Moving Forward

-Twenty Nine-

Evelyn pov

Five AM on the dot I am up. The sun hasn't risen yet, which is perfect; there's just something about being up while the whole neighborhood is asleep that's...nice.

Yesterday I agreed to one of the things I never thought I'd ever do in a million years; take care of a child. I find myself never clicking with children; I try but ultimately they end up crying or they don't find me interesting and steer clear. Yet in a moment of weakness, I agreed to do it.

"Meow." The dark mass in the corner says, as if reading my thoughts.

"I bet you did this, didn't you."

"Purr."

I narrow my eyes at the fluff demon before going to my computer and Googling what children like.

-----

"Oh, Lynn, am I right?"

"Evelyn ma'am, but you were close." She needs a break. She needs a nice vacation to somewhere warm and without responsibilities. 

She gives me a tired smile and ushers me inside. Her house is a simple suburban house in a normal enough neighborhood. All houses on the block look nearly identical, the difference boiling down to the type of cars parked outside and numbers for the address. It feels like I'm looking at a much...destitute version of the past. I shake my head and push the image out.

"So, where's Alex?"

"I'm here!" The small blonde girl comes from I assume to be bathroom down the hallway as she still has some dried up toothpaste near her mouth. She smiles the kind of smile only a small child can. It's sweet.

"Hello...child." Alex giggles at my welcoming. I think I was too stiff. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her mother also stifling a chuckle. What a wonderful impression I'm making.

"Hello, caretaker!" She hugs me, which is just my legs and part of my torso. Should I pat her? Or is that too personal? Wait, is it disrespectful to not welcome a hug with a pat? Um...

Before I can do much more, she steps away, almost embarrassed. "Sorry! I should have asked if you wanted a hug!"

"Oh, no no, it's fine, Alex."

"No, I apple-size. My mom always says to ask before I take something, such as a hug. Right, mom?" She turns and looks at her mom, who was watching the two of us. The tenseness in her shoulders seems to have loosened.

"Yes, sweetie." Her mother smiles and looks up at me. "I gave you my number yesterday, but it's also on the fridge just in case, and it's also next to the phone in the kitchen, as well as on the table in the living room, and Alex also knows the number. And in the case you can't reach me, the neighbors also have a spare phone and my phone number as well." 

...I don't know whether to feel amazed by her preparedness or sadden by her extreme paranoia. Is that what it feels to have a child?  

"I see, thank you."

The mom looks at her phone and a sudden shock comes across her face. "I'm sorry, I must leave. Love you, sweetie, see you soon! Have fun with miss Evelyn!"

"I will mom! Bye!"

"Bye..." Wait, did she ever even tell me her name? Sugar snaps. She could have killed me and nobody would have even known. I haven't even told Sarah yet. Frankenstein, Victor and Elizabeth! 

"Eve'n? You look...con-fiction."

"Conflicted."

"That's what I said."

"You didn't pronounce the L, and instead said fiction, plus it's an -ed sound at the end instead of -ion."

"Okay. You look conflicted; why?" I sat on the couch of the living room, holding my head in my hands. Alex sits next to me, her feet hanging off the couch.

"I didn't tell my friend I was going to be here."

"And she's mad about that?"

"No."

"Then?"

"I usually tell her where I am."

"Why?"

"So if something bad happens to me, she can tell someone where I was, which would make it easier to find out what happened to me."

"Oh."

"And now I'm panicking since I didn't tell her."

"Because something bad may happen?"

"Because I messed up."

"Messed up?"

"I don't usually mess up."

"Why?"

"Because if I do, bad things usually happen and I'm not able to fix it."

"Sure you can."

"Hm?"

"When I make a mess, sometimes it seems im-possum-ble to fix it, but mom and mama usually help clean it up. I'm sure whatever mistake you make, it can still be fixed."

"But what if it can't?"

"..."

After a few minutes of silence together, I look up from the floor to her. She's dangling her feet and her face looking down, in obvious concentration.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking."

"About what?"

"How to answer." She raises a single hand to her head and gets into the universal pose of thinking with her finger to her temple.

"I don't think that's an answer we can find in a single day, though. I will let you know when I think of one though." I try to give her a nice smile.

"I will do that too." She smiles her childish smile again.

"Okay, so now that is...over, what do you want to eat for breakfast?"

"Cakes!"

"...Let's make them with a pan instead of an oven though."