Why Me?

"Just a few days of babysitting, and I can pay my rent," Rie thought to herself, "the park, the petting zoo, the back yard, how hard could it be?"

Mr. and Mrs. didn't believe in television, they were more of the "outside" type of people.  The poor girl had never babysat before, and being between work, she took the position.

"Yes, Mr. and Mrs, I'll take care of the kiddies while you go to work," Rie said cheerfully.  Mr. and Mrs. looked at each other, and smiled.  "She's the one!" Mrs. said, and Mr. agreed.

The thought of why their parents went through babysitters like water did not pass through her mind.  Rie's only thoughts were of making a good impression, doing the job, and paying the rent.

When the first child, the shy one, stood at the door, Rie was pleased.

"This is going to be easy," Rie thought.

When the other three, the more rambunctious ones ran through the door and encircled Rie, she almost jumped out of her boots.

"O.k. then," Mrs. said, "we're off."

With that, the front door closed, and Rie was alone with the four children.

"What will we do first?" one asked.

"Will we eat breakfast at Poofy Bear's Restaurant first?" asked another.

Another ran through the door, and the fourth began twirling around.

"I like pancakes!" the fourth said, "I like jelly!"

Rie looked around, and realized that being a babysitter may not be as easy as she thought.

After breakfast at Poofy Bear's, the five went to the petting zoo.  After the petting zoo, they went to the park.  A scraped knee, a brushing of bird feathers from hair, a chasing of a cat, and finally getting one of the children down from a tree later, it was time to eat lunch.

Finally, it was time to go home and wait for the arrival of Mr. and Mrs..

Rie was exhausted, as the four children played on the swings in the backyard.

"There was never a time when I had that much energy!" Rie thought to herself, "and it was only the first day!"

Mr. and Mrs. came in through the gate, and noticed the children playing and Rie slumped into a wooden chair.

"Ah, I see that everything is just fine!" he said, "I can tell that the children really like you."

The children saw Mr. and Mrs., and the four ran towards them.

"Is Rie going to come back tomorrow?" one asked.

"Will we go back to the petting zoo tomorrow?" asked another.

Rie wiped her brow.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she thought to herself, "well, I guess that it'll pay the rent."