"What are we going to do first?" Yuri exclaimed, his big blue eyes the size of dinner plates as he took in his surroundings. They'd just climbed up the steps from the Metro, walking into a world of street performers, vendors selling different kinds of carnival food, and most spectacularly to the boys, a midway of different rides that would keep them busy all day long.

"What would you like to do first?" his mother asked with a smile as she worked to unclasp the buckles of the carrier she was wearing Vasily in on her back. Not surprisingly, the youngest boy had been a busy baby since birth. At two and a half years old he was vehemently opposed to sitting for very long in a stroller or being carried around by his mother. He wanted to try and keep up with his older brothers and now that they had completed their travels to getting here, Galina couldn't deny him that.

"The Tea Cups!" Yuri replied, pointing over at the spinning ride he always persuaded Galina onto during their annual trips to Coney Island. It was reaching the end of August and spending a day here had become a traditional way for Galina to wrap up the summer holidays before school began again. She could hardly believe that Yuri would be entering the first grade, with Maxim beginning junior kindergarten at fortunately only half-days. It made Galina sad to realize how quickly they were growing up, and made her grateful that she at least got to have Vasily at home for a couple more years. Even though the toddler was currently working to bolt away from her, it just made the times he was content to still be her baby all the more special.

"The Tea Cups," Galina repeated warily, just as Maxim rushed over and began tugging at the skirt of her red sundress. "Why don't we pick something that isn't so spinney first? Let your Mamochka work up to that, huh?" She glanced back over her shoulder and winked. "Unless Papa wants to ride it with you instead?"

"Say what?" Dmitri asked, raising his eyebrows. He had been staggering behind them for most of the journey so far. Wearing blue jeans and a blue button-up, he wasn't dressed appropriately for the August heat and was already complaining about how warm he was. He had almost tried to cancel on them at the last minute, when a mysterious phone call about some work had come in for him right when they were about to leave. However, his boss had consented to see him when he got back from the trip, urging Dmitri to enjoy his family.

"Do you want to ride in a Tea Cup with your sons?" his wife asked him coyly, pointing in the direction of the spinning ride that she had already rode several times in the past with the boys. Last year, Vasily had still been too small to ride on most things, and to give her attention to the older two, Galina had needed to pay for a sitter, a teenage girl from the neighbourhood, to accompany her and hold onto the baby. Since she'd always managed to muddle through with Yuri and Maxim alone, it had been challenging to accept that there were things it was just impossible to do safely when you had more children than hands.

"What do you think?" Dmitri replied sarcastically, as he sank down onto the first vacant park bench that they had reached. He watched with tired eyes as Vasily, finally free from his mother's grip began attempting to run away from the family. He had only taken a few steps away however, when Yuri sprinted over and gripped his hand.

"Please, Papa?" Maxim begged, walking up and tugging on the sleeve of his father's shirt. "We won't spin it too fast for you."

Galina sighed as she tossed the bag she had packed with Vasily's diapers and bottles of water and snacks for them all onto the bench beside Dmitri. She pulled out her wallet and then turned to her three sons. Yuri was still holding tightly to Vasily's hand. Knowing full well that Dmitri couldn't tolerate even the slowest of rides without getting sick and that Yuri and Maxim were apparently not to be persuaded to choose something else first, there was really no choice in the matter for her.

"Let's go buy our tickets first and then I'll take you on the Teacups," she announced, much to their delight. "Have mercy," she muttered under her breath.

"I'll wait here," Dmitri told her. As an afterthought he added thoughtfully. "Do you want me to watch Vasily for you?"

"No, that's alright," Galina replied, walking forward to take Vasily's tiny hand in hers. "I think he's tall enough now."

Lately, Dmitri had been making a considerable effort to be more involved in his children's lives. It was one of the reasons he was even with them at Coney Island when he had never accompanied them on the trip before. He said it was because Galina had been nicer and more considerate of him lately, and that made him want to spend more time with his family, or at least not deliberately avoid them as much. He still wasn't much help, but it was good for her to have another adult with her when she took the boys to busy places like this. She too, was aware of the differences in their relationship, or rather the changes that she had intentionally invoked to keep the peace. Her choices had everything to do with maintaining a stable home life for her sons, and almost nothing to do with actual affections, but she let Dmitri draw his own conclusions.

