Of all the horrible things that Bob had done, or had attempted, there was only one act for which he felt a consistent sense of remorse...

It had happened by accident. Judith had warned Bob and Cecil never to touch any of her acting awards, especially the first one that she had received for acting in a theatre of note, but the temptation had overwhelmed Bob. He was playing Tybalt in the school production of Romeo and Juliet, and he wanted to touch the award for luck, the way his mother often did before a show. Bob had held the award for only a minute before he tried to return it to its place on the family trophy shelf, but the little statuette slipped from his hand, and the impact from hitting the floor caused the head to come off. Bob glued the head back on and expected that to be the end of it.

On the drive home from school, Bob could see Anna's large green eyes reflected in the rearview mirror. They were glazed over with obvious misery. He coughed loudly enough that Anna glanced at him.

"You alright?"

"Yes." Bob smiled weakly. "Are you?"

The car slowed to a stop at the side of the road, and Anna turned to meet the eyes of both Bob and Cecil. "There's something that I need to tell you."

Cecil, who had spent the duration of this car ride wallowing in motion sickness, jerked upright. "What? Is someone dead?"

"No." Anna licked her lips and swallowed hard before she continued. "This morning, after I got home from dropping you off at school, your mother wanted me to work on the little chore list that she'd written. I turned on the TV while I dusted the trophy shelf, got a little distracted, and knocked your mother's favourite award onto the floor."

Cecil gasped, complete with a hand on his mouth, and Bob clutched the headrest of the front passenger seat.

"How did Mother react?" Bob rasped, even though he knew the answer.

Anna moistened her lips a second time. "She had a huge temper tantrum and told me I was fired."

"No!" Cecil screeched, and clawed into his own cheeks. "Who will take us to school from now on? I can't ride on public buses; they're so disgusting!"

Bob ran his thin fingers to the unruly red mop on his head. "Do you think Mother might forgive you once she's had time to calm down?"

"You wouldn't be asking that if you'd been there to see it." Anna sighed and restarted the car. "I have to leave by the start of next week."

As Anna finished packing her suitcase, Bob shuffled into her room. His hunched posture and droopy hair made him resemble a wilted flower.

"Anna, I'm very sorry."

The lid of Anna's suitcase dropped shut, and she faced the slouched preteen. "For what?"

Bob stared down at his giant feet. "I tried to convince Mother to let you stay, but she wouldn't have it."

A wry, yet sad, smile spread on Anna's face. "When did you start to care about me so much?"

Clearing his throat again, Bob said, "I...I just think the circumstances of your dismissal were unfair. After all, it was an accident."

Anna slipped on her coat and purse. "That was big of you, Bob, but this isn't the end of the world. I was planning to leave soon, anyway; your mother told me a few weeks ago that she thought you and Cecil were getting too old for a nanny."

After she had checked her room to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything, Anna went to the front door, with Bob trailing behind.

"But where will you go now?" Bob said while the ex-nanny put on her shoes. "What will you do?"

"I've made plans to stay with my cousin in Seattle. Hopefully I can find a job there."

"I see." Bob watched Anna open the door. "Good luck, then."

Anna looked over her shoulder with another, more cheerful smile. "Thanks, Bob. You're one of the better kids I've looked after."

The door swung shut, and Bob was alone with an awful knot in his stomach.