Lydia Pouts sadly to herself as she drones out the sound of her mother on the phone. She has been saying the same thing for about an hour now: You can't afford the apartment without a job. Come home. Blah, blah, blah. Lydia knows her mother has been waiting for the moment she screws up, the moment she can't handle being independent. She can't think of anything more miserable than having to go back 'home'.
"Lydia, are you even listening?" Lydia hears a muffled voice say and she pulls her attention back.
No. "Yes, im listening." she answers, running her fingers stressfully through her hair. "You forget this isn't my screwup. The company I work for closed, I did nothing wrong." she informs her mother agitatedly. "There's no messed up resume, I can find a new job."
"I think it's best you just come back. You're twenty years old, you're not ready to be on your own yet!" her mother retorts defensively. Lydia debates hanging up. "Lydia..." Natalie whimpers to the silence she recieves.
"Give me two weeks. I'll find a job and show you i'm fine. If not, i'll come home." Lydia reasons and after a while of pondering, Natalie agrees. Lydia ends the call with a sigh of relief and regret for ever telling her mother she lost her job.
A week and a half later, Lydia sits in the local cafe calling practically every job advertisement she can find. She's two days late on her rent and three days away from having to give the apartment up anyway and move home, so she is no longer fussy about the job details. A few cleaning companies tell her 'they'll call back' in the same tone she has been hearing for the past week. She drops her head into her hands and resists the urge to sob. After a few moment regaining her composure, Lydia turns the page to call the next number and notices a new advirtisement.
'Carer position for my temporarily blind son until his eyes have healed from a surgery. 8 weeks position, give or take. $5,000 a week.'
Lydia practically chokes on her cheap coffee; five thousand dollars a week for eight weeks? Her rent in $250 dollars a week. This job would keep her going long enough to find a proper job that she might actually enjoy! Plus, how hard can looking after some little kid be? She used to babysit all the time. She quickly dials the number, worried someone else will snap up the job before she does.
"Hello, this is Sheriff Stilinski." A mans voice answers the phone and Lydia freezes for a second. Sheriff? Has she dialed the right number? is it illegal to accidentally dial a sheriff? "Hello?" she man calls out again.
"Hello! Sorry, yes. Hi!" she rambles and then takes in a deep breath to compose herself. "Is this the right number for the advertisement in the paper?"
"The caring position, yes!" the man quickly answers. He sounds relieved to have someone call. "Are you enquiring?"
"I am." Lydia responds, a grin spreading across her face. "Is is still available?"
"It's still available." the man laughs a little and Lydia takes that as a sign it's been that way for a while. "When can you come for an interview?"
"As soon as possible." Lydia replies quickly, rather too quickly. "I mean, whenever you want me."
"Can you come by the Beacon Hills Coffee Shop tomorrow morning?" He asks and Lydia grins once again.
"Perfect!"
Lydia shifts nervously outside the coffee shop door sheriff Stilinski had arranged the meeting at. She smoothes out her skirt and steps inside, curiously looking around for potential employers. She spots him right away, the sheriff uniform sticking out like a sore thumb. She smiles politely and walks over to the table. After some polite chit chat, the interview begins.
"So, my son had the surgery about a week ago to try to restore his vision after a car accident that damaged the eyes. He has checks every day to make sure the healing is on track." Stilinski informs her and she resists the urge to gasp.
"I'm very sorry to hear that." Lydia whispers sadly. "How old is he?"
"He's 21 years old." Stilinski tells her and she can't hide the brief look of shock on her face.
"Sorry." she shakes her head. "I was just expecting someone younger, I don't know why..." she rambles and Stilinski smiles.
"The advertisement can be misleading." He smiles. "The two previous people I hired for this position wondered why he needed a carer with his age and the technology and facilities we have now... I would just rather know he was safe and has company while I'm out working." he explains and Lydia nods.
"That's understandable." she agress and then realises something about what he said. "Past employees?" she questions and he sighs.
"My son is not easy to get along with as of late... he rubs people the wrong way and the last two people who tried the job didn't work out, hence the large sum of money. I think it would be good to have someone similar to his age though; someone who doesn't feel like a babysitter." he reasons with her and she nods. So, he's a dick? thats basically what the sheriff is saying. So what? Lydia just has to go there, make the guy his meals and help him to the bathroom maybe. And she gets to leave each week with $5,000. She can handle his dickish attitude for that.
"I'm willing to give him a chance." she grins and the sheriff smiles back at her, visibly releaved. Stilinski explains what Lydia's job would include: Lydia would have to be at the Stilinski house for 8:00am, when he leaves for work, and make breakfast. She should wake his son for 9:00am and help get him ready and eat in time for his check up at 9:30am. She is allowed to leave the house for a half an hour break at that point. She should then come back, hang out with his son and basically let him do what he wants. Easy enough. At 12:00pm she should make lunch and after he has finished eating, give him his medications and clean his eyes to prevent infection. Then she can just hang around until 5:00pm until the sheriff gets back and head home. Lydia nods her head and agrees to these intructions. "This should work fine for me." she tells him. The timings seem so specific, she thinks to herself. It really will be like caring for a child.
"I know it's short notice but if you could possibly start tomorrow I can give you the weeks pay early?" he practically pleads. "I need to get back to work." Lydia's heart sings; she can now pay her late rent and get back on track.
"Of course I can." she smiles warmly.