Time Warp: Adventures in Babysitting [Josh]

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Mid-July, 2005.

It was a situation that didn't come up often. Both Tomer's parents had to work, Abby was away at camp, and Vivy was at a playdate with her preschool classmates. That left the Berelowitz's single son home alone, and after calling the various sitters they normally used (who were all busy), Talia got the super idea to call Josh. And her brother was free!

What could possibly go wrong.

In the heat of July, Tomer wore khaki-colored shorts and a dark blue polo shirt. His hair was a bit on the long side, achieving an effect in the humidity that Vivy liked to call 'fluffy'. The air-conditioned apartment toned that down a bit, but it would curl a little if they went outside. This was not the first time a single Berelowitz child had been home alone, but it was the first time none of the usual sitters had been available. It was a bit of an experiment, calling up her big brother, but Talia thought between Josh's enthusiasm and Tomer's sense they'd live through it.

By dint of having a November birthday and being near-pathologically shy, his parents had decided not to put him in kindergarten at age four, though intellectually he'd been ready. He'd start school this September. There were numerous library books in the family room about First Days of School, including old standbys like the Berenstain Bears, Curious George, Ramona Quimby, and Franklin the Turtle, and a few newer ones like 'Wemberly Worried' by Kevin Henkes and 'Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus' by Barbara Park. Tomer wouldn't be taking a bus to school (thank everything), but the rest still applied.

Uncle Josh was to arrive around noon and sit till around four, when Talia would be back, Vivy in tow. A pair of sandwiches sat in the fridge on covered plates, fresh veggies were cut up and submerged in water in containers, and there was plenty of milk. Talia had drawn a map showing where the playground was (just three blocks from the apartment building), and had left a list of emergency numbers.

Tomer had been briefed all week about his 'special visit with Uncle Josh'. He was, to put it mildly, anxious and skeptical. His uncle was loud the way Grandma was, and he was sort of smelly. His mom said it was because Uncle Josh smoked. Tomer thought it was inaccurate. What his uncle did was set little sticks on fire and put them in his mouth, and it was therefore 'firing' and not 'smoking', but adults could be stubborn.

Downstairs, the buzzer rang, and Talia, in skirt and low heels, buzzed him in. Tomer disappeared.

Letting her brother in, she smiled apologetically. "He's hiding under Abby's bed. Don't worry, he'll come out. Lunch is in the fridge, and there's documentaries he likes by the TV. Offer the park too, there's directions to it on the counter." Eyes twinkling just a little, she pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks for doing this, you're a doll. Bye Tomer!"

And Talia was out the door.

The apartment was very quiet.

Under his sister's bed, Tomer sulked.

[Joshua Bernstein]

It was a rare event that Josh babysat.

It wasn't that he didn't love his nieces and nephews, but young people with a desire for sub-entry level jobs were the usual market for this kind of thing; and even if they hadn't been, he was so often busy preparing for trials that his availability was limited. But Talia had sounded so pleading over the phone, and he wanted to help her out. Even better, it would give him a chance to bond with his nephew, just the two of them!

He'd heard stories from Sean about how much his friend had enjoyed babysitting Ryan, back when he was on better terms with Kathleen and Ryan had needed more watching and so he was looking forward to forging the same sort of close relationship with his own nephew.

It would be fun.

Only, when he arrived it turned out that Tomer was hiding from him. Sean had never mentioned Ryan ever hiding under the bed when he came to visit, and so the attorney was disappointed.

Disappointed, but not deterred. Not yet. They still had all night to have fun and bond! It was a lovely afternoon, and Talia had provided a map to the park; maybe Tomer could be persuaded with the promise of ice cream or a lemonade.

"Tomer!" Josh called from the hallway, not wishing to intrude into his nephew's hiding place just yet. Not when he might be able to coax the child out. "How would you like to come to the park with me! I can push you on the swings, and then we can have ice cream!"

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Hiding under the bed was a standard tactic for children, Tomer's twist was to hide under Abby's bed because supposedly it was unexpected and would fool people. Which had been true the first time, but not the eighty-seventh. Under Abby's bed was rather nice though, and Tomer liked it. It was quiet, with just enough light coming from the space between her bedspread and the floor, and people generally left him alone.

But not today.

The first thing Tomer thought was 'he's loud already'. It had to be some kind of record. He really wanted to be good. He did. Be the way he was with his other sitters. But his other sitters didn't start things off by yelling. Tomer's five year old mind could understand that the reason Uncle Josh was yelling was because he was hiding, and that if he'd just presented himself there would not have been. Well. There might've been. It was Uncle Josh.

Tomer didn't budge. He didn't answer. He just scooted over till he touched the wall his big sister's bed was against and frowned.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh paused outside of the bedroom door, cupping one hand to his ear. There was no response.

"Tomer?" He repeated, raising his voice in case his nephew hadn't heard him the first time. Maybe he should offer something even more exciting than ice cream and the park. Unfortunately, his nephew was far too young for beer, which was what he would have offered to anyone of age. The attorney frowned to himself, considering what sorts of activities might coax the child out to him.

