1 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to the ten Minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson, 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten 3 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:20,440 Speaker 1: minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales rendered 4 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to pack 5 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:30,639 Speaker 1: as much entertainment, emotion, and exploration into the human condition 6 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: as ten minutes will permit. Mini novels on steroids. This 7 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: week we meet Bev. Not so very long ago, Bev 8 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: was single, happy and wild. Then thirty hit, maternal hormones raged, 9 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: and well, here we are with hubby in the suburbs 10 00:00:56,240 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: and four kids under three. Three yikes? Will she make 11 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 1: it survive the gauntlet? Hard to say. She's already at 12 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:15,199 Speaker 1: wits end and the day has only just begune cupcakes. 13 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: At the crack of dawn, Bev mixes the batter for 14 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:25,479 Speaker 1: the birthday cupcakes. It's now or never. House will be 15 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: bedlam within half an hour, less a mad house and 16 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: insane asylum. And then Tom, the CPA with the oh 17 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: so important job, will off to the office for the 18 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: next twelve hours and it'll be four on one. Bev size, 19 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: but keeps moving, creams the butter and measures the flour. 20 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: She can't believe Molly is suddenly three years old, or 21 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: will be this afternoon and next month the twins turn 22 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: two and tiny Alley two weeks old Tomorrow came out 23 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: of the blue. Has some breathing issues, just more fear 24 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: and stress. Four kids under three, Bev, here's herself, Mutter. 25 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: Four kids under three, God help me. Molly, the oldest 26 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: was born in the early afternoon, after a grueling pregnancy 27 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:27,679 Speaker 1: and a brutal twelve hour labor that started before midnight 28 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: and wore Bev to a frazzle. Finally, around nine the 29 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: following morning, the pain overwhelming, she'd given in and taken 30 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: the epidural. She told Tom that night, lying on the 31 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 1: hospital bed, trying to nurse, take a good look at 32 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: your little girl, their partner, because she's the only one 33 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: you get, at least for me. I'm one and I'm done. 34 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,679 Speaker 1: Nine months of morning sickness, night and day, and then 35 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: that labor. I can't go through that hell again. No way, 36 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: nohow famous last words. No sex after the birth for 37 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: six to eight weeks. Those were the doctor's orders. Once 38 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 1: they got to green light, they had some very sweet, quiet, 39 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: tender love making with wee Molly of sleep in the 40 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: antique bassinette at the foot of the bed. After at 41 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: a whisper, they discussed various types of birth control, the pill, 42 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: iud condoms, diaphragm contraceptive sponge. These post coital discussions went 43 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: on for a few weeks, and then for a couple 44 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: of months. They went on just a little too long. Yep, 45 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: BEV got prego again with twins, this time Kate and 46 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: Tom Junior. Tommy born exactly four hundred days after big 47 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: sister Molly Irish triplets. Bev adds all the ingredients into 48 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: the mixing bowl, twists the ball onto the base of 49 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: the mixer, but hesitates to turn the mixer on. She 50 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: knows the slightest noise will wake the baby sleeping on 51 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: the floor over in the living room, and Ali will 52 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: immediately begin to cry, which will wake up Tommy, who 53 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: will immediately bark a list of demands, a diaper change 54 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: being first on his list. I mean, the boy poops 55 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: like ten times a day, a pooping machine. His demands 56 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: will bring Kate and Molly wide awake, and the pandemonium 57 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: will begin forty five minutes earlier than usual. Bev does 58 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: not start the mixer, nor does she reheat her lukewarm 59 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: coffee in the microwave, opening and closing the door. The 60 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: damn buzzer blaring at the end of the thirty second reheat. 