They'd stayed together when many others would have walked away, and it was that choice that would primarily shape them and their children going forward. Whether it was the right one or the wrong one, Galina couldn't tell. All she knew was that she felt a father was important to have in the home, and she thought her sons were better off living with both of them, rather than being moved back and forth every-other weekend. So, she'd taken the steps necessary to maintain that for them, working to keep the home as harmonious as she could by being more accepting of Dmitri and behaving more in the way she knew he expected a wife to be. She offered her husband sex, food, and a relatively easy life, asking for little else in return, other than that he go out and bring home a paycheck and behave like an involved father when he was around. So far, it seemed to be working. Especially, as the boys grew out of babyhood and became less needy. They had an arrangement.

Galina bought them all arm bands which meant unlimited rides all day and gritted her teeth at the cost. What she spent today would take her nearly a week to earn back in the store, but she saved up to do this with them every summer. She allowed Yuri and Maxim to lead the way to the lineup for the spinning tea cups, while she walked behind them holding tight to Vasily's hand. She let out a breath of relief when it was affirmed that he was indeed tall enough to ride this year. She would have felt like a monster sending him back to sit with his father. He hated to be left out.

A few minutes later, she found herself sitting in a round cup with the boys. One arm was wrapped around Vasily protectively, holding him close to her. Her other hand was gripping tightly to the steering wheel in the center. She fully intended to hold it as still as she could, but the giggling in the ride between the three brothers told her they had different plans.

"Mama, can we spin it?" Yuri pleaded as they began to move.

"Fine," Galina gave in, throwing up her hand and giving them reluctant free reign. "Have fun!" She leaned back into the seat, bringing her hand up to brush her hair back as they began to turn more rapidly as they took speed. She'd willingly gotten in when she knew it was going to make her dizzy and nauseous, just because she'd decided the grins on her boys' faces were more important. And as she watched them having the times of their lives, Galina couldn't resist a small smile of her own.

As an old woman reflecting back someday, she knew she would remember these years as some of the happiest and most fulfilling of her life. They were passing so quickly and she wanted to hang on to every moment, while also wondering how she would survive another day of the exhaustion and madness that came from parenting three small boys. Her love of being a mother was somehow the answer and she felt content now that she had everything she had ever wanted.

There was a sense of peace that came from being settled into a home and the stability of a family she had built. It might lack a desired daughter, but seeing her three boys together was so beautiful that it didn't seem to matter, and even Dmitri agreed with his wife's decision not to have anymore babies. It was too hard on her body, their finances, and, in Dmitri's opinion, had been the reason for the problems in their marriage. Now things were beginning to settle down, and the years following Vasily's birth were ones of gradual acceptance between the husband and wife. Galina and Dmitri had come to terms with who each other were, what they had, and why they'd both decided to stay. At least on the surface, their family appeared to be thriving.

"Can we go on the Mamochka Drunk Ride again?" Yuri asked boldly, giving his mother a cheeky giggle as she led them back towards their waiting father after their third round on the Teacups.

"I beg your pardon?" Galina said, rubbing the palm of her hand over her flushed cheek.

"You look like you're drunk," Yuri announced, without skipping a beat. "You can't walk straight."

"And how do you even know what the word drunk means?" Galina asked dryly. They reached the bench where Dmitri was still sitting and she threw her hands out to feel its boards before she sat down beside him.

"Babushka and Dedushka got drunk on the Fourth of July," Yuri reminded her. "That's what Papa told me, when I asked why they were acting so weird."

"Wonderful examples," Galina rolled her eyes over at her husband. She hadn't wanted to attend that supper with her in-laws for that reason, among others. However, her resolve to give in to Dmitri's wishes more meant she had been seeing a lot more of them than she would have preferred. She didn't push the subject however, as she motioned to the bag on Dmitri's other side.

