ATP Kindergaten (Chapter 36)
Title: ATP Kindergarten
Main pairings: Djokovic/A. Murray, Gasquet/Gulbis
Other characters: J. Murray, Federer, Wawrinka, Vavrinec
Rating: G
Warning: Possible destruction of innocence
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and this is a fiction.
Summary: Richard pays a visit to his mom and spots some unfriendly objects in the house while Ernests gets to act on TV with his mother. The Murray brothers team up together in order to avoid their holiday duties.
Author's note: Many thanks to crystaleyesd for her betaing kindness and it's so nice to write again =D
From the previous chapter:
Juan Martin had gone on an ice fishing trip with Rafael and Carlos while Juan Carlos had discovered that he was good at fishing. Ernests hadn’t been happy with his dad showing up at his house so often when he still didn’t want to live with them, but had been happy for his mom who had got a chance to act on TV with him.
Chapter 36: Mommy loves you the most in the whole wide world
“Hi, mom! We’re here!”
Richard hurried into the house, ignoring Stan who had opened the door for him. Ever since he had heard about his mom’s pregnancy, he hadn’t felt too much love towards the other Swiss man.
“Sweetheart, Stan says hi.” Roger handed over the fruit basket to his compatriot and gave him a look that said sorry.
“Hi, Richie. How are you?” Stan tried again.
“Hi, Stan. Not so fine, thanks.” Richard mumbled in his least interested voice and went inside the master bedroom to see his mom.
“Oh! Look who’s come all the way to see mommy!” Mirka finished brushing her hair and lowered her arms to hug her son.
“I missed you, mom!” Richard hugged her back like there was no tomorrow until he spotted a box of diapers in the corner of the room.
“What is that thing?” He pulled back and asked, eyes never leaving the unpleasant object.
Mirka turned around to see what he was talking about. “Oh, sweetie, that’s a gift from a friend. You remember Auntie Irina, right?”
“It’s for the baby?” Richard already knew the answer but he asked anyway. He wasn’t going to believe it until he heard it.
“Yes, it is. You know, babies can’t go to the toilet all by themselves.”
Mirka could tell that her child was very irritated by the presence of the baby items, but she knew that at some point, Richard would have to get over it. No matter how much it hurt her to see him with his shoulders slumped and eyebrows raised, she failed to see any other way of doing this.
“How stupid. I can go to the toilet all by myself. It’s not that difficult.”
The six year old stated proudly before storming out of the bedroom, only to notice many more baby gifts in the living room. He hadn’t seen any of those when he had first marched into the house, but now that he took a good look around, there were rattles, baby clothes, milk bottles and bibs.
“Daddy…”
Feeling horrible, Richard ran towards Roger who had just taken a seat on the couch and buried his face in his shoulder.
“Are you sure this was necessary?” Stanislas asked Mirka who had talked him into helping the boy realize that he was getting a baby sibling for real.
“Yes, I’m sure of it. Otherwise he’ll get even more shocked when my belly starts to swell.”
The mother wanted to go over and cuddle her young boy, but she figured that he would be mad at her and decided to go make some hot chocolate and cupcakes instead.
Unfortunately, even Mirka’s Harry Potter’s glasses cupcakes weren’t enough to soothe the upset six year old. He had eaten two cupcakes while silently watching a cartoon on TV, but there was no ‘Oh my god, mommy, you’re the queen of all cupcakes!’
While Roger had left the house to take care of his academy, Stan attempted to make his girlfriend feel better by making her child feel better.
“Hey, young man, do you like board games? I borrowed a couple of games from the neighborhood in case you liked them.”
The Swiss pulled some easy games out of a plastic bag but Richard simply shook his head.
“Those are for babies.”
“Oh. I think I have one that’s up to 10, 11 years old.”
But before Stan could finish reading the instructions to check if it was still easy enough for a six year old, Richard sprang up from the couch. “If you want to play it so much, why don’t you play with mom?”
