The Children's Corner

Chapter 3

At one glance at the teary face of the student hesitantly knocking on the houseparent apartment door, Alexis immediately invites her in. "What's going on, Cindy?"

The distraught young woman sinks to the couch. "I'm pregnant, Ms. Castle-Wygard. I don't know what to do."

"Call me Alexis. It's easier. And quite a few students here are pregnant. The school doesn't have any rules against it. I think it would be illegal if it did. But I get the feeling that the school isn't your problem."

Cindy swipes her sleeve across her eyes. "Staying at the school is my problem. If my father finds out I'm pregnant, he'll cut off my tuition payments."

"I can help you get financial aid," Alexis offers.

"The school won't give it to me. My father decided to make our family legal residents of Monaco for tax reasons. But I spend almost no time there. God, the country is only the size of Central Park. And I'm not interested in the glitter. My father is only there the bare minimum to keep up his status. But still, as a foreign student, I'm responsible for full tuition. And coming from a wealthy family wouldn't help either."

"Are you sure that's what your father will do?' Alexis presses. "Have you talked to him?"

"He talked to me before I came here and made his views very clear. Our family money isn't new, Alexis. And my father is old school. He wanted me to go to Barnard or Bryn Mawr. But I didn't want to go to a woman's college. I wanted a regular university student life. And the folklore program here is fantastic. Professor Cayou is amazing! She knows about oral histories I never even heard of before I came here. I don't think the schools my father wanted for me have anyone half as incredible as she is."

Alexis nods. "I've heard great things about her from some of the other students. So we have to figure out some way you can stay without financial support from your family. How about the baby's father?"

"Baylor got financial aid because he and his family have zero money. But he had to go home to help out. He's from Appalachia. All the men in his family were coal miners. A lot of them died of it. It was probably lucky for his father when the industry tanked, and he lost his job. He'll probably live longer. And he tried to get a job working in one of the wind turbine factories, but he's barely literate. He couldn't pass the training tests. So he tried to get by raising vegetables and making furniture. But it wasn't enough. So Baylor went home. He qualified for one of the jobs his father couldn't."

"Does Baylor know you're pregnant?"

Cindy shakes her head. "I kept having periods for the first few months. I threw up a few times, but I thought it was a bug. Then when other things started to change, I went to the student health center. They did an ultrasound. The doctor said she thinks I'm about four months along. And it's a boy. I already can't get into my old jeans. Pretty soon, everyone here is going to know. And my pregnancy will get back to my father whether I tell him about it or not. The school's always calling him to hit him up for contributions. It will leak out."

"Can you get a job?" Alexis wonders.

"Not one that will pay for living in New York and going to school. Whether my father cuts me off or not, I'd have to drop out. And I don't know how I could support a baby. And don't even ask. I'm not going to – you know."

"I wasn't going to ask," Alexis responds gently. "Your body, your decision. But you do need help. Listen, I might have an idea. I need to talk to some people. But don't worry. I won't mention your name and…." Her cellphone sounds from her pocket. "I'll let it go to voicemail."

"No, don't," Cindy urges. "Someone else might need to cry on your shoulder."

Alexis notes Kate's I.D. on the screen. "No, I don't think she'd do that, but she is one of the people I need to talk to."

Cindy pushes out of her seat. "Then I'll get out of here."

"I'll get an answer back to you as soon as I can," Alexis calls after her, thumbing acceptance of the call. "Kate, I was just going to call you and Dad."

At Kate's signal to join her, Rick smiles into her phone. "Hi, Pumpkin! What's up?"

Carefully keeping Cindy anonymous, Alexis relates the problem. "And I was wondering," she continues, "with everything you two are trying to handle with the twins, if you could use some live-in help. I mean, my old room is just sitting empty up in the mezzanine. So is Gram's. And there's a bathroom up there too."

Rick chuckles. "So that brilliant brain of yours decided you could solve two problems with one stroke. I take it that you want us to hire the pregnant young woman to give us a hand with the twins so she'll be able to continue at Hudson U. with a roof over her head."

"That's it," Alexis admits.

"Well, my red-haired genius, you may have solved another problem in the process. Did you say that our potential twin-wrangler has become quite attached to a professor of folklore?" Rick queries.

"Um, yeah."

"Then, she may have something to trade besides babysitting services."

Cynthia fidgets nervously at the table in the loft while Kate hands her a mug of decaf. "I appreciate you seeing me so quickly and not pushing for my name."

"Alexis vouches for you. That's enough – for now, anyway," Rick declares. "So, Ms. X, what experience do you have caring for children?"

"I'm a storyteller at the Hudson U. daycare center. I interact that way with the kids there. I also help out sometimes when it's short-staffed."

"And by helping out, you mean what?" Kate queries.

"Changing diapers, cleaning up accidents, serving snacks – whatever they need."

"Plenty of that around here," Rick remarks, "although, for snacks, the twins are limited to Kate's unique blend. Our daughter Lily, however, loves her post-pre-school repasts. So tell us what you know about Transylvanian folklore."

Cindy blinks at the sudden change of subject. "What? Are you asking me about vampires?"

"No," Kate quickly interrupts. "My husband has no shortage of bloodsucker stories. We're looking into an investigation involving some rumors of an event in that area about 20 years ago."

Cindy shrugs. "I'm sorry, I don't know about anything like that. But I think my professor, Dr. Deborah Cayou might. There's not much folklore she doesn't hear something about. I can give you her email."

Kate flashes an appreciative smile. "That would be helpful. Now, back to your experience with children. Do you have any younger siblings?"

Cindy releases a breath and continues answering questions.

"I like her," Kate offers after the loft door closes behind their sitter candidate.

"So do I," Rick agrees, "but without a name, we can't run a background check. I won't hire anyone to be with our precious offspring without one. And I'm betting that you won't either."

"You're right," Kate concedes. "So now what?"

"Alexis knows Ms. X's name and probably a hell of a lot more about her. I can give her the password to my online deep background service, and she can run it. I'm sure she'll be forthcoming about anything questionable that pops up. Her siblings' safety depends on it. Besides, she hates messing up. She'll want to reassure herself that she isn't pushing a bad nanny on us."

"Do it!"