Thank you to Guest, Guest and SuperGuardianNinja for reviewing and leaving suggestions, I loved hearing your feedback :)
This chapter prompted by Guest- could you do like a flashback one to where the twins are really young? I think that would be good!
Ages: Robbie and Jason- 4, Ziggy- 6, Freddie- 8, Joe- 11
Chapter 47- take a breath and appreciate what you've got:
Sandy sighed as she cleared up from breakfast. The morning was already turning into a disaster and it was only 8am, she had 30 minutes to get the boys out the door on time to school. Fat chance of that happening.
She sighed as she walked into the living room to find the tv blaring, school shoes and clothes thrown all over the floor when they were supposed on bodies and bags open, contents splayed all over the floor.
So much for being organised on the first day back.
Except this wasn't any ordinary first day. This was Joe's first day at secondary school and Robbie and Jason's first day of school. To say Sandy was nervous was an understatement, she was terrified.
She felt fine about Joe, the boy could handle himself and knew that by the fact that none of the possessions on the floor belonged to him. He was probably up in his room getting ready, avoiding the chaos that was downstairs.
Wise choice in Sandy's eyes.
Which left her with the four other boys. As she closer inspected rhe clothes on the floor she quickly realised they were mainly Robbie and Jason's with Ziggy's jumper thrown in as well. She sighed and could hear shouting and giggling on the stairs.
"Right boys, come back in here and get dressed!" Sandy shouted as she picked up the belongings sorting out what belonged to who. When she got no reply, she'd had enough.
"What are you lot up to?" Sandy questioned as she marched into the hallway and looked up the stairs. "Nothing" Freddie replied, who out of all the boys on the stairs was the only one fully dressed.
"Don't you get cheeky with me" Sandy warned before turning to the younger three. "And why aren't you three ready?" Robbie grinned cheekily back at her. "Not going" he replied, as Jason nodded along with his brother. Both boys were standing their in trousers and polo shirts with no jumpers and no shoes; didn't surprise Sandy either that Jason had obviously been the one to copy Robbie.
She glanced back at the clock and saw that she now had just over 20 minutes. At this rate they were definitely going to be late. Deciding that shouting at her boys would get her nowhere, Sandy tried the softer approach. Which seemed the safer option, given the worried eyes Jason kept giving her.
"Joe can you come down here a minute?" Sandy shouted up the stairs. "Yeah!" Joe replied making his way out his room and onto the landing where he was met by the rest of his family. "It seems your brothers are trying to make the first day back interesting so I could use your help" Sandy explained, shooting a wink at her eldest son hinting a secret plan.
"Mum's right, come on boys follow Mum into the living room" Joe said, not bothered in the slightest that Sandy had called in his help; he was used to it by now. "We don't want to" Jason said, innocent eyes looking up at his older brother.
"But we're going to play a game" Sandy said with a big smile on her face. "A game?" The boys questioned, suddenly intrigued. "Yeah but you have to go in the living room to play" Joe told them, and that was all the boys needed to scramble down the stairs.
"I'm gonna win!" Ziggy shouted. "No I'm gonna win cos I'm older!" Freddie replied. "Settle down or we aren't playing any game" Sandy said as she entered the living room behind her boys. "What's the game?" Robbie asked, moving over to stand by Jason.
"The game is everyone has to be lined up by the door, ready and dressed to go to school, coats on and shoes on by 8:30" Sandy said, making sure to make her tone upbeat and exciting. "On your marks, get set, go!" Joe shouted.
Sandy smiled as she watched the four boys scramble around the living room, as she kneeled down to provide any assistance that may be needed. Joe smiled as he also watched his brothers race to ready.
"I'm ready!" Freddie shouted as he zipped his coat up and ran towards the door. "Me too!" Ziggy shouted as he grabbed his coat flinging it on, running to join his brother. "Ooh it's just Robs and Jase left, I wonder who's going to make it" Joe teased.
Sandy couldn't deny that the determination on the twins faces to be ready quickly was adorable but looking at the state Robbie was in and the time she knew she would have ruin their fun very soon.
Jason smiled as he finally managed to put his coat on, after what felt like a long time struggling. He looked down and saw he was wearing his shoes which only meant one thing. "I ready!"
Still smiling Jason turned around to look back at his twin brother who he saw was struggling with his coat. Jason frowned, he didn't like to see his brother struggle. It seems Joe also noticed this too and moved forwards to help him until Jason got there first.
"I help Robbie" Jason said, smiling at his twin while he helped fasten up the zip. Sandy's heart warmed as she watched her two youngest help each other. She felt a sense of calm wash over her, that was until she looked at the clock.
8:30am it read.
"Gosh is that the time! Joe you better be off can't you late on your first day" Sandy said, standing up from the floor and walking over to her eldest. "Have you got everything?" She asked, noticing Joe's bag on his back.
"Yes" Joe replied. Sandy stood back and looked at her son and she could feel the tears well up in her eyes. "My boy, I'm so proud" she remarked, kissing him on the head as she did so. "Mum!" Joe exclaimed as he batted Sandy's hand away but smiled when he heard his brothers laughing.
"Alright, alright, go before you're late" Sandy said, watching as Joe said bye to his brothers as he made his way out the door. She smiled as she watched him leave and the door close; who needed a man when she had her son.
More of a man than the twins father would ever be. A credit to his father Alan.
"Mum!" Freddie shouted, breaking Sandy out of her thoughts. "Yes Freddie?" Sandy asked. "Are we gonna go?" Freddie asked, getting bored of standing by the door. The game wasn't fun any more.
Sandy turned and jumped when she saw the time. 8:37am. They were late but she honestly couldn't bring herself to care. That primary school was used to it by now. "Are you two ready?" Sandy asked the twins as she crouched down to their level.
"Yeah!" Robbie shouted excitedly while Jason replied with a quiet 'yes'. She could tell he was nervous but knew he'd be alright once he got there. "Right then let's go" Sandy said as she grabbed her keys from the side and opened the door for her boys to leave.
They hasn't even made halfway down the path when Jason caused a sudden halt. "My shoes don't feel right." Sandy looked down and smiled at her youngest. "That's because they're on the wrong feet darling."
However once th at problem was solved Sandy managed to get the four of them to school only five minutes on their first day back. She had to say that was pretty good considering previous attempts.
Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, please review and let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions feel free to leave them :)
Next chapter prompted by Gillian Kearney Fan- Lindsey is arrested for the GHK killings and has her baby in prison.