100 Things or More to be Happy About
Tree houses
I was anxious about babysitting as mom dropped me off at this small two-story house in London. She smiled at me from the car as George, her boyfriend, waved from the passenger seat. I had only met George a couple of times and never his daughter that I promised to babysit. I was not inclined to do so, but as a supportive daughter, I wanted to see my mom happy. And if happiness for her were this new man in her life, I would gladly babysit his daughter so they could have a nice dinner out.
The house was quiet as I stepped in. The living room was a mess and the stairs leading to the next story were crowded with articles of clothing and toys. I watched my step as I ascended the stairs, oddly taking my time with each step as to not disturb the serene silence. I neared the top and saw Marti, the young Venturi, sitting in the hall with a fairy outfit on and two mismatched dolls in her hands.
"Hi Marti, I'm Casey," I said softly, extending my hand.
She giggled to herself as if it were an inside joke, then turned to the empty space beside her and whispered something quietly.
"Whom are you talking to?" I asked sitting down across from her.
"This is Daphne," she said motioning to her left.
I looked on quizzically, but decided to go along with it. "Hi Daphne." I waved discreetly as Marti hopped up and bounded downstairs with her dolls clutched in one hand and her other stretched out behind her.
"You're too late Casey, Daphne is already downstairs with me," she laughed evilly before returning to her crouched position on the carpet.
I shook my head and sighed. This would be an interesting night.
I found my job easier later on as I watched their TV lounging on the couch while Marti played in the hall with her various toys. I only had to leave my spot momentarily when Marti would disappear upstairs for a few minutes to go retrieve another toy or object she found interest in.
Looking forward to the end of the night when the kid would be asleep and I would be free to lay back and relax; I proceeded to hurry dinner along earlier than normal and went to the kitchen to look for food. There wasn't much there like expected. I found half a jar of tomato sauce in the fridge and a container of curly noodles beside the stove. Bringing the water to a boil, I waited under the archway, watching on as Marti sang to herself and her imaginary friend.
"So Marti," I began making small talk. "Do you and your dad live here?"
"Mhm," she replied, still engrossed with her song.
I returned to the stove and dumped in a cup of the pasta before setting the timer. Before I was able to meet her back in the living room, she stood beside me in the kitchen looking up.
"What are you making?" She asked looking up as her brown bangs hung to the side of her face. She pushed them away before looking back up at me.
"Pasta," I replied bending down to her level.
"Good. It better be spaghetti," she responded quite dignified.
"I couldn't find spaghetti, but I did find these cool curly noodles," I said happily raising the container. She frowned, huffing before walking away, complaining of the food to Daphne.
When the timer on the stove beeped, I poured the pot into a strainer before serving Marti's in a small bowl and putting the rest on a plate for myself.
"Marti! Suppers ready!" I yelled while putting the sauce in the microwave to heat up. When the microwave beeped at zero, there was still no sign of Marti. Worried, I paced around the house, looking for the little munchkin. When I was in full on panic mode, I returned to the kitchen, ready to call Nora, when I saw her up in a tree behind the house.
"Marti, don't disappear like that!" I scolded with my arms crossed. She mimicked my movements before sticking her tongue out at me. "Please come down," I begged at the bottom of the tree.
"Did you make spaghetti?" She asked skeptically.
"No, but you won't be able to tell the difference," I reasoned with her. She ignored me and sat back down in her makeshift tree house.
There was a ladder hanging down to the ground and as far as I could see, a roofless house with a row of wooden boards for a floor and railings on three sides.
I decided to come up. It would be getting dark soon and the look of disappointment on Nora's face if she came back with Marti still in the tree haunted my mind. She was rarely mad at Lizzie or me. I couldn't let her start now.
"Hey Marti," I said as I stepped up onto the platform in between the cluster of trees. "I think it's time to come down. I think Daphne misses you back in the house."
She didn't buy my story as she sat there puzzled. "But Daphne's here now."
"Of course she is," I muttered under my breath.
"Look Marti, I will find some spaghetti for you if you come down with me now."
"I don't believe you," she responded haughtily, pulling a teddy bear she had with her to her chest.
I sighed in frustration.
"If you don't come down now, I will have to make you come down," I said sternly.
She looked even more upset and started whining incessantly. Just as I was about to climb down and call Nora again, a boy's voice sounded from the ground below. I stuck my head out and saw a boy my age standing at the bottom of the tree looking up at us.
"Hey Smarti, I think you should come down now," he said, probably referring to the young girl in front of me. I grinned in admiration of another person trying to help me out.
"I don't want to come down Smerek," she complained from her seat, not even needing to look over the edge to recognize the voice.
"I'm coming up then I guess," the boy said climbing the ladder.
He pulled himself onto the ledge in record time and sat across from Marti and I.
I looked up at his face and blushed profusely as his brown messy hair ruffled back in forth with the small gusts of wind passing by.
"Smarti, I need you to come down." He instructed her with a youthful grin on his face.
"No," she replied immediately, giggling quietly into her bear.
"Cats don't like being in trees though Marti," he told her calling her by her name this time.
