Trust Me

I

The rain started to roll in from outside. It was peaceful; windy, cold weather that only made you snuggle into the blanket further while you continued to read through your book.

Protected by the warmth of your house, you sighed gratefully and continued to delve into the exciting world of The Hobbit. You'd be partial to reading it at first, but after much encouragement from your local librarian, you caved.

Then, an abrupt knock disturbed your peace. You dog-eared the page and placed the book down, now approaching the door with curiosity of who would be visiting you during such furious, bitter rain. You opened the door, surprised to see your neighbour wrapped in a coat, her formal dress poking from underneath.

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Williams?" You asked in worry, eyes flickering towards her fully lit house to the right. Nothing seemed out of place, which only deepened your curiosity.

Mrs. Williams tried to hide her scowl, but you were rather attentive and caught it immediately. She shivered from the cold, and you were about to invite her inside to the warmth before she began explaining why she had knocked so late into the evening.

"My husband and I are going out for dinner, and Sarah is supposed to be babysitting Tobey. She's late. I was wondering if you'd step in and look after Tobey tonight, and Sarah too once she finally shows up."

This didn't come as a surprise to you.

Sarah was always returning home later than she had promised her parents. Because of this, Mrs. Williams constantly pulled her hair from frustration; you'd offered a couple times in the past so the couple could be free to enjoy their social evenings together. Mrs. Williams was kind and always made sure to pay you fairly for your troubles, even though you assured her that it was fine.

"Yes, that won't be a problem. Let me grab my shoes and I'll be right over."

Mrs. Williams left and you departed to find your shoes. With the weather being so drizzly, you weren't going to risk darting across the garden in your slippers like you had previously done in the past. Not only that, but you'd rather not drag mud into Mrs. Williams' pristine home. You knew from experience of how frustrating it was to try and scrub dried and wet mud from the cream carpets.

You slipped on your running shoes and exited the house. You'd left a note in the kitchen for your own parents once they returned from work, so they would know where you had vanished to. Then, you made your way to the Williams' home quickly, a thin jacket pulled over your head to protect you from the weather in your extremely brief journey.

The door was already unlocked, just as Mrs. Williams had promised, and so you let yourself straight in as you usually did. Both Mr and Mrs. Williams were gathered in the foyer, touching up the final pieces of their outfits.

Mrs. Williams swarmed over to you and wrapped you into a thankful embrace. You returned it and released a small laugh. "Thank you for this, [Name], I'm so grateful that we can always count on you to be there for Sarah and Tobey."

You pulled away, your hands holding Mrs. Williams' calloused hands gently. You gave a reassuring squeeze. "Of course. I absolutely adore caring for Tobey, and Sarah can be a delight once the conversation is favourable to her."

Yourself and Sarah didn't always see eye-to-eye. In Mrs. Williams' eyes, you were the perfect example of how Sarah should act and behave. You were always punctual and never without a kind word spoken for anyone. Unlike Sarah, who despised Tobey, her annoying step-brother who consumed all the attention and, therefore, affection.

Despite this, you held no grudge for Sarah. She was simply a hormonal 15 year old with a deeply rooted passion for theatre; while you were a 19 year old with simple aspirations for life. You were a fresh-faced, young adult with the world ahead of you, and yet you idolised your parents marriage and desired for a love life so similar.