“That’s what I thought.” I chuckled as I poured a little pile of crackers on the napkin.
“I’m here! I’m here! And I’m so sorry I’m late!”
I looked up to see Jade’s mother come flying through the door. Her graying blond hair stuck out from her hair twist in several places, and her work slacks were wrinkled.
“It started raining on my way over, and traffic got all backed up on the sixty-seven.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” Madison called, sliding off my desk and heading for the door. “But don’t think I’ve forgotten about Thursday!” she called back with an evil grin before disappearing through the door.
I held back the smart retort I wanted to call after her and instead straightened and smiled at Jade’s mother.
“Hi, Mrs. Allen.”
“Congratulations on finishing your first year.” Mrs. Allen looked around the room. “It sure looks different in here.”
“We have to take everything down so the janitors can give everything a final cleaning for the summer. Here, let me get you her things.” I turned and tapped the little girl on the shoulder. “Come on, Jade. Get your backpack, please.”
“No.” Jade hunched closer to the screen.
I was about to correct her when Mrs. Allen touched my shoulder. “Actually,” she said in a low voice, “I’d like to talk to you about something first if you don’t mind.”
“Of course.” I indicated to my semi-circle kidney table then immediately regretted it when I remembered that it was the proper height for kindergarteners. But Mrs. Allen sat without complaining and folded her hands in her lap.
“As you know, my husband and I have our own company,” she began, playing with the zipper on her Louis Vuitton bag. “This will be our first summer without year-round preschool, and we’re not sure what to do with her.”
I frowned. “I thought her nanny was taking care of her over the summer.”
“Oh, she was going to, but she got married unexpectedly and moved two days later. It was a shock for all of us.”
“I can only guess.” I looked back at Jade. “What are you going to do?”
“Actually, and I hope this isn’t too bold,” Mrs. Allen said slowly, “my husband and I were hoping you could help us.”
I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice. “Me?”
Mrs. Allen nodded. “My son, Derrick, just moved back here, and he’s living with us right now so he can help with her in his time off. But he works night shift currently, so we need someone to care for her and take her to her therapies during the day while he gets caught up on rest.”
“I’m honored,” I said, racking my brain for reasons to accept or deny. “But if you don’t mind me asking, why me?”
“Most people, even at special nanny services like the one we use, don’t understand Down Syndrome. Jade loves you, and you’re familiar with her. It would take a new nanny several weeks to adjust even if she understood Jade’s basic needs. And you wouldn’t have to worry about needing time to get ready for school when next year comes around again. We would give you whatever professional days off that you needed.” Mrs. Allen began to dig in her purse. She pulled out a blue envelope and handed it to me. “We would pay you, of course. That would be your salary per week. And if it isn’t enough, we could always work something out.”
When I realized Mrs. Allen meant for me to open the envelope, I did so. And when I read the amount on the check, I nearly fell off my chair.
“This is per week?” I gaped.
“If it’s not enough—”
“Oh, it’s not that!” I tore my eyes from the check to look back at Mrs. Allen. “I’m just…surprised. In a good way.” I grinned. “Thank you for the opportunity. I would love to stay with Jade this summer.”
Mrs. Allen fairly glowed as she stood. “I was hoping you’d say that. Here’s our address.” She handed me a business card then paused. “But you being with her all summer…that’s not going to cause you trouble with your boss or anything, is it?”
I shrugged. “I’ll double-check, but a lot of teachers tutor over the summer. So this should be fine.”
“Could you come on…let’s see. It’s May twenty-seventh today, so two days from now would be the twenty-ninth. How about Thursday the twenty-ninth? Maybe around nine? I’ll be taking that day off, so I can show you around the house and get her therapy information all sorted out.”
“I’ll be there.” I stood as well and shook Mrs. Allen’s hand. “And thank you again…so much.” I couldn’t help beaming. “I really needed this.”
Mrs. Allen smiled. “So did we.” She checked her watch. “Come on, Jade. It’s time to go.”