“Sweetheart, we do not speak to other people like that. And, Stan is family now. You should treat him better.” Mirka gave him a stern look. She had never seen her child behave so rudely.
Richard flinched before his eyes started to fill up with tears. “Teach that to your new son! And, Stan’s your family, not mine!”
He ran into the small bedroom that used to be his when his parents had still lived together. But the moment that he stepped a foot inside, he immediately regretted it. The room had turned into a baby’s room. There was a yellow baby bed, a blue cradle, and many more baby items everywhere.
‘Daddy, I feel sick. Come get me…’
The boy sat down in the middle of the room and wondered why he hadn’t come to see his mom more often. He had never imagined that one day, a random baby would come out of nowhere and take away his room and his mom. He should have known that his mom could meet another guy and fall in love with him. For some reason, he had never thought of that possibility even when his dad had moved on and had found Coach Andy.
He already hated the baby with all his heart. He wanted to throw LEGO blocks in its face and stomp on its foot. He wanted to grab a black crayon and mess up its coloring books and cut open its favorite stuffed animal with scissors. He felt as if he was becoming a monster and he really didn’t want to be like that.
‘I love mommy so much. I don’t want her to love the baby more than me. Do I have to send postcards more often? Win more matches so she would come see me at school? Pretend to like her new family? What do I have to do?’
The thought of Mirka smiling at her new child with undying love in her eyes terrified the boy. He shivered as he crawled into a ball on the floor. He felt unloved.
“Oh sweetheart…”
Mirka couldn’t stand the sight of her son aching anymore and threw herself into the room. She pulled the six year old into her arms and kissed him on the head.
“I will always love you the most, Richie. Nothing will ever change that.”
“But the baby…”
“No. You don’t have to worry about that. There’s no way it’s going to be as adorable as you, sweetie. You are my special gift from Heaven. I love you the most. Don’t you ever forget that.”
Richard felt a little bit better but he still wanted to leave this place and go back to London. He missed Coach Andy who would never get pregnant and who had left for the States, promising him that he would be back with an armful of awesome gifts.
“Can I call dad?”
“Of course, sweetheart. Let me get you the phone.”
Mirka hugged her child one last time, aware that he would only get to suffer more from the baby issue in the near future. She might have succeeded in giving him a peace of mind for now, but it wasn’t going to last long. Until Richard got to like the baby, she would have to call him more often and let him know that if she ever had to pick a single person in the whole wide world to love, it would always come down to him, and him only.
“Do you want me to dial the number for you?” Mirka asked, holding the wireless phone in her hands.
“I know how to make a call. I bet the baby can’t. Does it even have fingers yet?”
Richard vaguely knew that babies didn’t have any fingers or toes at the beginning of their existence. He had been too busy thinking of a LEGO fire station design when Mario had attempted to teach them how babies grew up inside a mother’s belly.
“I have cute fingers! Very!” Richard held up both of his hands before Mirka could answer.
“And, these cute fingers even know how to call someone!”
Mirka handed over the phone before giving those little fingers a gentle kiss. Becoming Richard’s mother was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She could get through the painful divorce because she believed that Richard was the best thing that Roger could ever give her. Since they already had the most loveable child together, she had felt a little less shaken when she had become single again.
“Daddy? When are you coming back? I want to go home.”
Mirka placed a kiss on Richard’s head before leaving the room. She was going to pack some food that she had made for the boy all day. Hopefully, his love and trust for her would last at least until the food was gone.
Meanwhile, in Latvia, Ernests wasn’t too pleased with how things were going on in the studio. He was sitting on a tall chair which had comfortable cushions, but had to watch many actors hug his mother in a very unpleasant and annoying way.
‘Meh, everybody loves mommy except daddy. What a shame.’
The four year old frowned as a hairy actor who reminded him of King Kong pinched his cheek and patted him on the head. He knew that he looked exceptionally cute today thanks to the stylist who gave him sweets while she did his hair and make-up, but that didn’t mean that he should be pinched and patted like a kitten every three minutes.
