Simspiration Drabble - Babysitting a Younger Sibling
sim_spiration is a community where they post daily writing prompts for sims writers to further explore the various characters in their game. I decided to write for one of the prompts from Thursday. It's not terribly wonderful as I kinda just threw it together, and it doesn't have anything to do with the story at the moment, but there's no reason it can't be canonical for the universe of Royal Purple.
"Gabriella, I'm just going over to Miss Larson's house to borrow some butter." Ginger latched the child safety gate at the top of the stairs before coming down into the living room. Gallagher was spread out on the sofa, asleep due to a cold he'd caught at school a couple of days ago, and Gabriella was diligently working away at her homework. "Can I trust you to watch your siblings for ten minutes?"
"Sure Ginger," Gabriella nodded, her thick black braids bouncing with enthusiasm.
"Okay. If anyone comes to the door, don't answer, and don't answer the phone while I'm gone, either. The last thing we need is Mrs. Warwick coming by to take you kids away."
"I'll be careful, Ginger," Gabriella promised.
"And don't wake Gallagher up. He's sick and needs his rest."
Ginger lingered a little longer. It made her nervous every time she had to leave the younger kids by themselves. She hadn't done it often - this was only the third time in as many years, but that was even more cause for worry.
But Gabriella was as strong as she was, if not stronger. She was almost eleven - she would be fine, Ginger told herself. Giving her younger sister an encouraging smile, she pulled the door closed behind her and hurried around the corner to Jodie Larson's house.
Gabriella stood in the middle of the living room and looked around her. She was never left alone with the kids, not even for ten minutes. Ginger was always there, or Gavin, or his girlfriend Melody. But never was she ever allowed to be in charge.
Gallagher was still sound asleep on the couch, old tissues strewn about. He had begged to be allowed to watch tv, even though they only got three channels, but as usual, the box refused to work. He eventually fell asleep on the old sofa.
This was boring. She couldn't very well boss him around when he was asleep, and Ginger had told her not to wake him up.
She tried to think of what the older kids did when they were babysitting. If it was suppertime, they made food. If it was bedtime, they put them to bed. Then Gloria and Garrett had their naptimes, and bath times, and story times, while Gabriella and Gallagher had to do homework and "play quietly."
They also did chores. Ginger would clean up the dirty dishes and wash them, and make the beds and sweep the floor and scrub the counters. Melody didn't do a lot of work - she mostly just sat on the couch and played with her videogame, unless Gavin was home. Then she did more than play videogames on the couch. Gabriella knew this because even though she was in bed, she could still hear them.
Gabriella looked at the clock on the stove. Ten minutes was an awful long time, it seemed. She didn't know when Ginger had left, but surely she would be back soon.
Just then, one of the kids started crying. Gabriella rushed to the window to see if she could see Ginger coming back. She couldn't.
"You're the babysitter, Gabriella. You're in charge now," she told herself. Cautiously she made her way up the stairs, and carefully pulled the child safety gate closed, because Mrs. Warwick, the social worker, said that if they didn't have it closed, Georgia or Garrett would fall down the stairs and die.
"Why are you crying, Georgia?" she asked her little sister. Garrett was sitting in the corner, sucking vigorously on the mallet from the toy xylophone. His big green eyes were staring at Gabriella and Georgia expectantly.
Gabriella reached down to hug Georgia, remembering that whenever she herself was sad Ginger always gave her a hug. Bug Georgia didn't want a hug.
Gabriella concentrated on what Ginger would do when Georgia cried. Georgia wasn't smelly. Maybe she was hungry. That meant she either needed a bottle, or apple sauce. But Gabriella didn't want to carry her down the stairs when she was crying. So she left Georgia alone, and rushed down the stairs to find a bottle in the fridge.
When she returned to her sister, Georgia didn't want the bottle. Frustrated, Gabriella threw the bottle onto the ground. It bounced on Garrett's blanket, and rolled into the dresser. Garrett tossed the xylophone mallet aside and eagerly headed for the discarded bottle.
"At least you're happy with food, Garrett. Boys are such pigs." Gabriella moaned. She turned back to her sister. "I wish you would stop crying Georgia." Then Gabriella got an idea. Maybe it was storytime. So she rushed back downstairs to the bookshelf and grabbed a storybook. She tried to find one with lots of pictures and not too many words. Ginger told her she was a very good reader, but she wasn't as good as Tessa Ramirez, so she always tried to read easy books.
"This is the story of Little Red Riding Hood," she announced in her best teacher-voice. Georgia just kept crying. Then Gabriella heard the front door slam shut.
"Gabriella, is everything alright?" it was Ginger. She was home. Gabriella stood at the top of the stairs and stared down at Ginger. She was going to be so dissappointed that Gabriella wasn't a good babysitter, because Georgia was still crying. Gabriella started to cry herself. "I tried to get Georgia to stop crying, Ginger. But she doesn't smell and she didn't want a bottle and I tried to read her a story. But nothing's working, Ginger."
Ginger smiled at her little sister. "Did you trying singing her a nursery rhyme, Gabriella?" She asked. Gabriella's face lit up. She got up off the stair where she was sitting and turned to run upstairs. "Georgia! Let's sing a nursery rhyme. Chibi tam balunak buwad snubu, chibi tam balunak buwad snerg."
Ginger heard the toddler's sobbing subside. It was probably something more serious than a nursery rhyme, Ginger knew. It was never that simple. But at least now Gabriella had had her moment to shine.
"It worked, Ginger! It worked! I got Georgia to stop crying!" she shouted as she stampeded down the stairs.
"Shhh, Gabriella, you'll wake your brother." Ginger chided.
"It's okay, I'm awake," Gallagher said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What did I miss?"
