie and then backtrack slightly in this one and hopefully cover a lot of the boys growing up in this. Please don't kill me with sporks for the speed of the last chappie. I hope I made that up to you with this one. And would I be in a hurry to kill my main character off - actually, quiet possibly. Thanks for reviewing.