The Carer

He took off his top hat, twirled it and bowed in greeting to the parents and their children. The overly glossy hat was his most distinguishing feature – way out of fashion in this day and age. It sparkled and gleamed as he spun it through the air in hypnotic circles.

“I welcome you all to Londondale Daycare Centre, please, make yourselves at home.”

The stranger stepped aside from the doorway, extended an arm in an inviting gesture. The parents walked into the main room, their small children cautiously trailing behind, staring at this strange man in a top hat.

When the last person had come in, the man closed the door and followed the guests to the main room, where they were already seated, looking at all the children’s toys around the room. It was all very colourful with lots of solid red and blue and yellow colours. Building blocks and action figures, toy trains and toy planes, and the centrepiece of the room, a miniature piano.

The room smelled very clean and antiseptic, almost like a hospital. This was a welcome break from the usual horrible smell of most other day care centres. Everything was kept very neat and orderly, mostly on shelves. There was no ceiling light, the only natural light provided by a large, curtained window. The strange thing about this centre is that it all seemed so old. Everything about this place seemed to belong to another time period. Especially the man.

Though the children plainly thought this man was very weird, the parents guessed that it must be a part of his act to seem less of an intimidating stranger to the children, so they would feel more comfortable. It worked, though the children did find him weird they at least did not find him intimidating.

Judging by the apparent quality of the facility and the obviously large amount of time and care the owner gives to his business, most of the parent had already made up their minds. The only portion of the deal that really remained in question was the price. Surely, a place such as this would charge a hefty price.

“This room is the toy room. Trains, cars, blocks, costumes… and everything in between.  All the toys stay in here, no exceptions. Now, to your left, you will see the main play area.”

The guests turned their heads towards the play area. A netted trampoline in one corner, a playhouse in another, and two slides in the middle. One of the parents asked the inevitable question, “How much?”

The answer was admittedly nowhere near what they had expected.

“$40 per day for one child, 70 for two.”

“What… how could you keep this place… so well kept at such a low price?”

“It does not concern you. One thing you should all know, however, is that I am not open for business on Wednesday. Every other day of the working week, yes, but not Wednesday.”

“What? In the middle of the week?”

“Yes. Now, if you will, you may leave your kids here for a free first day. They can tell you if they like it, you can decide for certain.”