Picture Perfect

Cha-plunk

"What was that sound?" Annie turns to her mother.

“Hold still,” Karen twists the girl's head back so she can see what she's doing. “I'm almost done braiding your hair.”

Tappity-tap-tap

"I'll get it," Annie jumps up and races to the door.

Karen watches sadly as the intricate brown plait unravels and falls across her daughter's shoulders. The girl throws the front door open wide revealing the kind smile of Ellie Montgomery. As usual, her smooth blonde hair is pulled up in a perfect twist, her soft blue eyes sparkle brightly against the soft green shadow and long black lashes that frame them, her plump rosy lips spread in a wide smile that reveals her bright white teeth. She seems to glow and emanates a heavenly scent of jasmine, cinnamon, and vanilla. Karen absently fluffs her lopsided messy bun, hyper-aware that she has neither showered or changed out of her pajamas yet and last night's dishes are still piled high in the sink, as she walks to the door skirting around the Lego landmines and Barbie villages scattered around the living room.

"Good morning, neighbor!" Ellie’s voice even tumbles melodically, wrapping around Karen like an auditory hug. "I made muffins this morning and the batch ended up being way bigger than my family could eat. I thought you and your kiddos would enjoy some." She holds out the bowl of warm muffins with her perfectly manicured hands.

Annie wraps her arms around Ellie's waist, "thank you thank you thank you!" Then calls over her shoulder, "Max, we don't have to eat cereal this morning, Mrs. Montgomery brought us muffins!"

"Wahoo!" Came a shout from upstairs. Immediately followed by a high pitched squeal from the baby.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry, I woke the baby!"

“It's okay, really. Max woke the baby, not you, and I needed to get her up soon anyway.” But to herself she sighs I just hoped to shower first.

The baby stops crying and Max appears at the top of the stairs holding her and crinkling his nose. "Mom, Gina needs her diaper changed and I'm not doing it this time!"

"Goodness, you sure have your hands full this morning. I better let you get back to it so these kiddos can make it to school on time." Ellie starts to turn to leave then abruptly turns back, "Oh, wait. I think there's something wrong with your doorbell. It didn't sound like it worked when I rang it this morning."

"Thanks Ellie, I'll have Cal look at it when he gets home this weekend," Karen pushes the door shut with a heavy sigh as Annie skips to the table with the bowl full of muffins.

Karen rushes up the stairs and takes Gina from Max and immediately notices the large dark spot on the front of Max's shirt. "Oh no Max, you're going to have to go change. Gina's diaper leaked."

"Ugh, you're so gross Gina!"

"You used to be just as gross," Karen reminds her oldest as she walks into the nursery.

She lays Gina on the change table and looks out the window. Across the street, Ellie has her six children lined up in front of her prize winning rose bushes. The three girls are wearing matching blue and white dresses and have their long blond hair twisted into intricate braided crowns that wrap around their heads before cascading over their shoulders. The three boys are wearing blue polos and khakis with their blond hair combed into the same classic pompadour as their father, without a single strand out of place. Each child holds a chalkboard that proudly boasts the year of school they were starting that day: K, 3, 5, 5, 7, 8. Ellie snaps a couple photos while her brood beams at her, posing just as she instructs. Then the six children gather round their father and lean in to kiss his cheeks as Ellie snaps a few more pictures.

"Mom, I can't find another clean shirt!" Max calls from the other room.

Karen sighs sadly as she glances at the clock. Yet again, there was no time for her to get first day photos of her own kids. She’ll be lucky to get them to school on time, at this rate. Ellie makes it look so easy to be the picture perfect mother. But Karen is always running five steps behind, no matter how hard she tries. Biting back tears of exhaustion that seem to always be pooling right below the surface, Karen picks up the now freshly changed baby, kisses her cheeks until she giggles, then heads to the laundry room to search for a shirt for Max.

Twenty minutes later, Karen’s sedan screeches to a halt in front of the elementary school. She waves goodbye as Max climbs from the car in a very wrinkled, yet mercifully clean, t-shirt. Annie follows, sporting a simple, but neat, ponytail. They rush inside and as Karen pulls away the tardy bell rings followed by her phone.

“I just landed. Am I too late to wish the kids good luck on their first day?” Cal doesn't waste any time getting straight to the point as soon as Karen answers.

“Sorry, hon, I just dropped them off. But you talked to them last night.” Karen reminds him.

“I know, I was just hoping to talk to them this morning too,” he sighs. "It's such a big day for them. Especially Max, it's his last year of Elementary."

“Da-da-da-da-da,” Gina starts babbling from the back seat.

“Oh, is that my little munchkin I hear?” Cal’s voice raises a half-octave as he coos to the baby. Gina giggles in reply. “How did everything go this morning?”

“Pure chaos, of course. Then Ellie Montgomery popped by with fresh baked muffins just in time to see the full extent of the pandemonium at our house. Annie threw the door wide open so she could see the mess in the kitchen and living room. To top it off, I had to watch her take first day photos of her perfect kids and I didn't even have time to think of taking photos. I just don't understand how everything is so easy for her and I'm always a mess.” Karen bemoans.

