The Summer I Babysat

Chapter One

Chapter One

            “Hey mom, Kathy said seven p.m. right?” I hollered from my bedroom door, down the hall to my mom who was in the living room watching TV. “Yeah, which means you better be on your way soon, don’t want to be late your first night now do you?” I could hear the smile in my mother’s voice as I pulled on my TWLOHA hoodie. Tonight was the first of many nights where I’ll be babysitting for a woman who works with my mom so I can hopefully raise enough cash for a new laptop. The woman who I am babysitting for, Kathy is always working late on Saturday nights so I figured I could be the one to take care of her little girl. It was summer break and now was the best time to get in babysitting.

I reached over and snatched the car keys off of my desk and flicked off the bedroom light. I made my way down the hall and as I passed the living room I called out, “Alright I’m leaving now. Bye mom!” I opened the front door as my mother replied, “Have fun sweetie.”

            I hurried to my old worn down pick-up truck. It was my dad’s until he bought his new one and gave it to me on my sixteenth birth-day. Most teenage girls don’t like pick-up trucks, let alone old ones, but I’ve been riding around town in this thing with my dad for as long as I could remember. I shoved the key into the ignition and the engine sputtered then roared to life. I fished around my purse for the scrape piece of paper that had the address scratched onto it. “610 South Ave. 76th,” I mumbled under my breath as I shoved the paper in my pocket and pulled out of the driveway.

            Driving was nice, the sun was going to set in half an hour or so and already the sky began to take on an orange hue. I smiled lightly to myself and looked back to the road. The radio blasted music and I sang along, something I’ve always been known to do. As I pulled up to the driveway of the house I was halfway through the chorus of Single Ladies. I pulled out the car keys and sat in my driver’s seat for a few moments. I looked at the house with the lights shining through the window and I could see a woman hustling around the room.

            She looked up and saw me sitting in my car and I blushed. She seemed relieved and made her way to the door. I sighed and stepped out of the truck and made my way to the front door right as the woman swung the door open.

            “Perfect timing, its seven now, you must be Sophia, Janette’s daughter right?” the woman asked me as she fixed the pearl necklace around her neck. I nodded and smiled warmly, “Yes I am, and you must be Kathy. Well I just wanted to say I’m really glad to be babysitting, considering no one is hiring.” I laugh lightly as Kathy welcomes me into her home.

            The house was well sized, with two stories, spacious rooms, and designer furnature.  It looked like one of those houses TV shows try to pull off as a normal home but really everyone looks like it came straight from a magazine. This was a straight from a magazine home. My eyes wandered around the living room with sleek couches and a large TV as Kathy shut the door behind me. I looked at Kathy herself and took notice that she seemed to be my mother’s age, maybe a year or two younger. She had short length brown hair, muddy brown eyes, legs so tall she could look down at you without heels. Kathy was wearing a black work skirt with a white blouse, and she was still trying to get the clasp on the pearl necklace.

            “Well Sophia, Emma should be around here some- Oh there she is!” Kathy’s face lit up as a little girl around the age of five bounded down the stairs. The little girl pushed past me and ran to her mother, and next thing I know the little girl was clutching to Kathy’s leg. “Sophia this is my daughter Emma,” Kathy smiled at me and gestured to the little girl. Then she squatted down to Emma’s eye level and spoke softly, “And Emma, this is Sophia. She is your new babysitter; I think you’ll like her.”

            Emma looked up at me with the exact same big brown eyes of her mother, but didn’t smile. She didn’t do anything but stare at me with her arms wrapped around her mom’s leg. Kathy stood up straight and sighed and she finally fixed the necklace. “There are emergency numbers on the fridge, help yourself to anything in the pantry, make sure Emma eats something and not just treats, and-“ Kathy looked down at her watch, “Oh goodness I’m going to be late.”

            Kathy looked down at Emma and smiled, “Now mommy needs to head back to work okay? Now you be good for Sophia you hear me?” Emma nods and releases her leg. Kathy smiled and leans down to pull Emma into a hug. “Bye mommy,” Emma says softly as Kathy kisses her cheek. Kathy lets go of her daughter, kisses her forehead and makes her way to the door. I smile at them and open the door for Kathy. Kathy smiles with appreciate and walks out, and right as I’m about to shut the door she turns around and says, “Oh and Sophia, one more thing.”

            I looked from Emma who was standing behind me to Kathy and tilted my head slightly to one side. “Yes?” I asked. Kathy looked at her watch and sighed then looked back up at me. “I probably should have told you this sooner but I really need to go now so I’ll briefly explain. When you babysit, you’ll also be looking out for my son Carter, he’s Emma’s older brother. I should have mentioned it when we spoke over the phone, I’m sorry.” Kathy looked at me as if she was worried I might turn around and go home now. So I’m babysitting another kid, so what? I mean the kid was probably ten or something.

            I shrug my shoulder and smile, “Hey no big deal. I’ll take care of it. I’ll see you around midnight.” I wave as she sighs with relief and hurries to her car. I shut the door, lock it, and turn to face Emma. Emma was staring up at me with great big brown eyes, unmoving, unblinking.

            “So. . . . Do you like playing with dolls?” I asked Emma and I kneeled down to her height. After a few seconds Emma smiled lightly and nodded. “I also like playing fairy princess,” Emma says softly in her soprano voice. I grin and stand up, “I’ve never played that one before. You should teach it to me,” I offer Emma my hand and she takes it.

            Emma leads me upstairs and I think to myself, This won’t be so bad.