"We can go to the zoo! What do you think about that? See all the animals?"

[Tomer Berelowitz]

For a five year old, Tomer had a rather prodigious vocabulary due to being read to constantly and being naturally smart. The word 'bribery' was not there, but that didn't mean he didn't understand the concept. He didn't like it. Not the bribing itself but the idea he'd do something for a present. It seemed unfair to him, to the person offering. Most of the time he'd witnessed people giving kids things in exchange for behaviors they ought to be doing in the first place... like presenting himself to his babysitter.

Well, now he was stuck. If he got out from under the bed now, Uncle Josh would think he was one of those bratty kids (if he didn't think so already), and if he didn't, he might keep offering other things till he did.

Though, he did like the zoo.

And he didn't want Uncle Josh telling his mom he'd been trouble. Reluctantly, he crawled out from under the safe, cool, dark space and opened Abby's door, only a little disheveled.

"Hi Uncle Josh," he said in his quiet and rather serious voice. "Sorry. I was playing."

That was only a tiny lie. Tomer played under Abby's bed a lot too, and let her play alone in his room whenever she wanted. Tomer had a bedroom to himself and his sisters shared, so it was a fair trade when his older sister wanted a break from their younger one. Curious and rather skeptical blue eyes studied his uncle. "Did mom say we could go to the zoo?"

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh was relieved when Tomer finally presented himself; he didn't know what he would have done had the boy decided to remain hidden for their entire evening together. Perhaps turned on the news, or called Sean, or maybe both. Those were both activities that he enjoyed, and that could be easily fit into his schedule at any time. Still, he was supposed to be babysitting.

And he wanted to bond with his nephew, he really did. He didn't necessarily understand children very well, but he was happy that his sister had them, because she was happy to have them. He'd once thought he would have his own, but that idea was long evaporated. It was just as well. If he couldn't even convince his own nephew to spend time with him, how would he be able to raise any?

The question resulted in an uncomfortable shrug and an awkward smile. "Well, she said we could go to the park, and if we go to Central Park then we can also go to the zoo."

It was technically the same thing....right?

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Well, even if Uncle Josh didn't have much (if any) babysitting experience, he'd been prepared to do the two traditional babysitting activities: watching TV and talking on the phone. So hey, he was a natural!

Oh. That was logical. Tomer brightened a bit. "Can we see the penguins and the red pandas?"

As the quietest Berelowitz child, it was not often that Tomer got to spend any quality time with his two favorite animals at the Central Park Zoo. Unless the penguins were swimming, his sisters didn't find them as interesting as he did. And while the red pandas were adorable, they weren't the most active of animals. The girls much preferred the petting area, while Tomer found it loud, crowded, and rather frightening. More than once, he'd been minding his own business and had had a goat eat something out of one of his pockets. Mom had said it was his own fault for not emptying his pockets like she'd told him to before they left, but jeez, some things just had to be carried with at all times!

The little face creased into a frown. "Can we not see the goats?"

[Joshua Bernstein]

"We can see any animals you want to see," Josh promised eagerly. He enjoyed animals, but his favorites were of the domestic variety, and besides, it would be kind of a jerk move to take a child to see the zoo and deprive them of the animals they most wanted to see. If he had a particularly strong opinion, he could go by himself instead of dragging Tomer there with him.

"It's our bonding day! So if you want penguins and red pandas, we'll have penguins and red pandas."

His gaze drifted down to his nephew's feet, eyeing his footwear critically. "Will those hold up on a walk?"

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Some of the skepticism cleared from Tomer's small face when his uncle said they'd see whatever animals he wanted - a rare concession. "We can see animals you want to too," he said, always fair. "What do you like?"

Animals and Uncle Josh made him think of something, and his expression brightened as he asked, "How is your bunny?"

Joining his uncle in looking at his feet, Tomer shrugged. "I play at the playground in them." His scuffed sneakers were blue, grey, black, purple, and had a streak of yellow on the outsides. Turning his gaze to the pair of bigger feet, he asked, "Will yours?"

Come to think of it, Tomer had never seen his uncle in anything that wouldn't be okay to go to synagogue in. "What do you play in?"

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Flopsy is doing just fine, but I'm sure she would love for you to come visit her," Josh replied, pleased that his nephew was considerate enough to ask about his pet. Even he didn't always think to ask about pets, and he was an adult.

"And my shoes will hold up. I walk to work in them."

The question about play received an expression of mixed embarrassment and fondness. "I can play in any outfit I want to play in because I'm a grown up."

He folded up the map his sister had left him and placed it in his pocket before gesturing to the door. "Is there anything you want to bring or are you ready to go?"

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Tomer's eyes widened when Uncle Josh said Flopsy wouldn't mind some company. "Really?"

He loved animals, and loved pets. Their apartment didn't allow them, and even if it did, he was pretty sure his parents wouldn't want even something small like his uncle's bunny. They weren't anti-pet, but there were already five people living in their apartment. And a pet was a big responsibility. Either way, he loved hearing about other people's pets, and that Uncle Josh had a bunny was icing. Tomer loved bunnies.

