Highest Rank #61 in Fanfiction! Juliette McGill finds the perfect position as a nanny for a young boy with special needs. Only when she arrives at the family's home in British Columbia, she discovers that the boy is not quite what she expected and t...
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I caught sight of Theodore maybe once a week, which meant, surprisingly, yes, he did check up on us. But he never stuck around long enough to answer all of my questions. He gave me gruff and simplistic answers to the most basic things like, "Can we get higher level school materials for Harry?" (I'll look into it); "Can I do my own grocery shopping?" (Only if you use your vacation time); "Does Harry ever eat meals with you?" (I don't have time to sit down for meals) and "Is Harry really not allowed in the rest of the house?" The short answer was No, but upon my insistence, Theodore explained that he was a very respected and powerful businessman and that he had many, many clients who came to the house and even stayed the night on occasion since the place was a bit far off the beaten path. He didn't want Harry wandering around and disrupting meetings or playing loudly when important clients were on the premises. I thought it was a shitty way for a father to treat his kid, but it strengthened my resolve to show as much love love, affection and encouragement to Harry as I possibly could.
Other than that, Harry and I had very little contact with the outside world; well, other humans at least. We spent time outside every day and even when it rained. We climbed up into the highest treehouse one rainy afternoon and, after consulting a basic fireplace safety website, we built a fire and read books for hours. We ended up napping in the daybed until after dark. Harry was a little afraid of walking back to the house in the dark since we didn't have a flashlight, but I held his hand and we made it just fine by the light of the moon.
We swam often and Harry seemed the most graceful in the water. One day, upon re-reading the wooden sign outside of Harry's quarters - Harry's Tree House, Swimming Pool, Playground, and Pacific Ocean - I realized that we had not yet visited the Pacific Ocean, so that's the direction we headed.
It was only about 30 yards down a narrow path, surrounded by foliage, until we came to a clearing much like a rocky beach right there on the inlet of the Pacific. "Harry, this is beautiful! have you ever swam here?" I asked.
He gave me a huge shrug and cocked his head to the side dramatically. "When I was little," he said, but he didn't expound on that statement.
I ventured as close to the edge of the water as I could without soaking my feet. "Look, Harry," I said enthusiastically, squatting down to scoop a shell out of the water. "These shells have little animals inside. Did you know that?" I picked up a mussel, not knowing exactly what kind it is.
Harry squatted down next to me. "Can they come out and play?" He asked even more enthusiastically.
"No," I giggled, trying not to make him feel bad. "They're called mussels. They're soft and squishy and they need to stay inside the shell to be protected. They're not furry like kittens or anything."
"Oh," he said, nodding. "It's too small for kittens anyway."
I burst into laughter at his comments, and he did, too. "You have a great sense of humor, Harry." He looked like he didn't quite understand the compliment so I made it more simple. "I think you're funny."
