Babysitting Files and Gaming Wiles

As Sam went to his room, I occupied myself in mine. Files were already placed on my table, with a coffee can nearby for easy access.

"Boss, you have to check all of these files before tomorrow. The clients are coming tomorrow, so all of these need to be checked in a hurry," Mathew said as I reviewed the files.

"But you didn't inform me earlier. You know Sam needs to get admitted to school tomorrow?" I looked at him with a cold expression.

"Yes, I do, boss, but the client informed us in a hurry. I didn't even get a chance to tell you about it," he explained, scratching his head.

I massaged my head in worry, as I needed to find a way to divide my time. I also had to ensure Sam got all his vaccines. Unfortunately, my schedule was becoming quite challenging.

While I was worrying, I received a call from Sarah on my phone.

"Hello?" I answered.

"What do you mean, 'hello'? You've returned from overseas, and you didn't even bother to contact me," she pouted, her disappointment evident.

"You know I just arrived a few hours ago. Don't make it seem like I came back a month ago, and you didn't know. You drama queen!" I retorted with a hint of laughter.

"Alright, but why didn't you tell me? I could have come to see you. Or do you not trust me?" Sarah questioned, her tone changing.

"Trust? Where did this trust issue come from?" I asked, puzzled.

"You know what I mean. What if you think I would tell him about your whereabouts? You must be thinking that if you inform me, he will also know where you are," Sarah said, gently rubbing my head. My stress levels were starting to rise.

"Sarah, can you stop bringing up this topic? I don't want to hear about it," I said in frustration.

"I'm sorry," she stammered.

"Okay, tell me your address. I'll come to see you right now," I suggested.

"Oh, thank God you called. I have some work to do that I'm finding hard to manage," I added.

"Wow, so there is something I can help with?" Sarah chuckled.

I chuckled as well and said, "Yes, yes. I have some meetings to attend, and I need to get Sam admitted to school. I don't know how I'll manage both of these tasks simultaneously. Could you do it? Can you take him to school and help with the admission process?"

"Sam came with you?" she exclaimed.

"Of course, he came with me. Where else would I leave him? What would he do alone? If I leave him alone for even a day, he'll turn the whole house into a robot," I sighed.

"Yeah, I remember the incident he caused last summer vacation," she laughed as she reminded me of the day we went shopping, only to return and find all the gadgets connected while he controlled every screen with one remote control. That was hard to forget.

"Alright, don't worry; I'll be there. I'll handle these tasks as if I were his mom. What if I make him my son?" she chuckled.

"Yeah, take him! He listens to you more than me," I said before ending the call, still hearing her laughter ringing in my ears.

***

I rose from my three-hour sleep and went outside to lighten up my mood. I found Sarah outside of the entrance, waving her hands toward me. It made me feel like I was dreaming for a while, but as I opened the door, she ran to me and held onto me tightly.

“God! Did I say you could come this early in the morning? What would have happened if I didn't see you? Would you have stayed like this all this time?” I asked, still holding her tightly.

“Yeah, not a big deal. What would happen to me? Nothing,” she smiled. I still wonder how she recovered from the day when she once again faced her trauma. But her love for life surely made her forget everything and return to normal. I'm so glad she is well.

“Come inside! Cook something for me. I'm all hungry from being sleep-deprived,” I said, making her laugh.

“I'm a guest! You're making your guest work? So mean, Liah!” she said, but she still walked up to the kitchen cabinet to prepare something spicy and tingling for me. As I waited for her in the dining room, I saw the door opening from Sam's room. As expected, he hadn't slept at all. He was still holding the controller in his hand, with headphones hanging around his neck.

“Should I take away all of those? You're getting more than you used to,” I said, looking at him.

“Mom, I had a serious meeting. I needed to pull an all-nighter, or that idiot would have caught me,” he explained.

“Idiot? Who? And what's with this meeting?” I asked.

“Ah, nothing, Mom!” he didn't say as he ran up to Sarah and hugged her tightly.

“Aunt Sarah, you've arrived? I waited so long for you,” that's when he acted like a kid.

“Yeah, your mother didn't even invite me. How could I come?” Sarah looked at me, making me out to be the villain, but I ignored her. Soon, food was placed on the dining table while I explained the school process. Even Sam agreed.

“Yes, I'll do everything neatly. Don't worry. Do well in your meeting,” she said, placing a kiss on my forehead and taking Sam with her.

Meanwhile, Mathew entered through the entrance, holding a few more files in his hand.

“Ah, sorry, boss, but these files needed to be checked as well. I forgot to bring them yesterday, and I found them randomly on my table in the middle of the night,” he explained. He sure is an idiot. If it weren't for all the time we've worked together, I would have fired him.

“Don't fire me, boss!” Damn his puppy eyes.

I feel like I'm running a babysitting organization.