Hey everyone, here's the chapter 6 of Ties Beyond Time. Enjoy.
Mike arrived at his home, whistling as he walked through the door. School had ended not too long ago and luckily for him, he didn't have much homework.
"Mike, you're just the person I wanted to see" Mrs. Chronos said, patting the seat next to her on the couch.
"Hey Mom" Mike greeted his mother, taking a seat next to her. "Uh, what did you want me to talk to me about?" he asked.
"Well, honey, I've been thinking. It's time that you got a job" Mrs. Chronos said.
"A job?" Mike looked at her questionably.
"Yes. You're a little old to be getting an allowance and you're at that age where you could use some work experience" Mrs. Chronos placed a hand on her son's shoulder.
"Hm. I suppose you do have a point…" Mike folded his arms. "One problem though. Where am I supposed to get a job? There aren't any places hiring right now" he told his mother.
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that. Which is why I think you should try babysitting" his mother suggested. "I used to babysit your aunt all the time when I was your age. As well as other people's kids"
"Babysitting, huh? Leni told me her and three of her sisters do that. But how am I supposed to get hired as someone's babysitter?" Mike raised an eyebrow.
"I know someone" Mrs. Chronos said. "One of my clients is going to be busy tonight. He has a daughter and needs someone to watch her. I figured you'd be the perfect person for the job"
"Hmm…" Mike rubbed his chin, thinking.
"It'll give you some great work experience and you might actually like the kid. Plus…" Mrs. Chronos leaned into his ear and whispered something that interested him, making his eyes widen with a blush.
"Why can't you and Dad watch the kid?" Mike raised an eyebrow.
"Your father and I have to work tonight. Please, Mike" Mrs. Chronos pleaded. There was a short pause. Mike gave a small smile.
"Ok, I'll do it" he said in agreement.
"Thank you, sweetie" Mrs. Chronos ran her fingers through the side of her son's hair. "They'll be here at five" she told him.
5 PM
Mike sat on the couch, watching tv with Sasha lying beside him, her head rested in his lap. It was then that the dark-skinned teen heard the doorbell ring. Mike got up answered the door. Upon opening it, he was greeted by dark-skinned man and a little girl.
"Hello, are you Mike?" the man asked.
"Yes, I am" Mike nodded.
"I'm Mr. Helmandollar. Your mom said you'd agree to watch my daughter?" Mr. Helmandollar said.
"Yeah, I did agree to that. And who's this little lady?" Mike smiled, crouching to the girl's height.
"I'm Darcy, I'm four years old. And this is Rafo" Darcy showed her stuffed animal to the older boy.
"It's nice to meet you, Darcy" Mike smiled at the little girl.
"I should get going now. You'll take good care of her, won't you?" Mr. Helmandollar asked Mike as he stood.
"Mm-hm" Mike gave a confirming nod.
"Great" Mr. Helmandollar smiled. He then knelt down to his daughter's height, "You be a good girl for Mike. I'll be back to pick you up later tonight, ok?"
"Ok, Daddy" Darcy smiled. Mr. Helmandollar kiss his daughter's forehead before standing back up and facing the teen.
"Make sure she's asleep by eight" Mr. Helmandollar told him.
"Can do" Mike replied with a salute. Mr. Helmandollar gave a nod, ruffling his daughter's hair before making his way to the car, leaving the two of them alone.
"So, what would you like to do first, Darcy?" Mike asked, closing and locking the door behind himself.
"Can we play a game?" Darcy asked.
"Sure. Do you like Smash Bros.? I've got all the characters unlocked, even the DLC" Mike offered.
"Sure" Darcy said, taking a seat on the couch next to Sasha, who greeted her with a lick to her face. "Hi, puppy" she greeted the dog, hugging her as she was assaulted with friendly licks.
"Yeah, that's Sasha. She's a good girl" Mike smiled at his dog before switching the game on his console from the violent MK11 to the kid friendly Smash Bros. Ultimate, and then turning it on.
Mike took a seat beside Darcy and handed her one of the wireless controllers. He gave Darcy the standard one while he used the Legend of Zelda themed one. The two of them had chosen their fighters, with Darcy choosing Pikachu and Mike choosing Incineroar. The game had started.
"That was fun, even if I did lose" Darcy said, sitting at the table in the kitchen.
"Yeah, you could use a little practice" Mike said, placing a bowl of mac and cheese in front of her, with one for himself as well. "But don't worry, you're free to practice if I ever babysit you again"
"Thanks, Mike" Darcy smiled, scooping a spoonful of the food into her mouth.
"So, Darcy, are you in school?" Mike asked.
"Mm-hm" Darcy replied with a nod. "I'm in kindergarten"
"Any friends?" Mike asked.
"Not yet. I most just spend time alone on the jungle gym or playing with Rafo…" Darcy said, glancing off to the side. "There is one person I want to be friends with though. She's the smartest kid in class and likes to play scientists all the time. She makes it look fun!"
"Sounds interesting" Mike replied. "So, any brothers or sisters?"
"No, I'm an only child" Darcy said, scooping more food into her mouth.
