"Michiru there you are!" Suma beamed at the sight of me.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing wrong! No!" she took my arm and pulled to her office.
"Hotaru needs a babysitter," she explained, "I want to assign you to it. Please do it? It is a great oppurtunity!"
"But I can look after her here at the daycare center..." I started slowly but she sushed me.
"No see her father wants someone who can take care of her at home." Suma went off, "He said someone who Hotaru likes personally. She likes you! You are the perfect choice! Say yes!"
"Well..." I sighed cause I knew she wasn't gonna give up, "Alright..."
"Great!" Suma almost yelled, "She's in the playroom and her carseat is there too! Here is her address! Here is a spare key! Go to her place right now, ok? I will call her father later on to tell him you are at the house."
"I..." but I couldn't finish what I was going to say because the phone rang and Suma waved me away. I then went to the playroom to get the little girl. Taking her I went to my car and went off to follow the address.
************************************************************************
When I got back from the meeting there were several messages for me. One of them was from the day care manager.
"Hello Haruka-san this is Suma. I sent the baby sitter like I said I would. She must be at your place now. Her name is Kaiou Michiru and Hotaru does like her really well so don't worry about a thing. She is very responsible as well. Anyway you will see what I mean when you meet her. Thank you and bye."
I raked my brain. The name sounded familiar but I couldn't remember where I had heard it. I gave up trying to figure out and went back to my work."
************************************************************************
It was a big house adorned with many pictures of Hotaru. There was a picture in the living room of a nice looking family. A middle-aged but strikingly handsome looking man with brown hair and blue eyes was standing with his arm around a beautiful blond woman with teal eyes. With them was a teenager boy wearing a sports cap, his eyes just like his mother's. His arm was draped around a young girl with straight bown hair and teal eyes. She had braces on but still she looked very pretty. They were all smiling as if they hadn't a care in the world. I wondered which one of them was the man I was going to meet today. For some reason the boy's face caught my attention. Those teal eyes looked very familiar but I waved the thought away.
I noticed that there were no pictures of Hotaru with her father. It seemed strange that there was a picture of such a happy looking family but there was no sign of any family in the house. I sighed and took Hotaru to her playroom, a vast lavender coloured room. There I watched her play endlessly and did my job as a babysitter while my mind was million miles away.
Later on it was pretty late when I heard a car drive up. I peeked out the playroom window and my heart started to hammer. It was the same car that...
I went back to Hotaru to pick her up.
"Your daddy's here." I told the little girl. Sitting down I told myself to calm down, that it couldn't be. After some time I heard footsteps on the stairs. Then someone walked in the playroom.
"I am very sorry I am late Kaiou-san..." I looked at the blond handsome face, the person that I had mistaken for a teenage boy. It was the same person, the same woman. She stood frozen in the doorway. Standing up slowly I clenched my fists and resisted the urge to hit her.
"I didn't know..." she started horrified when a delighted squeal from Hotaru interupted. She crawled to her "daddy".
"Hi," I watched the blond head bow down to pick up the dark haired child. As if it was their special hello hotaru grabbed her hair and pulled.
"I don't know what to say." She whispered when I didn't attempt to talk. I didn't respond.
"I...I would understand it if you...you know, want to leave the job." She said nervously oblivious to the young girl in her arms, which was constantly trying to get her attention.
Suddenly I remembered something Kuchiri always used to say. She always said, "Michi, never let anyone know your weakness! Never! Even if they do know it, lead them to believe they don't. It's the key in life, don't you think?" I had always agreed but now it was the time to act.
"I did not say I would be leaving."
"You didn't say much of anything." She replied wrily suddenly not so nervous.
"Are you making fun of me?" I felt fumed.
"Wouldn't dream of it." She replied seriously. Her face suddenly looked very tired. Worry lines around her young face. I wondered how old she was.
"What time do you want me to come tomorrow?" I asked trying to unclench my jaw. If I had to face her everyday I might as well not waste my energy getting angry. She gave me a piece of paper, the times written on it for the whole week.
"Well I guess I will go now." I replied and even to my ears my voice sounded stiff. But just before I left the playroom curiosity got the better of me.
"If you wouldn't mind me asking who is Hotaru's father?" I asked surprising even myself.
"Her father?" she asked arching her eyebrow.
"Well, you know, your husband..." suddenly she laughed with such abandon that it scared me. Head back, shoulders heaving.
"I am not married and Hotaru is my adopted daughter." She said when she stopped laughing.
"It wasn't that funny." I said snapping.
"Actually it was." She said smiling, "Imagining a guy ever liking someone like me." I left then annoyed of her sudden mood changes. But when I was driving home I realized that a guy liking a woman who looked like a man was rather funny, if not funny haha and mostly funny ironic.
************************************************************************
When the Kaiou girl left I finally paid attention to Hotaru. It had been a long day and some guy had figured out I was a woman and had started to look down on me when I had gotten mad at him. Overall it was a bad day. And what made it worse was coming home and finding a pair of cold blue eyes ready to kill me if looks can kill that is.
"It had been a long long day, don't you think?" I barely got a reply from Hotaru who still had my hair in her grip. I suddenly realized that I was gonna miss the chirpy chatty Usagi who sometimes got on my nerves before she left. After all I could tell her about my day. I knew the new babysitter wouldn't wanna be seen dead with me let alone listen to me for two minutes. Suddenly I felt very lonely indeed.
************************************************************************
When I got back home I was awake for a very long time after supper. Never had a met such a dramatic person who had gone from nervous to sarcastic to serious and then to joking on me. Personally I didn't think she as much had a right to smile around me since I had an urge to slap that smile off her face and after what had happened. I willed myself to not cry. I went back to wondering where were all those people in the picture that I had seen. I thought about it until I eventually fell asleep.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing wrong! No!" she took my arm and pulled to her office.