“Sweetie, you are an amazing mom. Sure our house is a little more chaotic, rarely clean for more than five minutes, and I'm guessing you didn't get a chance to shower yet. But our kids are happy. They get to have adventures and play. You make little things exciting and teach them how to have joy. I'm not sure the Montgomery children even know how to laugh.” Cal always knew exactly how to lift Karen's spirits. “Besides, Ellie always has Darren around to help and I'm gone six days at a time with flights. You can't compare yourself to her and if you did, you have to remember, you are way hotter.”

Karen laughs, “ Well, you do have a point. I am pretty hot, even with Cheerios stuck in my hair.”

The next morning, Ellie Montgomery wakes up well before 5am and heads straight into the shower. She turns the water on hot enough to nearly scald her and then scrubs every inch of her body over and over, desperately trying to scour away the feel of his hands. By the time she climbs out of the shower, her skin screams a vibrant red but she can still smell him all over her so she slathers herself head to toe in potent smelling lotion. She carefully selects a shirt with three-quarter length sleeves, not so long as to look out of place on a hot August day but just long enough to cover her secrets. By five thirty she's nearly ready, just one final touch. Carefully, she paints a rosy smile on her lips then heads out to begin waking up her children.

The four oldest children obediently climb from bed and silently head to their own bathrooms to shower. Ellie heads downstairs and begins carefully slicing fresh cucumbers and apples which she divides up into six bento style lunchboxes. She adds cherry tomatoes, grapes, and two strawberries to each box along with a small cup of homemade hummus. The clock in the living room chimes delightfully announcing it is now a quarter to six. As though bid by the call, Ellie automatically heads back up the stairs and raps softly three times on each bathroom door, signaling to each child it's time to get out. She doesn't need to wait for a response, the children know their expectations. Instead she heads to the room shared by her youngest children and wakes them. The older one blinks open his eyes quickly and silently slips out of bed to begin getting dressed. But the youngest is still learning. He groans and rolls over, pulling the blanket back up around his ears.

“Come on sweetie, it's time to wake up!” Ellie whispers gently.

Thomas whines loudly and Michael turns around wide eyed, terror reflected in the tense muscles of his face, “shhhh!” He hisses to his little brother. “Father is still sleeping!”

Ellie pulls her youngest into her arms and whispers, “Come now Thomas, you must get up for school. Your father won't be pleased if you're not ready when he comes down for breakfast.”

Thomas puts a full on pout on his face, but obediently climbs out of bed. Ellie goes up and down the stairs six more times, jumping between preparing meals for her family and helping her children finish getting ready. Finally, all six children are dressed, have their beds made, and their hair combed perfectly as they quietly shuffle downstairs and line up to wait for their father's morning inspection.

Ellie heads back downstairs to join them and catches a glimpse of Karen's house across the street. The gardens are overgrown, the fence needs to be painted, there are toys scattered around the front yard. She imagines they are all still sleeping but when they get up, there will be shouting and laughter. Annie will skip around singing and Max will be by his mother's side grumbling, but still helping her with the baby. Ellie sighs at the sterile silence of her pristine house, jealous of the chaoticly loud joy that bursts from the seams in Karen's home. But the moment is brief before she paints her smile back on and goes into the kitchen to set the table.

Ellie pulls a stack of plates from the cupboard but when she takes a step toward the table a shooting pain surges up her left arm, her hand begins to shake and the plates tumble out of her grip, shattering all over the floor. David, Charity, and Chastity rush to the kitchen to help her. David grabs the broom while the girls start hurriedly pulling new dishes from the cupboard.

"What is going on?" Darren's voice sounds calm, but cold as he appears at the bottom of the stairs. "David, that's women's work. No son of mine will reduce himself to such menial tasks. Your mother can clean up her own messes."

"Yes, sir," fury vies with shame in David's eyes as he hands the broom to his mother.

Ellie wants to yell at Darren, tell him it's his fault she dropped the plates, remind him he hurt her arm last night when he "played" a little too rough with her. But she knows her place. She knows there's no point.

The Montgomery's eat a silent breakfast, each child obediently kisses their father goodbye, and Ellie gets them all dropped off at school without anymore mention of the broken dishes. It isn't until she's back at home, alone, putting away the last of the pristinely clean breakfast dishes, that Ellie surrenders to the total humiliation of that moment. Tears stream freely over her cheeks and she cradles her tender arm against her body.

Ding-da-ding-dong-dong, The doorbell sings a happy call.

Ellie wipes away the tears, checking the mirror to make sure her rosy smile is in place and opens the front door. Karen hands her the clean bowl from the muffins and thanks her. Ellie starts to shut the door when Karen reaches out and stops her.

"Ellie, what's wrong?" Karen's eyes are full of true compassion and concern.

Ellie tries to paint her smile back on, but Karen's arms wrap around her and Ellie finds herself sobbing uncontrollably into Karen's shoulder. The illusion is forever shattered for both women and in its place blooms a friendship that would eventually carry Ellie through the hardest days ahead of her.