Manhattan

I shouldn't be nervous. Why should I be nervous? Why the hell am I nervous? Is this some sign?

Standing here on the doormat of the house in which I would be baby-sitting four small children, I felt completely out of my element and jittery. I was over thinking this, twisting and complicating things to the fullest. I was a mess, I was running on three hours of sleep. My mind was all upside down and screwed, set on the finals a few weeks from now.

I let out a shaky breath as I took a step back from the door and shook out my arms and legs. I was freezing my ass off as well. I had realized two blocks ago that I had stepped out of the house in shorts with tights and ugg boots. I was going to kill Sasha. I had walked passed her in a rush this morning, having slept through my alarm clock to find her lounging on the couch, just chilling and watching TV. She had calmed me down and told me that I was going to do just fine and that I looked absolutely fabulous. I was going to wring her freaking neck.

"Are you going to knock?" I let out a scream as I nearly jumped out of my skin. I slapped my hand over my wildly beating heart. I grabbed a fist full of my long, wavy brown hair as my eyes set on a little girl. Her dark brown hair was up in a sassy side pony tail, her pale skin accented by her small features and her intense hazel eyes.

"Uh..uhm, yeah of course I was." I told her, completely lying through my teeth.

"Maeva, honey! What did I tell you about answering the front door? Vous savez ce n'est pas permis." A rather large man softly scolded. He whispered to her in french a bit more, his face softening as he kissed the young girls' temple. She just simply nodded her head and made her way quietly back into the house.

"Sorry about that, parenting never ends. Are you Manhattan?" He had the same eyes as his daughter, or well, his daughter had the same eyes as him. They where deep set and intense. They where hazel and very, very beautiful. As I was searching into the man's deep eyes realization hit me as I let his words sink into me.

"You've talked to Sasha haven't you?" I asked him, trying to hide the irritation in my voice.

Manhattan. It was something Sasha had called me since I first introduced myself and told her I was from the very popular borough in New York. She was obsessed with the thought of big and busy cities and she had constantly begged me to tell her of my past life. I had let her in on a few things but I had promised to myself that once I landed in Pittsburgh that I would keep that Manhattan drawer shut tight in the back of my mind. Yet, Sasha insisted that she and everyone else that came in contact with me call me Manhattan, which I absolutely loathed.

"Um, Coach Bylsmas' niece right?" The man asked as he shifted a tiny baby girl, that I just noticed, on his hip.

"He is a coach?" I questioned him in surprise. Who is this man anyway? He opened his mouth before he shut it quickly when a shrill cry came from within the house. He gave me an apologetic look before he turned around and dashed down the hallway.

I stepped into the warm house quietly, my eyes roaming the walls. Family portraits lined the walls that where a warm, rich, brown color. The house smelled of chocolate and cinnamon and I was almost lost in that smell when another scream and then small cries rang throughout the house.

I followed the cries as I stepped down the hallway carefully. I tip toed around the corner to find the man trying to hold up the baby he had on his hip and soothe a small girl who cried on the floor. He looked completely panic stricken as Maeva, the girl who answered the door, watched on helplessly.

My heart immediately went out to him and I found myself quickly at his side. I tapped on his shoulder, grabbing his attention as I pointed to the small baby girl dangling from his hip. He gave me a soft smile as he gently handed her over. He mouthed the name 'Lola' to me before he turned his attention back to the tiny child crying in front of him.

"Oh Lola, that is a pretty name for an even prettier girl." And that wasn't a lie. It had seemed that all this man's children were blessed with the gift of gorgeous eyes. She stared back up at me, searching my face with her wide, bright eyes. We continued to lock eyes for a few more seconds before she let out a soft giggle, softly slapping my face with her chubby hand.

"Yes, a very pretty girl." I cooed to her. I bounced her on my hip at a continuous rate. I began to walk away from the family room, tiny Maeva hopping off of the couch, following quietly behind me. I found myself slowly making my way into a wide beautiful kitchen. I searched around the kitchen, taking in its beauty before I let out a horrified shriek at the sight of the sink.

Dish upon dish sat piled up upon each other. It was a mountain of dishes and crap. I held Lola to my chest mortified at the sight. Where in the hell was this guys wife? Didn't she know how to clean?

"Who are you?" I was drawn away from the horrible sight of the dishes to find a tiny boy with a mess of brown hair. He defiantly belonged to the man who answered the door because he also held the same eyes. He had chubby cheeks and chubby fingers with a stern look on his baby face.

"This Kody, is Manhattan." The large man said entering the room with the now settled little girl. I still hadn't learned his name.

"Actually that's not my-"

"Is she my new mommy?" He questioned his father. I gave the boy a confused look before I turned to his father, shooting the man the same look. These kids don't have a mother? This poor, poor man.

The man shot his soon an alarmed look before his eyes met with mine. He looked at a loss for words before he stuck out his hand.

"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Pascal Dupuis."



