It was Friday afternoon, and like almost every day after school, Nathalie and her best friend Sarah walked part of the way home together.
"Hey, do you feel like coming over tonight? We could watch a movie, just chill a bit?" Nathalie asked just before they reached the fork in the road where their paths separated.
"Ah, no, sorry, I can't. I'm babysitting the neighbor's kids tonight. I can't cancel now; they’re counting on me," Sarah explained.
"Pff, babysitting, really?" Nathalie scoffed in a slightly contemptuous tone. "Well, have fun with that. I wouldn’t want to deal with those brats at all…"
"Hey, it's really not that bad. Actually, I even enjoy it. It feels good to take on some responsibility... and besides, they pay well," Sarah replied with a wink.
"Well, if you say so. Okay then, I guess I’ll see you on Monday. Have a nice weekend."
And with that, the two friends said their goodbyes.
When Nathalie arrived home, lunch was already on the table.
She greeted her parents and her little sister Kate before sitting down.
"So, how was your day?" her mother asked kindly.
"Hmm, it was okay... I mean, boring as always..." she sighed. "I actually wanted to hang out with Sarah tonight, but she can’t. She has to 'babysit,'" she explained again in the same dismissive tone as before.
"Oh, but that's great! Maybe you should try it too? You could watch Kate sometime when your father and I go out in the evening. That way, we wouldn’t always have to ask Grandma and Grandpa to take her," her mother suggested.
"Oh no, definitely not. I really don't feel like doing that," Nathalie replied grumpily.
Luckily, her four-year-old sister was too busy with her food and her thoughts to notice the conversation.
"Seriously, Nathalie, it wouldn’t hurt you to take on a little responsibility," her father added.
Nathalie rolled her eyes in annoyance. Why did everyone always say the same thing? Responsibility—pah! She’d have enough of that once she turned eighteen.
"Oh, just leave it, Philip," her mother said, turning to her father. "Honestly, I don’t think it would be a good idea. Sometimes, I get the impression that Nathalie can't even take responsibility for herself, let alone for someone else."
Responsibility, responsibility! Nathalie was sick of hearing that word. Furious, she jumped up from the table.
"Pah! As if! Just leave me alone already!" she shouted and stormed off to her room.
Her father was about to follow her, but her mother stopped him. "Let her go, Philip. We don’t need to make this worse," she said, glancing at little Kate, who looked quite startled. "I'll think of something and talk to her later..."
Nathalie had been sitting in her room for quite a while, still annoyed with everything, when her mother walked in.
"Nathalie, we need to talk," she said sternly.
"About what?" Nathalie replied defiantly, crossing her arms.
"About your behavior at the dinner table earlier. That was completely unacceptable. You scared Kate, and you were really disrespectful to your father and me."
"So what..." Nathalie scoffed.
"No, no, I’m really angry, and I think I already know the perfect punishment for your behavior. I believe you need to learn a lesson."
Nathalie's eyes widened. She rarely saw her mother this strict and serious.
"Yes, if you're really not mature enough to babysit… then I guess you still need someone to look after you, my little one," her mother said matter-of-factly.
"You can't be serious?" Nathalie asked, shocked.
"Oh, I’m very serious. And I’ve already made arrangements. Tonight, you will..."
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