"Same" Mike responded with a shrug. "Being an only child isn't so bad. At least you don't have to wait in a long line to use the bathroom"
Darcy released a small giggle.
"So, what do your parents do?" Mike asked.
"My Dad works as the manager of a toy store. That's how I got Rafo" Darcy held up her stuffed giraffe.
"What about your Mom?" Mike asked.
Darcy's expression turned into a straight face. "I… never knew my Mom" she said, causing Mike to raise an eyebrow. "My Dad said that when I came out of my Mom's tummy, she went to the stars" she told him. "I don't know what that means, but I hope she comes back soon" she smiled.
Mike glanced guiltily to the side. He knew what that meant. Darcy's mom must've died giving birth to her. He figured her dad was going to wait until she was old enough to handle this kind of the stuff before telling her the truth. In all honesty, Mike couldn't blame Mr. Helmandollar. The girl did seem a bit young.
After a few minutes, Mike and Darcy had finished their dinner. Mike washed the bowls in the sink, drying them and placing them in the dish rack.
"So, now that's dinner done. Want to help me make dessert?" Mike offered.
"Sure!" Darcy hopped of her seat and approached the older boy at the counter, "What're you making?" she asked as Mike took out popsicle molds from the cabinet.
"We are making frozen yogurt fruit pops" Mike told Darcy while lifting her up and setting on the counter. "What kind of fruit do you like?" he asked.
"Strawberries" Darcy replied.
"Just what I was thinking. Strawberry flavored it is!" Mike smiled.
The teenage boy pulled the blender from the lower cabinets, plugging it up on the counter. He then retrieved the tub of plain yogurt and container of strawberries from the refrigerator. Using a large spoon, Mike scooped several dollops of yogurt into the blender. He then took a handful of strawberries, using a knife to cut the tops. He allowed Darcy to scoop them into her hands and toss them into the blender with the yogurt.
Mike placed the lid on top of the blender before turning it on. The blades proceeded to pulverize the strawberries, combining them with the yogurt and turning it pink. Once it was at a good consistency, Mike removed the lid and poured the mixture into two of the molds. The lids, which had sticks protruding from them, were then placed on top, closing with a click. Mike put the molds into the freezer before closing it shut.
"Alright, now all we have to do is wait two hours" Mike said, looking at his digital wristwatch.
With dinner wrapped up, Mike had decided to end the night with a movie. The movie they were watching was Kung Fu Panda. It was just as good as Mike remembered it. Darcy enjoyed it, too. However, the four-year-old found herself falling asleep near the end of it. Unknown to her, she fell asleep while cuddling up against Mike, unconsciously nuzzling her head against his side. Mike smiled as he gazed upon the sleeping child. Luckily for Darcy, she had gotten to eat her frozen yogurt pop beforehand.
"Well, better that she's sleeping now than be awake when her Dad comes to pick her up" Mike muttered so he wouldn't wake the girl. That's when he heard the doorbell ring. "Speaking of which…"
Mike gently removed Darcy from his side as he got up from the couch. Answering the door, he saw Mr. Helmandollar standing there.
"Hello, Mike" the older man greeted him.
"Hey, Mr. Helmandollar. You're back earlier than expected" Mike greeted back, stepping aside to let him in.
"Yeah, some stuff happened and everyone had to leave" Mr. Helmandollar replied. "So, how was she?" he asked, looking at his daughter who was asleep on the couch.
"Oh, she was wonderful. A little angel" Mike told him as Darcy was scooped into her father's arms, resting her head upon her shoulder.
"Well, I appreciate you watching her for me. Here's a little something for your trouble" Mr. Helmandollar handed him a fifty-dollar bill.
"Whoa. Thanks!" Mike said, looking the money in awe.
"Say, would I be able to call you to watch her again sometime?" Mr. Helmandollar asked.
"Sure, I'd love to watch Darcy again. If you ever need a babysitter just let me or my mom know" Mike told him, Mr. Helmandollar replying with a solid nod.
The father then exited the teenager's home with his daughter in his arms. Just as Mike was about to close the door, he caught a glimpse of Darcy looking over her father's shoulder. The four-year-old gave a weak smile and waved at him before returning to sleep. Mike smiled back, giving a flutter of his fingers before shutting and locking the door. He then released a sigh as he plopped on to the couch, lying on his back.
Mike unfolded the fifty-dollar bill and looked at it with a smirk of content. So, this was what it felt like to earn money. Feels pretty good. This must've been how Bobby felt when ever he earned his money from working. With this fifty, Mike could probably buy himself something really nice or maybe go out to eat. That's when a lightbulb went off in his head and a small grin crossed his face.
He already knew just what to spend the money on. Or, rather, who. All he needed to do was wait until he went back to school… and hoped he had the confidence to go through with it.
So, I've decided to continue this story, regardless of the lack of attention it has. And it looks like Mike's got a new job as Darcy's babysitter. And yes, I will be showing Darcy more in this story. We can probably all guess what Mike has planned.
If you have any ideas for future chapters, say it in a review or PM me.
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