The Babysitter

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The Babysitter

2014 © All Rights Reserved

Babysitting isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

"I got you a babysitting job for the night." Martha's mother, Laura piped up as she walked in the kitchen to grab a drink.

Martha groaned. Her fingers clasped around a glass cup from the cup cabinet. "Why? You know I have plans with Katie tonight." She complained as she poured water from the faucet into her cup.

"It's a perfect opportunity." Her mother chopped viciously at onions, her teeth chewing away at mint gum to keep the onion tears away.

Martha took a sip before responding. "How?" She leaned against the counter, watching her mom chop away.

"I know you've been dying to get a cell phone and this is your chance to get one." Her mom threw the diced up onions into a plastic container, shoving it into an empty place in the fridge.

Martha eyed her mom skeptically. "And I'm going to make that money in one night?"

Without missing a beat, her mother spoke. "Yep. She's pays very well and up front."

A smile appeared on Martha's face then faded as quickly as it come. Her eyes narrowed. "What's the catch?"

"Huh?" Laura knitted her eyebrows together.

"It just seems too good to be true."

Laura shrugged her shoulder, waving off the subject. "She must be desperate. So are you going or what?" She walked over to the table, grabbing her car keys. They jingled in front of Martha's face.

Martha twisted her lips to the side, pondering on the job offer. With a reluctant tone in her voice, she replied, "I do need the money."

Before she could change her mind, her mother pulled on her arm all the way to the car.

"Why the hurry?" Martha tried to pull away but her mom's grip was too tight.

"If we're quick enough we can get some ice cream before dropping you off."

With that being said, she didn't resist the pull of her mother. Martha's stomach growled at the thought of the cold dessert. Ten minutes into the drive when they arrived at the drive-thru Dairy Queen, Martha found questions waiting to burst their way out of her mind.

"What can you tell me about this lady?" She asked while staring at the glowing menu board. "I'll take a rocky road."

"I know she has two sons. One's eight, the other is ten. The younger one is an energetic little kid, the older one is quiet-" Laura ceased her talking due to the Dairy Queen worker interrupting their conversation.

"Welcome to Dairy Queen. May I take your order?" The person on the other end sounded close to a robot from the lack of emotion in their voice.

"We'll have two Rocky Roads." Laura stuck her head out of the window. After they mumbled the price, she pulled up to the next window to pay and get their ice creams.

Martha held onto both ice creams while her found a parking spot to sit in. "What are their names?" She asked about the boys.

"Uh, I don't know remember. I think Randal and Patrick. Some shit like that."

"How'd you meet this woman?"

"We bumped into each other at the supermarket when I was going shopping for dinner stuff." Laura paused to take a bite out of her ice cream. "At first we were talking about produce foods and then she seemed stressed so I asked her what was wrong. Her dilemma was that she didn't have a babysitter because her last one quit last minute. That's when I mentioned you, she seemed so thankful."

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