Twenty-five-year-old Cristina Yang came out of the room, clapping her hands in glee. She had successfully defended her dissertation and she was going to be awarded her PhD. She was so happy that she could scream but she couldn't do that now because there were too many people around. She nodded to her friend, colleague and classmate, Tabitha, who was now going in to the academic firing squad, which they were, since they could shoot down your years of research in a matter of minutes.
"Wish me luck," Tabitha said, shaking her long, blonde hair. "By your expression, I can tell you have survived and come out winning."
"Lotsa luck, Tabby," Cristina said. "You are going to do fine. If I could do it, you can, too. I am going to call Peter now. Call me, when you are through." Tabitha nodded and let out a huge breath before she turned the door handle and went inside.
Cristina hurried out of the building and found an empty bench under a shady tree. She called her husband's number and his graduate assistant, Thomas answered. "Professor Kennedy's office. How may I help you?"
"Thomas, it's me, Cristina. Is Peter around?" she said, unable to hide the glee in her voice.
"Oh, hey Cristina," Thomas said. "I trust from the sound of your voice that it went well. Congratulations."
"Yes, yes, yes," Cristina shrieked, happily.
"I hope it goes just as well for me, when it is my turn," Thomas replied.
"Oh, I am sure it will, Thomas. Peter tells me that you are one of the brightest grad assistants he has ever had," Cristina answered. "Is Peter around? I have to tell him."
"Yeah, hold on," the grad assistant replied. "Let me transfer you."
She waited until she heard her husband's voice, "Cristina, how did it go?"
"Awesome, wonderful, terrific. I was like a boss in there. I answered all of their questions, authoritatively. I knew that research inside and out. There was no question that I could not answer," she said.
"Oh my God, I am so happy for you. This is cause for celebration," Peter said. "Tell you what. Why don't you pick up the kids from school and we will meet at Gulliver's for a family celebration. Then on the weekend, we can get someone to stay with them and we can have our own private celebration."
"Yes," she said. "That sounds great. I am going to pick up the kids, now. What time will you be there?"
"I think around five," Peter replied. "I have to clear up a few things with Thomas, and then I am all yours with the family."
"Okay," Cristina said. "I will see you at Gulliver's in a bit." Gulliver's was a family restaurant that the Kennedy children enjoyed a whole lot. It was one of their favorite eating places. She and Peter often took them there often.
She jumped into her car and drove to the middle school. Children were already pouring out of the front doors and getting into their parents' cars. She spotted the auburn hair of her step-children waiting for her. She honked the horn to get their attention. Noel looked up and waved at her. He nudged his sister to tell her that Cristina had come for them.
They walked, swiftly towards the car and piled into the back seat, tossing their book bags on to the floor of the vehicle.
"So how did it go?" Olivia asked, her green eyes shining. Olivia was 11 and the younger of the two children. She was in Grade 6 and was a bright girl, fond of academics, the color purple and the Disney channel.
"It went very well. I am going to get my PhD," Cristina replied with a grin.
"Awesome with a capital A," Noel, 12 replied. He was in Grade 7 and like his sister, was also great at academics. Interestingly, too, he was just as enamored with sports and played baseball, football and lacrosse. They both had their father's auburn hair and bright green eyes. Noel, in particular, looked like a mini-version of their father.
Cristina had known the Kennedy children and their father, since she was 18. She was a freshman, pursuing a degree in Economics. Though her parents paid her tuition, room and board, there wasn't much money left for entertainment, so she had to look for a part-time job. She saw the advertisement for babysitting and tore off the contact information. She called, immediately and found out that the person who needed babysitting services was Professor Peter Kennedy in the English department. He told her to come around to their house, that afternoon where he could interview her and she could meet the children. He gave her the address and said he was looking forward to meeting her.
After her classes that day, the freshman had made her way to the large house on Cherry Blossom Street. She stood there, admiring the older house. It was very well maintained and had a lot of architectural detail of a bygone era. She knew enough about architecture to know that it was a Queen Anne house. She went up the stoop and rang the doorbell. She could hear running feet from the interior of the house and she could hear Dr Kennedy telling someone to calm down because they needed to make a good impression on the baby sitter. Cristina had to smile at that.
The door opened and Cristina was pleased to note that not only Dr Kennedy was good-looking, he had a kindness in his bright green eyes, that was very endearing. He ran his hand through his thick, auburn waves. He looked to be in his early thirties.
"Hello," he said, offering his hand to shake. "You must be Cristina Yang. I am Professor Kennedy."
"Yes, I am," she said, taking his hand and shaking it. "It is so very good to meet you."
"Well, come on in," Professor Kennedy said. "The two little rascals are here." Cristina entered the foyer and noticed that the interior of the house was as well kept as the exterior. Two little children emerged from the living room and curiously looked out at the young woman, standing in the foyer.
"This is Noel and Olivia," Dr Kennedy said, pulling the children to stand in front of him. "What do we say, kids?"
"How do you do?" the two children said in unison. Cristina noted that they both had their father's coloring.
"I am very well, thank you," Cristina said. The little girl giggled, while the boy gave her a solemn gaze.
"Okay, kids, go and stay in the kitchen with Dorothy," Dr Kennedy said. The children ran away, heading towards the kitchen.
"Don't run," he yelled after them but to no avail, as the children continued their run to the kitchen. He sighed before he spoke again. "Come this way, let's head to my study."
