Babysitting

WILLOW

I kept tossing in my bed begging myself to sleep off, but I couldn't. So, I sat up on my bed, turned on the lamp on my nightstand and tried reading a novel.

Praying I would fall asleep in the process, but I could not concentrate. It was like world war III broke out in my mind. It kept going from one memory to another and kept leading back to that night. I hate it when my mind tries to remind me that my sister is in jail because of me.

I could not meet the bail demands and now she's serving for a crime she did not commit. Killing that man was something she didn't do and would never do. She hated him, yes, but she didn't kill him. Why would she kill the source of her income? Even though the money Mr Schneider gave her was small compared to the kind of work she did for him Petra would never kill anyone, she can not even hurt a fly.

"Arghh" I exclaimed in frustration as my mind travelled back to the night she got arrested. It's a different thing to be tied to a crime, but the murder of one whose money could buy you and your entire generation in centuries to come was a very deep hole no one would be able to escape from. Remembering the way she was dragged out of the house like a garbage bin hurt. The lawyer had done his best for her, but the bail was set at a million dollars. There was no way I could raise that kind of amount in two weeks. I begged everyone I knew to lend me some cash but I was only able to raise four hundred thousand.

The lawyer pleaded for the bail to be reduced but his pleas fell on deaf ears. I worked extra and got some cash but I couldn't reach the target.

The bail time passed, and the lawyer had to work on getting her out of jail during the trial, but for a man that influential in society there was no way she could have escaped jail time. Instead of life imprisonment for murder, she was charged with being an accomplice to manslaughter to serve 15 years in jail.

Funny because she had a strong alibi on the day of the murder, and she had never spoken to the person that killed Mr Schneider. She was framed by his wife and kids because they alleged she was his mistress.

Petra got herself in a lot of shit associating with that man. The worst part is, that I warned her severally about accepting to be his stripper, but she always said she had it under control.

Until dance turned into something entirely different. He used her in ways he shouldn't, but she never spoke about it. She was brave, endured everything, and would never be vulnerable around me. She was also very hardworking and saved up enough cash to pay a year's bill for our mother's life support.

I had to quit my work at the restaurants to continue from where Petra stopped, exotic dancing paid well after all.

I haven't been able to tell Petra that I'm into the kind of business that got her into her present situation though, It would break her. Not to talk of the fact that I was about to give a personal contract a thought, who knows what job offer he has for me

I dropped the book I was trying to read back on my table and opened the drawer to retrieve the card. I don't need anyone to tell me this came from a billionaire, this business card could have cost at least a thousand bucks to print. It was small, the normal size of an actual business card, black in colour, and its content written in gold.

I examined the card, turning it from one side to the other, "GOMEZ ENTERPRISE". I've heard that name before but I can not just place it in my head.

I removed my phone from charging, opened my safari and searched for the company name.

That's it, the famous pharmaceutical and research company. They've done a lot of things that's for sure. I clicked on images, and boy when I say the company building is a skyscraper, I mean it's large. Probably always open round the clock because being a scientist here means you'd have to dedicate so much time to work.

It was a family company, now run by the only son of his parents. He should be in his early thirties because he looks so young and handsome but he's probably one of those rich spoiled children that do not know anything but have to be in charge because it's their parents' company.

Moments later, my mind felt at peace, and my eyelids began to close.

"Thank God" I muttered because I was about to sleep.

It was just some minutes past 4 am, and even though I didn't have a day job, I promised the old lady living beside me that I would help her babysit her grandchildren.

They were visiting for a while, and she had a lot to do, so I insisted on helping her loosen up. She knows taking care of children is stressful as this was her ticket to get away from them, but she didn't resist.

I kept the book back on my table, and the card back into the drawer, then I switched off the night lamp, and soon sleep welcomed me.

************************************************

I woke up to the sound of my doorbell because someone was ringing the bell nonstop. I groaned in anger because the sound had found its way to the nice dream I was having. Maybe if I ignored them they would get lost but they didn't

"Oh for Christ's sake! " I shouted as I got out of bed in anger.

I landed with my butt on the floor with my duvet entangled on my leg.

"Nice" I hissed, as the shock travelled around my body clearing the sleep in my eyes.

"This had better be good, If not, I'll be joining my sister in prison real soon, who knows, I may just end up being her cellmate" I muttered.

I untangled myself from the duvet and angrily skipped the stairs until I got to the front door. Without checking the peephole to see who it was, I opened the door to reveal the person that dared to disturb my sleep. But then, my expression softened when I saw three kids, with Mrs Christopher. It cannot be 10 o'clock, and she did not say anything about bringing the kids to my house. Babysitting always happened in her place.

"Good morning Ms Willow, " the one I think is the eldest greeted me and I gave him a soft smile and a wink, I guess they aren't that troublesome.

"Good morning Mrs Christopher, " I said with a smile.

"Good morning, sorry I had to bring them here. I tried calling, but you didn't pick up and it's almost twelve. I had better head to the market before the good mushrooms run out," she said.

"Oh I'm sorry about that," I said and opened the door wider to allow them to come in.

They bid goodbye to their grandma and I took them to the living room, I can't believe it was almost twelve.

"Are you hungry ?" I asked them, and they shook their heads.

"OK then," I said, switching on the television, and changing the channel to a kids-appropriate channel.

In no time their eyes were glued to the television screen, so I used that opportunity to go look more like a human than an alien.