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“Ding, dong” Ally heard the doorbell ring.

“Just a minute” she glanced around, nervously.

Secured as she was in her one-piece pajamas there wasn’t a chance in hell that she was going to answer the door herself.

“Laura” she called.

“In the toilet” Laura called back.

“Can you come here for a moment?” Ally asked.

“You’ll have to wait a minute” Laura replied.

“Damn”, Ally thought, running to find her mother. “There you are” she called, finding Sue in the garden.

“What is it?” Sue asked, surprised Ally would even come outside dressed as she was.

“There’s someone at the door” Ally informed her.

“Well, why didn’t you answer it?” Sue replied.

“Not like this!” Ally countered.

Sue followed her inside and opened the front door, Ally staying carefully out of sight.

“No-one here now” Sue commented.

“But there is this”.

She pulled out a small card out of the door frame where it had been wedged.

On the top was written ‘Sorry we missed you’ followed by ‘Will attempt redelivery tomorrow’.

“Looks like a delivery” Sue reasoned.

“Must have been your luggage, we’re not expecting anything else”

“Damn” Ally cursed loudly.

“Well, why didn’t you answer it” Sue was a little annoyed.

Now they would have to wait home the entire day tomorrow for when the luggage was redelivered.

“It’s not like you would have ever seen the delivery guy again”

“Well, I didn’t” Ally responded, defensively.

“Anyway, it’s my luggage, why are you the one who’s annoyed?”

“I have to get ready” Sue stated, not wanting to get into an argument.

“Ready for what?” Ally asked.

“I’m going out with Nathan tonight, don’t you remember?” Sue replied.

Nathan was Sue’s new boyfriend, who must have been anxious to catch up with her after a month away.

“No” Ally answered.

“Does this mean that Kristy’s coming over?”

Kristy had babysat for Ally for many years and was now completing her final year of University.

While Ally did feel she was a little old for a babysitter, she nonetheless liked Kristy immensely and was keen to tell her all about the trip.

“I’m afraid Kristie’s away for the week.” Sue informed her.

“But my friend Merideth suggested someone.

Her cousin, actually, her name’s Lorraine.

She’s retired from work and has plenty of experience.

Merideth’s arranged it with her and she’s going to call me back any minute.”

“But muuuuuum” Ally groaned, not keen on this development at all.

“I’m too old for a babysitter anyway”

“You didn’t seem to mind when you thought Kristy was coming over” Sue reminded her.

“That’s different” Ally argued. “I like Kristy, she’s like a friend”

“Well, I’m paying her to look after you, not so that you can have a friend over!” Sue commented.

“But as it happens, I’ve been thinking about it and you might be right.

I’m still not comfortable with you being alone until late at night, but at times when I’m not going to be back too late maybe you can try staying home on your own.”

Ally was pleased.

Before the trip her mother had refused all of her arguments about staying home alone.

She was glad that Sue could see she was growing up.

“But Lorraine will be here today.” Sue insisted.

“I could be out ’till quite late, and it’s already been arranged in any case”.

Ally was disappointed at this, but didn’t push the issue.

She had extracted one concession out of her mother, which would be enough.

Barely a moment later she heard Sue’s phone ring.

“Well, speak of the devil” Sue said, looking at her phone. “That’s her now.”

Sue picked up the phone, allowing Ally to hear her end of the conversation.

“Hello … Yes, that’s me … That’s right, for my daughter.

Her name’s Ally … Oh good … Anything special? well, she still wears protection for her bedwetting”

“Mum” Ally interjected, annoyed.

That was supposed to be private.

“Well, she needs to know,” Sue told her, covering the mouthpiece.

Ally disagreed with that assessment.

“Sorry, where was I” Sue said, back on the phone.

“Yes, that’s right … No, she can handle it herself”.

Ally’s ears burned.

She could guess what that last question had been.

“She will need some help getting in and out of her pajamas, though,” Sue added, almost as an afterthought.

“They’re a bit unusual. But we can discuss it more when you get here.

I have to leave here by six, so how about you come at 5:30.

You can meet Ally and we can go over the details …

OK, perfect see you then.”

Sue hung up the phone.

“She’ll be here at 5:30” Sue confirmed to Ally.

“That’s just an hour away, so I really had better get ready.”

With that, she left the room to change.

Ally returned to the living room to find Laura waiting for her.

“Hey Laura, can you help me get these off,” Ally asked.

“I want to change into something else before this new babysitter, Lorraine gets here.”

Laura grimaced. Although she was only a few months older than Ally, she hadn’t had a babysitter herself in almost two years.

Quite the opposite, in fact, her parents were pushing her to earn a little extra money by babysitting for kids herself.

She did know that Kristy came over to look after Ally quite often, but was very surprised that Sue would arrange another sitter.

“I don’t know, Ally, are you sure your mum’s OK with you getting another set of clothes dirty when you’ll only be wearing them for a couple of hours?”

Her own mother detested unnecessary washing.

“Laura” Ally shouted. Her friend had a perfectly reasonable point, but Ally was fed up with not being able to remove the pajamas herself.

“This isn’t the first impression I want to make on her!”

“OK, OK, I’m just saying” Laura retreated, unzipping her.

Ally promptly changed into one of the few outfits left in her closet.