At first, Shannon Bishop was just the babysitter. It was convenient, living in the same neighborhood as the Hendersons, but it wasn't too much of a stretch to move to the Wheelers' house or even out where the Byers family lived to watch all the boys...
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If there was one thing Shannon Bishop wasn't expecting on a random Thursday evening after school, it was Claudia Henderson knocking on her front door, begging her to come watch the boys.
"No disrespect, but, um, I haven't watched Dustin and the others for almost a year," she said timidly. It had actually been ten months, but who– besides her– was counting?
Claudia sighed. "I know that, but you also know those boys. If it was just Dusty, I'd drop it, but there's Mike, Lucas, and Will, and I have to go."
Shannon hesitated. "I don't know..."
"I'll be gone for an hour, two hours tops," Claudia promised. Sensing the way Shannon was wavering, she added, "You've always been so good with them. They all love you, you know, and they miss you. I'm sure they will be thrilled to spend more time with you again."
That did it for Shannon– it warmed her a little to think the boys missed her, even if just only a little bit, because in all truth she missed them, too. It would be nice if they were as welcoming as Claudia was suggesting. Those months away had been too long, even though they had felt necessary. "Okay, fine. Two hours."
"Two hours," Claudia trilled, then shocked Shannon by drawing her in for a tight hug and an affectionate kiss on the cheek. Releasing the startled teenager, she smiled breathlessly. "Come on over when you're ready, okay? I don't have to leave for at least another half hour, and I'm still cleaning up after dinner. You can help yourself to anything, of course, just like before-"
"I'll be there soon," Shannon interrupted gently, not looking to be reminded of before. "I just need to let my dad know."
Claudia nodded enthusiastically, then gave an equally enthusiastic wave goodbye as she stepped down from the porch. "Thank you, Shannon!"
Shannon shut the door as soon as the older woman had turned away, releasing a heavy sigh. The weight that was settled over her shoulders felt heavier, nothing too intense but enough to be noticeable. Over the past ten months she'd grown accustomed to that heavy feeling, although now it was more manageable, but being somewhat reminded of a different time of her life felt incredibly foreign. And this weight was different– she felt guilty now for helping the people she'd chosen to ignore when they could have helped her, and even if the boys did miss her, she had to bet they wouldn't take too kindly to her surprise return.
"Was that Claudia Henderson at the door?" Larry Bishop asked from where he sat in the living room reading a newspaper.
Shannon watched her dad from the doorway for a moment, recognizing the ways her father's own weights had changed him, too. He looked tired, and if the long shift he'd pulled at the station today was any indication, he felt that way, too. As it was, it seemed like his gaze was barely glossing over the pages that crinkled in his hands. "Yeah, it was. She asked me to watch the boys," she answered softly.
Her dad flipped the pages of his paper casually, but she saw the way his gaze darted over the top to meet hers fleetingly before settling back on the printed words. "Been a long time, huh?"