"Water," she pleaded weakly to her husband, "and please tell me that it's cold."

"It is cold," Dmitri replied. Rummaging into the bag he emerged with a stainless-steel water bottle and handed it to her. "You packed them in ice-packs, remember?"

"Oh, thank God," Galina exclaimed. Without unscrewing the lid, she pressed the cool metal up against her face.

"Mama, can we go on that next?" Maxim asked, pointing up at the sky towards the Ferris wheel in the distance.

"Give me five minutes," Galina told him, alternating the cool bottle of water to the other side of her face.

"Yes, let Mama have a rest," Dmitri echoed. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer until her head was resting against his shoulder. She could have been tempted to pull away but she resisted. Her blue eyes danced up to look at their three children, all happy and secure in the knowledge that they had two parents who loved each other. And she felt in her heart that she was doing the right thing.

XXX

"I can't believe this happened to me," Dmitri was complaining later that evening. Sitting on the foot of one of the two beds in the room, he reached up to touch the top of his head and then winced from the pain.

"Why didn't you remind me?" He called into the bathroom.

"Remind you about what? That you're going bald?" Galina asked, walking over to stand in the door frame of the bathroom. She had Vasily in her arms, wrapped in a white towel and fresh from a bath.

"Maxim, keep the water in the tub," she scolded, glancing back over her shoulder. Then she stepped over to the bed and sat Vasily down on it beside his father.

"Will you put his diaper on?" she asked.

"Can't you see I'm in a bit too much agony right now?" Dmitri moaned. "The sun was just beaming down on me all day."

"Well, maybe you should have worn your hat," Galina said unsympathetically. Leaving Vasily seated on the bed working to untangle himself from the towel he was swaddled in, Galina walked back over to the bathroom to supervise the other two. Maxim was sitting in the tub playing with the cup she had used to rinse the soap off of them all. Yuri was standing in front of the sink, dressed in his pajamas, brushing his teeth.

"Your turn, honey," Galina told Maxim. Holding out another towel to him she helped him step out of the tub and then dried him off. "Let's go get dressed, hmm?"

Maxim slipped out of the towel and ran bare-naked out into the room. He did a flying leap onto the bed where Vasily was also bouncing happily, while Dmitri continued to sit on the edge and sulk.

"Oh my God," Dmitri groaned, "I can't wait until they're asleep." Standing up he moved over to the still untouched bed closer to the window. He found the television remote in the drawer and then flipped it on, leaning back against the headboard.

"Alright," Galina yawned spontaneously. She shook her head as Yuri shoved past her to join his brothers. He leaped onto the bed, and soon the three of them were crawling around the mattress like animals, two still without a stitch of clothing on. Suppressing another yawn, she walked over to the suitcase set on the bureau and began to pull out pajamas for them.

"I need my boys in their pajamas now because it's time for bed," she called over her shoulder. Turning around she motioned over with her hand. "Maxim, come get dressed."

Maxim groaned but hopped down from the bed. He frowned when she passed him his night clothes.

"I want you to help put them on me," Maxim said imploringly, as he tried to pass them back to her.

Galina didn't bother pointing out that he was more than capable of dressing himself. Sometimes Maxim got in moods where he sought out a little extra care from her. He still sometimes could act jealous of Vasily, resentful that he had lost his place as the baby in the family. Since it was usually just Galina on her own with the children, she tended to over-praise their growing independence as it eased her load. However, she tried to remain conscious of when they were seeking out a little extra attention. Dressing her capable four-year-old was really not too much to do, she reminded herself, as she knelt down to slip his Bugs Bunny t-shirt and matching shorts on. As soon as he was dressed, he ran off to re-join his brothers.

"Did you bring anything for a sunburn?" Dmitri asked her, calling over the noise of the television and Yuri and Vasily who were crawling around on the adjacent bed.

"I brought sunscreen," Galina called back, as she got up off her knees. "To prevent a sunburn."

