BSIC/2/Dig for more information. Why can't she take her children with her?

You can't quite put your finger on it, but something just seems a little off about this whole scenario. You really can't be satisfied with this until you have a little more information. The first question that jumps to your mind is why she can't simply take her children with her to her parent's house. There are a few perfectly good explanations, but you just have to know the answer to that burning question before you can move on with this. However, it seems a little blunt to just ask that question directly. Perhaps if you open things up for that question with a related question.

"So, about how far away do your parents live?" you ask her.

"Eh, it is about a four hour drive to get to their place." she answers with the simple mechanical demeanor of someone who has answered this same question several times today. "It will be pretty late till I arrive if I were to leave now I guess" she follows up with a weak smile.

"Ok, well then... why can't you just bring the kids with you?"

"I Can't!" she nearly screams with an edge of frustration, causing her daughter to wince, startled by the sudden ferocity in her mother's tone as she tries to jerk out of her mother's arms. "I mean..." Ms. Sarto takes about half a step back in surprise at her own outburst and wraps her arms tightly around her daughter, as though holding on for dear life to a life raft in a storm. "I... they... I can't have them running around and being a distraction." she hastily explains in a fluster. "My father is ill. Having them acting up and running around the house will just do more harm than good."

That certainly seems like a reasonable enough explanation, but why does it still seem like something is off?

1. Never mind, you don't want to get involved with this after all.

2. Keep pressing, your gut says something is not right here. Speak your doubt about this explanation.

3. Accept her explanation, and agree to help babysit.

4. This may be interesting. Sounds like you may have just hit the jack pot. Accept the job, this family should be easy to manipulate.