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“They were in that little thermal bag with an ice pack.”
“That’s what I store the bottles in while we’re traveling uptown. Was the ice pack still cold?”
“Yes, it was fine,” I said, trying to allay her worries. “How well taken care of she was, how you’d packed the bag, impressed me.”
“I need to figure out something else to do with her while I work. Obviously, she’s not safe at the sitter’s house. It’s much smaller than this place, and she has five kids to watch.”
“I can’t even imagine how worried you must be,” I replied.
“It’s ongoing. I honestly didn’t think it would be such a big deal. But leaving her that first time was torture, and then to have Emory kidnap her two weeks later made it so much worse. I really hated leaving her today, but I don’t have a choice.”
I wanted to tell her to move in with me. But I knew that was ridiculous. She needed to work, she just needed better childcare, and I wasn’t sure how that was going to happen.
Evidently, I’d inherited a quality that my father had called save the world syndrome, and it might be at fault. I wanted to help Eimy, and the truth was, I didn’t have anything for her. But then I had a lightbulb moment.
If Eimy and baby Yasmine moved in with me, she wouldn’t have to pay rent and could afford better childcare. It was a fantasy that was better not shared yet. She could live like a slob or be a hoarder, for all I knew. I’d build a friendship with her if it was possible. Did we have anything in common?
“So, tell me what you did for fun before the baby was born,” I said.
She laughed. “I did what most people our age do. I partied. I graduated from college and couldn’t find a job, which is how I ended up with the nanny job.”
“What did you major in?”
“Finance,” she said, laughing again. “What a joke. The only problem is there are no entry-level jobs that pay better than a nanny job, if you can find one.”
“Even with Wall Street right there?”
“Probably it’s worse because of Wall Street. It’s the first place finance grads apply. I found a job at Edward Jones in Jersey City, but I didn’t want to commute.”
“I don’t blame you,” I said.
She placed the baby over her shoulder, patting her back. “Talking to you, I realize I might have sold out for simplicity.”
“How do you mean?”
“Instead of putting my nose to the grindstone, I took the path of least resistance. It feels like it would be too big a sacrifice to get a real job now. They’d expect me to work longer hours, and I just can’t with Yasmine.”
“You don’t have to do it now,” I said. “When she’s in school all day might be easier. Something will come up.”
“You asked before what I do for fun. Before I had the baby, I used to do the obstacle challenges.”
“Oh my God. You mean like the mud races?” I couldn’t keep my nostrils from flaring.
“Ha! That’s one event, sure. Do you run? You have a runner’s body.”
“Ah, no way. This body resists all forms of exercise, if you must know.”
Eimy laughed, slapping her thigh. “I hate people like you.”
“Hate my father. I take after him.”
“Your father. That’s the guy on Adventure Trek, right? I wanted to go on there so badly.”
“You should! He’s getting ready to go to Taiwan to do a show.”
“Yeah, I have this little one. I don’t think I can do anything like that for at least eighteen more years.”
“Apply! I’ll take care of your baby if you get accepted for the show.”
