Tuesday

I am so sorry everyone. I totally forgot about this new tap dance day camp I'm going to once a week. It's only for a few weeks I promise, so now you know I'm not available to baby-sit on Tuesday mornings and afternoons. Most of all, I'm sorry Claire for ruining your afternoon. As secretary, I know this is all my fault and no one elses. It won't happen again. (I hope)

Yeah, I really do hope. Myriah totally got on my bad side on Tuesday, the day after that long hard meeting. Worst of all, Jenny hadn't even called to say she was sorry or where she was during Monday night's meeting.

Well, that Tuesday afternoon, I was all ready to go to the city pool with Margo and Vanessa when my bedroom phone rang. It was Myriah, and she sounded pretty hectic. "Claire? I, I...I don't know what happened- I, just, it's just that-"

"Myriah? Calm down already. What's happening?" I asked her over the phone.

"I'm so sorry, about this Claire, but can you take my job over at the Papadakis's today? Please?"

"I guess. Why?"

"I totally forgot that I have dance day camp on Tuesdays now. I forgot to write it down! I am just so busy I guess. Look, I gotta go. Bye!" and that was that. I groaned and looked up the job in the record book, checked the times, wrote that I had to take it, and marked off that Myriah had dance day camp on Tuesday mornings and afternoons. I told Margo and Vanessa to just drop me off at the Papadakis's on their way to the pool. I was very disappointed that afternoon when I got to the Papadakis's. I thought about telling Karen at our next meeting what Myriah did. I decided I better do that.

The Papadakis's live right across the street from Karen's dad's house. There are three Papadakis kids. First there's Linny, the oldest. He's sixteen and he's a friend of Kristy's brother, David Micheal. Next there's Hannie who's fifteen and one of Karen's best friends. Last but not least, was the one I was sitting for, Sari Papadakis. She's nine.

I hated having to go to their house and explain to Mrs. Papadakis what happened. She didn't get mad, but she was pretty displeased. We wanted our cleints to be happy with us, just as they had been when Kristy, Claudia, Dawn, Mary Anne, Jessi Ramsey, Stacey McGill, Abby Stevenson and my sister Mallory had ran the club. I knew Karen would be very mad at Myriah. Mrs. Papadakis told me where the emergency numbers were and what to give Sari for a snack later.

I found Sari reading a book called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone aloud to herself on a wicker couch on the sun porch.

"Wow, you must be a good reader to be reading that book." I said to her as I sat in a matching wicker arm chair near her.

"Who're you?" asked Sari when she saw me.

"Oh sorry. My name's Claire Pike and I'm going to be your baby-sitter this afternoon," I introduced. Sari smiled.

"You're funny. You sound like a waitress." she laughed. I laughed too, I guess I probably did.

Sari has dark brown hair and a very cute smile. She was wearing her hair in pigtails tied with yellow ribbons and a yellow flared sundress with a silk flower on the sash. On her feet were white jelly sandles that looked rather dirty.

"I like you hair ribbons." I told her.

"Thank you. I like your necklace, very classy." replied Sari. My necklace, by the way was one I got at Claire's, it had a golden dolphin charm on it.

"Thanks." I replied.

"Have you read any of the Harry Potter books?" asked Sari. I had and we had a pretty good discussion on the subject of the books over our snack, which was pink lemonade and granola bars. Around two the ice cream man, known as Mr. Tastee came around and I bought Sari and I each a treat. The other neighborhood kids came around, including Emily Michelle, whom Karen was watching.

I told Karen about what happened with Myriah and she was really mad. We sat on her dad's front porch and watched Emily Michelle, Sari, and Skyler Korman jump through the sprinkler Karen had set up.

"I can't believe that. How are parents supposed to trust us with Myriah canceling all the time?" asked Karen. I shrugged .

"I really hope it never happens again." I told her. Then again, I decided I had had a fun time with Sari. She was pretty cool, and probably my favorite sitting charge yet.