"So I just need you to wash some clothes and then take care of the dishes. I should be home from practice in about three hours or so. Don't worry about dinner. I usually pick up something on the way-" I stopped him in his rant with a wave of my hand.

"Don't worry about dinner. I'll cook, I'll clean. Just go to practice and relax." I spoke to Pascal as if I had known him for years. After our awkward introduction he walked me through his house, telling me where everything was. I had thrown in a couple of side questions as we toured the home and found him to be very light-hearted and sweet, yet he seemed to be a little bit high strung at the moment.

He had also introduced me individually to the kids. There was the oldest, Maeva who was very observant and quite, then we had Kody, who was a total pistol when he wanted to be. He introduced me to his second youngest, Zoe, who had the cutest little pony tail at the top of her head, she was big ball of energy who loved to giggle. Then there was Lola, the baby that sat on his hip, staring up at him as he talked, as if she understood every word he spoke.

"Just go to practice and take care of what you need to take care of. Everything here will be fine." I reassured him once again as I reached out to grab Lola from him. She rested nicely against my hip, looking in-between me and her father. Pascal gave me and the whole crew a once over, biting his lip before he let out a sigh.

"Thank you." He said softly. I waved him off with a shrug of my shoulders. He gave me a soft laugh before he slipped into his coat and scarf and made his way out of the back door. As the door closed I let out a sigh of my own before I turned back to the kids who stared up at me expectantly.

"So, who wants to clean?" I asked in a sweet voice.

"I want my mommy!" Kody hollered immediately. He wailed out after that, completely scaring the shit out of me as he shed large crocodile tears.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy." Zoe began to chant over and over again. She jumped up and down as she clapped her hands. Maeva tucked her hands into her pockets before she cocked her head to the side.

"Is your name really Manhattan?" She asked me softly. I gave her shy smile as I shook my head.

"My name is Jenner sweetheart." I told her as I made my way towards Kody who was now sprawled out across the floor, hollering as loud as he could. I dripped down and let out a grunt as I brought him up by his arm and set him on my free hip.

"Up, up, up!" Zoe hollered as she watched me place her older brother on my hip. She made grab hands at me as I stared back down at her helplessly.

"Oh honey, no, I can't." I told her with sorrow filled eyes. She soon picked up on the fact that I was not going to pick her up and she stuck out her bottom lip. Her bright eyes soon began to fill with tears as she cried out, matching her brothers wails.

"Maeva." I called to her. "Can you please hand me your sister?" I asked her. She shook her head as she reached down and carefully picked up Zoe with shaky arms. She placed Zoe on the side of which Lola sat on my hip. Lola looked at the scene in front of her with curious eyes.

"Do you know what's wrong Maeva? Why are the crying like this? They were fine just five minuets ago." I questioned her as I struggled to rock the three children in my arms.

"They want our mother." Maeva stated.

"And where is she?" I questioned hesitantly.

"She went on a very, very, very long vacation." Maeve told me.

"She isn't...you know..." I didn't want to say dead because I knew that would upset the kids even more.

"No but she isn't right either." The young girls words made me wonder. She wasn't dead but she wasn't right, what in the world could she possible mean by that?

Kody let out another loud wail which in tern made Zoe well out which off set Lola who let out her own soft wails. I strained to look at the clock. I was only five minuets into this job and already three out of four of my kids where crying, this was going to be a long night.

I had to think fast. I had to think back to my days of when I was upset as a child during my parents divorce. How did my nanny help take care of me. How did she soothe me as the voices of my angry parents rang throughout the house at any hour during the day. Soon a light bulb went off in my head.

"Maeva, where is the laundry room honey?" I asked her. Maeva said nothing as she grabbed the end of my shirt and began to drag me down the hallway and pass the family room and the office before she twisted the knob on the door in front of her. She stood on her tippy toes as she switched on the light.

"You're an angel." I cooed to her. The three kids in my arm still continued to cry as I nodded my head to Maeva and the towards the washing machine.

"You see that knob honey. I need you to twist it to spin cycle and push it in. Can you reach it?" I asked her. Tiny Maeva just shook her head before she took a tiny pink stool from underneath a cabinet and did as she was told. She got off of the stool and placed it back underneath the cabinet.

"Now, watch the washer work its magic." I told her with a wide smile. Maeva let out a soft laugh as she watched me with curious eyes. I readjusted each child on each of my hips before I hopped onto the moving washer. I leaned back against the wall, pushing each child up against my chest.

We sat on the washer for five minuets before everyone seemed to settle down, the vibrations swaying each of us back and forth lightly. Maeva watched silently for a moment longer before she left the room in a rush. I was about to call out to her before she re-entered with a fluffy pink blanket. She got out her stool and turned on the dryer before she threw the blanket on top of the dyer and climbed on top of it. Once she was up she scooted closely to me, giving me a soft smile.

"I like you." She mumbled softly.

"I like you as well." I told her with a soft chuckle.

