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Babysitting The Ways (VERSION TWO)

Chapter 1

Frank heads over to his cousin’s house, taking the old dusty country road that he’d traveled down so much in his life. He didn’t really know his cousins the best; they were a lot younger than him, so they didn’t talk very much. Gerard is five and Mikey’s two. Frank’s never babysat them; their dad is a stay at home father, so they’re rarely left alone, especially since Mikey’s so little. But they’re going out for their anniversary for the first time since Mikey’s been born, and I suppose they’re probably pretty excited.
Frank pulls up steadily into the driveway of the house, putting on the breaks. When he steps outside, he is greeted by their German Shepard, Poppy (Named by Gerard).
“Hi, babe,” Frank greets, scratching behind the dog’s ears. Poppy licks Frank’s face as a thank you and rolls over onto her back. Frank rubs her tummy quickly, his hands ice. It’s November and already it’s only 20 degrees outside. Frank gives her one last pat on the head before clomping up the porch steps and ringing the doorbell.
Donald answers the door, holding Mikey with one hand. “Hi Frank. Thanks for doing this.” He steps to the side to allow Frank in, who enters the house, shutting the door behind him.
Mikey tugs on his father’s sleeve to be put down, so Donald sets him on the floor. Mikey immediately toddles over to Frank and hugs him around his knees.
Frank scoops Mikey up, asking, “How are you buddy?”
“Good,” Mikey replies.
“Make what you can find for dinner Frank, and both boys need a bath. They don’t mind sharing the tub,” Donald tells. “Call me if you need anything, but it should go fine. My numbers on the table, and if you run out of Pullups in the bathroom, there’s more in the hall closet.”
“Alright. Have a good time, Donald,” Frank wishes.
“You too, bud. Donna?” he calls.
Donna heads down the steps, dressed in a nice evening gown. “Frank, you take good care of my babies.”
“I will,” Frank assures, hoisting Mikey up further so he doesn’t slip.
The two parents leave, and Frank starts towards Gerard’s room, located on the opposite side of the house. It’s 5:00, so Frank better start making supper pretty soon. He knows that little kids get hungry easily.
“Do you want to see your brother?” Frank asks.
Mikey nods, gripping the front of Frank’s shirt as they travel through the house.
Frank respects Gerard’s privacy by knocking on the door. “Gerard?”
No answer.
Frank knocks again. “Gerard?”
Again, no reply. Frank starts to get nervous. “Gerard!”
He opens the door, to see Gerard sitting in the corner of the room, finger painting a picture of a tiger.
“Gerard? Why didn’t you answer?” Frank questions. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry,” Gerard says softly, turning and looking up at Frank. He has splotches of paint on his face, some in his hair, and completely all over his hands and shirt.
“Do you need a bath already?” Franks sighs.
Gerard looks at his hands and shirt and giggles, nodding.
“Oh well,” Frank mumbles. He sets Mikey down on the bed, who rolls around and starts to cuddle with one of Gerard’s stuffed animals.
Frank picks up Gerard, walking over to his dresser. He opens his top drawer, revealing about two dozen pairs of pint sized briefs.
“Which ones do you want to wear?” Frank asks.
Gerard points at a pair with Batman on them, which Frank grabs. He shuts that drawer, opening drawer after drawer until he finds the one containing Gerard’s pajamas. “Which pair, Gerard?”
Gerard picks out a pair of cream pajamas with a Star Wars ship printed all over them. Frank goes through the same ordeal with Mikey, except with Mikey picking a pair of blue footie pajamas with a Buzz Lightyear pullup.
Frank runs the bath, thrusting his hand into the water every minute or so to make sure that it’s not getting too warm or too hot. He holds Mikey over the water, allowing him to dip his toe in. “Is that good, Mikes?”
Mikey nods, so Frank puts him down outside of the tub and helps him get undressed. He grabs the hem of Mikey’s striped shirt, instructing,
“Hold your arms up like this.” Frank holds his arms over his head so his upper arm is against his ears.
Mikey does as he’s told, and Frank pulls the shirt off with ease. He then helps him unbutton his pants, which he knows can be a struggle for small children. He allows Mikey to, with minor difficulty, to rip off his own Pullup. Frank sets him in the tub, stopping the water.
Frank looks over to see Gerard huddled by the toilet, crying.
Frank walks over and puts a knee on the floor so he’s at Gerard’s level. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t get my overalls off!” Gerard sobs, tugging at his straps.
Frank can’t help but smile. Oh, the simple problems of youth. Frank unhooks Gerard’s overalls, and Gerard stops crying once he realizes they’re finally undone. He steps out of them, taking off his shirt and underwear. He walks over to the tub, swinging one leg inside before the other and settling in.
Frank shampoos the two, Mikey first, and then rinses them in the same order. He takes a washcloth, pumping out a large amount of body soap onto it and scrubbing Mikey’s arms and torso. He gives it to the two year old, who proceeds to shove a corner into his mouth and suck on it. He does the same to Gerard and then hands it to the smaller boy, instructing, “Now, wash your legs and your privates.”
Once they’re all cleaned, Frank rinses them off again, throwing Gerard’s washcloth in the hamper while allowing Mikey to chew on his. He lets the two play with each other in the water for about ten minutes before plucking Mikey out and wrapping him in a towel. Gerard climbs out on his own, and Frank hands him one as well. Gerard dries himself off and gets dressed while Frank has to do all of those things for Mikey.
The two follow Frank like baby ducks as he goes to the kitchen, making them mac and cheese for supper. They watch quietly as the water begins to boil. Frank decides to get them involved, so he lets Mikey dump the noodles into the pot, Gerard stir, and once Frank’s drained it, he helps the two add everything and mix it in.
They eat, and Gerard gets his shirt sticky with ketchup from the hot dogs while Mikey gets cheese all over his face and shirt. Frank wets a paper towel and cleans Mikey, and then cleans Gerard’s shirt the best he can.
They’re done eating around 6:00, and their bedtime isn’t till 7:30, so Frank decides to let them wind down with a movie. They all lay on the floor of the living room, which Frank was sure to make comfy with heaps of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. Mikey curls up at Frank’s feet while Gerard lays down next to him, and they all watch the Fox and the Hound. They all eventually fall asleep, Mikey almost immediately, Gerard about half an hour later, and Frank towards the end of the movie.
Frank is awaken from his slumber by Donald.
Frank gets up, careful not to stir Gerard or Mikey, who are both snoring lightly, their little mouths open the slightest bit. Frank tiptoes over to the door, where Donna pays him and thanks him for watching them.
“They were good, right?” Donna asks.
“They were just perfect,” Frank answers.
Frank stumbles sleepily to his car, driving home and going straight to bed. The next morning, Donna calls to tell him that Mikey and Gerard said he was their favorite babysitter and that the whole family would love to have him watch them again in a week.
“Sure, I’ll do it,” Frank agrees. He hangs up the phone, and then runs to his room, looking for toys or games that would interest his little cousins.