Date Night: Part 2

I woke up feeling light headed. I figured this was due to my previous deep sleep. I was just happy that the crazy dream I had was over. I dreamt that my nephew accidentally burned his parents’ house down when his cooking efforts went terribly wrong. And the worst part was this tragedy had occurred on my watch, while I was babysitting. I recalled the nightmare and let out a sigh of relief. Then I opened my eyes wider and took a good look at my surroundings. I became startled when I realized I wasn’t in my bedroom, but in the hospital.

What’s going on? I thought, relentlessly trying to make sense of my predicament. 

Suddenly a nurse walked into the room. “You’re finally awake,” she said in a chipper tone. 

“Why am I here?” I asked her.

The nurse began telling me everything she knew, as if it was juicy gossip. “After the fire, you got into a huge argument with one of the neighbors; a tall Haitian lady. She was upset with you for putting the kids’ lives in danger. Apparently, she got really mad when you tried to blame the fire on the little boy. She became violent and punched you so hard; you were out cold, immediately.”

I couldn’t believe it. I thought the fire had been a bad dream, but it had actually happened. 

 

“Where are the kids? Are they okay?” I inquired. 

“The kids are in the waiting room with your sister and brother-in-law. I’ll let them know that you’re awake.” 

The nurse exited the room. I was nervous about facing my family. I didn’t know if my sister and brother-in-law would be furious or just extremely sad. I had no idea what to expect, so I just waited there, anxiously.

The nurse returned with my family. My sister was holding my nephew, Phillip and my brother-in-law had his arm around my niece, Madison. They all had solemn expressions on their faces. 

My sister didn’t hesitate to search for answers. “What happened? We were only gone for a couple of hours. How did the house burn down?”

I told the story from the beginning and explained everything I could remember. I told her we were watching a movie. Then Phillip got bored and asked to watch Despicable Me on the iPad. Then someone knocked at the door and said they saw Phillip’s ad on Craigslist about a PlayStation 4 for sale. Then Phillip was trying to fry chicken in a shallow skillet which ignited a fire. I didn’t spare any of the bizarre details. 

My sister and brother-in-law shook their head with disbelief. 

“I think you must be imagining things,” my brother-in-law said trying to hold back his anger. “I guess getting knocked out by Ms. Pierre has caused permanent brain damage. There’s no way our three-year-old could have posted an ad on Craigslist. The biggest word he can spell is his first name. And you want me to believe someone paid a thousand dollars for a PS4.” 

I knew the story seemed far-fetched, but it was the truth and I was determined to prove it to them. Suddenly, I saw evidence that would prove my case. There was a wad of bills sticking out of Phillip’s back pocket. He must have taken the money from me when I was knocked unconscious. I reached over and grabbed the money from Phillip’s pocket.

“What are you doing?” my sister asked. 

“Ah Ha,” I said and held the evidence in my hand. “How else would he get one thousand dollars? This proves he sold that PS4 on Craigslist.”

I unfolded the bills, but to my disappointment it wasn’t 10- one hundred dollar bills, but 7- one dollar bills. My brother-in-law shook his head with disgust. Phillip began to cry, wanting his money back. Madison stared at me with pity. 

“You’re really losing it,” my sister sighed. “That’s only seven dollars. Phillip’s grandfather gave him that money.” 

The entire family focused on comforting Phillip. He continued to cry, as if I had traumatized him. After nearly five minutes of wailing, my nephew calmed down. 

I thought I had hit rock bottom, but somehow the situation worsened. 

My sister explained, “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do this, but I think we need to have you moved to the psych ward.” 

“No!” I protested, but it was too late. A team of doctors and nurses rushed in to restrain me. My family watched as they took me away in a straight jacket. I was begging my family to save me, but they just kept saying it was for the best. Before they took me out the room, I noticed Phillip in the corner. He grinned and winked at me, pulling the wad of 10- one hundred dollar bills out his front pocket. He quickly put the money away before his parents noticed. 

I was shocked by my nephew’s mischief. I had never seen that side of him. There was no use in trying to prove that I was telling the truth. I had been outsmarted by a three-year-old. I guess I was at fault, after all. I should have kept a closer eye on him while I was babysitting. I still couldn’t believe how my life had been turned upside down in only a few hours. 

It had all happened so fast.