61 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: Any sound at all will bring Little Ali from her 62 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: infinite dreams. So Bev takes that lukewarm coffee into the 63 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: dining room and sits and starts to cry. She has 64 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:14,359 Speaker 1: these crying fits every few hours, usually in the bathroom 65 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: so the kids don't see or hear. She never gets 66 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: to cry for long. A disaster can occur at any moment, choking, 67 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: falling down the stairs, poisoning, strangling in the cords of 68 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 1: the blinds, drowning in the tub. Bev refuses to allow 69 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: herself to admit this, but she has had thoughts of 70 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:41,159 Speaker 1: doing these things to the children. All the things she 71 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: goes on earth to prevent, she has considered doing thoughts 72 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 1: of harming the children. She knows this is not good, No, 73 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: not good at all. The mood swings and the trouble sleeping, 74 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,920 Speaker 1: the irritability and crying all run of the mill, new 75 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 1: baby blue stuff. Just ask her mother. When Bev tries 76 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: to talk to her mother, tell her how she's feeling. 77 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: Mom blows it off and says, oh, Bev, don't be 78 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: so dramatic. You've always been so dramatic. Or when she 79 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: chats up her best pal Bonnie, still no hubby, no kiddies. 80 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:22,719 Speaker 1: That's perfectly normal stuff, Bev. I just read something about 81 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 1: it in Cosmo having a kid as well. You know, 82 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:30,920 Speaker 1: it's life changing, and you've got four of them. No, 83 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 1: Bev likes to believe what Mom and Bonnie say, and 84 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: so even the anxiety and the hopelessness and the loss 85 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: of appetite she suffers with a shrug. I mean, what 86 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: girl in her right mind with four kids under three 87 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 1: wouldn't indulge in a bit of postpartum depression. After all, 88 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: any and all freedoms Bev enjoyed prior to motherhood are 89 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:04,239 Speaker 1: now relics of the past, gone, gone, forever. But Bev 90 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: knows there's more. Can't deny it no matter how hard 91 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: she tries. The confusion and the disorientation, the paranoia that 92 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: Tom is on purpose trying to drive her mad, and 93 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: the crazy thoughts of harming the children. This Bev knows 94 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:27,679 Speaker 1: is some very irrational and crazy shit. Just four years ago, 95 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,640 Speaker 1: Bev was single, living with Bonnie in their two bedroom 96 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: apartment in the city, a nice job at the magazine 97 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: doing editing and layout, going to bars, going to nick 98 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: games at the garden, down to the beach, down to Jamaica, 99 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: footloose and fancy free, occasional boyfriend, never for more than 100 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: a few weeks at a time. But then then out 101 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: of the blue, she hit thirty and all these wild 102 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: hormones kicked in and took over. And suddenly Tom, who 103 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: has kind of been hanging around the periphery, no big 104 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 1: thing in her life, just slipping in and out of 105 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: the business office, well, suddenly suddenly Tom looked like a 106 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: combination of Brad Pitt and Tom Brady. Plus her mom 107 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: liked him so well. They got married, and she got pregnant, 108 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: and Bev quit her job, and they bought this snazzy 109 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: house out here in the snuburbs, which she absolutely fucking loathes, 110 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:33,679 Speaker 1: San fucking Quentin. But here they all are, all six 111 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: of them, Bev size. It all happened so fast, in 112 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:42,959 Speaker 1: the blink of the proverbial eye. And now now now 113 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: these crazy thoughts. She glances at her watch. It won't 114 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: be long, now, fifteen minutes and the monsters will stir 115 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 1: from their layers. No signs of mental illness throughout adolescents 116 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: or early adulthood, none at all, Nothing other than that 117 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:02,719 Speaker 1: brief episod So back in high school junior year, when 118 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: she went through a little obsessive compulsive thing for a 119 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 1: few months a year or so, thoughts would be in 120 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: her head and she wouldn't be able to push them out, 121 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:14,559 Speaker 1: drive them away. The parents send her to a therapist, 122 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: and the stupid woman only made things worse. She wanted 123 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:22,680 Speaker 1: Bev to explore her feelings, get in touch with her 124 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: in herself, be willing to expand her consciousness. What crap ola. 125 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 1: Bev just wants to run for her life. She wants 126 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 1: to get in the minivan and drive to the other 127 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: side of the country, invent a