"Well, you never gave any to me," Dmitri complained.

"You saw me slathering it on myself and the boys all day," Galina reminded him. Grabbing a diaper and night shirt for Vasily, she walked over to the bed and caught him in mid-leap. Vasily had been about to attempt jumping from one bed to the next. "Yuri, Maxim," she called to the other two. "Get into bed."

Together they jumped one final time, landing on their bottoms on the mattress. Laughing together, they scrambled under the covers, still sitting up in wait for their mother's goodnight kisses. They seemed to be of boundless energy, although they had been going all day and would probably crash as soon as the light turned off.

Galina lay Vasily down on the bed and quickly diapered him and pulled a shirt up over his head. Leaning over him, she kissed his cherub cheek playfully and then the other when it made him giggle. As she went to straighten up, Vasily gripped tightly to her red sundress with his tiny fists and came up too. Now over-tired, he was beginning to feel sleepy again as the room quieted and he needed his mama close to fall asleep. It had been like that every day since he was born.

Scooping him up, Galina balanced him on her hip as she walked over to the other bed where Yuri and Maxim were waiting for her.

"Lie down," she instructed them, and when they wriggled down in the bed she pulled the covers up under their chin and smoothed them. Then, she leaned over to kiss them both goodnights. "I love you, my boys," she told them, flicking the light switch off.

"Mama," Yuri called, in the dark.

"Yes, darling?" Galina asked. She brought a hand up to wedge between her breast and Vasily, who was busy burrowing his face against the fabric of her dress.

"Tomorrow, can we ride on the Teacups again?" he asked hopefully.

"I think so," Galina replied with a small smile, adjusting Vasily in her arms. "Maybe once or twice after breakfast."

Although it wasn't a far distance from Coney Island to their home in Astoria, Dmitri and Galina had decided to reserve a room in a simple but clean hotel just a short distance from the Boardwalk. Galina had wanted to show the boys the fireworks show and the rides when they were all lit up, but since she hadn't been comfortable taking the subway with them after dark, staying at a hotel just seemed to make sense. It made this simple outing she took them on every summer feel more like a grand adventure, even though they were less than an hour from home. And it would mean they could go on rides and have some more fun tomorrow until it was time to go.

"Milky," Vasily whimpered at her sadly.

"Shhhhh," his mother soothed. "Do you want some water, baby?" she offered him as an alternative. She picked up his sippy cup from the table and held it out to him, but Vasily just shoved it angrily away.

"No," he pouted, pressing his face down mournfully against her chest again. Galina sighed and carried him back over to the bed. Weaning him from breastfeeding had so far been proving to be a difficult task, which wasn't helped along by her not being too eager to end that part of their relationship either. She'd now successfully nursed three babies, but while Yuri and Maxim had been finished around a year, Vasily was still wanting as they were slowly approaching the age of three. If it wasn't for Dmitri's disapproval, Galina would be content to allow him to nurse until he decided he was done with it on his own.

Still wearing the same dress, she had had on all day, Galina laid Vasily down in the center of the bed next to Dmitri and then scooted in beside him. She manipulated the blankets to form a sort of barricade between them, effectively blocking her breasts to keep him from accessing them. Shushing his whimpering protests, she smoothed back his hair and kissed his cheeks again. She was trying to comfort and soothe him to sleep without breastfeeding. The bedtime nursing was the one he loved the most.

"What's wrong with him?" Dmitri asked with a frown. He had been lying on his side facing away but now rolled over to his other side to look at them.

"He's not used to being away from home at night," Galina said sympathetically, as she stroked her son's dark hair off of his face. She paused and then moved her hand back to lay flat against his forehead.

"He feels a little warm to me," she observed. "Are you sick, baby?"

"He probably has what I have," Dmitri told her. " Too much sun. I feel like someone is drilling a hole into my brain and I feel cold, even though I know it's warm in here."

"How's your sunburn?" Galina asked him flatly. She pulled the blankets tightly against her chest as Vasily was attempting to pry them away so he could reach her breasts.

