Adventure In Babysitting Novels & Stories

When I was eighteen and just starting college, my father was gravely ill and could not work. I knew my family was struggling financially, so I was eager to do whatever I could to help out with the family finances. The Kellys lived down the street, and I had known them for many years. They knew of my family's plight and kindly offered me a babysitting job. Although I felt that babysitting was beneath me at that age, I eagerly accepted the position because I wanted to do my part. It turned out the Kellys were very flexible with my schedule, and they were very generous to me on account of my father's illness.

Dad lied. My backpack felt heavier than usual, not just with books but with the weight of every broken promise. I dug my nails into my palms, trying to focus on the biting chill of the Aurelia evening instead of the tremor in my hands. New mission: survive the Sterlings. New reality: I was their charity case, Charles Sterling’s personal babysitter. His babysitter. The thought made bile rise in my throat.

She asked and her calm demeanor made me feel relaxed for a bit. “We're fine,thank you. Actually, the reason I'm calling is because I need your help with the kids. I have to be at a dinner party with Brent tonight and I have no babysitter because I haven't gotten one ever since we moved to New York. The party is really important and I cannot miss it, neither can I trust my kids with a random babysitting stranger, that's why I was thinking if Ava and Eva would want to babysit them. I can bring them over to your place this evening.” I poured it out in a few minutes.

“And now that she’s leaving, I’ve been thinking about getting a nanny.” There was a long pause on Adrian’s end. The hesitation in his silence mirrored my own. “I mean, I don’t know,” I said quickly, trying to fill the gap. “It’s just an idea, but—” “You’re not comfortable letting a stranger into our home?” Adrian interrupted, finishing my thought. “Exactly,” I said, relieved that he understood. “Well, I could help,” Adrian said after a moment. “I could babysit Harper when you’re too busy. It’s not a problem for me.”

I said and then made my way out of his office without even waiting for him to respond. I clicked my tongue. Yes, I do act stupid sometimes and do some crazy things, but that's only in my private life, not when it comes to work. I take my jobs seriously, and this babysitting assignment won't be an exception even if I hate doing it and would still rather go on a vacation. Well, it'll only be for three weeks anyway. Once this assignment is over, I swear I'll get that vacation Shawn had forcefully taken away from me. Besides, compared to the past assignments I've had, this babysitting job doesn't seem to be hard.

I folded one of the blankets and arranged a small baby pillow. Then I organized the diaper and wipes kit on a low shelf. I washed the new bottles, leaving them to dry in the sink. On the activity mat, I hung the little bells and swayed them, imagining Serena laughing. For a moment, I stopped and looked at everything. A corner of my home that now had the scent and shape of a home for her. I had no idea what the next day would be like, but I knew I wanted her to feel safe. Night fell quickly, and I ended up going to bed late, a bit distracted by painting. The anticipation of Saturday kept me awake longer than it should have. It was already in the middle of the night when my phone rang.

"See? You hold the bottle at an angle. Let him breathe. He's not a vacuum cleaner." Adam didn't know what to say. It was too weird. "You've done this before," he finally said. Bob didn't look up. "One nephew, two godkids, one weekend with food poisoning and a screaming infant. This ain't my first rodeo." Adam sat down, slumped over the table. "You are not my guest here," Bob grunted. "I would've blown your head off already if it weren't for that baby. I'm just not letting a kid starve because his babysitter's a moron."

I scoffed, “My boss is an annoying idiot.” “Ahh…” she nodded, “work life. I can agree with you on that, which is why when I babysit I do it for the love of it, doesn’t mean I take crap from parents either” I chuckled, wait! “you babysit?” “yeah” she gestured towards the playground, “The little cutie in the middle is mine, her parents are rarely around, have been watching her for a while now. They’re relocating soon though, poor lad, no one would care for her out in the country.”

“You should actually consider babysitting then.” “Really?” “Yeah,” she replied sincerely. “You’re patient. Calm. Responsible.” Tiffany pointed dramatically. “And children probably wouldn’t fear you.” “Why would children fear me?” “I don’t know. Tiny humans are unpredictable.” I laughed again. But deep down… The idea actually stayed in my head. Maybe babysitting wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe it was something I could actually do comfortably. The thought settled warmly inside me. Later that afternoon, I decided to go grocery shopping since we were running low on snacks and basic supplies.

This wasn’t for me. *** I hate how short Sundays are. Is the only thing I think when I board the bus early morning the next day. I’m babysitting some kid today, a fourteen-year-old girl whose parents need a reliable person to guard their treasure for one afternoon. I swear that’s what it said. Some people just have the strangest combination of words.