This happened just a few months ago, in late April. I reconstructed the dialog as best I could...
I was babysitting for the Bentons, as I did every Saturday night. Except when I was babysitting for the Greens or the Hernandezes, though the Hernandezes were mostly Friday nights.
Yeah, I did a lot of babysitting my freshman year of college. It played hell with my social life -- I was almost done with my first year of college and still a virgin -- but tuition doesn't pay itself and, unlike waitressing, this allowed me to get homework done while I was getting paid.
And I only had to clean up after one sloppy eater at a time.
And at least Kimmi Benton had an excuse: she was two.
And
cute as a button. She called me "Zuzu" because she still couldn't say "Susan."
The night was uneventful: I fed her, bathed her (I wondered whether she ever
didn't
need a bath after eating), and read to her until she passed out.
Then I spread out several books on the living room floor, sat down on the floor with my notebook computer on my lap, and began composing a paper on the First World War.
A bit after nine, I heard the front door being unlocked. Were the Bentons home early? Damn, just when I was getting in a writing groove.
But it was Ted, their son. Mrs. Benton's son, actually, from her previous marriage. I'd seen him around: he was a sophomore, and lived off-campus here with his parents. He'd dated a girl from my dorm for a very brief time. I would have to describe him as... hot-nerdy. Like a blond, 19-year-old Jeff Goldblum.
"Oh, hi, Susan," he said when he saw that the living room had been turned into my workspace. "Did a library explode?"
"My own personal war zone," I told him. "Your parents said you wouldn't be home until at least midnight."
As soon as I said it, I realized I'd probably hit a sore point.
"Yeah, well, sometimes a date is going along fine, and then suddenly somebody assassinates an archduke."
A World War One joke. Not a knee-slapper, but you have to give him credit for the attempt. "I guess I should clear up my war zone and get going, then," I said.
"No, stay if you want. It's not fair that you lose billable hours. Besides, I don't think my parents trust me here alone anyway."
Well,
that
was a comment I was dying to follow up on. But didn't.
"I have my own assignments for the weekend. You don't mind if I join you, do you?"
"Of course not."
"Don't worry, it's only one book." He disappeared into his room and came out a minute later having kicked off his shoes, exchanged his sport shirt for a t-shirt, and carrying a book. He stretched out on the couch, and opened up Proust's
A recherche de temps perdu
.
Yes, in French. Like I said, a hot nerd.
I became aware that, lying there a couple of feet higher than me, he could probably look down my blouse, but I never caught him doing so. Anyway, I had to concentrate on the Zimmermann Telegram.
About 11:30, he got a call on his cell phone. What I heard was "Yeah, I just got home... Are you both okay?... Well shit, okay, I guess it could have been worse... But... She's still here... Okay." He handed me his phone. "Susan, I guess it's for you."
"Hello?"
"Susan, it's nothing serious, but some drunk driver t-boned us when we were driving home. Mrs. Benton might have a broken leg, it's probably no worse than that, but they want to keep her overnight. Is there any chance you can stay? The guest room is made up, and in the half-bath attached to it, we have unopened toothbrushes and other things you might need."
I wondered why they weren't fine with just Ted here with the baby, but I didn't ask. I did glance over at Ted, who could hear some of what his step-father was saying, and he just shrugged.
"Sure thing, Mr. Benton,' I told him. "Do they know when..."
"Unless there's some sort of complication, which they don't expect, we should be home by noon."
"Okay, give Mrs. Benton my best," I said, handing the phone back to Ted. I thought he'd have more to say to his step-father, but he just disconnected the call.
"Je suis fatiguΓ©," he said, holding up his book (Even
I
knew that means "I'm tired.") "Ready to call it a night?"
"Oui," I said, pretty much exhausting my knowledge of French. "Do you have, um, maybe a long t-shirt I can borrow?" I really couldn't sleep in what I was wearing and my usual summer sleep attire -- just my panties -- would feel awkward in somebody else's home. Not to mention I had to be available for any Kimmi emergency.
Do
two-year-olds wake up in the middle of the night needing anything? I really had no idea.
I gathered up my books while Ted went to his room and found me one of his t-shirts. We said our goodnights and retired to our respective rooms.
Once I'd closed the door behind myself, I stripped down to my panties and pulled the t-shirt over my head. It barely came down to the waistband of my panties.
Well, he meant well: the t-shirt probably