My Dunya (NEEDS EDITING)

Chapter 11- Babysitting Mishaps

CHAPTER 11

UNEDITED 

            Slowly and surely, Cameron kept appearing in our daily life. Contrary to my liking, he made my family happy, and I had to admit, he was starting to grow on me. Teta and Mama were enjoying his help as they could always use an extra hand considering the fact that Adam was spending less and less time with us. He was too preoccupied with his fiancé, and surprisingly, Mama and Teta were okay with Cameron filling his void. I found it odd and annoying, no doubt, but at least they were rational by saying he couldn't come in if there was another adult in the house. Well, duh! But as long as he was keeping Teta and Mama happy, I guess I couldn't complain, right?

            I was currently sitting down on the couch with a thermometer in my mouth ready to check my temperature. My nose was stuffy and red, and my head was quite literally boiling. I hated being sick with a passion, but I guess I always jinx myself because it just so happens a lot.

            Mama came down the stairs in a hurry, like she always does and looked at me with concern. Adam soon followed as she checked her watch. "Dunya, you sure you're going to be okay? I know it's last minute but Ibby just found a hall for the wedding in the next town over and we have to go check it out."

            "Yeah Mama, don't worry I'll be fine. Plus, Teta's upstairs sleeping in case, so everything will be okay," I assured her.

            "Um, okay, good," she said hurriedly and her and Adam were out the door.  Right then I got a text from Auntie Rania.

            Hi sweetie, thank you so much for helping babysit Malik and Mariam (even though she thinks she's too old to be babysat ;) Adam told me you were fine with it, so thank you so much! I'll drop them off in two minutes, we're in quite a rush, so if you need anything, just call me.

            Excuse me? I never agreed to any babysitting, and I was sick for God's sake! I didn't want to get the kids sick. How could Adam be so inconsiderate? Yet again, it was Adam we're talking about. I was sure to have a talk with him when he came back. I mean, I know he's getting married and all, but have his brains really turned to mush? I groaned at his irresponsibility but figured that I still have to take care of the little muskrats seeing as they'd be here any time now. So I went upstairs to my mom's bathroom where I found a few ear loop sanitary masks that my keeps for "just in case". And thank God she does because right now I was so thankful for that. I also grabbed a few disposable latex gloves and put them on right away. There was no way on earth I was getting the muskrats sick. Call me crazy and paranoid, but it was now my responsibility if anything happened to them, or dear Lord, I'd feel so guilty.

            I heard a knock on my door and rushed downstairs in a panic to open it. There I saw a teenaged Mariam carrying her little brother on her waist staring at me unpleasantly.

            "Oh, hi Mariam, come on in," I gestured and she stepped forward.

            "Just to get this clear, you're not babysitting me, you're babysitting Malik," she said thrusting him in my direction to hold. I held on to him unexpected for Mariam's sudden burst of sass. He just looked at me with his minimal amount of teeth, and chubby grin. It brought a small smile to my face.

            As I led them inside, I strapped the mask to my face and let them sit down. Malik on the other hand started wandering all over the place considering he was a busy gour year old.

            "I. WANT. TO. PLAY!" he yelled into my ear causing me to jump six feet in the air and hold m ear in pain of the extreme volume he emitted into it. I never a small kid like him could have so much built up in him.