Gabriella beamed at Gallagher smugly. "You missed it, Gallagher. You slept through the whole thing. Let me tell you all about what happened while you were sleeping!"
"Gabriella, I'm just going over to Miss Larson's house to borrow some butter." Ginger latched the child safety gate at the top of the stairs before coming down into the living room. Gallagher was spread out on the sofa, asleep due to a cold he'd caught at school a couple of days ago, and Gabriella was diligently working away at her homework. "Can I trust you to watch your siblings for ten minutes?"
"Sure Ginger," Gabriella nodded, her thick black braids bouncing with enthusiasm.
"Okay. If anyone comes to the door, don't answer, and don't answer the phone while I'm gone, either. The last thing we need is Mrs. Warwick coming by to take you kids away."
"I'll be careful, Ginger," Gabriella promised.
"And don't wake Gallagher up. He's sick and needs his rest."
Ginger lingered a little longer. It made her nervous every time she had to leave the younger kids by themselves. She hadn't done it often - this was only the third time in as many years, but that was even more cause for worry.
But Gabriella was as strong as she was, if not stronger. She was almost eleven - she would be fine, Ginger told herself. Giving her younger sister an encouraging smile, she pulled the door closed behind her and hurried around the corner to Jodie Larson's house.
Gabriella stood in the middle of the living room and looked around her. She was never left alone with the kids, not even for ten minutes. Ginger was always there, or Gavin, or his girlfriend Melody. But never was she ever allowed to be in charge.
Gallagher was still sound asleep on the couch, old tissues strewn about. He had begged to be allowed to watch tv, even though they only got three channels, but as usual, the box refused to work. He eventually fell asleep on the old sofa.
This was boring. She couldn't very well boss him around when he was asleep, and Ginger had told her not to wake him up.
She tried to think of what the older kids did when they were babysitting. If it was suppertime, they made food. If it was bedtime, they put them to bed. Then Gloria and Garrett had their naptimes, and bath times, and story times, while Gabriella and Gallagher had to do homework and "play quietly."
They also did chores. Ginger would clean up the dirty dishes and wash them, and make the beds and sweep the floor and scrub the counters. Melody didn't do a lot of work - she mostly just sat on the couch and played with her videogame, unless Gavin was home. Then she did more than play videogames on the couch. Gabriella knew this because even though she was in bed, she could still hear them.
Gabriella looked at the clock on the stove. Ten minutes was an awful long time, it seemed. She didn't know when Ginger had left, but surely she would be back soon.
Just then, one of the kids started crying. Gabriella rushed to the window to see if she could see Ginger coming back. She couldn't.
"You're the babysitter, Gabriella. You're in charge now," she told herself. Cautiously she made her way up the stairs, and carefully pulled the child safety gate closed, because Mrs. Warwick, the social worker, said that if they didn't have it closed, Georgia or Garrett would fall down the stairs and die.
"Why are you crying, Georgia?" she asked her little sister. Garrett was sitting in the corner, sucking vigorously on the mallet from the toy xylophone. His big green eyes were staring at Gabriella and Georgia expectantly.
Gabriella reached down to hug Georgia, remembering that whenever she herself was sad Ginger always gave her a hug. Bug Georgia didn't want a hug.
Gabriella concentrated on what Ginger would do when Georgia cried. Georgia wasn't smelly. Maybe she was hungry. That meant she either needed a bottle, or apple sauce. But Gabriella didn't want to carry her down the stairs when she was crying. So she left Georgia alone, and rushed down the stairs to find a bottle in the fridge.
When she returned to her sister, Georgia didn't want the bottle. Frustrated, Gabriella threw the bottle onto the ground. It bounced on Garrett's blanket, and rolled into the dresser. Garrett tossed the xylophone mallet aside and eagerly headed for the discarded bottle.
"At least you're happy with food, Garrett. Boys are such pigs." Gabriella moaned. She turned back to her sister. "I wish you would stop crying Georgia." Then Gabriella got an idea. Maybe it was storytime. So she rushed back downstairs to the bookshelf and grabbed a storybook. She tried to find one with lots of pictures and not too many words. Ginger told her she was a very good reader, but she wasn't as good as Tessa Ramirez, so she always tried to read easy books.
"This is the story of Little Red Riding Hood," she announced in her best teacher-voice. Georgia just kept crying. Then Gabriella heard the front door slam shut.
"Gabriella, is everything alright?" it was Ginger. She was home. Gabriella stood at the top of the stairs and stared down at Ginger. She was going to be so dissappointed that Gabriella wasn't a good babysitter, because Georgia was still crying. Gabriella started to cry herself. "I tried to get Georgia to stop crying, Ginger. But she doesn't smell and she didn't want a bottle and I tried to read her a story. But nothing's working, Ginger."
Ginger smiled at her little sister. "Did you trying singing her a nursery rhyme, Gabriella?" She asked. Gabriella's face lit up. She got up off the stair where she was sitting and turned to run upstairs. "Georgia! Let's sing a nursery rhyme. Chibi tam balunak buwad snubu, chibi tam balunak buwad snerg."
Ginger heard the toddler's sobbing subside. It was probably something more serious than a nursery rhyme, Ginger knew. It was never that simple. But at least now Gabriella had had her moment to shine.
"It worked, Ginger! It worked! I got Georgia to stop crying!" she shouted as she stampeded down the stairs.
"Shhh, Gabriella, you'll wake your brother." Ginger chided.
"It's okay, I'm awake," Gallagher said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What did I miss?"
Gabriella beamed at Gallagher smugly. "You missed it, Gallagher. You slept through the whole thing. Let me tell you all about what happened while you were sleeping!"