West Farthing: Round 1.4 - O'Brien Family
For Ian and Gretchen O'Brien, it had been love at first sight. From the moment they met, they knew that no one else would do. After only six months of dating, they were married. Gretchen was eager to start a family, but a few years later - despite a whole lot of trying - they still hadn't been successful.
Ian didn't mind so much, but he knew that Gretchen really wanted to have a baby. So they started fertility treatments, many rounds of fertility treatments - and the expense was significant. In the end, they were living pretty sparsely and eating a lot of tuna sandwiches but they had three (THREE!) gorgeous children to show for it.
Ashley, Alice and Andy - a triple threat indeed. They loved to play with one another - throwing blocks and scribbling with their crayons. And making a whole lot of mess.
Gretchen tried to keep up with it. She tried to remember that the children were a blessing but three at once was overwhelming at times - she barely had time to eat let alone keep the house clean.
Ian did his best to help out, taking over the potty training responsibilities and some of the chores. It was never-ending though, just as one thing got done five more piled up.
Sometimes the kids would just end up falling asleep where they played - their parents being too tired or stressed out to even get them into their cribs. Bottles, diapers, dirty potties and then the bathing. Did anyone know just how hard it was to keep three toddlers clean with only one bathroom?!
It came to a point where Gretchen just couldn't handle it anymore - she broke down in tears more and more often. Ian felt helpless - he was just as tired and worn out as she was. He even quit his job, despite how much they needed the money, just so he could offer some more support.
No job meant no money, and no money meant the O'Brien's couldn't afford a repairman - Ian quickly learned how to unclog a toilet (all that potty flushing sure took it's toll!)
Gretchen managed scrape up a little money each month to walk down to surplus food mart. The food may not have been the best, day old bread here, slightly wilted leftover produce there but she managed to keep the family fed.
Ian was ashamed that he couldn't provide better for his family - and he really missed having some "alone time" with Gretchen. Both of them were so tired and miserable all the time. He'd talked to a guy about a job...but it was a little less than perfectly leagl and he wasn't sure he wanted to go down that road.
Thankfully, all kids aspire to grow up and the triplets were no exception. Finally, no more potties, they could bath and entertain themselves.
Despite the tough times, Ian and Gretchen were still very much in love. They laughed about finally making it through the toddler years.
Money was still tight though. Ashley needed glasses and even second hand school clothes cost money. Plus, they had a lot of back medical bills to pay. They ate a lot of rice and beans.
And Ian still had to do all the home repairs himself. He didn't know much about electronics, but the kids didn't have a whole lot of entertainment in their lives - so he really wanted to get that TV working a gain. It did not go well.
Soaking in the tub after the unfortunate incident, Ian started thinking about the job opportunity again. The hours meant he could get the kids off to school - and Gretchen had gotten that late night job at the fish factory so she could watch them after school. He couldn't keep electrocuting himself because they were too poor to hire a professional and Gretchen and the kids deserved nice things. He made up his mind to call "Fat Tony" and accept the job working his books.
[Editorial Note: Why yes, this round *did* almost kill me, why do you ask? :)]