The Tutor/Clock

You suddenly notice the clock and quickly lift the small girl off of your lap, standing her on the floor in front of you. She attempts to climb back into your arms, but you resist. Instead, you stand up and pull her close, kissing her forehead once again.

“Your mom will be back any minute now. We can't let her see us like this."

"Like what?"

"On top of each other and... and kissing."

"Mommy knows I like you."

"Well, I'm sure she doesn't know how much I like you... or exactly in what way. If she found out, I wouldn't be able to tutor you ever again. I wouldn't be able to tutor any girls or boys ever again."

"That doesn't seem fair." The little girl says with a frown.

"Perhaps not, but that's just the way it is." You reply.

"I want you to be my boyfriend."

"And I want that too, Olivia. But we have to keep it secret, okay?"

The child looks confused for a moment, but then shrugs her shoulders and scampers over to a shelf full of books, grabbing the math book you've been using for her recent lessons. "Okay, I won't tell mommy you kissed me."

"Wait", you think to yourself, "she kissed me first."

"Olivia, you can't tell anybody about anything that just happened."

"Okay, Mr. Michael," she replies with a serious look, "I won't tell anybody... not even Penny. I pinky promise." The child says as she lifts her pinky toward your hand. You respond with a smile and link your pinkies together in your new pact of secrecy.

"Well, I think she understands the seriousness of the situation to some extent at least." You convince yourself. She has always been very bright and more mature than her sisters; and possibly even her mother as well. You are pretty sure you can trust her to stay quiet, and it's not like you did anything wrong. But you can't push the situation, or you risk destroying another excellent job opportunity. You need to slow down and just enjoy what you currently have: the best job in the world, teaching three beautiful girls in an amazing home for a ridiculous amount of money. also, Ms. Johnson - errr, "Alicia" - isn't anything to shake a stick at either.

As your "Juliet" sits cross legged next to you on the floor and starts flipping through the pages in her math book, you think back a few months ago to the start of the school year, when you first met her family...