Never Ending Obligations
Stretching, he decided he needed to turn his focus upon supper for them all. First, though, he had assured Ethan he would check his work, and he needed to do as he had said.
Surprisingly, Ethan had obeyed his instructions and the room the three boys shared looked pretty decent. Tony complimented him and Ethan answered with a shy grin, with no trace of his earlier attitude influencing him.
Throwing an arm around the boy's shoulders, the two walked together down the hall.
"Can I watch television now?" Ethan requested hopefully.
"Actually, I want you to go outside for at least a half hour. You need some run around time, some physical activity. It's good for your muscles."
Bewildered, Ethan queried, "And do what?"
"Run, climb, whatever- I want you to just play and exercise those good muscles of yours. You spent so many hours in the car that your body needs movement."
Nodding cooperatively, Ethan crossed through the sun porch and joined the others in the backyard. Tony stood in the doorway watching all of them several seconds, relieved that he had brought them safely to a protected place with a fenced yard.
Drumming his fingers on the wall beside him, he murmured out loud, "Reminder to self, pick up some outdoor play items for the kids the second I get a chance to shop."
His list continued to grow as the hours brought about more areas of deficit.
Maybe the list would continue into perpetuity, with one item replacing another as the must-have merchandise.
Rummaging through the refrigerator and cabinets, he concluded from the grocery inventory that the supplies would keep them fed two or three days. After that, it would fall on him to buy groceries, fix meals, and feed them, and with a twinge, he realized that the children needed fruits and vegetables daily along with milk and proteins.
He must think like a parent now.
Wait- he was a parent, not like a parent!
Today, though, today he had already exhausted himself making their house their home. Tonight he wanted quick and easy to determine the menu.
He settled on tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, and managed to get everyone fed within an hour.
"I plan to shower later," he announced brightly to no one in particular, "but what I need now involves all of you bathing. We got dirty from the yard and the trip and unpacking, but our sheets are deliciously clean."
Quickly, Ethan responded, "I will shower, too. I want a shower instead of a bath."
That helped Tony plan the logistics.
Levi pointed out that sheets could certainly not find themselves described as delicious, since that applied to food.
He laughed delightedly at the grammar lesson.
Enlisting the help of the three oldest, the kitchen sparkled cleanly a few minutes later.
Ruefully he reminded himself that though they cooperated with enforced labor willingly tonight, common sense pointed to their balking at tending to chores later.
Calling to Vivienne, he motioned her to walk with him and told Ava to follow them, also. She skipped behind the smaller child, and he led the tiny girls to their room and chose nightclothes while Ava took the baby's hand and narrated as she toured the room, pointing out their furniture and clothing. Vivienne proved a rapt audience, clapping gleefully when Ava opened the bifold closet doors with a flourish.
At least she appeared to revel in the idea of a roommate.
Tony interrupted the exploration, assuring the two that they would have weeks to enjoy their room, but that at present, he wanted them to bathe.
Watching the tub fill, Tony sat on the closed toilet and supervised as the girls brushed their teeth. Viv copied Ava stroke by stroke, and he found it difficult to hold in his amusement.
Ava told him firmly, and repeatedly, that baths practically rocked with fun when accompanied with bubble bath, which she promised him stayed stocked on grocery shelves, and that he needed to buy some for them.
Would the daddy buy the kind that featured a cartoon character on the front label?
Offering his agreement, he added that a couple of toys wouldn't hurt the bathing experience either.
Witnessing Ava use the toilet, the baby clamored to do so, as well, and Tony added a potty chair to his mental list as top priority. In lieu of one he stooped in front of the toilet and held her steady as she sat, smiling as she beamed delightedly at him, her dimpled chin moving as she tilted her head.
Evidently, she planned to copy the five year old at every turn.
After a couple of minutes he decided to call it quits, but he swung her in an arc into the water where Ava already splashed. Singing silly nonsense songs, he bathed both of them first before he left them to play while he checked on the boys.
In the den, all three had assembled around the television watching an animal show, and Tony pointed to Ethan and waved him towards him. "Hey, now if you want to shower instead of bathe, go ahead and do that now. Use the shower in my room, and I put some towels in the linen closet in the hall."
Surprisingly, Ethan got up without a word or argument about missing the show, and Levi jumped up and trotted after him.
Tony put out a restraining hand and snared him by the shoulder. "Hold on, Sport. Only Ethan will shower. You and Elijah are going to take a bath after the girls finish with theirs."
Provided with that interesting information, Elijah jumped up and approached, his topaz eyes dancing with anticipation. "Will the daddy make us bubbles?"
Sighing dramatically, Tony admitted, "Unfortunately, we don't have any bubbles in the homestead."
Levi furrowed his brow and turned to regard Elijah, offering an apology. "I guess the daddy forgot."
