The Neighbor Kids

I got a call one day, it would be my first babysitting job, so I was excited and nervous. I got there 'round five; the mom was friendly, I loved her smile, she'd be back by eleven, she said, and I waved to her when she left. The little girl, Marly's her name, a sweeter cherub one could ne'er find, I coloured Cinderella and Care Bears for an hour, then made paper airplanes that went every which way. I made them chicken, they said they hated pepper on it, so I put it away and never saw it again. They ate for an hour, it was relatively quiet, and afterward it was time to wake up the baby. At first I was unsure, babies are a little tough, but we didn't turn on the light. Marly came with me, she told me what to do. We sang "You are my Sunshine", and the little one, Lucas, said to play trains. We played trains, and built long winding tracks, driving Thomas the Train around and around again. Then it was Cartoon Time. After three episodes of Spongebob, it was Bed Time. A change of diapers was next, another new adventure, and the two elder ones went to bed. I stayed up with baby, and he was as quiet as can be. I nearly jumped when the door opened, but is was just mom coming home. It all was good, I told her, the kids were asleep, (one in Mommy's bed!) and the baby was ready to go snuggle up in his crib. I bid her goodnight and stepped into the dark, thinking of the fun time I had, and slipping in the fresh mud on my shortcut back home, still smiling.