The Tenth Night
Veronica Whitby
"Tommy, come on," Veronica Whitby shouted, tapping her shoe against the lino flooring of the bedroom. When the boy didn't respond to her call, she turned to the younger boy that was sitting patiently on the bottom bunk of the room's bunkbeds. "Go find your brother, Danny." The boy shot up from the bed and ran out the room, yelling for his older brother. With a weary sigh, she turned to her other son that was sat on the beanbag. How she was ever talked into having three children was beyond her. "Are you all packed?"
The boy nodded. "And my underwear," he confirmed, making his mother cross the room and unzip his bag to find out that he had indeed packed his underwear. In fact, that's all he seemed to have packed. With an irritated glare at the boy, Veronica dumped everything out of the bag, picked the now empty material up and crossed over to the drawers that were full of his clothes.
"Honestly, Teddy, you can't even do one thing right," she snapped, picking out several tops and trousers as well as some socks and underwear. "You're just like your damn father."
Just then her eldest son came running back into the room with tears on his cheeks. "Mommy, Danny bit me!" he wailed as his younger brother came in the room.
"Did not!" he retaliated, shaking his head vehemently.
She looked at both boys and shook her head. "I thought I raised two boys," she answered, glancing between her two elder sons. "Stop your crying, Tommy. And Danny, I swear to god if you bit your brother you won't be able to sit for a week."
"I swear I didn't, mommy. I never bit him!" Danny protested, tearing forming in his own eyes. Here we go. She knew this would happen and of course Ian wasn't anywhere accessible because apparently it's not his job to get them ready for summer camp, it was just his job to swoop in and be the good guy in the situation. It was his fault that she was being forced to do this because he was the one who wanted children, not her. The constant annoyance that they brought to her life was something that she could live without, thank you.
Massaging her temples, she tried to block out the sound of the boys. Camp was never long enough because all too soon, she'd be on her way to pick them up and have to spend the rest of the summer running around after them in the house while Ian made excuse after excuse involving work as to why he couldn't discipline their darling boys. It annoyed her so much.
Just as she was about to lose it, their father walked into the bedroom and all three rushed up to him. "Dad!" they exclaimed, running into his arms as he laughed at them, squeezing them all tightly.
"You being good for your mother, boys?" he asked, letting go of them and looking each one in the face. They all nodded enthusiastically which just made Veronica scoff.
"Go with dad and he'll put you in the car," she announced, making the boys shout at each other as they raced down the hallway and down the stairs to the front door.
As soon as they were gone, Ian looked at his wife. "You know that I have stuff to do," he said.
"And I have to pack their things as none of them are capable of distinguishing their underwear from their jeans," she replied, zipping up Teddy's bag and dumping it on top of the other two. Now she had to fine two pairs of shoes for each boy and who knew where they'd be around the room.
"You're too hard on them."
"And you never do anything with them so I suggest that you go and put them in the car." With that, she got on her knees and looked under the bunkbeds, pulling out seven different shoes and pairing up three pairs before hunting for the others. Ian watched her for a moment before leaving the room and doing as she asked. As soon as he'd left, she grabbed the other three pairs from under the covers of the bottom bunk, dumped them with the bags and left the room, slinking into her office quickly. She went over to the drawers and opened each one, rummaging through the contents to try and find the piece of paper that she always kept safe and hidden from prying eyes. However, despite how thorough she looked, the paper didn't seem to be there.
Knowing that she didn't have the time to continue looking, she shut the drawer and left the room, stopping in the boys' bedroom to pick up their bags and shoes before going downstairs, grabbing her own bag and leaving the house just in time to see Ian buckling up the final boy. Climbing into the drivers' seat, she put all bags on the passenger seat and the shoes on the floor before pulling on her own seatbelt and starting the car with the keys Ian had placed in the ignition already.
Stepping away from the car, he made sure the door was shut properly before waving the at boys. "Daddy loves you guys," he said as Veronica pulled out of the driveway and started on the journey for their camp. However, there was one place she needed to stop by first.
The boy nodded. "And my underwear," he confirmed, making his mother cross the room and unzip his bag to find out that he had indeed packed his underwear. In fact, that's all he seemed to have packed. With an irritated glare at the boy, Veronica dumped everything out of the bag, picked the now empty material up and crossed over to the drawers that were full of his clothes.
"Honestly, Teddy, you can't even do one thing right," she snapped, picking out several tops and trousers as well as some socks and underwear. "You're just like your damn father."
Just then her eldest son came running back into the room with tears on his cheeks. "Mommy, Danny bit me!" he wailed as his younger brother came in the room.
"Did not!" he retaliated, shaking his head vehemently.
She looked at both boys and shook her head. "I thought I raised two boys," she answered, glancing between her two elder sons. "Stop your crying, Tommy. And Danny, I swear to god if you bit your brother you won't be able to sit for a week."
"I swear I didn't, mommy. I never bit him!" Danny protested, tearing forming in his own eyes. Here we go. She knew this would happen and of course Ian wasn't anywhere accessible because apparently it's not his job to get them ready for summer camp, it was just his job to swoop in and be the good guy in the situation. It was his fault that she was being forced to do this because he was the one who wanted children, not her. The constant annoyance that they brought to her life was something that she could live without, thank you.
Massaging her temples, she tried to block out the sound of the boys. Camp was never long enough because all too soon, she'd be on her way to pick them up and have to spend the rest of the summer running around after them in the house while Ian made excuse after excuse involving work as to why he couldn't discipline their darling boys. It annoyed her so much.
Just as she was about to lose it, their father walked into the bedroom and all three rushed up to him. "Dad!" they exclaimed, running into his arms as he laughed at them, squeezing them all tightly.
"You being good for your mother, boys?" he asked, letting go of them and looking each one in the face. They all nodded enthusiastically which just made Veronica scoff.
"Go with dad and he'll put you in the car," she announced, making the boys shout at each other as they raced down the hallway and down the stairs to the front door.
As soon as they were gone, Ian looked at his wife. "You know that I have stuff to do," he said.
"And I have to pack their things as none of them are capable of distinguishing their underwear from their jeans," she replied, zipping up Teddy's bag and dumping it on top of the other two. Now she had to fine two pairs of shoes for each boy and who knew where they'd be around the room.
"You're too hard on them."
"And you never do anything with them so I suggest that you go and put them in the car." With that, she got on her knees and looked under the bunkbeds, pulling out seven different shoes and pairing up three pairs before hunting for the others. Ian watched her for a moment before leaving the room and doing as she asked. As soon as he'd left, she grabbed the other three pairs from under the covers of the bottom bunk, dumped them with the bags and left the room, slinking into her office quickly. She went over to the drawers and opened each one, rummaging through the contents to try and find the piece of paper that she always kept safe and hidden from prying eyes. However, despite how thorough she looked, the paper didn't seem to be there.
Knowing that she didn't have the time to continue looking, she shut the drawer and left the room, stopping in the boys' bedroom to pick up their bags and shoes before going downstairs, grabbing her own bag and leaving the house just in time to see Ian buckling up the final boy. Climbing into the drivers' seat, she put all bags on the passenger seat and the shoes on the floor before pulling on her own seatbelt and starting the car with the keys Ian had placed in the ignition already.
Stepping away from the car, he made sure the door was shut properly before waving the at boys. "Daddy loves you guys," he said as Veronica pulled out of the driveway and started on the journey for their camp. However, there was one place she needed to stop by first.