Road Trip
All of the possessions owned by the five children had still left plenty of room in the trunk's storage area, and Tony realized that he would need to ensure that more toys and clothing were purchased the minute he had a chance. Once they actually entered their Athens home, Tony had two weeks free before his cover required he begin teaching at the Navy School. He welcomed the anticipated chance to take care of business and get the family into a routine.
By the time he engaged the right turn signal and eased onto the exit ramp at his stopping place in Petersburg, Ava and Levi had already wakened. She had remained silent, watching the landscape change from her vantage point. Levi, on the other hand, had fired a barrage of questions at Tony, along with his own personal observations about the scenery, other cars, and future plans.
Once he parked, all but Vivienne rubbed sleepily at their eyes. She still slept soundly, little rosebud mouth slightly open.
Pocketing the keys, Tony turned in his seat and held up a hand. "Listen up, please. No one leaves this van without my permission, so remember that. Also, the furthest person in the car, meaning you, today, Ethan, will have the responsibility every day of staying and letting everyone else go first. That means," he raised his eyebrows at the boy, "that you must double check that no one has been left behind. We don't want to take any chances of one of you forgotten in the car."
Ethan responded by exhaling and rolling his eyes.
"If I find you incapable of handling that bit of responsibility, Ethan, then you will exchange seats with someone else. That particular duty needs a level of maturity." Tony restrained himself from snapping angrily and giving attention to the nine year old's show of attitude, deciding that time to address that could wait a bit.
"Now, we will walk into that convenience store, together, follow the signs to the restroom, and stay together while everyone has a turn."
Levi began bouncing rapturously in his seat and sang out happily, "I don't have to go, no, I don't have to go. I don't have to go, no, I don't have…"
Tony interrupted, "That's too bad, then, because only those who actually use the facilities will earn the opportunity to choose an icee or tasty beverage in the store."
"I gotta go to tee pee," Reconsidering his stance, Levi immediately began to chant instead. "I gotta go to tee pee…"
"Enough!" Tony ordered, though softened the command with "you made the right decision, Levi."
Regarding Levi skeptically, Ava whispered to the dozing Vivienne, "He means pee pee, or tee tee, not tee pee."
Before climbing from the driver's seat, Tony grabbed the stocked diaper bag off of the passenger floor and slung it onto his shoulder. Thankfully his retinue of helpers had supplied him with items which he would never even know how to locate in a store. Standing impatiently beside him in his office, the Captain had coached him as Tony packed and unpacked the bag, and not allowed to quit until he could demonstrate prowess in how to use the products correctly.
Beside diapers and wipes, a change of clothing, bibs, lotions and powders, and a couple of toys made the sides of the bag bulge.
Ava asked permission to unbuckle, which he granted, so by the time he rounded the back of the van and opened the door the only two left to free from seat belt straps were Elijah and Vivienne.
While Tony fought his way through the car seat restraints of the three year old, then the eighteen month old, Ava and Levi seized advantage of his preoccupation and raced into the store. Grabbing Vivienne like a football he planned to hurl down the field Tony backed out of the van, clutching Elijah's hand so the toddler could jump down from the steps to the ground.
"All clear?" Tony questioned Ethan, who balanced across the seat back in front of him.
Surprisingly with no sign of his typical impertinence, the nine year old assured him, "Soon as you leave, it's empty."
Elijah landed on the pavement and cagily wiggled out of Tony's grasp. Stretching to capture him again, he bent too far and banged Vivienne's head against a chunk of the door handle. Tony realized the danger too late, unable to stop the outcome, and cringed at the inevitable result.
Instantaneous loud sobbing erupted.
The baby massaged frantically by her ear, her response heartbreaking and unnerving at the same time.
Jumping into the law enforcement persona who had trained in CPR, Tony grasped Vivienne's hand and uncovered her ear so that he could assess the damage.
Still corralled and unable to break free, Elijah maneuvered to plant himself behind Tony, using one of his small hands to dig his fingers into Tony's right thigh.
Viv's screams nearly deafened Tony.
Painfully moving away from the van itself Tony still managed to witness Ethan follow instructions, check all the seats for occupants, and then regard him with a knowing smirk before swinging to the ground.