"Painful," Dmitri replied. "I guess I'll buy a hat in the morning before we go out." He sighed, reaching out his hand to touch his son's shoulder. "Do you want me to try with him for a bit?"

"Seriously?" Galina blinked in surprise.

"Well, unless you give in and let him suck on your tit I know he won't go to sleep for you," Dmitri replied.

"Fine," Galina said shortly, not bothering to retort back against his crude comment. He made it sound like she was doing, or had been, doing something wrong. Something inappropriate with her son that was sickening and needed to be stopped. Even if she did agree that Vasily was getting a little older than she'd prefer to breastfeed, she begrudged the notion that anyone could make something that had nourished and bonded them since his birth seem dirty. She bit down on her tongue so that she wouldn't be tempted to lash back.

Gently shifting Vasily closer to his father, she crawled out of the bed which only made her son fuss more loudly. "I'm going to take a shower," she told them. Walking past Yuri and Maxim, she could tell that they were both already sleeping soundly, as she had predicted.

XXX

Galina had barely gotten wet when she heard the door open and sighed. She'd half expected Dmitri to pass her a crying Vasily though the shower curtain and say he couldn't take it anymore, the other part of her assumed it might be one of the bigger boys needing to use the toilet. Tilting her head back to allow the water to spray down her long red hair, Galina's eyes widened in alarm when the curtain was pulled back and Dmitri stepped in.

"Get out of the way," he told her with frantic urgency. "I need the shower more than you do. O Gospodi!" His words were muffled from the toothbrush he had hanging out of his mouth.

"What the f*ck?" Galina exclaimed angrily, as she was pushed aside. Stepping back against the far wall of the tub she glared at her husband who had immediately begun soaping up his body like he was afraid of catching the plague. All the while, he continued to use his other hand to brush ferociously at his teeth.

"What is the matter with you?"

"You can't smell it?" Dmitri demanded. "That Осёл threw up all over me. Some of it got in my mouth!"

"Vasily?" Galina asked sharply.

"It's everywhere," Dmitri exclaimed, as he looked down and spit a mouthful of toothpaste forcefully down the drain. "It's sickening."

"Well, where is he?" she said incredulously. Stepping out of the tub, she hastily wrapped a towel around herself and walked back out into the main room. By some miracle, Yuri and Maxim were both still sleeping soundly, while Vasily sat up in the middle of their bed crying so loudly it amazed his mother that she hadn't heard it over the water.

"Oh, moy rebenok," Galina exclaimed. Wasting no time, she walked over to Vasily and scooped her baby up in her arms. He was covered in his own vomit. His mouth covered, so that Galina didn't even hesitate before instinctively using the tail end of the towel she was wearing to wipe his face off.

"Shhh, it's alright," she comforted. "Mama get you cleaned up."

"Mama," Vasily sobbed, as Galina set him on the edge of the bed and quickly whipped his drenched night shirt up over his head, leaving him in just a diaper which had gotten splattered too. She took him back in her arms and then flicked on the lamp to its lowest setting, trying not to wake the others. She could see that the bedding had been completely destroyed too.

"Hurry up, Dima," Galina called, trying to keep the anger in her tone under control as she walked back into the bathroom with her son in her arms. "He needs to get cleaned up too." Setting Vasily down on the floor, Galina knelt to untape his diaper while he looked at her with watery brown eyes that seemed sunken. How had she not noticed how sick he had become?

After what felt like far too long, Dmitri stepped out of the shower and grabbing a towel, left the bathroom without another word. Galina set the stopper in the bath and then began to fill the tub up with water, kneeling on the floor still wearing only the towel that now had vomit residue on the edges.

She didn't fill the tub too much. As soon as there was enough depth to it she sat Vasily in it and immediately began lathering him up. She washed his hair quickly while he cried and then cleaned the rest of him as fast as she could. She didn't want him to get chilled. She lifted him out of the tub as quickly as she had put him in and then wrapped him up in a fresh towel before carrying him out.