whole new identity, become 128 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: a whole different person, get a job as a cocktail waitress, 129 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:47,959 Speaker 1: get laid by a different guy every single night. All 130 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: these thoughts, too, she knows, are completely off the wall. 131 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: She's never had these kinds of thoughts before. She's always 132 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 1: been a good, stable, steady girl. Still, it would be 133 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,800 Speaker 1: the right and proper thing to do to get away 134 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: from the children before she harms them, or is this 135 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: just some kind of an excuse She doesn't know. She's 136 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 1: not sure, BEV. Here's Tommy moving around in his crib. 137 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: He'll start to babble soon, then sing, then shout mom, Mom, Mom. 138 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: She'll never get the cupcakes made. Never, She'll never get 139 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 1: those cupcakes made. No, she won't. She'll never get the 140 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 1: laundry into the washer, the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, 141 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: the dust and grime into the vacuum cleaner, the toast 142 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: into the toaster or into the children. She'll never get 143 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,720 Speaker 1: a shower, never again. Her hair will be awful and 144 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 1: greasy until the end of time. She'll never again sit 145 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: at a small round table at an outdoor cafe with 146 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: her best friend Bonnie and sip an ic cold pomegranate 147 00:10:55,600 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: martini and just check out the boys walking down the wide. 148 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 1: Her crying becomes a bit more audible, a bit more desperate. 149 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:12,959 Speaker 1: Tommy starts to shout mom, mom, mom. Alie starts to cry. 150 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:18,959 Speaker 1: Kate mimics her twin brother, mommy, mommy, mommy. Molly races 151 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 1: into the dining room. It's my birthday. It's my birthday, 152 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 1: my third birthday, my third birthday. I'm the birthday girl 153 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:26,559 Speaker 1: all day, Today's my day. Cakes and cupcakes all day, 154 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,599 Speaker 1: all day, all day. What is it? Bev wonders, with 155 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: all the repetition, why do these children have to repeat 156 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: everything over and over and over. The repetition drives Bev 157 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 1: to distraction, brings her to the edge of rage. Allie 158 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:50,840 Speaker 1: cries louder. Kate shouts, mommy, mommy, mommy. Tom touches her shoulder. 159 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: She looks up. He's shaved, showered, bright eyed, dressed, and 160 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: ready to embrace the world. He's ready to get the 161 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: hell out of here. Okay, He asks, you look like 162 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: you know, like you were crying. She fakes a smile. Oh, 163 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:10,400 Speaker 1: just tears of joy, honey, tears of joy. Oh stiff 164 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:12,839 Speaker 1: upper lip, kid, stiff upper lip. Come on, never give 165 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 1: up the ship. Love you more than life itself. His 166 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:21,199 Speaker 1: cliches make her sick. He speaks in nothing but cliches. 167 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,840 Speaker 1: If he could speak with emojis, he would. What the 168 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: hell was she thinking marrying this dipwod When life gives 169 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 1: you lemons, make lemonade. Honey, I hate you, she wants 170 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: to say, but manages not to. Tom gives her a 171 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: little peck on the cheek and heads for the kitchen. 172 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: He inhales a quick bowl of corn flakes and begins 173 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: the countdown to take off, and seconds later he's out 174 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: the door and on his way to undiscovered galaxies the cupcakes. 175 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 1: She calls after him, but he's gone. Tom is long 176 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: gone the cupcakes. She shouts again, sobbing, agitated, maybe delusional, God, 177 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: she hopes, not suicidal or infanticidal. I have to finish 178 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:23,320 Speaker 1: the cupcakes. She never does. Thanks for listening to this 179 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: original audio presentation of Cupcakes narrated by the author. If 180 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:34,080 Speaker 1: you enjoyed today's story, please take a few seconds to rate, review, 181 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:38,679 Speaker 1: and subscribe to this podcast, and then go to Thomas 182 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: William Simpson dot com for additional information about the author 183 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:48,440 Speaker 1: and to view his extensive canon. The Ten Minute Storyteller 184 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 1: is produced by Andrew Pliglisi and Josh Klani and is 185 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:56,679 Speaker 1: part of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network in partnership with 186 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:03,200 Speaker 1: iHeart Productions. Until next time, this is Bill Simpson, your 187 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: ten Minute Storyteller.