"You remind me off my maman. She has brown hair and brown eyes like you." She said gently, her voice coming out shakey as the washer and dryer continued to sway our bodies.

"Do'ya miss her?" I questioned softly. I looked down at young Maeva who looked at her hands before she looked up at me.

"At first I did but now I have to hide it." She murmured.

"Why?" I was completely confused now.

"It upsets Kody when he sees me upset. Then he gets Zoe and Lola upset. So I act like I don't miss her even though I really do." I couldn't wrap my min around her words. She was so young and yet she knew so much and shouldered some what of a burden. She pushed herself into the roll of the oldest and was already trying to keep her family together. I wanted so badly to ask where her mother was and why she was gone but I didn't want to upset her. Maeva looked up at me before she rested her head on my arm.

Minuets later all the kids around me where silent and asleep. They where all like heat logs, warm and soft as they snuggled into me. I couldn't help but smile at each little chubby face, resting peacefully as we all sat on the washer, rocking from side to side.



"You're very pretty Miss Manhattan. Très jolie." Maeva spoke to me as she patted the hamburger meat that I had seat in front of her ten minuets ago. I felt a blush heat up my cheeks and neck as I murmured out a quite thank you.

"Do you speak a combination of french Maeva or do you know just little words here and there?" I asked her curiously. Maeva shrugged her shoulders as she handed me a nearly perfect patty. I dropped it in the grease in front of me.

"I only know a few words that Maman and Papa taught me. I know all of the colors and numbers though!" She told me excitedly as she gave me a another patty which I dropped in the grease as well. The other three kids where still asleep in their rooms.

I had awoken an hour ago, still on the washer and dryer. I had lightly shaken Maeva awake and she told/led where her brother and sisters rooms where. She helped me lay them down and gave me Lola and Zoe's baby monitor before I walked down in the kitchen and began to make dinner.

"That is really cool, what is your favorite color?" I asked her, trying to keep the light conversation going. It seemed when I had first met the young girl that she was quite shy and reserved. But as I continued to question her and make her giggle, she seemed to open right up to me.

"Rouge." She spoke in a perfect french accent.

"What is your favorite color Manhattan?" I didn't dare correct her because she seemed to love to call me that. She must have found weird and unique that I just so happened to be named after a large American city that she had probably seen on television and in movies.

"Jaune" I said with a proud smile. When you had as many foreign nannies as I did that you had to learn Spanish and French in order to keep up. Maeva looked up at me with a bright smile.

"You know French too!? That is so cool." I giggled at her response as I shook my head lightly.

"I think these are done Maev, we can check on the french fries now. Then we can wake the others." I told her as she shook her head. I checked the fries in the oven before I took them out and set them on the counter, far out of the way of children's reach and then took Maeva's hands and lead her to get her other siblings.

As we climbed the stairs the doorbell rang and Maeva dropped my hand before she took off down the stairs like a mad woman. I called out to her, remembering how Pascal had scolded her earlier about opening the door by herself. Yet, she still didn't listen to me as I heard a man greet her. I was pretty sure it was at man at least because the voice was deep.

"Hey Maevs! What are you doing answering the door?" The man asked her. I made my way down the stairs quickly and rounded the corner to find a man stepping into the house.

"Excuse me, what do you think you are doing?" I asked him as I came up quickly behind Maeva and grabbed her and put her on my hip. The man threw me a confused look as he tried to step into the house again but I blocked his pathway.

"If you don't mind, I'm trying to get into the house." He said as if he was telling me that the grass was green and the sky was blue.

"No you're not. Do I know you?" I asked him.

"No, but I'm a friend of the family who frequently visits these kids." He told me, somewhat getting irritated with me.

"I don't think that's going to happen today. Mr. Dupuis isn't home at this time, you can come back in an hour or so." I told him in a firm tone, narrowing my eyes at him as he tried yet again to step into the house but I blocked his way once more. The guy narrowed his eyes at me as well.

As we stared at each other, glare to glare, I began to notice how good looking this guy was. He had deep hazel eyes, that looked to be lined with a honey brown color. They where large and very enticing as I looked into them. He had smooth pale skin which looked incredibly creamy and soft which was matched with a set of lips that where so pouty and pink that I wanted to run my finger tips across them just to see if they were as soft as they looked. He also had wisps of dark chocolate hair falling from underneath a dark baseball cap. But, by far, the biggest feature on this man was a thin mustache on his upper lip that made me cringe.

"I know Pascal isn't home, I just saw him. I know he is running a bit late." They guy told me completely frustrated with me.

"Well, I don't know that so that means you stay out of the house." I sneered, my temper taking control of me as I grabbed the door and shoved the guy outsides onto the porch. I leaned against it before I locked all three locks and turned off the front light. This guys was pretty well built, there was no way in hell I was taking chance with him.

"Uncle Sid, Manhattan." Maeva told me as I peered out of the window. I shook my head at her. Well Uncle Sid just got the door slammed in his face.