"We need to call housekeeping," Galina was saying, as she dug out a clean diaper for her son. She changed him on the floor and decided against dressing him in more clean clothing, in case he got sick again, and instead wrapped him up in an extra blanket one of the other boys had kicked off their bed.

"Dmitri?" she said, looking around when she got no reply. She didn't immediately spot him. She thought perhaps he may have thought of it on his own and gone out to the lobby himself to see about laundry pick up and getting clean sheets for the bed. However, she soon spied him tucked under the blanket with Yuri and Maxim. He had pushed the boys over to make room for himself and almost looked to be already sleeping himself.

"Dmitri?" Galina said again incredulously.

"What?" her husband asked, opening up a single eyelid to squint at her.

Galina sucked in her breath too mad to even reply. She dropped her own towel and quickly slipped on her own nightgown and the hotel issued robe on top of that so she would at least feel semi presentable. Since she wasn't about to leave Vasily alone with his father again, she carried him with her, walking out of their hotel room and down the hall to where the lobby they had checked into that afternoon was.

Nobody was at the desk right away when she got there. She had to wait for a few minutes, feeling self-conscious of herself in public wearing nothing but her nightgown and robe. She hadn't even remembered to slip on a pair of shoes. Her bare feet felt cool against the tile, her red nail polish gleaming.

"Yes, ma'am, may I help you?" a voice asked, just when Galina was about to give up and go back to the room. A young man in a pressed black suit walked up and slipped behind the front desk.

"Yes," she answered. "I'm afraid my son got very sick. All the bedding needs to be washed and we'll need another set. I'm very sorry," she added apologetically.

"It happens," the clerk said with a kind smile. "All the rides and swallowing salt water if they go swimming in the bay. We get sick kids her a lot. I'll have housekeeping meet you at your room."

"Thank you," Galina replied. She walked back to the room, slightly breathless with her bundle of child still in her arms. Vasily was clutching onto her for dear life, uttering pathetic whimpering sounds making it quite clear he still wasn't feeling well, although she thought the worst was behind him.

Housekeeping was already waiting at the door when she got back. A woman who looked to be about her own age.

"I'm very sorry about this," Galina apologized again. She unlocked the door and led the way into the room, while the woman pushed a big cart. "Let me help you."

She set Vasily down into an arm chair by the window and then went to the other side of the bed that the housekeeper was on to assist with stripping the sodden sheets. She knew she didn't have to. But she felt uncomfortable watching the other woman working when it was Galina's son who had gotten sick. She was also eager for the process to go along faster, so she could get back to tending her baby and see about getting him to sleep.

Galina lay the fresh towels the housekeeper had brought her down on top of the sheets once she had pulled back the duvet of the newly made bed. She didn't want to have to call again if Vasily got sick a second time. So, she protected the sheets, laid him down on top of the clean towel, and then crawled in beside him. Vasily appeared to be on the brink of sleep, which was what he needed. She leaned over him to get the light, giving her sleeping husband a final dirty look before the room darkened.

"Mama," Vasily whimpered, reaching out his arms to her.

"Shhhh, darling, I'm right here," she reminded him. She had already slipped out of the robe, now curling onto her side to lie with him. Her left arm was curved over his head on the pillow.

Vasily wiggled even closer to her in the big bed they at least didn't have to share with his father that night. Galina knew Dmitri wouldn't come back for anything. He had a phobia of germs and would treat their son like a ticking time bomb since he had gotten sick on him. At the thought, Galina's lips tugged into a malicious smile. She thought Dmitri had deserved it.

She smoothed Vasily's hair back and double checked his blankets to make sure he was covered and warm enough. Then, because it was natural and felt right, she pulled down the front of her nightgown and wordlessly offered to nurse him. Vasily latched on immediately in pure desperation, as all thoughts about him being too old flew out of his mother's mind.

He was still her baby and he needed her, Galina resolved as she wrapped her arm around him and hugged him close while he breastfed. She wasn't going to let Dmitri pressure her about pushing her son away when he still sought out this comfort from her. Some things couldn't be rushed.

Thank you for reading.