“What could possibly go wrong?” Chika asked herself. She was so confident even though it would be her first time babysitting. She had babysitters dogs before and it had gone so well. That taught her that she could do better babysitting Tobe, Mrs. Ogedengbe’s three-year-old son.
She adjusted the strap of her backpack and knocked on Mrs. Ogedengbe’s door. A few minutes later, the door opened, and Mrs. Ogedengbe smiled at her like she had seen her passport to freedom.
"Chika, you're here. Come, come in." Mrs. Ogedengbe moved out of the way to let her into the sitting room. The smell of baby powder mixed with lavender hung in the air. Soft cocomelon music played from the television. There were little plastic toys scattered everywhere across the tiled floor. Sitting on the floor with eyes glued to the TV was Tobe.
"So that's Tobe. He’s three and smart. Too smart for his age. He has already had dinner. So, it's just cartoons now and a hot bath by seven-thirty, and then bed. That'd be easy for you, right?”
“Very easy,” Chika smiled. If that was all it takes to babysit, then she was so confident it would be an easy peasy task for her.
Mrs. Ogedengbe gave me one last glance at Tobe, who was still engrossed in the cocomelon cartoon he was watching. He looked so calm and innocent.
"Don't worry ma'am. We'll be fine." Chika assured her.
"I'm not worried about him actually. I'm worried about you." She grabbed her handbag. "Also, please don’t give him anything sugary."
Chika nodded. "Got it. No sugar."
Then Mrs. Ogedengbe walked out the door.
Chika waved her goodbye and locked the door.
Immediately, Tobe turned and looked at her with so much curiosity in his big brown eyes,
“Are you the new aunty?” He asked.
“Yes, I am." Chika smiled. “But just for tonight.”
Tobe blinked fast and gave Chika a cheeky smile.
“Okay.” He walked over to his toys scattered on the floor and picked a few. "Do you want to play?"
Chika shook her head.
Immediately, Tobe let out a loud cry that made the neighbor's dog start barking.
"Okay. Okay, I'll play." Chika said out of fear.
Tobe smiled and sat down. They started with blocks. Then hide and seek. Plus a weird drama where Chika was the villain trying to steal his dog. In all that, Chika had no clue what she was doing. Tobe was the director and still the one with the storyline.
A few minutes later, Tobe yawned.
Chika finally exhaled with relief. “Time for bed.”
"I want some jelly beans," Tobe replied.
"Your Mama said no sugar," Chika said, reaching to carry him.
Tobe resisted Chuka's grip and let off a loud cry. Again the neighbor's dog started barking. Chika began to wonder what relationship Tobe had with the dog that made it bark at any loud shrill from Tobe. Already, she was getting tired of his frequent cries. She didn't want the neighbors to think that she was maltreating Tobe.
"One jellybean for you if you let me bathe you first." She promised.
Immediately, Tobe stopped crying. He didn't even fight back as Chika took him to the bathroom. He only splashed in the tub like a baby whale. Soaking Chika's shirt and the floor. Then peed in the water and giggled as Chika jumped back in horror.
She dried him up and put him to bed. She had already forgotten about her jellybean promise when Tobe asked again.
"I want some jellybean."
Chika groaned, walked to the kitchen, and let Tobe have some. Then she took him back to his room and put him to bed.
Soon he was falling asleep. Or so she thought.
She let herself shut her eyes for a minute. She was exhausted as well. But before she knew it, she was falling into a deep slumber.
She woke up a few hours later to the sound of a loud crash in the sitting room. She checked the bed for Tobe. He had sneaked out while she slept.
Quickly, she raced to the sitting room like someone who left a pot on the stove which was burning. By the time she could get to the sitting room, it was already late.
The chaos had already been done.
The TV was face flat on the floor, broken. The floor was filled with water. The dining chairs had been overturned. It felt like a war zone. She stood there wondering how a little boy could cause such chaos in a little time.
"Tobe!" She finally found the composure to call.
But Tobe was nowhere in sight.
By now Chika was panicking. She called out again, "Tobe!" Searching from room to room.
Finally, she found him curled under the dining table, fast asleep with peanut butter smeared across his cheek and an entire loaf of bread beside him.
She quickly carried him up and took him to bed. Then she proceeded to clean up the mess Tobe had made. At the same time scared of what she'll tell Mrs. Ogedengbe when she returns. Especially with the broken TV.
She was almost done cleaning when Mrs. Ogedengbe barged into the house. She looked fresh and rested but was not surprised when she saw the chaos at home.
“Please don't tell me Tobe did all that?" She asked, standing at the door with her bag in her arms.
Chika looked up to her. She looked like she had just dined with a ghost. She nodded. “He was lively,” Chika said carefully.
Mrs. Ogedengbe smiled. "You must have fed him some sugar." She closed the door, threw her bag on a chair, and proceeded to inspect the chaos perfectly executed by her little boy. Her eyes widened at the mess—wet rugs, jellybeans stuck to the wall, my soaked hoodie hanging from a chair. “Oh. My.”
"Just a few jelly beans."
"Told you not to. He's hyperactive with sugar in his system."
“Felt I could bribe him to bed," Chika replied, picked up the last piece of card remains of the TV, and put them in the trash can nearby.
"Where is he now?"
"Asleep,” Chika whispered.
Mrs. Ogedengbe turned to her with sympathy. “You look… drained.”
“I am.”
"I'm sorry. I should have explained to you more about what you were up against. I just needed someone to watch him while I rested for a few hours. This is exactly what I pass through every day." She picked up her bag and brought out some cash. Then she handed Chika her payment, “I added a little extra cash for the extra stress."
Chika nodded, too tired to even talk. "Thank you." She finally said. Then she dragged her feet to the door.
As she stepped out into the night air. She looked up at the stars and thought about how confident she had been earlier. She sighed as the words slipped from her mouth.
“I was wrong, everything can possibly go wrong.”