SATURDAY, 9:30 AM

The phone rang loudly. Charise rushed over to the phone, wondering who could be calling at such an early hour. Had her grandmother’s health taken a turn for the worse? Had her father been in an accident? Had her mother--

“Hello?” she said nervously.

“Hey, Charise,” came the response. It was Charise’s former classmate and semi-friend, Tacita Brown.


“Hey, Tacita, what’s up?” Charise asked, more relieved.

“Charise, I need to ask a big favor of you. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, right?” Tacita hurriedly said. She did not wait for a response. “Well, look, something really important came up, and I can’t baby-sit for the Williams family today. Can you do it for me? Please?”

“I… I guess,” Charise stammered. “I wish you’d have given me more advanced warning, but--”

“Great! You need to be there at noon, and they’re supposed to be back around 6:30 this evening. Thanks, Charise!” Tacita chirped. She hung up the phone before Charise could answer.

Charise clutched the phone in her hand. “What have I gotten myself into?” she asked.

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“Emily? This is Ophelia.”

“Hey, it’s kind of early. What’s up?” Emily said, covering the mouthpiece of the phone briefly so that Ophelia wouldn’t hear the yawn.

“You want to get together today and hang out? My friend Cy wants to meet you, after hearing so much about you.”

“What have you been saying to… um… Cy?”

“Only good stuff. Are you in or out?” Ophelia said.


“I’m in, I guess,” Emily responded.

“Great! So, where do you live?”

“221 Pepper Drive, right down the street from the burger place.”

“Oh, that’s right around the corner from where I live! Cy and I will be over there… oh… shall we say, noon?”

“Sounds great,” Emily said. “So, what’s this Cy person like?”

“Brilliant, funny, sweet… one of my favorite people in the world,” Ophelia said. It was clear that she cared a great deal for Cy… who ever that was.

--------------

Charise sat on the sofa and gazed around the house. Small, furnished in a simple yet tasteful fashion. She approved.

Mrs. Williams smiled warmly at her. She was a small, plump bespectacled woman with a sweet smile. “Charise, thanks for coming in on short notice,” she said. “You know where everything is; you’ve done enough house-sitting and pet-sitting for us over the years. Michaela’s in her room right now, taking a nap. I know you haven't babysat her since she was a toddler, but she shouldn't be much harder to take care of. You’ve got our numbers, right, sweetie?”

Charise nodded.

“Great. Let’s see… phone numbers, keys… I don’t think I’m forgetting anything. Oh, yeah. I left some money so you can order pizza or get some takeout for you and Michaela, if you don’t feel like cooking. If you’re more in the mood for home cooked, there’s all kinds of fixings for salads and burgers and things like that. Oh, and I think there’s some cake left from the other day, if you’d like a piece. Charise, honey, you are a lifesaver, you know that?” She reached over and gave Charise’s hand an affectionate squeeze, then called out, “Chris, sweetie, are you ready yet?”


Mr. Williams walked into the living room and flashed Charise a broad grin. “Hey there, Charise. How are things with your family?”

“The same as usual. Dad’s been busy, Gramma Cici has been in and out of the hospital lately, and Cy has been taking some online college courses. Oh, and Ophelia’s part of the news team at school.”

“Tell your dad I said hi, and tell Ophelia I saw a great deal on art supplies and fabric at the shopping center the other day,” Mr. Williams replied. He turned to his wife and said, “You ready, Gwen?”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Mrs. Williams said. She gave her husband a brief kiss on the cheek and then said to Charise, “If you need anything at all, you can call us. Take care, sweetheart.”

She and her husband walked out the door. Charise sat on the sofa, listening to them drive away.

“So, you’re the one they hired to take care of me? I guess Tacita was too scared to come back,” a voice said behind Charise. Charise turned and found a pretty little girl standing in the doorway, wearing her pajamas.


Charise took a deep breath. To be honest, children terrified her. She briefly wondered why she hadn’t tried to get Ophelia to come along; Ophelia was better with kids than Charise ever could be!

“Hello, Michaela. I’m Charise. Your mommy and daddy asked me to keep an eye on you while they go out for the afternoon.”

Michaela eyed Charise. “I’m hungry. Get me some food.”

“Ask nicely.”

Michaela glared. “Now!”

“Not with that attitude, Missy.”



Michaela rolled her eyes. “Fine. I would like some food. Can you please get me some?”

“That’s better. And yes, I will make you something to eat.”

“Nuh-uh.” Michaela scowled. “I know Mommy left some money for pizza. Get me pizza!”

“Forget it, rugrat,” Charise responded. “We’re dining in this afternoon; it’s cuisine a la Charise, or nothing.”

“Fine,” Michaela replied. “Mac and cheese.” She saw the slight frown on Charise’s face and reluctantly added, rolling her eyes, “Please.”

“Coming right up.”