“Mom, I want to wash my cheeks.” Ernests told Milena as she gave him a glass of orange juice.
“Aww, they just find you very cute, sweetie. Everybody’s been telling me what an adorable son I have. I can’t stop smiling.” Milena patted her son on the shoulder. He was wearing lime green pajamas with baby elephants on them.
“Meh, it looks like they all want to have dinner with you. Tell them you’re going to have dinner with me.” Ernests made his schedule clear as he sipped juice with his straw.
“That is so sweet, honey. What are we going to have on our little date?”
Ernests looked up after a long thoughtful moment. “Eh… pasta? I want pizza, but I don’t want you to look fat on TV.”
Milena loved the fact that her kid was helping her relax. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure if she could still act without disappointing her fans. All of a sudden, she had become more comfortable being a full-time mom than a part-time actress.
“You don’t want pasta? Then what do you want? I’m listening.” Ernests had taken her silence as a refusal.
“Pasta’s great, dear. Let’s go to your favorite spaghetti place. Now do you know your lines?”
Milena grabbed a seat next to him and pulled out the script from her purse. They were supposed to shoot a scene where the single mother measured how tall her four year old son was.
“Yes, I turn around and look at the wall and go ‘Whoa! Look how tall I am, mommy!’ Then, you pat me on the head and I point at the mark that’s way up there and ask ‘Who’s that tall? Daddy?’”
“Good boy. I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”
“I’m proud of you too, mommy.”
Milena looked surprised. “What did I do?”
“Look around! You’re the prettiest girl in the room! That girl over there looks like Mrs. Dracula when you look like an angel.” Ernests noticed with delight. He knew that looks mattered a lot in his mother’s line of work.
“Well, I’m clearly the happiest girl in the room, that’s for sure.” Milena smiled and busied herself with talking to some of the actresses - the ones who didn’t look like a member of the Dracula family - that she used to know.
‘Hmm, I have a great idea.’
Ernests pulled out his mother’s cell phone from her purse and took a picture of her. Then, he found his father’s number and sent him the picture with the following text: Doesn’t mommy look great today? =D
He was glad that Jeremy had taught him how to send text messages and pictures. The French boy owned a cell phone and when he showed interest in the gadget, Richard had asked him if they could take a closer look at it.
‘Ah, I miss Richie. I can’t wait for school to start again.’
He knew that he only had to wait for two more weeks, but without his friends, even a day seemed to be much longer than usual.
Bleep.
His father had replied: She always looks great when she’s with you.
Ernests thought about his dad’s words. ‘Eh, I don’t know what mom looks like when she’s not with me… because I’m not there. Hmm…’
He pondered for a few more seconds before answering back: But she looks the prettiest when she’s with you, dad.
“Sweetheart, we’re about to roll! Come over here, honey.”
At his mother’s call, Ernests slipped the phone back into the purse and went onto the set. He knew his lines and he felt confident in his acting. Richard had given him advice about how to look cute in front of the camera - based on his experience of filming an ad with his dad - and he had talked to his mom in details about how he should move on the set.
“Three, two, one. Action!”
Ernests calmly walked over to the wall and leaned against it. His acting career had just started.
While Ernests was happily making his glamorous TV debut with his mother, there were two brothers in Scotland who were busy dodging their mother’s bullets.
“Come here, you little huge heads!” Judy heroically jumped over the couch with her spatula while the Murray boys ran into the kitchen.
“Seriously, boys! You guys need a haircut! How many times do I have to tell you that I want you boys to look like you have a loving mother who cares about you?” Judy yelled as she ran after her sons.
“Too many ‘you’s, mum!” Andy giggled as he hid behind a chair.
“We don’t need a haircut, mum. Sammy always says I look great with my huge hair!” Jamie yelled back.
“Mum, if you want one of us to get a haircut, you should pick Jamie! His head only looks bigger with that hair, but I look fine! I have a small head!” Andy giggled some more and crawled under the table.
