Phantasmagoria
Leanne Nev

 



“Licia, telephone!”
Licia’s mom sat at the kitchen table with her ever- present mug of cold coffee and beckoned her thirteen year old daughter to the phone.
“Now be really nice and say thank you, and don’t forget to ask what time they want you there and--”
“Mom! I know! Just give me the phone, please!” Licia was excited and nervous. This was what she had been waiting for.
Licia took the phone and listened intently. She heard Mr. Dandry’s request for her to baby-sit. She listened again, and said ‘yes’ then paused, listened and said another ‘yes’. And finally she said, ‘Thank you very much, I’ll be there’.
“Well?”
“I have to be there Tuesdays at 7:30, and they want me to feed him and put him to bed. They’ll pay me five dollars an hour---”
“Yeah!” She jumped to her feet. “Your first babysitting job! I’m so proud of you!”
  Licia went straight to her room to call Kim. She picked up the phone, then put it down again. There was a little reservation that crept into her mind all of a sudden. She shook the feeling away. Silly, she thought. She picked up and dialed Kim’s number.
“So, I have to be there every Tuesday night; they go bowling. The boy, Timmy, is two. He’s good, I guess. I never took care of a baby before.”
    “It’s so easy, I watch my cousins all the time. You just have to know how to change a diaper. It’s so disgusting but you can’t let the baby know that, you just have to act like it’s the greatest thing ever. Just talk to them real nice or whatever. ”
Kim always seemed to know about everything; she had more experience than Licia with most things, especially boys. Kim was pretty and popular. Licia couldn’t figure out why the Dandry’s asked her instead of Kim.
The following Tuesday, Licia walked to the Dandry’s door.
“Hello, Licia,” Mr. Dandry appeared with his bowling ball bag in hand.
“Hi, Licia, come in, I just want to explain a few things before we leave.” She heard Mrs. Dandry’s voice but couldn’t see her yet. Licia put her book bag down and looked around at a very messy home that smelled like spagettios.
“Here are some rules for little Timmy,” Mrs. Dandry was directly in front of her. She was a large woman and Licia found herself distracted by the tight bowling shirt that barely housed the fat rolls around her stomach.
“Feed him right when we leave, then change his diaper, then put him to bed by 8:00. You can watch TV, or do your schoolwork. We don’t mind if you talk on the phone, but no visitors, OK? Have fun, and we’ll see you at about 9:45.” Mrs. Dandry turned and squatted in front of Timmy’s playpen. “Bye-bye, my baby...I wuv you!”
They were gone so fast Licia felt like she must have missed something. Timmy was now whimpering softly, “mama, mama”. Did she tell me how to change a diaper? How much did she say he ate? Licia put Timmy in the highchair and found that the bowl and spoon were on the counter while the spagettios simmered in a small pot on the stove.
       She sat in front on Timmy and spoke softly to him remembering what Kim had said.
“Okay, we’re going to eat now, yummy noodles.”
As soon as she put the spoon to Timmy’s mouth he let out a scream so loud Licia’s heart began to pound out of her chest. “Oh God, Oh God, what happened, oh no, I burned him! It’s too hot! Oh my God, I hurt this baby, they’re going to know, Oh jeez...” She jumped around, spinning, confused. The baby wailed. Licia remembered the time she burned her finger after touching a melting marshmallow she had been roasting over a campfire. Ice was the only relief. Yes, ice would help the sting. She wrapped a cube in a dirty dish towel, wet it, and put it to Timmy’s mouth. To her surprise, he began to suck and blinked wet tears from his eyes.
Licia felt paralyzed by the fear of hurting Timmy again so she took his bottle and him, to his bedroom. She awkwardly changed his diaper and laid him in his crib. She handed him the bottle and though it was only 7:42, she decided he was going to sleep. The phone rang and she wondered if she should confess this horror show if Mr. Dandry was calling.
“Hello?”
“Hey, what’s up? It’s me. How ya doing with the kid?”
“Everything’s great,” Licia lied, but she was not going to give Kim the opportunity to say, ‘See? They should have hired me’.
“So, what are you doing?”
“Nothing, I mean, I just put the baby to bed. I guess I’ll do homework or watch TV.”
“How about if I come by and we do Mr. Dwight’s English essay together. I mean, it is due on Friday.”
“Um...I don’t know ...they kind of said no visitors.”
“I’m not a ‘visitor’. I’m your best friend!” Whenever Kim said things like that Licia became uneasy. It was as if she used the phrase whenever Licia was in control of situation. Kim liked to be the one controlling everything. She was like trying to ride a wild horse. You never knew what her next move would be.
“It’s my first night and I’d just rather not get in trouble.”
“You're such a stiff!” Licia heard the dial tone and could not believe Kim gave up so easily. Usually Kim pushed a lot more.
Minutes later, a soft knocking at the screen door startled Licia.
“Hey, let me in!” Kim whispered through the screen. But before Licia could object, she had let herself in.
     Licia figured Kim would get frustrated doing the essay and maybe she would leave, so Licia suggested they get right to work. To her astonishment, Kim worked feverishly; writing and then erasing; reading out loud, and changing words that Licia suggested. After an hour, their essays were complete. Kim was actually good company and Licia was relaxed at last. Kim left and the Dandrys returned only moments later. Mr. Dandry handed Licia a crisp ten dollar bill and she felt immense guilt over burning the baby and letting Kim in. She walked home, all the while reminding herself to do better next time.
