Blame it on Paris

“You are joking right, Kathy? This is a joke!” He asked in disbelief, completely thrown off kilter.

“I’m so sorry Michael. But I am in Vegas now with Shawn. Then we are going on a long honeymoon…” Kathy replied.

“We are leaving in two weeks! TWO WEEKS!! What am I going to do without a nanny?!” he cried in disbelief.

“I’m sorry Michael...Can you say goodbye to Ollie for me?” She asked quietly.

“Yeah sure…” he said before hanging up the phone, threw it on the table and cursed, “Son of a bitch!!”

“What’s wrong Michael?” Kim Morgan asked.

“Oh not much, just my nanny quitting!” he fumed as he leaned back in the chair, running his fingers through his hair.

“What?!” Neil Morgan asked, walking up to the table leading the cute little boy up to his father with a sippy cup of milk, “Kathy just quit?!”

“She is in Vegas eloping!” Michale gritted out to his neighbors.

“Wow…” Kim said.

He sighed, “I need to call my mom. Can you keep an eye on Ollie for me?”

“Sure! Do you want us to hold lunch?” Neil asked, ruffling the little boy’s hair.

“No, just eat. I should only be a few minutes,” Michael added as they nodded and he went to the back of their perfectly manicured lawn and pushed the button to start the call.

“Michael, Hi Sweetie! How are you?” Susan Whitlock gushed as she answered.

“Mom, I’m so screwed!”

“Why?” she asked, suddenly concerned, “Is Ollie ok?”

“Ollie is fine. Kathy just called and quit! She is in Vegas eloping!” he blurted out.

“Oh Michael! You are leaving in a few weeks!”

“I know!! Is there any way you can help me?” He begged.

“Oh Sweetie, I can fly up and give you some help before you go, but you know I can’t go to London with you,” Susan gently said.

“I know Mom, but if you could stay until I find someone, I would really appreciate it! I will get you a really great birthday present!” he begged.

She laughed, “I’ll go look for a flight into Chicago and think about what you can get me for my birthday then.”

“Oh thanks Mom!! Ollie and I will pick you up. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome Sweetie. I’ll be in touch,” she said and hung up.

Michael sighed and went back to the table and sat with his son and the neighbors, “My mom is coming out to watch Ollie until I can figure what to do next.”

“Michael, Kim and I had a thought. What about our daughter, Anelise?”

“What about her? Isn’t she in College?” he asked, a little confused.

“Well, yes, but she is almost done with this semester and loves to babysit,” Kim said.

“Really? Do you think she would be interested in spending her summer nannying?” He asked not sure of where the conversation was going.

“I think this would be perfect for her! She is getting her Master’s in English Literature and was just going to be writing her thesis,” Neil started, “She is a good girl, never gets in trouble and has a 4.0. She doesn’t party, even though her roommate really tries to get her to!”

“How old is she again?” Michael asked.

“She is 20. She will be 21 in October,” Kim said proudly.

Michael was desperate and thought for a moment, “Well, can I get her number and give her a call and see what she thinks?”

“Of course! I will text her to give her a heads up” Neil said as he passed his neighbor the tray of grilled salmon to him.

As he was leaving, Michael looked at the pictures of their daughter on the walls. She was a chubby young woman with glasses and dark auburn hair, but a nice smile. She was the epitome of ‘book worm’ and might be a good choice to watch his son when they went to England. He hoped the call went well.