Catch My Fall | ✔

09. Taking Advantage

There was more paint on Kennedy's clothes than on the canvas. She refused to wear the plastic smock because she didn't want to cover up the unicorn on her shirt. Now that a glob of yellow paint covered the unicorn, she was in tears.

"Don't cry, Dee," Carter said, trying to calm his sister down. It was cute, especially considering five minutes ago he was getting annoyed because she kept trying to paint on his canvas.

The tarp I put down during craft time crinkled as I kneeled in front of Kennedy. Using a damp cloth, I wiped at the paint. Thankfully, it was washable, so it wouldn't stain, but a wet towel could only do so much. And it wasn't enough for Kennedy. It only made her cry more, her little arms and braids flailing.

Carter gave up trying to console his sister and went back to painting his picture of The Ninja Turtles. If only I could ignore her tantrums that easily.

Before I could start bribing the four-year-old with blueberries, her favorite fruit, the front door open. Both Kennedy and Carter ran to their mom when she came in.

Carter told his mom about everything we did that day, and Kennedy pointed out the wet spot on her shirt. Mrs. Wright handled the two of them, tugging at her coat sleeves and talking over each other, a lot more gracefully than I could've.

I'd felt off since the night Andre took me home. My mom didn't like to yell, but she didn't have to for her point to come through, loud and clear. I got earful about the statistics of Black girls going missing that I've heard a million times over. Still, it made me feel extremely guilty for not letting her know about the change of plans.

Usually, Indy handled that. She always had a lie on hand to cover up whatever trouble she was dragging me into. 

I pulled my phone out of my bag as I left the Wrights. I had a notification from Mrs. Wright sending my weekly babysitting fee and a voice-mail from my mom.

"Hey, Cookie, I got called into the birthing center, but I asked Indigo to pick you up. Take the steak out the freezer when you get home. Love you!"

Cookie? She hadn't used that name in a while. Maybe she was feeling a little guilty as well. According to Indy, my mom completely overreacted. I'd be lying if I said a small part of me didn't feel the same.

As I scrolled through my phone, waiting for Indy to pull up, Mrs. Wright came outside. "Daya, I'm glad I caught you," she said, coming down the porch steps to meet me at the end of the driveway. "My husband and I have a wedding tomorrow night and I was hoping you could babysit again?"

Guilty or not, my mom hadn't lifted my punishment. She me sentenced to my room for the weekend. Mrs. Wright took my silence for hesitation.

"I know it's last minute," she said. Then, more to herself, added, "Just like my brother's engagement, but I can pay extra. It'll be kind of late, past the kids' bedtime, so they'd be asleep most of the time. What do you think?"

As amazing as that'd extra money be. I knew my mom wouldn't go for it. I shook my head, ready to tell her I couldn't, until she said, "I'll double the pay."

Double? Even my mom would understand how important that money was for me. You know, after she got over the shock of me driving a car, let alone buying one.

"I'll have to ask my mom." Mrs. Wright's brow raised in question. "I'm on punishment."

The woman's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? What'd you do?"

How did I tell my employer that my mom freaked out because I was in a car with a really cute guy?

"Oh, I know that look," Mrs. Wright said, nodding approvingly. "It's a boy isn't?"