At least he took it upon himself to shut the door, a good thing since both of Tony's hands were taken.
Then Ethan raced into the store.
It took Tony another full minute to disentangle Elijah enough to allow the three of them to step onto the sidewalk and progress towards the store's glass door.
Vivienne's screams had calmed some, but she still sobbed in shuddery breaths, and accompanied her tears by rubbing vigorously at the hurt place. Pitifully, the fingers normally relegated for comfort dangled from her lips, unable to soothe until her sobs tapered.
Tony's guilt nearly paralyzed him, and his conscience filled with self recrimination. He had caused this by failing to protect the baby, and for all he knew, she could have incurred irreversible brain damage.
When he actually turned the entrance handle to enter he realized with shock that he had no clue where Ava and Levi had disappeared.
However, once he actually pushed through the interior he had no doubt. The pair raced up and down the store's aisles, laughing and yelling gleefully to each other.
The counter clerks leveled accusing eyes upon him as he negotiated his entrance, and Tony cringed, though he knew the fault was his. In case he missed the messages of censure, though, other customers glared as well.
Raising his voice he pointed towards the restroom sign and ordered both to stop running and make their ways to follow him immediately. They chased each other delightedly, but did do as told, and he joined them with the youngest two.
Ethan materialized and rewarded him with a smug look. Tony narrowed his eyes, suspicious of the sudden appearance and cat that swallowed the canary demeanor.
Where had that kid been, and what had he done while out of sight?
"I need to use the bathroom," Ava announced pitifully, yanking onto his pinky finger. For emphasis, she crossed her legs and frowned to illustrate her status.
"Got it," Tony muttered, checking the area and discovering that the store had just one restroom.
Five children and one solitary convenience store restroom- could it get any worse?
Continuing to rock Vivienne on his hip, he removed his finger from Ava's grasp and pointed. "Go first, Honey."
She regarded him fearfully, hazel eyes wide and unsure. "I don't want to go alone."
"We'll be here, right here," he assured her, using his other hand to pat Elijah on the back.
Elijah responded by climbing onto Tony's shoes and leaning back against his long legs for support.
Reluctant but obedient, Ava pushed the door inward and immediately shut it. "There's dark inside there," she whimpered pitifully.
Still struggling with the two youngest, Tony nevertheless smiled encouragingly, trying to stem the panic beginning to overwhelm him. "Look, that's an easy fix, Honey. I'll cut on the light for you so the dark disappears and remember we will be right here waiting for you."
Using his shoulder he muscled open the door and into the space and felt along the wall for the switch. Once illuminated he found the restroom held two private stalls and two urinals separated by divider walls.
A unisex bathroom- someone was definitely looking out for him.
Throwing his head back he exhaled in relief. Finally, finally, his luck had improved!
As icing on the cake, the bathroom had been recently cleaned. He could still smell pine cleaner.
Backing the door open far wider, he directed the rest of the kids into the room and straightened his shoulders. This situation was workable! Oh yes, he could handle this.
Quickly he set Vivienne onto the tiled floor and helped Ava into one stall, then held Elijah up to use one urinal while Ethan took a turn at the other. Levi just required a short boost. Tony used the restroom himself before cleaning and checking Vivienne's boo boo.
Finally, everyone had been granted a turn at the facilities.
Levi and Ava provided him with a running commentary and helpful advice as he changed Ava's diaper, pulling one item after another out of the bag until Tony thanked them with finality and instructed them to repack.
Tony supervised the washing and drying of hands and risked a glance at himself in the mirror.
He looked shell shocked.
Ten minutes after disembarking the van, Tony paid for six small icees, ignored all pleas for candy despite his own craving for a toffee candy bar, and ushered his brood out to the grassy field bordering the rear of the store. Pointing to his watch, he called out that he would grant a free five minutes to run, jump, play, and slurp icees before they returned to their van.
Clutching a cherry frozen drink, Vivienne toddled hurriedly towards the others.
Thankfully, Tony had determined that he had done her no permanent damage with the door.
The same didn't mirror his thoughts about her diaper, which as she ran after the others, began to slowly creep down her legs.