Walking wasn't playing on the playground, but maybe Uncle Josh didn't feel the same way about slides and swings. Tomer hoped not. He didn't know how he'd feel about the man if he didn't like playground equipment.

The bit about playing in whatever he wanted got a small surprised laugh. The little boy had never thought of that before. Still, good clothes weren't all that comfortable... were they? Did they become so when one became a grown up? It was all very mysterious. "Could you play in your pajamas?" The question was earnest and not at all teasing. "Or a Halloween costume?"

Seriously, the possibilities opening up. He couldn't wait to tell Vivy.

Considering, he said, "I... I'm going to bring my dollars." Tomer ran back to his bedroom and took out two neatly folded one dollar bills and tucked them into the back of his shoe. Just in case there was an ice cream cart.

Skipping back to the main room, he opened one of the pantry doors that had non-food supplies and took keys on a ball chain off a little hook. It was the set of keys all the sitters took when they went out. He handed it up to his uncle. "Here, you can wear this. It's the keys."

Out in the hall, door locked, Tomer took his uncle's hand.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Absolutely." Josh confirmed, expression serious. "I've played in both before."

Not that he would go into any detail about what playing meant to him; it wasn't appropriate talk for a nephew of any age, but especially not one who was still a child. Even if Tomer had been an adult, Talia probably would have killed him if he'd said anything more incriminating than that.

"Ah, keys, good plan." Josh ushered his charge out into the hall, locking the door behind them and clipping the keys onto a belt loop so that he wouldn't accidentally lose it. There was always a danger of keys falling out of pockets; this was less distressing when it was only his own safety and comfort at stake, but with his nephew in tow the attorney felt somewhat more responsible for being absolutely sure that nothing went wrong.

"Stairs or elevator?"

Josh was a stairs person, but this outing was for Tomer's benefit. If he preferred the elevator then his uncle would deal with it.

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Well. Why hadn't his Mom ever mentioned that? Uncle Josh was more exciting than she made him out to be. Tomer figured he'd played at a Halloween party. School parties of that sort made him too upset, so he often went home early. So far, he could only trick or treat about five times before his nerve left him, but his mom still made him any costume he wanted (and often said his choices were too easy).

"Elevator!" Oooooh. He hadn't thought of that, but his face lit up. "Can I push the buttons, or do you like to too?"

As the quietest Berelowitz child, his sisters called dibs on the buttons before him. Tomer liked pushing elevator buttons as much as any other child, and thought this was a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to push all of them. Of course, he'd let Uncle Josh, it was only fair, but he'd gotten to push all the buttons on his way up and would again on his way down.

But no, Uncle Josh was in a generous mood and Tomer felt like a fantasy was coming true, getting to press all four shiny lit-up buttons and not even having to call them.

On the sidewalk, he looked around. As ever, people were out and about, the sidewalks not crowded uncomfortably but still busy. Every other block had scaffolding over something, and carts full of vegetables and fruit on the sidewalks. Central Park, Tomer knew, was to the left.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Central Park was a landmark. The sort of place that one made for when unsure of your location. It was not a place one got lost on the way to. It was certainly not a place one got lost on the way to when one had lived in The City for forty five years.

Josh's directional skills, however, were in fact rather remarkably poor.

In fact, he was squinting at the map that Talia had drawn, having entirely forgotten that although he had promised the zoo, the map was not in fact for Central Park. Even if he had wanted to go in the direction of the map, however, he would have failed -- he didn't take the left to Central Park. He didn't take the right to the park Talia expected him to go to. Instead he kept going straight, having misread the street he was supposed to take.

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Unlike a lot of other children of his age, Tomer did not still have that feeling of security, that knowledge that adults were infallible and could be relied upon in everything. His anxiety made him suspicious and wary to believe everything anyone said without some mode of reference within himself or past demonstrations of competency. So far, Uncle Josh had this last, though Tomer had never been asked to follow him anywhere more elaborate than the bathroom of a relation's house. Also, his skepticism was largely negated by the fact he was too shy to point anything out.

Tomer had been to Central Park many times with his mom or sitters, and the way they were going was not one of them. But there were a lot of ways to a place, and he figured his uncle was using his own. And Uncle Josh was, except for the whole part of them eventually ending in Central Park was kind of... iffy. But Tomer didn't know that.

He looked around as they walked. Not advanced enough to read street names or store signs, he still recognized that they were walking out of the familiarity of his neighborhood. But he didn't question. It looked like Uncle Josh was thinking, and he didn't want to interrupt.

Being bright, with a father who explained things very carefully, Tomer could tell time. But there were no clocks about. The sun started to get that fuzzy orange-ish look of later afternoon, and Tomer felt that they'd been outside for a long time. Trickles of sweat ran down his neck, and his bangs were damp.

Finally, he asked, "...Where are we going?"

It was not Central Park. Maybe it was New Jersey?