"Hotaru needs a babysitter," she explained, "I want to assign you to it. Please do it? It is a great oppurtunity!"
"But I can look after her here at the daycare center..." I started slowly but she sushed me.
"No see her father wants someone who can take care of her at home." Suma went off, "He said someone who Hotaru likes personally. She likes you! You are the perfect choice! Say yes!"
"Well..." I sighed cause I knew she wasn't gonna give up, "Alright..."
"Great!" Suma almost yelled, "She's in the playroom and her carseat is there too! Here is her address! Here is a spare key! Go to her place right now, ok? I will call her father later on to tell him you are at the house."
"I..." but I couldn't finish what I was going to say because the phone rang and Suma waved me away. I then went to the playroom to get the little girl. Taking her I went to my car and went off to follow the address.
************************************************************************
When I got back from the meeting there were several messages for me. One of them was from the day care manager.
"Hello Haruka-san this is Suma. I sent the baby sitter like I said I would. She must be at your place now. Her name is Kaiou Michiru and Hotaru does like her really well so don't worry about a thing. She is very responsible as well. Anyway you will see what I mean when you meet her. Thank you and bye."
I raked my brain. The name sounded familiar but I couldn't remember where I had heard it. I gave up trying to figure out and went back to my work."
************************************************************************
It was a big house adorned with many pictures of Hotaru. There was a picture in the living room of a nice looking family. A middle-aged but strikingly handsome looking man with brown hair and blue eyes was standing with his arm around a beautiful blond woman with teal eyes. With them was a teenager boy wearing a sports cap, his eyes just like his mother's. His arm was draped around a young girl with straight bown hair and teal eyes. She had braces on but still she looked very pretty. They were all smiling as if they hadn't a care in the world. I wondered which one of them was the man I was going to meet today. For some reason the boy's face caught my attention. Those teal eyes looked very familiar but I waved the thought away.
I noticed that there were no pictures of Hotaru with her father. It seemed strange that there was a picture of such a happy looking family but there was no sign of any family in the house. I sighed and took Hotaru to her playroom, a vast lavender coloured room. There I watched her play endlessly and did my job as a babysitter while my mind was million miles away.
Later on it was pretty late when I heard a car drive up. I peeked out the playroom window and my heart started to hammer. It was the same car that...
I went back to Hotaru to pick her up.
"Your daddy's here." I told the little girl. Sitting down I told myself to calm down, that it couldn't be. After some time I heard footsteps on the stairs. Then someone walked in the playroom.
"I am very sorry I am late Kaiou-san..." I looked at the blond handsome face, the person that I had mistaken for a teenage boy. It was the same person, the same woman. She stood frozen in the doorway. Standing up slowly I clenched my fists and resisted the urge to hit her.
"I didn't know..." she started horrified when a delighted squeal from Hotaru interupted. She crawled to her "daddy".
"Hi," I watched the blond head bow down to pick up the dark haired child. As if it was their special hello hotaru grabbed her hair and pulled.
"I don't know what to say." She whispered when I didn't attempt to talk. I didn't respond.
"I...I would understand it if you...you know, want to leave the job." She said nervously oblivious to the young girl in her arms, which was constantly trying to get her attention.
Suddenly I remembered something Kuchiri always used to say. She always said, "Michi, never let anyone know your weakness! Never! Even if they do know it, lead them to believe they don't. It's the key in life, don't you think?" I had always agreed but now it was the time to act.
"I did not say I would be leaving."
"You didn't say much of anything." She replied wrily suddenly not so nervous.
"Are you making fun of me?" I felt fumed.
"Wouldn't dream of it." She replied seriously. Her face suddenly looked very tired. Worry lines around her young face. I wondered how old she was.
"What time do you want me to come tomorrow?" I asked trying to unclench my jaw. If I had to face her everyday I might as well not waste my energy getting angry. She gave me a piece of paper, the times written on it for the whole week.
"Well I guess I will go now." I replied and even to my ears my voice sounded stiff. But just before I left the playroom curiosity got the better of me.
"If you wouldn't mind me asking who is Hotaru's father?" I asked surprising even myself.
"Her father?" she asked arching her eyebrow.
"Well, you know, your husband..." suddenly she laughed with such abandon that it scared me. Head back, shoulders heaving.
"I am not married and Hotaru is my adopted daughter." She said when she stopped laughing.
"It wasn't that funny." I said snapping.
"Actually it was." She said smiling, "Imagining a guy ever liking someone like me." I left then annoyed of her sudden mood changes. But when I was driving home I realized that a guy liking a woman who looked like a man was rather funny, if not funny haha and mostly funny ironic.
************************************************************************
When the Kaiou girl left I finally paid attention to Hotaru. It had been a long day and some guy had figured out I was a woman and had started to look down on me when I had gotten mad at him. Overall it was a bad day. And what made it worse was coming home and finding a pair of cold blue eyes ready to kill me if looks can kill that is.
"It had been a long long day, don't you think?" I barely got a reply from Hotaru who still had my hair in her grip. I suddenly realized that I was gonna miss the chirpy chatty Usagi who sometimes got on my nerves before she left. After all I could tell her about my day. I knew the new babysitter wouldn't wanna be seen dead with me let alone listen to me for two minutes. Suddenly I felt very lonely indeed.
************************************************************************
When I got back home I was awake for a very long time after supper. Never had a met such a dramatic person who had gone from nervous to sarcastic to serious and then to joking on me. Personally I didn't think she as much had a right to smile around me since I had an urge to slap that smile off her face and after what had happened. I willed myself to not cry. I went back to wondering where were all those people in the picture that I had seen. I thought about it until I eventually fell asleep.
