The Babysitter

“Oh! There it is!” Jacy said. 

Finally, she pulled out a golden ring, covered in mucus.

She reached in again and pulled out several pieces of uncooked pasta, five lego pieces, three screws and a nut, six beads of different colors, a piece of blue string, a button, a red pencil eraser, and a spring from a pen. 

She reached in deeper with her forceps and pulled out a hair clip. “Aha!” she said, “That should do it.” But he shook his head no and wailed. There was more. 

“This might be uncomfortable,” the doctor said. The shiny forceps went into his nose. There was something up there, definitely. Milo whimpered but stayed still as she pulled out a small pom-pom. “Is that all?” she asked. He gently shook his head. 

She reached into a drawer and pulled out a piece of silvery metal. It had two long legs like a pair of chopsticks attached at the end, but longer. “Let’s try the forceps,” she said.

She put them back. No, that wasn’t going to work.

She looked over at the tray and picked up the scalpel. It was sharp - if she had to cut, she would do it. But Milo squealed as best he could and backed away. “Okay, okay,” she said. “Don’t worry.”

The doctor used her light and looked up in there. There was certainly something stuck inside. It looked white and fluffy. “I can see it!” she said. “I’ll get it out in a jiffy.”

“He can’t breathe through his nose,” Jacy explained. “He hasn’t been talking all day. Maybe...he...put something...in there?” she offered, tentatively.

After what seemed an eternity, with Milo wheezing the whole time, the doctor came in and introduced herself. “What seems to be the problem?” she asked, looking at Jacy.

The nurse checked his temperature (normal), and his pulse (a little high, to be expected under the circumstances), and his height (pretty tall for his age). “The doctor will be in shortly,” she said. 

Jacy helped Milo to sit on the paper-covered bed, and sat on the little chair herself. She patted his hand comfortingly. 

Just then, the nurse brought them into a small room with a bed and a chair and told them to wait. 

At the front desk, the receptionist only asked their names and had them sit on the chairs, where Jacy read “The Nose Book” to Milo until he started to squirm. 

Jacy hailed a cab. “Hurry!” she told the driver, and gave him mom’s credit card. He didn’t flinch - he’d seen lots of kids running around town before. They got there in record time. 

“Oh no!” she said. “Come on, we’ve got to get you to the doctor!”

He walked over to the lego bin and picked up another one. This time, she saw it go straight into his nose. He smiled, then cried loudly, in a strange hiccupy voice. 

“What are you doing, Milo?” she asked. He did seem a little blue. His mouth was open and he was panting. 

But now Milo was dancing around on one leg, and trying to get a lego near his face. He wasn’t able to talk at all. 

She suddenly remembered the ring and looked around. A moment ago, it had been on her hand, and now it wasn’t anywhere. Well, it must be around here somewhere. She would find it later. 

Then she did the dishes, tidied up their toys, swept the floor and made mac and cheese. But Milo wasn’t hungry. He just mumbled to himself. 

Jacy decided she’d played by herself enough. She needed to be a good big sister. She played legos with Milo, they did some drawings, and they even made bead bracelets. Mom would be proud.

She tried on the earrings, and the necklace, and finally, the ring. It was the most beautiful, and fit her finger a little loosely. She took them all off except the ring, walking around with it and admiring her hand. 

Mom’s dresser was a place of magic. She dusted herself with the powder, and sprayed herself with the perfume. She walked around in the heels and draped herself with the scarves. Then she saw the jewelry box. 

Mom had left her old purse on the sofa. Inside, Jacy found a credit card. She stuck it in her pocket secretly. Then she walked upstairs. 

“I will!” Jacy promised, and shut the door and squealed. She immediately ran to the cookie jar and ate four, letting Milo out of his playpen and giving him a few, which he stuffed clumsily into his face. 

“Okay... I’ll only be gone a couple of hours. The number’s on the fridge if you need me. Look after your brother,” she said, giving her a kiss. Her heels clacked down the walk and into the waiting cab. She turned back to say, “Be good!”

“Oh Mom! Of course! I’m old enough, please?” she begged.

“Do you think you can manage on your own? Really?” Mom asked, looking skeptical and hopeful at once. 

“I don’t need one! I can take care of him!” Jacy said, jumping up and down.

“I’m just going to call the babysitter,” Mom said, picking up the phone. Jacy’s face fell. 

“Thanks, honey. I’m headed to a meeting, I need to go for the evening and I can’t leave you here alone.” She dumped out her purse and transferred the items to a different one. 

“Wow Mom,” Jacy said. “You look great!” 

Mom walked down the stairs in a dress and high heels, lipstick on her face and hair all shiny and neat. 

Milo was toddling around in his playpen trying to stack blocks. They kept falling, and he found that hilarious. She just watched him for a while, then continued coloring. 

“I’ll just put this away and get dressed. Watch Milo for a moment, won’t you honey?” Mom asked. Jacy nodded. There wasn’t much to do. 

Jacy’s eyes shone. It was really lovely. She couldn’t wait.

“You Grandma gave me this,” Mom said. “And someday soon, it will be yours.”

It was adult sized, but shiny. On the sides were inscribed the words Peace, Love, and Happiness. 

“Jacy, honey, I want to show you something,” Mom said, holding a shiny golden ring.