“Yeah, which is totally empty!” Jamie shot back.
Andy wanted to wrestle with his brother for saying such a heartless thing, but they had more urgent matters to deal with. And, since one’s enemy’s enemy was a friend, he knew that he and Jamie had to put their heads together and come up with a way to avoid their biannual haircut.
“What if we make a deal, mum?” Jamie offered. He knew better than anyone that his younger brother was useless when it came to schemes and that he had to handle this matter alone.
“What kind of deal?” Judy asked even though she had no intention to play along. If matters got worse, all she had to do was to pick up her scissors after bedtime and hope that she wouldn’t cut the boys’ ears in their sleep.
“We get a haircut, not too short, and we also get… what do you want, little brother?”
“Um… a laser gun! Oh, two guns! So I can play with Nole!” Andy was quick to answer, head poking out from under the table.
“Okay, so he gets two laser guns and I get a ‘no haircut for a year’ card.”
“Pfft, nice try, but no way.” Judy wasn’t going to give in.
“Why not?” Andy thought it was a good deal.
“Because laser guns are dangerous and if you don’t get a haircut for a whole year, Jamie, you’ll look like a homeless person!” Judy left the spatula on the table and put her hands on her waist.
“Uh oh, mum’s really mad now.” Andy could tell by the tone of her voice.
“Okay, mum. New deal then!” Jamie yelled.
“No more deals, sweetie. Surrender now or I’m going to get you!”
“Eek!”
Judy ran towards the table and the boys darted out of the kitchen, planning to hide in Jamie’s bedroom. They had to run across the living room, but they were certain that Judy wouldn’t be able to run faster than them; she wasn’t an athlete and she was old.
Too bad that they were wrong.
“Ouch! Mum!” Andy fell dramatically onto the carpet as Judy grabbed him by the ankle.
“Hang on, brother! I’m coming! Leave no man behind!” Jamie threw two cushions in a row targeting his mum’s arms, only to get them thrown back at him with interest.
Meanwhile, Andy had gotten back up on his feet and was running towards their safe haven. “Jamie, hurry up! Quick!”
The elder Scot managed to slide into his room just before Judy could stop the door from being closed.
“Open up, boys! You are going to get that haircut no matter what!” Judy yelled from outside, but the boys were too busy giggling over their victory.
Unfortunately, it only took the mother a minute and a half to find the right key to the door.
“Oops, we forgot to barricade the door!” Jamie regretted, but it was too late.
“What do we do now?” Andy wasn’t sure if they had other options than hiding under the bedcovers. He was already clenching the edge of the covers, ready to dive into bed.
“I’ll tell you what to do. You boys come kiss mummy and I’ll make you yummy tuna sandwiches for dinner. Then, tomorrow morning, we’re going to find one of those fancy hair salons where they have that awesome computer which shows you what you’ll look like after the hair cut.”
“Ooh. So no more Mrs. Robson?” Andy was hooked. He didn’t like how the old lady gave him little pecks on his forehead.
“No, dear. No Mrs. Robson this time.” Judy sat on the bed and opened her arms to her younger son.
Andy surrendered in peace and hopped onto his mother’s lap. Judy loved how Andy was still her little boy at home. He had heard from teachers and coaches how tough and manly he appeared to be at school, probably to impress his peers. But when he came back home, it seemed like the five year old dropped the cover and went back being his old self.
“We’re also going to get a nice picture of you after the haircut, so you can give it to Nole. How does that sound?”
“Will I look really nice with the new haircut?” Andy’s eyes were shining with hope.
“That’s the beauty of that computer. It finds the best hairstyle for you.” Judy explained.
“I can’t believe you’re listening to her, bro! You’re so weak!” Jamie yelled from on top of his desk.
“Jamie, I’m going to bake a huge chocolate chip cake tomorrow if you say yes now.” The mother offered. She knew how to exploit her children’s weaknesses.
“Yes, ma’am. Yes.” It only took two seconds for Jamie to nod.