He led Cristina to his study. She could not help but admire the details of the house. "This house is so spectacular," she said. He turned around and looked at her.
"I am glad you like the house. It has been in my family for years," he said. "I am the only child of my parents, so naturally, it came to me and eventually, I would want to pass it on to my children."
"Well, you do a fine job of maintaining it," she told him.
"I do what I can on the weekend," he said. "It is a lot of work but I enjoy it. I am modernizing it without damaging the integrity and style of the architecture. It is a careful balance." He opened the door to the study and allowed her to enter before him.
Cristina looked around at the overstuffed bookshelves in the room. He caught her gaze and said that he was an avid reader and invited her to take a seat. He sat behind the big desk and told her that they were just going to have a chat.
"So let me tell you what the job entails. I have a housekeeper, Dorothy, who cleans and cooks but taking care of the children has become a burden for her. She is not that young anymore and she would like someone to take over the kids when they come home from pre-school," Dr Kennedy said.
Cristina wondered where his wife was because she could clearly see that he was still wearing a wedding ring. It was like if he could read her mind because the next words out of his mouth were about his wife.
"I guess you are probably wondering about the whereabouts of my wife. Penelope died six months ago. She picked up an infection on one of our trips and she didn't recover from it. It was very sudden," Dr Kennedy said. His voice had grown quiet as he thought about his wife.
"I am so sorry, Dr. Kennedy," Cristina said. She felt bad because he had known exactly what she had been thinking.
"Thank you," he said. He let out a sigh. "Well, let's talk about the job, shall we? Dorothy picks up the kids from pre-school/daycare about 4.00 p.m. It is not too far from here. The babysitter would be required to pick them up from now on, so Dorothy can go home. She has been going above and beyond since Penelope died but it is getting too much for her.
"You have to make sure that they are fed and bathed and to stay with them, until I come home. It doesn't sound too hard but my kids are very energetic. Olivia is four and Noel is five. That is why they tire out poor Dorothy. But you are very young, Miss Yang. I am sure you can handle them. Please tell me about yourself, your babysitting experience and why do you want this job."
Cristina smiled and started. She had rehearsed this before she had come to the house. "I am eighteen years old and a freshman at the University. I am majoring in Economics. I come from Belleview. I don't know if you have heard it. It is a town about 150 miles from the city. My parents still live there with my little brother, Corey and my dog, Jasper, who is a cocker spaniel. Though my parents cover my tuition, room and board, there isn't much money to do other things.
"I have lots of babysitting experience and I love hanging out with kids. I did it all through high school and I have excellent references from folks in my hometown. I can give you their names and numbers and you can call them, if you want." She took out a piece of paper she had tucked in her knapsack and gave it to him.
"Okay," he said, staring at the piece of paper in his hand. "Tell you what. I will give these people a call but I think they are going to tell me great things about you, Cristina Yang. I have a good feeling about you and I think the kids are probably going to like you. So, I was wondering when you can start. As soon as possible is my timeline."
Cristina laughed. "I can start as soon as you want."
"Good, so this is what I plan to pay per hour," he said. He pushed across a piece of paper towards her. He hoped it was enough. He wasn't sure about babysitting rates these days. Cristina stared at the number. It was twice what the families in Belleview paid her.
"This is very generous of you," she finally said.
"Well, that's because I expect excellent care for my children. They are what is most precious to me," he said, softly.
"I understand," she said. "I will do my very best for you." And that is how Professor Kennedy and Miss Yang met. Eventually, it became Peter and Cristina. Over the four years of college, Cristina and Peter got to know each other better and fell in love. She, he and the two children became a family. When she graduated from college, he proposed to her and she accepted. Though Peter was 15 years older than her, it just seemed right and they were very happy. He had been the one to introduce her to travel, fine art, poetry and literature.
He was the one who encouraged her to do her PhD and today was the culmination of all of that. She and the children sat at their favorite window booth, while their favorite server brought them their favorite drinks. They had already eaten two baskets of bread. Cristina looked at the watch and then, the door. Peter was never late. Where the heck was he?
She decided to call him but there was no answer on his cell phone. She called his office and was told by Thomas that Peter had already left.
"Where's dad?" Noel asked. He, too, knew that his father was never late.
"He must be in traffic or something," Cristina said. "He will be here." They waited for another half-hour before Cristina tried to call Peter again. This time, someone answered but it wasn't Peter. It was a deep male voice but it wasn't Peter's voice. She wondered if she rang the wrong number.
"Um, I think I may have dialed the wrong number," she said.
"Maybe not, are you looking for Peter Kennedy?" the voice said.
"Yes, I am," she replied. "He's my husband. He was supposed to meet us at Gulliver's." There was a pause on the other end before the person answered.
"I am very sorry, Mrs. Kennedy," he said. "My name is Dr. Owen Hunt and I am an ER doctor at Mercy General. Your husband has been in an accident and he is here at our hospital. He is going to need surgery."
Cristina dropped the phone in shock. The anguish in her face was evident. The children stared at her in alarm.
"Is it dad?" Olivia asked, tears beginning to fill her eyes. Cristina was too numb to even acknowledge Olivia's question.
On the other end of the phone, the doctor was still talking, "Mrs. Kennedy, are you still there? Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy."
A/N This is a new story. I hope you would leave your comments and feedback. I do appreciate them.