Tony opened his mouth to defend himself, then stopped.
In the eyes of the kids, he should have taken care of business before bathtime appeared on their horizon.
Did they ask for excuses? No, they requested soapy fun.
"Ok, you two hang out here a minute, please, while I check on the girls and Ethan."
When he passed the bathtub Vivienne and Ava had their washcloths plastered to their faces. He could hear them giggling together, even under the fabric.
Levi had first addressed him as the daddy, but the others appeared satisfied to parrot him. Except for Ethan, of course, and Tony mentally reviewed his conversations with the oldest and concluded the boy called him nothing at all.
Anyway, hearing the name un-nerved him at first, because hearing it made him automatically look for Jethro.
Since he took over parenting the five, though, the cloak of fatherhood had landed squarely on his shoulders, rather than upon anyone else's.
The daddy rubbed his temples, a headache developing from, he guessed, the stress of getting the brood safely to Athens and semi settled.
Tapping on the door to the bath in his room, he observed that Ethan had left the sliding door of the shower partially open, and water sprayed out and puddled on the tile floor. He called to the boy and Ethan popped his head out and shared that he had forgotten to get himself a towel. After telling him to close the shower stall Tony brought a thick, fluffy towel and left it on the rack for him before returning to Ava and Vivienne.
Draining the tub, he wrapped both girls in their own towels and swung them from the water, setting them firmly on the rug as he briskly dried them.
Pointing them towards their room, he told them to go ahead while he straightened the bath.
When he joined them they had both climbed onto Ava's bed.
Ava had pulled on her own nightgown, and struggled to get Vivienne's over her head. In her eagerness to cooperate, the baby had managed to cram her head and both arms through the opening for her neck.
Untangling her, Tony praised Ava for showing initiative. Leaning down, he kissed the tip of the nose, and Vivienne elbowed herself into a position so Tony would kiss her, as well.
Laughing at her antics, he did, before grabbing a diaper and securing it.
Then, he gently brushed hair for both of them.
The baby's straight dark blond hair still retained that fineness of infanthood, while Ava's honey tinted wavy hair had transformed into tendrils from the damp of the tub.
"Can we watch television?" Ava questioned hopefully, sliding to the ground and twirling a couple of times so her nightgown would swirl around her.
"For a little bit," Tony agreed. "But bedtime is nearly here."
Tony set the baby on the floor beside her. She performed her best take on Ava's twirl, giggling with delight as she spun.
Reacting instinctively, Tony steadied her, keeping her upright.
"Come on, Vivi," Ava invited, clasping the tiny hand. "Let's watch tv together. The daddy said we could."
Regarding him with a happy grin, Viv's dimpled chin made her resemble a pixie. Vivienne left him without a backward glance and followed behind Ava.
Tony sat on the bed another minute or two. It bothered him that the children had no books. At least, none had found their way to Athens, and the extent of their exposure to stories probably fared the same. He would remedy that. No single item should matter more than a book to read at their ages. Besides that, literacy impacted academics.
He assured himself that their first outing should include a visit to a bookstore so that they could all choose books they wanted.
Calling to Elijah and Levi, he traded places and entered their room, taking the opportunity to consider what he felt the room lacked as he waited for them to join him.
Pulling out pajamas he listened indulgently to both boys, who chattered excitedly as the tub filled and even as they brushed their teeth.
Ethan passed and peeked into the bathroom, clutching his dirty clothes. Tony gave him directions to put them in the laundry room off the den, where he had already taken the clothing from the girls.
Smiling shyly, Ethan motioned for Levi and Elijah's items as well, and it pleased Tony that he had volunteered to do more than he was asked.
He returned quickly, and requested the one brush it appeared the motley family possessed. Tony located it for him and reminded him to brush his teeth, as well, before joining the girls to watch a show.
Ethan's pleasant demeanor continued.
With a smirk Tony realized Ethan understood at his age that his dark brown hair, with bangs that would soon require trimming, was an asset.
Levi and Elijah played so well and enjoyed themselves so much that Tony had to pry them from the water. Once in pajamas he sent them to join the others and cleaned the bathroom.
He peeped at all of them before indulging in his own steaming hot shower. Despite his longing to lean against the shower stall and just allow the steam to unkink taut muscles and soothe frayed nerves, reality intruded. He could enjoy no more than a few minutes out of sight without checking the little ones, and time ticked towards tackling the bedtime process.
It occurred to him that with the exception of enjoying books tonight, he should establish the bedtime routine and keep it sacred. At no time in his childhood did he doubt the expectations of the bedtime ritual, having experienced the routine for years.
As an adult now he understood why the ritual made both practical and emotional sense.
Hair damp from the steam, he hauled his own clothing to the laundry room, and noted with amusement that the progeny had drooped in his absence.
Bedtime called all of them.