I started babysitting while I was in college. I needed money for bills and expenses and a job that allowed me some time to study and finish homework while “on the clock”. A single father of twin 3 year old girls had contacted the head instructor of my elementary education program looking for someone to sit with his daughters on weeknights for a couple of hours while he worked at his family’s business. He couldn’t pay much but he offered reliable WiFi and a place to study and finish school work. I volunteered immediately.
Every weeknight I arrived at 8pm just as John was finishing reading a bedtime story to his girls who were already sleeping peacefully. He was a good dad who seemed to work hard to give his girls a good life. I knew nothing about him other than his wife had packed her belongings, served the divorce papers as he walked through the door, and drove away. She never told the girls goodbye nor had she attempted to contact them since. He told me this a few weeks into the job as he was looking for his checkbook.