The following Tuesday was smoother with little Timmy. He seemed more playful and ate voraciously. Licia blew cool air on each and every spoonful, just to be sure. Timmy fell off to sleep right on schedule. And Kim’s knock at the door was right on schedule. Licia let her in to “work on those ridiculous vocabulary words” as Kim had put it. They decided to test each other. Licia disliked doing this type of studying with Kim because she could tell her intelligence annoyed Kim. It took power away from her somehow and Licia knew there’d be a price to pay. Kim would need to reassure Licia that although she may be smarter, Kim was more cunning. And that was way cooler than being smart.
“Formidable,” Kim said confidently.
“Causing fear, apprehension or dread.”
“Very good, Smarty pants. It’s my turn. Don’t give me all hard ones!”
“Sophomoric,” Licia said casually, but felt like wincing.
“Oh, I know, like a sophomore in high school. Right?”
“Yes!” Licia feigned excitement. It also means conceited but immature -just like you! Licia thought, but would never say.
“Next one: Phantasmagoria” Licia held her breath.
“WHHAATTT!” Kim screeched.
“Shhh...You’ll wake the baby. It means ‘a dreamlike state where real and imaged elements are blurred together’.” Kim was at the door when Licia looked up. She was speaking and mostly giggling through the screen door.
“Come in, but be quiet.”
Two teenage boys with leather jackets, denim jeans and long oily hair that would make Licia’s mom ask, “What are their parents thinking?” were at the door. Licia froze. This was bad. She knew they couldn’t stay, but they looked so menacing she wasn’t sure she had the forthrightness to just say, “Get out of here, right now”. She took the cowardly way out and pulled Kim aside while the boys stood in the foyer.
“Kim, they can’t stay. I’ll be in so much trouble if they find out.”
“Relax. They won’t find out, look I’ve been here twice and it’s fine. Oh my God, they’re so hot. I like the tall one. You can have the short, dirty blonde one. Let’s watch TV, then you’ll relax and see everything’s cool.” Going up against Kim at this point seemed useless. Licia was outnumbered. She was scared of getting caught and even more scared of upsetting Kim at this point. Part of her was even curious if this short boy liked her. It was only 8:15. There was time.
The four teenagers sat on the couch and talked aimlessly. Soon the only conversation was between Kim and the tall boy named, Lucas. The boy stood up and Licia felt relief that they might be leaving, but he was only going to the bathroom. Kim whispered something to the short boy and he got up and followed Lucas out of the room.
“Where are they going?” Licia stood up anxiously.
“Oh my God, you’ll never believe. Scott likes you! Lucas is talking to him privately so he can ask you out! He wants to go out with you! They’re just talking about where they can take us! Can you believe it?”
“No, I don’t like them back there, the baby, he’ll wake up.” Just then the two boys came back into the room looking suspicious and fidgety. Licia had an insecure, sick feeling. The boys explained they had to go home right away. They never said anything about any dates or whether or not Scott liked Licia.
The next morning Licia woke wishing she could erase last night from her mind. Before she could begin to feel the heaviness of something being terribly wrong, her mother called her with a stiff, strained voice.
“Licia, Mr. Dandry is here. He’s says there’s been money stolen from his house. He keeps quarter rolls in a large shoe box next to the bed and it’s gone. There may have been a hundred dollars in it. Do you know anything about that?” Mary said the word ‘anything’ like she had just uttered the worst curse word in existence. Licia stood in her mother’s kitchen in her sweat pants and oversized t-shirt, only able to glance at Mr. Dandry’s angry countenance.
“Mom, I don’t know. I didn’t...” Mr. Dandry put his hand up to stop her.
“I know you had boys in the house. We have cameras. We know they took the money. We’re just sorry we trusted you, Licia. We thought you would have more common sense than to let strangers walk around our house. I guess we were sorely mistaken. We’re not pressing charges, but I’m sure you understand we don’t want you or your friends near our home again.”
“I’m so sorry...I...” Licia could not find words to defend herself. There was no defense. She just felt crushed. Flattened under the weight of what was just said to her.
Licia called Kim.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Licia. I didn’t know they were doing that. It’s not like I knew!” Kim was so defensive her guilt was thinly veiled under all her reasoning.
“Kim, I know you knew. I just can’t believe you would do this to me.” Licia felt unusually calm. Kim’s power just didn’t matter. Licia felt so defeated by her weakness to Kim that her anger just took over. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave you a cut of the money!”
“Oh, please, Licia. Now you’re really ridiculous. I mean you’re out there. You’re really, what was that word... phantasmagorical, yeah that’s what you are!
“IT’S PHANTASMAGORIA --YOU STUPID....” Licia face flushed. Her adrenaline made her feel dizzy.
“I’m done with you. Don’t call me again. I’m not your friend anymore.” Kim slammed the phone down in Licia’s ear.
Licia hung up the receiver gently. She shook her head and smiled, admonishing herself. She realized, just then, the irony. She realized that was... the best thing that could have ever happened to her.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
The End
 

 

 

Copyright © 2007 Leanne Nev
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"