🤖✅ Exchanging Places

Chapter 1 - The Graduate

The warm glow of the setting sun illuminated the living room, with a family of pigs, a teddy bear, a locomotive, and a fire truck casting shadows that stretched almost the whole width of the carpet. Eve pawed at the shadows inquisitively, concerned with them almost as much as the toys themselves. George found himself watching the toddler from the corner of his eye; wondering if the half smile on her face indicated some insidious thoughts lurking below the surface, or just the bewildered joy typical of a two-year-old.

"Really, we appreciate it so much," her mother said, her blue eyes crinkling with her smile. "It's been so long since we've had a night out."

"No problem at all," George replied, his hazel eyes sincere. "I'm happy to help. And, well, I could use the money." They could all laugh at that. George might have been tempted to party like his friends over the summer, but had instead decided to save up as much as he could to guard against any unexpected expenses once he started college. It was one of the reasons his neighbours trusted him so much.

With a final wave, the couple left the house, leaving George and baby Eve alone. The room seemed to grow quieter, the sounds of the outside world fading away as George focused on the task ahead of him. Turning back towards the small child, he found her sitting on the floor, staring up at him with wide blue eyes that held a strange intensity. Her plump cheeks were flushed from crawling around earlier, but the toys seemed to have lost her interest for a moment. George approached her, kneeling down to check the status of her diaper. She was wet already, so he efficiently lifted her onto a blanket and laid her down so he could deal with that. As he worked, he caught glimpses of her tiny hands reaching out to touch anything that was in reach.

"Ba... ba..." she muttered, and George found himself wondering what she was trying to say this time. There were a few words she knew, and she could make herself understood by pointing if she needed to, but when she was trying out new words it was often hard to be sure what she wanted to say.

"Almost there, little one," George encouraged her, finishing up with the diaper change. "You'll master the complexities of language soon enough, and then I'm sure you'll be able to talk my ear off." He then set her down by her play area, where an assortment of colourful toys lay scattered about.

With dinner time fast approaching, George headed to the kitchen to prepare a simple meal for the child. As he chopped vegetables and cooked them in a pan, he glanced back at Eve, who was now fully engrossed in her toys. He hoped that she would stay focused on solo play for a little longer, because at some point after feeding her and washing the dishes, he would need to find time to write two essays in support of his college application. The weight of responsibilities bearing down on him this month was a world away from Eve, exploring the darkest reaches of the lounge and enjoying her playthings without a care in the world.

The baby's laughter filled the air as she shook a small rattle, her face alight with joy. George couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, even as he worried about his own future and the challenges he faced.

"Alright, Eve, dinner's ready," George announced, setting a plate of steaming food on the high chair. He carefully lifted her into the seat, securing her with the straps before beginning to feed her.

As George watched the young child eat with gusto, a part of him could have envied her carefree existence. How wonderful it must be, he thought, to have no worries or stress, to simply live in the moment and enjoy life's simple pleasures without the burden of adult responsibilities. A wistful sigh escaped his lips as he cleaned up after their meal, his mind already turning back to the list of chores that he would have to accomplish before he could focus properly on his own burdens.

Once the last remnants of dinner had been wiped clean from Eve's face, George carefully lifted her out of the high chair and set her down on the floor amongst her toys again. "There you go, little one. Have fun while I work on my essay," he said, stroking her soft blonde hair.