"Hey, thanks for coming over." Nancy stepped back and let Tyler into her parent's house.
He looked around. "You weren't kidding. This looks exactly like it did back in the day." A smile formed as he circled the living room. "This place sure has memories."
"How many years did I babysit you? Three or four?"
"That sounds about right." Tyler put his hands in his pockets, feeling disoriented. Like he had stepped back in time. "How long are your parents in Florida? I would have loved to see them."
"A couple weeks. They go in the fall and spring. It was lucky I ran into you at the coffee shop. I'm otherwise not in town much. Speaking of which, you want a cup?"
"Sure." After she disappeared into the kitchen, Tyler called out, "Actually, is there a Coke in there?"
Nancy returned, grinning; two bottles in hand. "You always drank Cokes. I remember now."
They sat on the couch and reminisced about their school years, now a decade behind them. Nancy was five years older and babysat Tyler while she was in junior high and during freshman year. His parents held Saturday night Bridge games at home with their friends. It was convenient that a neighbor down the street had a teenage girl eager to earn some extra dollars, so young Tyler was shuffled off to Nancy's house nearly every weekend.
Tyler laughed. "I can't believe the things I used to do while you watched TV in here."
"Like what?" Nancy asked, her eyebrows raised. "I thought you were in bed."
"Oh, I'd sneak back out and watch from the kitchen. Sometimes I'd quietly grab a few cookies from the bottom drawer your Mom kept them in.
"Seriously? I can't believe you did that." She shook her head. "I was so clueless then." They sat in silence as they each searched old stashes of remembrances. Nancy's eyes lit up. "Remember that time, you must have been in fourth grade, when you wandered in here in your PJs because you felt sick. I was so busy studying for a huge math test I just brushed it off. I figured you were just being your usual annoying self. No offense."
Tyler waved it off and laughed. "Yes, you weren't too happy with me. I remember after about the 3rd or 4th time I tapped your shoulder you lost it and gave me quite a walloping."
"I felt so bad about that. I was at my wits end. I remember hearing you cry yourself to sleep and could hardly concentrate. For what it's worth, I totally bombed the exam. I'm so sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I deserved it." Tyler put his Coke on the coffee table. "If not for that night, then another."
"The worst part was that you really were sick. A raging fever of 104." Nancy rolled her eyes. "What a dork I was. If they had babysitting classes back then I might have at least checked your temperature or something. Called someone."
Tyler shrugged. "I lived."
Nancy smiled and looked him over. "Yes. Thankfully."
He blushed. Then exhaled and blushed deeper, clearly remembering another story.
"What?" Nancy asked.
"I was just thinking about that spanking you gave me." Tyler paused, considering his words. "It left quite an impression."