Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

When I was a teenager a new family moved in next door. They had three children, a very important fact, as my trendsetting clothes budget depended solely on my babysitting income. Three children in one household would bring $1.50 an hour. With dollar signs in my eyes I welcomed them to the neighborhood and let the mom Sherry know that I loved babysitting, especially late on Saturday nights.

My first babysitting opportunity for that family came quickly but it was not what I had anticipated. Seems the regular babysitter at Sherry’s church was ill and could not make it, and would I like to be the substitute baby sitter on Sunday morning?

I dressed appropriately and went to church with the family. “How many children will I be babysitting?” I innocently asked Dave, the dad and driver of the family car.

Sherry answered, “Oh, we never know! Sometimes ten, sometimes, two or three.”

Inwardly I hoped for whatever number would bring me the most money, but we had not discussed pay yet.

We arrived at their church and Sherry accompanied me to the Sunday School classrooms. She walked me into an empty classroom. I glanced at her with a confused look. “Oh, we will wait about ten minutes, and I am sure somebody will come.”

She prepared to leave the room, turned back to me and added, “I’ll check back in ten minutes.”

I busied myself looking for coloring pages and crayons, and glanced at the clock every few minutes. No parents arrived with their children. I began to become concerned.

Sherry returned promptly after ten minutes, as promised. “The services have already started, and it looks like their will be no children for you to babysit after all, “ she announced. “So I have arranged for you to join the young teens class.”

My heart sank. Class? I did not want to be a student. I wanted to earn money. I was trapped. With no way to get home, I meekly followed her out of the empty classroom and down the hall to a room of well-dressed teens my age. “Oh well, “ I thought to myself, “perhaps I will make a new friend.”

They handed me a Bible and called out a chapter and verse to be turned to. I had no idea how to find the page. I began to get uncomfortable in the midst of these peers. The girl sitting next to me helped find my page. It was embarrassing to not be able to do that for myself.

After the reading of the passage, they discussed the meaning. I was totally lost. There I sat, an agnostic in the midst of a group of fundamentalist believers. By the end of the hour I realized I was the only unbeliever in the room and I began to watch the clock in earnest. The hour passes painstakingly slow.

Finally Sherry was at the door, announcing it was time to go home. I gladly got in the family car. I did not even try to make conversation. I just couldn’t wait to get home.

As we pulled into the driveway Sherry handed me a five dollar bill and thanked me for being willing to help out the Sunday School. I thanked her and dashed home, and always managed to be busy whenever Sherry’s church needed a substitute baby sitter…