Beware of the Neighborhood.

12 - Ever felt you have been watched?

By the time I reached home it was late evening. The sun had already set, and only week traces of light were to be seen in the evening sky. I entered the house, only to find mom sitting in the living room with a bunch of designs and papers, looking really pleased with herself for some reason and Jason sulking in the corner, since mom had told him to complete all his homework or no dinner.

"Ashley! I am so glad you are here, I have good news" mom said as soon as I got in.

"Oh My God!" I exclaimed and glancing at Jason said "he is going to boarding school, isn't he?" Jason looked up from his homework and looked at me bitterly.

"No. it's even better" said mom cheerily and Jason exclaimed dramatically, "Am I not wanted in this house?"

We both ignored him as mom said, "I met rose today"

"From titanic?" I asked sarcastically, and Jason chuckled in the corner.

"Shut up Jason" said mom with a stern look and he quietly looked at me and mouthed "I said the same thing".

"So who is Rose?" I asked, removing my jacket and hanging it on the coat rack which stood in the door way, as mom cheerfully answered,

"I had gone to the bank this morning and while coming I went to the local café called wheeler-Mealer, I didn't know it was closed down"

"Yeah I went to its Closing down party the first day we moved in." I said as I settled on the couch throwing my purse on the chair dramatically, knocking off the cushions, but mom was too engrossed in telling her story to notice it and continued,

"So I met Mrs. Rose, she owns the café, and while talking the subject of designing came up and I told her that I was an interior designer" said mom and paused

"What next?" I asked, although I knew what she was going to say

"She offered mom the golden opportunity to redesign the local café" added Jason before mom could interrupt.

"Thank you, Jason" said mom, in somewhat disheartened manner.

"Aw, your welcome mother" said Jason with his usual show of morality.

"That's great mom, congratulations" I said getting up and hugging her.

"Thank you so much sweetheart" said mom sitting next to me.

"Now comes the serious part" she began. "You do know that from now I am really going to be busy. I mean I wouldn't have taken it if it hadn't mattered" said mom and I knew what she meant. My mom loved her job, she loved working and I knew that.

"You should take it" I answered honestly.

"I want to, so much, but it's hard leaving you two alone here, especially when we just moved in and even your dad isn't here, and you are still kids" she said, and she was really looking worried.

"Don't worry mom, we can stay alone" I answered responsibly.

"What? Alone? In this house? But it's so scary? How can we manage? We are still kids!" said Jason in a horrific tone. He was pathetic, so selfish. Although I knew that he was only kidding, it was clear from mom's expressions that she believed him.

"He's right, I can't do that" said mom seriously.

"He's kidding" I reassured her.

"No. I have to make some arrangements for you people, even dad isn't here." She said, then looked at us thoughtfully and answered

"I know what I am going to do, I am going to hire a baby sitter" she said finally.

I glanced at Jason, he looked at me. We both were thinking the same thing. The last time mom had hired a babysitter it was catastrophic. We both hated to have babysitters. Once, when I was 6 years old, dad had gone to Africa on a project and mom had taken up a designing contract in another city. So mom was away for 3 days and in that time she had hired a babysitter. I would never forget that day. The baby sitter was the fattest person I had ever seen. She entered the house, and the only one word to describe her was 'scary'. She was 6 feet tall, wore dark grey skirt which was fitting her right, in all the wrong places, and a white top. She smiled, revealing a set of crooked, ugly teeth.