He ran his fingers through his hair. Elijah had tried to tell him the tabs had to be pulled tighter, but he had dismissed the three year old's tip.
"Vivi, come here," he called, stopping to throw his empty cup into the trash before jogging after her.
Glancing over her shoulder, she shrieked with glee and began to run instead. Delighted at such unbridled joy after a traumatic morning, Tony laughed, too.
He pretended to chase her and instantly the others leapt in the game, begging him to chase them, and then racing to chase each other over the grass. Even Ethan joined in enthusiastically, and by the time the group got back onto the highway, the leftover joy still remained.
"Oh, I liked it. Can we stop at the next store and do it again?" Levi asked hopefully, the dimple in his cheek reflecting his pleasure and providing testament to his excitement.
Tony smiled at him from the vantage point of the rear view mirror, and noted that Elijah clutched his unusual security item, the hospital gown, against his cheek.
"Next stop is lunch, and that will probably occur in the city of Greensboro, North Carolina. First, though, we will travel through beautiful and famous Durham, home to the absolutely spectacular Duke University."
"How long is that?" called out Levi. "When do we get there?"
"Durham will take us a couple of hours and another hour will get us to Greensboro. Now who can tell me all of the states we need to travel through to get to Georgia?"
By the time the mini van pulled into a parking slot at a family restaurant in Greensboro, the children had been privy to a series of mini lessons on the War Between the States, Duke basketball, Southern football, the Atlanta Braves, and why addressing adults as ma'am and sir reflected good manners and respect in the nation's South.
Unfortunately, this particular restaurant had constructed separate restrooms for males and females. Working with what he had at hand, Tony stood with all of the children in the corridor between both and pointed the boys in first while he stood propping open the door of the other so that Ava could see him during her turn. She finished quickly and washed her hands and he told her to stand in the hall with the boys once she rejoined him.
Lined up against the wall, he issued a series of threats to keep them glued there before hurrying in with Elijah, Viv and her bag. This time he did a better job securing the diaper tab against the Velcro, and he stood them both by the door while he took his turn.
Still, he hurried, afraid the older three would disappear in his brief absence, or worse, tear the place to shreds.
Evidently too tired to flee, Ava, Levi, and Ethan greeted his return. Expressing his pleasure, he complimented all of them, and they rewarded him with shy grins as acknowledgement.
Tony congratulated himself. It appeared he would not find himself subjected to tantrums or disobedience greater that mischief with his exemplary crew.
It gave him a smug feeling.
The hostess settled them at a large round table in them middle of the busy diner. Tony placed himself between Vivienne's high chair and Elijah's high chair. Ethan chose a seat across from Tony while Ava and Levi sat on either side of the oldest.
Their waitress, whom Tony declared a saint, produced crayons and color sheets to occupy the group.
They all began entertaining themselves with the sheets and crayons, but he did grab Viv's as she started to sink her little teeth into it.
He traded her his keys, which proved an adequate substitute in her eyes.
The once playboy man without ties that bound him checked the beverage list and ordered milk for all of them, overruling their requests for Cokes and lemonades. For himself he wished wholeheartedly for a strong drink but settled for coffee, his father's beverage choice.
Consulting the colorful menu designated for kids, he pointed out practically that only three real choices existed, all sandwiches. After some discussion Elijah and Ethan chose burgers while Ava and Levi opted for the grilled cheese. Tony selected the third option, peanut butter and jelly, for Vivienne.
When it was his turn he went blank, having not spent a moment considering his own possible entrée. The waitress stood beside him, pencil poised over order pad, and sighed audibly.
"So sorry," he mumbled guiltily. "How about that chicken sandwich?"
She continued to stare impatiently.
"That one," he pointed helpfully, "the one in the picture here beside the slices of tomato."
Up to that point, his public persona as an experienced father to the five children in front of him had not really found itself presented for public consumption. Here, though, the waitress buzzed around so much that he felt apprehensive that one of the little ones would divulge their sham of a family. Worse, well meaning diners paused on their way to pay their checks, commenting on this or that and addressing well meaning questions to the kids.
Despite the inner apprehension though, no secrets spilled.