Sarah gets some new memories.

As I look up at my mother's smiling face, my lips rhythmically sucking as if I had done this hundreds of times before, I am suddenly bombarded with a cascade of new memories of how my life was altered under the rules of Lidia's new reality.

I remember...

Back when I was seventeen, I was so excited to get out of the house. My mother was always overbearing and overprotective. I wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend or girlfriend. I wasn't allowed to go to sleepovers. I wasn't allowed to stay out past 9:00 pm. I wasn't even allowed to stay home by myself for extended periods of time, thus Lidia becoming my long term babysitter.

I had applied to colleges as far away as I could to get out from under my mother's thumb. I didn't want to be stuck at home under her tyrannical rules for longer than I could. Plus, under the new **** regression laws, I was more than a little afraid that my mom would concoct some story to have me demoted to being a perpetual middle schooler if I stuck around too long. Turns out, I should have been more worried.

I remember being ecstatic when I got into my first choice school, the Boston Institute of Technology. The school was prestigious, had the best engineering program in the country, and, best of all, was thousands of miles away from home. I'd be free to live my own life with my own rules.

When I told my mom, I could tell that she was less than pleased, but, like any good parent, did her best to pretend to be happy for me. She told me that despite as much as it was going to hurt to lose her baby, she couldn't help but be proud of how much I'd accomplish.

As my July birthday approached, things seemed to be proceeding as normal. We sent off my acceptance paperwork to BIT. We worked together to find the best dorm. Mom was even there cheering for me at graduation, where I was salutatorian. Everything was going great.

That was, until the weekend after my 18th birthday. Mom and I had a big celebration planned. We were going to get cake and balloons, decorate the house, then have a horror movie marathon, just the two of us. However, at the last minute, Mom had to cancel. There was, apparently, an emergency at work, and she had to fly to another state to deal with the fallout. I was disappointed, but understood. I let her know we'd just reschedule it for the next weekend. So, without a lot of fanfare, I helped Mom pack her travel bag and waved goodbye to her as she took off for the airport.

It was only 30 minutes later that I heard the knock on the door. I opened the door and, to my surprise, Lidia, my nemesis, was standing in the other side.

"Hey squirt! Ready for a wonderful weekend with your fave babysitter?" She asked with that same dark smile she always had when she got a weekend alone with me.

"What? No! I am 18 years old, I don't need a babysitter. Fuck off!" I said, slamming the door in her face.

Lidia knocked again, but I refused to open the door. After a few minutes, I could hear Lidia on the phone with someone outside. Then, as Lidia's muffled voice went silent, my phone rang. I picked it up to see Mom was calling.

"Sarah Lynn Howard! What is this I hear about you slamming the door in that sweet girl Lidia's face and swearing at her? I thought you were almost an adult!" Mom immediately began tearing into me. I went on the defensive.

"Mom! She said she was here to **babysit** me. I'm 18 and heading to college across the country in a month and a half. I do not need a babysitter! I knew she had to be lying when she came over and said that!" I raged into the phone.

"Sweetie, she may not have needed to say it that way, but I am paying her to house sit and spend some time with you while I'm gone. You may be 18, but you're still living under my roof for now. I just don't trust that you'll be safe by yourself," Mom tried to reason with me. "Plus, I know how sad you were we had to cancel our party at the last minute, and I know you don't have a lot of friends, and you always seem to get along with Lidia so well, so I thought..."

"You thought what?" I asked, cutting my mom off, almost incoherently upset that my mom, who was so supportive and proud of me, STILL thought I couldn't be trusted by myself.

"I thought you could have a little party with her. I mean, I know Lidia isn't me, but, I couldn't stand the thought of you spending your birthday weekend alone baby girl," Mom said. She sounded so genuine and loving, so full of shame at bailing on me on my birthday, it cut right through my anger. I suddenly felt horrible.

"I'm sorry, Mom. Being 18, I'm just a little nervous about being, you know, demoted," I said, apologetically. "Hearing Lidia say she was here to babysit me just made me nervous, you know?"

"I understand baby girl. And you don't ever have to worry about demotion, love. I will always be here to protect and take care of you, you know that?" Mom said. I couldn't help but feel relieved at hearing those words.

"I know Momma," I responded, "I love you."

"I love you too baby, now, why don't you go let Lidia in. She is probably baking in the heat back there, are I am paying her to have a fun girl's weekend with you. You better go get the party started!" Mom instructed before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

I put my phone down, turned towards the door, and steeled my nerves before opening it. Lidia used to **** me as a kid, but I'm an adult now. She wouldn't dare baby me like she used to, right?

I opened the door again to see Lidia leaning against the side of the house. At the sound of the door opening up, she stood up, took a step towards me, and cracked a disarming smile.

"Happy Birthday Kiddo! I knew you'd come around! Are you ready for a fabulous girl's weekend with your favorite... neighbor?" Lidia said, clearly stopping herself before saying babysitter again.

I plastered a fake smile on my face.

"Come on in! I'm sorry I was so rude. I am just sensitive about being demoted. It's happened to too many of my friends at school, you know?" I responded, ushering Lidia through the door.

"Oh, you're such a smart girl, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Plus, what were you always telling me back when you were a kid? You haven't wet the bed since you were thirteen," Lidia offered supportively.

I couldn't help but blush at being reminded of my bedwetting and, relatedly, my 'baby' weekends with Lidia. I closed the door as Lidia walked in.

"But, we're not here to think about you being a kid this weekend, we're supposed to celebrate your adulthood!" The 22-year-old beauty said.

I watched and flinched as she reached into her pink babysitting bag excitedly. Instead, she pulled out two bottles of white wine. I could feel my eyes grow huge.

"Let's celebrate!" Lidia cheered.