"But I'm not a cat anymore Derek," she informed him standing up. "See?"
"Then you're a monkey?" Derek asked, putting on his most concerned face.
"No." Marti looked appalled.
"Well, monkeys live in trees Marti, not humans."
"Oh." She looked down at her feet before conceding. "Okay Derek, I'll come down."
"Good, now take your time coming down that ladder."
She nodded before descending down the tree. I was just about to go down as well, when Derek stopped me with his hand.
"Hi, I'm Derek," he said proudly, taking dominance in such a feat as getting a girl down from a tree.
"Casey," I said smiling back at him as he took my hand in his and shook in lightly. "Thanks for convincing her to come down. I would have been in so much trouble if her dad came home and found her up here."
"It's no problem," he said shrugging it off. "So you're the babysitter?" His eyes looked up into mine as a sly grin spread across his face.
"Yeah, I guess," I replied confused about what was so interesting about that.
"Well, nice to meet you Casey," he said winking before climbing down.
I followed right after him making sure I didn't lose my footing and fall. Things were going pretty well with this cute guy and I really didn't want to fall off a ladder in front of him. As I approached the ground, he lifted me off the 3rd to last rung and lowered me to the ground. I was about to say that wasn't necessary, when he placed his hand on my back and led me back to the house.
Once inside, Derek casually walked over to the couch and lazed back on it liked he owned it. I was surprised by his behavior but shrugged it off as I served Marti the dinner I had made without a hassle.
While Marti and I both ate our dinner, I couldn't help but keep an eye on Derek as he flipped through channels before staying on a sports station and watching hockey.
"Is he here a lot?" I asked Marti, a little concerned if it was all right for Derek to be here.
She looked at me confused. "All the time."
"Okay," I said rolling my eyes and clearing the table. "Your dad is going to be home soon. Can you get some pajamas on and get ready for bed?"
I cringed in fear that she would make another big deal about this when she hopped up instantly and ran up stairs. I was suspicious that she was going to go off and play more, but I let it slide as I cleaned up the other dishes. Just as I finished putting the pot away, I felt a hand on my side and turned to face Derek.
He looked different now, then earlier. He wasn't so cocky and his little grin was toned down to an innocent, but feigned smile.
"Hey," I let slip quietly as he played with my hair resting in front of my face. I was entranced by him and he knew it. I could tell he was playing me, but I couldn't figure out if I like it or not.
He leaned forward, teasing me as he whispered in my ear. "I've never met you before Casey," he said as his breath speaking my name tickled my ear. "But I feel as though we've been in each others lives for years and never known it."
I was confused about whether his statement was supposed to lure me in or creep me out.
I backed up against the counter with my hands blocking his chest. "Is that supposed to be a charming line?" I asked sarcastically.
He looked taken back for a second before rebounding from my rejection. "I'm sorry," he said. I couldn't tell if it was genuine. "But you're so hot."
I wanted to laugh, but blushed heavily instead, my cheeks a deep vermillion red.
"Thanks." I said not totally convinced. My brain was still working, but it couldn't seem to control all my actions. He leaned in again as I rested my hand against his face, the tips of my fingers brushing by his hair. He took my hand in his before holding the counter behind me with the other; his weight was distributed between the counter, his front foot and me now as he closed his eyes, inches from my face. I swear, I was a fraction of a second away from closing mine when I saw the headlights of mom's car dying down in the background outside. I backed away quickly and headed upstairs to check on Marti leaving Derek resting against the counter. I debated between forcing him out of the house and leaving him there, but I couldn't face him at that moment.
I heard the front door open and mom and George stepping into the house. The door closed, George hung up his jacket and keys clanged as they hit the basket. Marti was changed into her pajamas, but had not brushed her teeth yet. I hurried her into the bathroom as Nora called up to me.
"Hey Casey, we're back. How did things go?"
I stepped out of the bathroom momentarily to answer her back before I went back in forcing Marti to finish up quickly before taking her back to her bedroom to tuck her in.
"Can you sing me and Daphne a song?" She asked in that little munchkin voice.
"I hear your dad downstairs now, so I'll get him to," I said trying to avoid the singing.
"Okay Casey," she said getting comfortable in her bed with her bears on both sides of her.
I turned to leave when Marti reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me down to give me a kiss on my forehead. I gushed with awe before she let me go and waved goodbye.
Heading downstairs I saw Derek resting against a doorframe across the hall grinning. He didn't catch my gaze, but shook his head smiling before running a hand through his hair and walking into the bathroom.
"Thanks for looking after her," George thanked me as I went to retrieve my coat and shoes.
"It's no problem George. She was pretty cute," I replied looking back upstairs. At times she was a handful, but watching her all sleepy and peaceful upstairs made me think otherwise.
"Cute huh?" George asked rhetorically as he kissed my mom on the cheek and said goodbye.
We were about to leave when Derek came down the stairs in sweat pants and a t-shirt; a different outfit from what he was wearing earlier.
"Hey Derek, did you put your hockey stuff in the wash when you got home today?"
Derek rolled his eyes, those intense eyes, and replied to George, "sorry dad, forgot."